RUN FASTER: A Hallie James Mystery (The Hallie James Mysteries Book 2) Read online

  Also, I'd asked him to interview some of the employees that were on duty at the time of the fall. He had an easy way with people that made them open up.

  Poppy and Rayna had the reports I'd asked for, on my desk. I took them, and the file Karl had given me, to my couch and got comfortable.

  I flipped through Karl's file first. Most of it was the same information that Poppy had hacked into on Saturday. I set it aside to read more thoroughly, later.

  "Hallie, I spoke to Chief Woods," Jessie came in with a Brew's cup in her hand. "He’s going to meet you here, at four thirty." Jessie handed me the cup.

  "Thanks, it’s just what I need." I took a sip.

  "It was my turn to buy," Jessie said. "Rayna seems great, she's going to fit right in."

  "I thought so too." I picked up the stack of reports on the Herville cops that Andy had mentioned. "She and Poppy got these done fast."

  "Well, I'll let you get back to work. Yell if you need anything," Jessie said backing into the hall.

  I sipped my coffee and started reading the reports. The first was on Kevin Grady. Forty years old, he was born in Herville. He has a wife, who's a nurse, and three kids in their teens. His debts weren't excessive, and they owned their own home.

  After high school, he'd served four years as a marine. Kevin returned to Herville and joined the police force a year later. The picture included in the file, showed an average looking man with a stern expression.

  Next up, was Kate Lawry. She's twenty-nine and single with no kids. After moving here from western Pennsylvania, three years ago, she joined the Herville police.

  She’s in debt up to her eyebrows and lived alone in a condo that she owned, near the river. From information on her credit report, the condo was a month away from foreclosure, and she carried a credit card debt in the six figures.

  Her picture showed a young blonde with a half-ass smile. You know, the kind of smile that doesn't reach her eyes and shows no teeth.

  I picked up the next file. Jason Brady is thirty-two. He’s been a Herville cop for six months and is from Queens. He served four years in the army as an MP. He's divorced with a little girl, who lives with his ex-wife. And he lives alone in a rented apartment. He looked a little younger in his picture than the last time I'd seen him.

  Phil Stewart was up next. I'd met him a few times, including Saturday night at the police station with George.

  He's twenty-three and was born and raised in Herville. I remembered Gram mentioning that she knew his grandmother. He had no military experience, but he has a degree in criminal justice from a local college.

  He'd been on the Herville force for over a year. He's single and lives with his divorcé mother. The picture attached to his file showed a freckle-faced redhead with a charming, gap toothed smile. I closed his file and picked up the last.

  Myron Banner's fifty-six years old. Married thirty-five years, he’s the father of two children and grandfather to five. He works the night shift, so he can be home with his wife during the day.

  His wife, once a teacher, has MS. The disease started advancing quickly in the last five years, and she was now in a wheelchair. He carried a lot of debt, but most of it was medical bills. He drove a fifteen-year-old pickup, and he and his wife have owned their home for thirty years. His picture showed a tired looking, middle aged man.

  I straightened the pile of folders and tucked them into my briefcase. Standing up, I stretched and went to the break room to see if Ben saved me any pizza.

  I nuked the lone piece I found on a paper plate and took it, along with a bottle of water, back to my office.

  My desk had a new file laying on it. I sat down in my desk chair and opened it.

  It was the report on the potential daughter in law. She’s twenty-four and has been a registered nurse for two years. She was never married, has a good credit rating, and a few speeding tickets. She inherited her home when her mother died. Other than the speeding tickets, there was nothing derogatory. I signed off on releasing the report to the client.

  It was almost four-thirty, so I headed out to the reception area to wait for Chief Woods. I have a great deal of respect for Herville's Chief of Police. He's intelligent, competent, and no nonsense, yet open-minded and kind. I was anxious to hear his thoughts on the case.

  Linda wasn't at her desk, so I sat on the couch and rifled through a magazine on the coffee table. I started to get sleepy, listening to the flames crackling in the fireplace.

  I sat up straight when the front door opened. Chief Woods entered, stopping to wipe his feet on the welcome mat. He spotted me, and I stood as he approached. He's a little taller than me with steel gray hair and light blue eyes. We both sat down, getting comfortable on the couch.

  Before we could speak, Linda came through the front door with a cardboard carrier holding several Brew's cups and a paper bag. "Jessie sent me for coffee and some goodies for you and the Chief." She put a cup in front of each of us and pulled two of Brew's coffee cake muffins out of the bag. "I'm going to help Jessie. I can answer the phone from her office," Linda said before heading back the hall.

  "So, I hear you're investigating Andy's case," Paul Woods said.

  I nodded and sipped my coffee.

  "Good. If there's anything I can do to help, just ask." He pulled the lid off a cup of black coffee and took a sip.

  "Do you believe that Andy's innocent?"

  "Absolutely," he said without any hesitation. "Andy is the best cop that I've worked with, in thirty-seven years. He wouldn't lie about a bust or commit murder. He has a high regard for the law."

  Now I had to ask a toughie. "Are there any cops on your roster that you do consider a possible suspect?"

  "I know that the person who took the meth is probably one of my people, but I still hope not. Herville doesn't have a large police force. There's only nine officers under me, seven full time and two part-time. I'd thought we were a close-knit group, and the thought of one of my people, framing a brother officer is abhorrent." Chief Woods took a sip of his coffee. "But not impossible. Other than Myron Banner, Andy's been with me the longest, and It's no secret, I think he's my best."

  "Some of your other officers were jealous?" I said.

  "Yes, but I didn't think they were jealous enough to do this to Andy."

  "Is it possible, it was an outsider?" I picked up a muffin and pinched a piece off the top.

  Chief Woods shook his head in the negative. "Very unlikely. Our security measures at the station would make it nearly impossible to get inside, get into the locked evidence room, and escape unseen. And there was no sign of a break in."

  "So, it had to be someone who belonged there and had keys," I mused. "Don't you have video surveillance in the station?"

  He sighed. "Yes, but I allow my people to turn it off at night. They’re in and out and I've always trusted them. Nothing like this has ever happened."

  And they all knew the cameras were off. Another reason to think it was a Herville cop. "Well, again, any guesses as to which one might dislike Andy enough to do this?"

  "The most jealous of Andy is Jason Brady. His six-month evaluation is due. I was thinking about letting him go. Far too often, he uses his mouth before his brain," Chief Woods said. "But with Andy unavailable, I can't cut the department that short."

  I remembered something from the background checks. "And Jason is from Queens, just like Marlowe," I said.

  "Yes, but so is one of my part-timers." Chief Woods pulled out his notebook and reading glasses. Jerry Dalton is also from Queens. He works every other weekend and Wednesdays, second shift. Then all the other evenings of the week except for Mondays, he's a security guard at The Herville Mall."

  I wrote down the name. I'd have another background check done. "Didn't you say that you have two part-timers?"

  "Yes, the other is a local boy, named Jeff Davis. He does two evenings and two graveyard shifts a week for me. He spends the rest of his time selling stuff online."

  I wrote down that
name too. "OK. If you had to take a guess, which one would be your best bet?"

  Chief Woods folded up his glasses and put them back into his shirt pocket. "Dalton," he said looking me in the eye. "He's jealous of any of my people who are full time cops, and he was in the station when I got there Saturday morning. He claimed he was there to get his paycheck out of his desk."

  "Doesn't Kasey know about this?"

  Chief Woods snorted. “He doesn't care about anything that doesn't fit into his conception of the truth. He's decided Andy is guilty, and he won't listen to anything that contradicts that ideation."

  "Can't you..." I began.

  "I have no control over him," Chief Woods said. "He answers only to the mayor, and he believes anything that Kasey tells him. Kasey should retire, but he's determined to stick it out for two more years."

  "Is there any way I could come to the station with you and see the scene of the crimes?"

  "You want to see the murder scene too?" Chief Woods stood up.

  "Yes," I said.

  "You can follow me over to the station now."

  Before I could stand, the door opened. Woody and two cops entered.

  "Hallie, look what I got for Rob." Woody said holding up a plastic cage. "And I got a water bottle, bedding, and mouse pellets."

  "What's the matter with you," Jason Brady said to a startled Woody. "Get out of the way, geek."

  "Ignore him," Phil Stewart said, patting Woody's shoulder. "He doesn't handle stress well."

  "Thanks," Woody said. "Hey, you're that nice cop from the other night."

  "Phil Stewart smiled. "That was me. What are you doing at a detective agency?"

  Woody shifted the cage under his arm. "My wife works here," he said proudly. "I drop her off in the morning and pick her up after work."

  "Quit wasting time with this freak," Officer Brady said.

  "Jason, what did I tell you about the way you deal with the public," Chief Woods said sternly.

  "Sorry, Chief," Jason said. "But we got a call, you musta left your walkie in the car."

  "Yes, I did," Chief Woods said. He sounded annoyed. "What's going on?"

  "A pickup got a flat, a mile outta town," Jason said. "When the guy got out to change his tire, he saw a bundle of rags laying in a ditch. He took a closer look, and it was a body."

  "I'll have to postpone that tour of the station, Miss James. Please, call me tomorrow," Chief Woods said and led his men out the door.

  I redd up the reception area and stopped in to see Poppy and Rayna. Rob was now inside the plastic cage. I gave them the two part-time cops' names and one more to run a check on, Detective Larry Kasey.

  Poppy's face fell when I handed her the short list. "OK, this shouldn't take long," she said. I could tell she was anxious to leave, and get Rob settled into his new home.

  "I can get them finished by six," Rayna offered.

  "Works for me," I shrugged. I looked at my watch and wondered how Ben was doing. He should be back by now. "You can take Rob home, Poppy."

  Poppy gave the room a big smile. "Thanks, everybody. I'll see you tomorrow."

  I returned to my office. Jessie had left some things on my desk for me to read and sign. I sat down and started on them. But I was wondering what was keeping Ben. I picked up my desk phone and hit the speed dial assigned to Ben's cell.

  He answered on the fourth ring. "Yeah."

  "It's me," I said. "How's it going."

  "It went fine. But I had a problem on my way back to the office."

  "I hope not an accident," I said. "Are you hurt?"

  "I got a flat," Ben said. "And I found a dead body."

  My mouth dropped open. "It looked like a bundle of rags in a ditch, right?"

  "Yep, how'd you know?"

  "I was with Chief Woods when he was told," I explained. "How long are you stuck at the scene? Do you want me there?"

  "Nah. I'm good. I don't think I have to stay much longer." I heard Ben close his truck door. "You're not going to believe this, but the dead guy had a wire around his neck."

  I sucked in air. "Just like Marlowe."

  "Yep," Ben said. I heard the soft snick of a lighter, and Ben dragging on a cigarette. He didn't smoke much, mostly when he was stressed.

  "Sure, you don't want me there?"

  "I'm fine. Why don't you go home? I'll call if I need you."

  "Where are you?"

  "Along the highway, about a mile out of town. I was on my way back from Bloomsbury." He took another deep drag.

  "You're sure you don't need me?"

  "Positive," he said.

  OK, but stop at the house if you want. Liv will have something good on the table around seven."

  "Sounds good. See ya." He hung up.

  It was almost six when Rayna brought the completed background checks to my office

  I thanked her and tucked them into my briefcase before starting for home.

  SIX

  Ben arrived in time for Liv's spaghetti and meatballs. Gram, George, Liv, and I were just sitting down at the table. Aunt Jeannie was out with Karl.

  "We heard you found a dead body today, Ben," George said before helping himself to a slice of garlic bread.

  "Sure did," Ben said. "I thought it was a bundle of clothes that fell off the back of a truck. But then, I saw a hand sticking out of a sleeve and took a closer look."

  "Who was it?" George asked.

  "It wasn't anyone I knew. But it was a man, a little older than me." Ben caught a rogue meatball that rolled off George's plate before it landed in his lap.

  I stifled a giggle into my napkin as George gave Ben a sheepish grin. "It was a mile out of town, right?"

  "About a hundred feet from Deeter's Body Shop," Ben said.

  "Was he all gross or bloody?" George asked.

  "George, we're eating," Gram scolded gently.

  "I kinda want to know too," Liv said with a grin.

  I stepped in and tried to appease George and Liv's curiosity without upsetting my grandmother. "You said there was a wire around his neck. What did it look like?"

  "It was silver, not coated with plastic or anything, maybe three feet long, and the ends were wrapped around wooden pegs." Ben said.

  Gram still looked disgusted, so I changed the subject. "I hired a new computer person after you left. She's very good."

  "Is she Poppy's friend?" Gram asked.

  I nodded with a mouthful of pasta.

  "She should be reliable. Woody has spoken very highly of her," Gram added.

  "I think she'll work out fine. She stayed an extra half hour to do some background searches for me."

  "Are you working on something interesting?" George asked. He was fascinated with my job, and I think he'd be good at it.

  "I'm trying to clear Andy," I said. "I think it's a cop who took the drugs from the police station and killed Marlowe. So, I had Poppy and the new girl, Rayna, do checks on them. I even had them run Detective Kasey's name, to see what they could find."

  "Larry Kasey's not a good man," Gram said. "He's a drunk, a gambler, and he beats his wife."

  "Really?" This was news to me. "How long has he been married." It was hard to imagine any woman marrying that jackass, yet putting up with being abused by him. "I haven't read his file yet."

  "Oh, at least thirty-five years," Gram said. "But Ann's younger than her husband, fifty-six or seven, and a talented piano player. Before she married Kasey, she was a concert pianist."

  "Peter’s Ann Kasey's cousin. He'd know more about them than anybody." Liv got up and placed an apple pie on the table. "I'm sure he'd be glad to tell you anything you wanna know."

  Peter has been our groundskeeper for as long as I can remember, but we aren't chummy. Actually, I doubt Peter likes me very much. He'd been in the wrong place at the wrong time, several times, last summer, and I thought he was a serial killer. He’d held a grudge for a while, but recently, he seems to have warmed up a little.

  "Maybe I'll stop at his cabin tomorrow," I
said before helping myself to a slice of pie.

  I thought about my New Year’s resolution, but anybody who tried Liv's pie would agree, it's not junk food. It's a delicious lard and flour crust, with butter and sugar soaked, apple goodness baked inside! All it needed was a scoop of ice cream. “I’ll read the file tonight and see how much information is there."

  "Mind if I have a peek?" Ben asked.

  "Not at all," I assured Ben. He has a good mind and notices details that I sometimes miss. "We'll go over the files after supper."

  We finished our pie, and after helping Liv with the dishes, went into the living room with cups of hot tea. I brought along my briefcase and sat on the couch between Ben and Liv.

  "These are the files I went over at the office." I sat the five files on the coffee table. "These two, are Herville's part-time cops. Chief Woods told me this one," I held up Jerry Dalton's file, "is jealous of Andy, and he was at the police station Saturday morning. He claimed he left his paycheck in his desk."

  "Read the file to us," Ben said eagerly.

  "Jerome Dalton is forty-two years old, from Queens, New York. He’s divorced with two kids. He graduated from high school and attended law enforcement courses at a community college before going to a municipal police training academy. He moved to PA and joined the Herville police, about a year ago. He rents a house on River Lane."

  "Wasn't Marlowe from New York?" Ben asked when I stopped for a sip of tea.

  "Yes, and so is Jason Brady," I said.

  "The junior Detective Kasey," Ben said causing Liv and George to snicker.

  I continued relaying information from the file. "Jerry Dalton has a pathetic credit score and an empty bank account. Five years ago, he was arrested for drug possession, but the case was dismissed when the evidence disappeared."

  "Don't the police know this?" Gram asked.

  "If they don’t, they will first thing in the morning," I said. "But Chief Woods told me that once Kasey makes up his mind someone is guilty, he won't be persuaded to rethink his position. And he can't do anything because Kasey only answers to the mayor."