Dead Man's Hand (44 page)

Chapter 4
3

Calvin had p
ersuaded Rachel into moving
into his tiny apartment
for the time being
.
But e
v
en though the police
had
brought in a team that left it spotless, they
’
d always know that a cop had died there.

When he heard the front door chime at exactly
4:00
p.m., he
smiled
.
He expected the punctuality.

He ope
ned the door wide
and spread his arms, wrapping his visitor in a massive, affectionate bear hug, though careful not to tear his stitches.

With his large right arm wrapped around the man
’
s shoulders, Calvin pulled his visitor into the small living room
and
got him seated.
Dragging
an armchair close to the man, Calvin sat down, leaned forward
and
said,
“
It
’
s really great to see you, Dale.
It doesn
’
t matter why you
’
re here.
I
’
m glad you are.
”

“
I feel selfish asking to speak to you alone when you
’
ve had so little time with Rachel.
”

“
She understands. You know how we both feel about you.
She
’
s meeting friends at a coffee shop.
”

The detective
leaned back in his chai
r and began to relax
.
It looked like it had been
a while
.
“
Thank you. You really love her, don
’
t you?
”

Calvin smiled, feeling flushed.
“
I do. Her strength and determination make me want to be a better man. You said you needed to talk about something urgent
,
but
you
didn
’
t say what it was. Is there a break in one of the other murder cases? New evidence? Something I can help with?
”

“
I
’
m sorry I couldn
’
t tell you on the phone. It
’
s going to be hard enough to do it here in person. The answers to your questions are no, no
and
yes. What I want to talk to you about has nothing to do with the investigations. It
’
s only about me, personally
and
yes, I think you can help me.
”
Dale shifted uncomfortably in his seat.
“
Before I get to that, Mike
Armstrong
called the station this morning and confirmed your alibi for the night Pitt and the prostitute were killed. That, along with Rachel
’
s admission you were with her when Grant was murdered, was persuasive enough that even the chief admitted you are no longer a suspect in those cases.
”

Dale
paused, as if strengthening his resolve.
“
I
’
ve never had a talk like this wi
th anyone in my life, not Jimmy
or my wife. You may not know me well enough to know I
’
m a very private person. I stay focused on the job
and
try to keep my emotions to myself.
”

Calvin smiled.
“
I might know you better than you think. Once Grant
’
s body had been discovered
and
you
were
chosen to lead the homicide investigation, I researched
and created a file
on you and J
immy. Your proficiency
speaks for itself.
”

Dale
grimaced
and shook his head
.
“
I wasn
’
t the same way at home, that is, during the very little time I spent there. For too many years with my wif
e
I was al
l business—ready
to talk about work but not feelings
and
very little love. I knew I was ruining my marriage, but I didn
’
t want to deal with the problems
.
E
very time Betty
tried to talk to me about them
,
I
’
d avoid her and make a quick escape.
I
’
ve made some big mistakes in the past—
which
I
’
m still paying for.
”

Dale
paused again and Cal
vin remained silent, giving the detective
all the time he needed.

“
Last night, when everyone was celebrating the arrest, I was as happy as everyone
else that
we could prosecute and convict Sanders for double homicide.
”

“
And then I thought about the three other murder victims whose files would go in the cold
-
case cabi
net
as unsolved and
maybe
unsolvable
,
about the famili
es and friends of those victims
and
I
got very depressed. Three unsolved murder cases for which I, as the lead investigator, have to take full responsibility
.
I was honest enough with myself to accept the pain of blame and failure.
”

“
On top of that
—
and
nobody else knows this
—
Betty left me
a week ago
and took our young son with her to Utah to stay with her sister. All my mistakes as a husband and father, which I
’
d kept denying, caught up w
ith me
and
it
’
s my own fault that I
’
m now alone.
When I realized I
’
d sacrificed my family to be a cop
and
then failed at that too, I almost broke down.
”

“
Then I thought of you.
”

Calvin was astonished.
“
Me? I…
”

Dale
cut him off.
“
You were an innoc
ent man who
’
d been put through h
ell and almost
lost his life because of one man
’
s all-consuming
,
insatiable desire for power. Look at everything you
’
ve been through. Four years ago, in less than a minute, you suffered a knee injury that ended your stellar college and certain pro career
.
You
dropped from the top to the bottom. I
checked
your arrest record, so I know you were tr
apped at the bottom for a while. But you were on your way back, ready to go.
”

Calvin shook his head.
“
I did nothing. You
’
re the real hero. You were the only one in all of Vegas, except for Rachel, who believed I was innocent
. I
f you hadn
’
t trusted me and worked with me on my plan to capture Baxter, I might be dead now
and
Rachel too. I owe you our lives. You put your life on the line every
day to protect this city.
”

Dale
smiled
.
“
Okay
, l
et
’
s say we
’
re hero
es to each other.
You also have a true loving relationship with Rachel
and
I
admire
it all the more because I sure don
’
t
have that with my wife.
”

“
I
appreciate that. But how can I possibly help you?
”

Dale
leaned forward,
staring
straight
into Calvin
’
s eyes, his face, expressions
, emotions and heart wide
open and said,
“
Tell me what I should do.
”

Calvin perceived where the man
was in his heart and mind and what
advice
he
needed
to start
moving
forward again.
“
W
hat do I know? I got very lucky. Not everyone would think an ex-hooker and a leg
breaker were the
elements of an ideal
relationship.
”

When Dale
didn
’
t say anything, Calvin shrugged.

“
You
’
ve already taken the biggest and most difficult step of all, accepting full responsibility and blame for all that went wrong and all that you didn
’
t do that you should have done.
I went through that same step.
”

Dale
still didn
’
t respond.

“
Okay
.
”
He
took a deep breath.
“
Tell her what you told me. Admit your fault
s
and don
’
t bullshit her about your repentance. Tell her that she is in charge—you
’
ll do what she asks.
You need her now more than ever and you
’
re totally committed to changing, to becoming the father and husband you should have been and are determined to be now.
It won
’
t be easy for you, but ask her for only a little more patience.
Can you do that?
”

Dale
drop
ped his head.
“
Yes
.
”

Calvin smiled.
“
Don
’
t try to be the whole police department. Share the load and make the right amount of time for loving your family and being with them.
All the other cops admire you. The problem isn
’
t that you
’
ll let others down.
”

Dale
started to speak but Calvin put his hand up.
“
I
’
m speaking the truth. You don
’
t need to be modest or say anything because that
’
ll just get in the way of the point I want to make.
”
He paused for a moment and then continued.
“
You feel like a failure because you and your team were only able to get hard evidence on Sanders for two murders, leaving three unsolved. If Jimmy
,
or any members of your team
,
had said to you
that
they felt like failures for the same reasons you do, what would you have said to them?
”

The detective
sighed
.
“
The only things I could
say—the truth
. I knew they
’
d done the very best they could, that homicide investigations are too complicated and difficult to solve and get enough hard evidence on for every case to be broken
and
every killer arrested and convicted. And that
in reality
, though rare, there are smart
murderers.
Therefore, they should feel proud about all they did do
and
move on with all the value of more experience.
”

“
Then why can
’
t you say it to yourself?
”

Chapter 4
4

It had been five days since the arrest.

O
n the
steps of
c
ity
h
all on Stewart Avenue,
Dale
star
ed
out into the gathered crowd. As Paul Casey,
mayor
of Las Vegas, acknowledged the la
rge
crowd and
blaze of flash
cameras
,
Dale
enj
oyed
peace.

He
’
d been able to put what he, as the team leader, had and hadn
’
t achieved in the right perspective. Take pride in what he and his team accomplished and understa
nd his helplessness in the rest—
the perfect murders had been by nature beyond his control and law enforcement mission.

And the big one—
Betty
promised to talk to him again. There was hope.

Now he, Jimmy and Calvin stood before the people of this great city and awaited their medals. Dale and Jimmy were being given the LVMPD Medal of Honor, the most distinguished award the police department could grant. Calvin, as a civilian, was receiving the Las Vega
s Freedom Medal, a seldom
-
bestowed honor for extraordinary public service.

“
Detective Dale Dayton.
”
The voiced boomed from
the speakers.

A thunderous applause exploded from the crowd
.
A
s Mayor Casey dr
aped the Medal of Honor over Dale
’
s
head
and
the medal came to rest on his
chest, near his heart, he sensed that they were feeling the weight, honor and beauty of the medal as he was.

He turned to watch and applaud as the
m
ayor bestowed on Jimmy and Calvin their respective awards, beaming with an almost fatherly pride, then he turned back to face the crowd and media again.

T
here
’
d never be any such ceremony honoring what Calvin had done for him. Only the tw
o of them would ever know. T
hat was enough.

His thoughts returned
to his family,
the wife and son he loved so much. He was now ready to act on tha
t love.

“
Maureen, hold all my calls and turn away any reports.
”

He brushed through the reception area and closed his office door. Ignoring his office desktop, Shawn Gra
nt opened his computer case,
pulle
d out his laptop
and
logged on
.

H
e opened his secure phone and dialed the memorized number.

“
Hello.
”

Shawn smiled.
“
Good afternoon, Mr. Baxter.
”

“
It
’
s morning where I am.
”
Baxter
’
s
voice was silky
.

“
How are you?
”

“
How do you think I am?
”

“
You
’
ll feel better soon. You kept your end of th
e bargain
, so as we speak I
’
m transferring three million into your Cayman account.
”
Shawn tapped a few keys and clicked the mouse button.

“
Looks like everything worked out for you.
”

Shawn smiled.
“
Yes indeed, from beginning to end.
”

“
You
’
re not worried about Watters?
”

Shawn shook his head.
“
Not in the least. Watters and I were working together to find the real killer.
”
He chuckled.
“
It would be
inconceivable to him
that I had anything to do with it.
”
He cleared his throat.
“
Can I trust you, Mr. Baxter?
”

Baxter grunted.
“
I
’
m not helping the authorities, if that
’
s what you
’
re referring to.
”

Shawn smiled. He knew as much.

Baxter said,
“
It shouldn
’
t be long before I
’
m released
. I
’
m too valuable to them. They can
’
t afford to court-martial me, or leave me to civ
ilian arrest.
”
Baxter said.
“
I
’
ll
be
on my own again
soon
.
And if they don
’
t release me, I
’
ll find a way to escape just like last time.
”

“
Goodbye, Mr. Baxter. I
’
ll be in touch when I require your valuable skills again.
”

“
Oh, you
’
ll be seeing me before that. I
’
m not done with Watters yet.
”

Shawn hung up. He leaned back in his father
’
s Herman Miller Aeron, graphite-framed chair, rested his feet on his father
’
s Mayline Corsica six-foot office desk and smoked one of his father
’
s Cuban Double Corona cigars.

Linda had been
the key. He
’
d made sure to send her to that Casino Owner conference in Atlantic City
last year
to lure in Sanders
with their
“
chance meeting.
”

Shawn
had to admit that Linda was a
piece of work
and a great piece of ass. He might even miss her…a little. Sanders and his father had no idea that it was actually he and Linda playing them. Sanders, t
he idiot
, thought he was a mastermind. They
’
d manipulate
d
him
in various ways for the fun of
it.

In a little more than a we
ek, Shawn ha
d
taken out every threat
and
only Sanders wa
s going
to prison.

His dad should have tried to work things out, instead of
leaving them for the glitz and glamour and that slut Linda.

It was the changes his father had made in his will that had seriously bothered Shawn, because they meant that if Linda was still married to Doug at the time of his death, her share of his estate would include part ownership of
t
he Greek and the freedom to sell that share to anyone she wanted
.
Either way, if his father died first, Shawn would be stuck with a partner outside the family and he knew how much disruption such a
partner could cause if they cho
se to, even without having voting stock.

All existing problems had been eliminated and Shawn, with a clear mind, could now focus on the next steps. He would buy the shares from Melanie and his mother, even though he controlled theirs by proxy, giving him
one-hundred
percent
voting control and almost
eighty-eight
percent
ownership. All that was left was the part ownership share that Sanders had bought from Linda.

With Sanders sure to go to prison for the rest of his life, he
’
d be forced to sell his share and Shawn would make sure he was the final buyer regardless of cost. It was the
one-hundred
percent
ownership that mattered the most. Combined with his total voting control
,
he
’
d be able to rule
t
he Greek like an emperor.

Shawn Grant was on top of the world.