Falafel Jones - Max Fried 02 - Payback's a Beach (16 page)

“Evidence connected to the murder of Drew Fisher.”

“Well, for a serious charge like that, I want to see the warrant first.”

Torres frowned and said, “Have it your way.” Then he leaned against a dock pylon with a view of Maddie and her boat. I went into the clubhouse and called Ed to bring him up to speed. He said, “I’ll be right there.”

“I don’t think Torres will appreciate that. He’s barely tolerating me and I’m the one who found the fishing net.”

“I don’t care. I’m the yacht club’s elected representative not to mention, counsel. I’m coming.”

I hung up with Ed, took a comfy seat in the club lounge, and waited.

Fitzpatrick and Ed must have arrived at the same time. They entered the clubhouse together and approached me. Ed had a piece of paper in his hand. He gave it to Fitzpatrick and said, “Everything looks in order. Go serve your warrant.”

I followed them out to the dock. When we reached Maddie’s boat, she stood up in the cockpit and approached the dock. Torres pushed off the pole he was leaning against and we all converged. Fitzpatrick handed Maddie the warrant. She took it and held up one hand to stop us while she read the document. When she finished, she said, “According to maritime law, I’m using my authority as captain of this vessel to refuse you entrance.” She attempted to hand the warrant back to Fitzpatrick who stepped back out of her reach.

Torres said, “What?”

Maddie said, “I’m invoking maritime law. I’m refusing to allow you to board my vessel. I’m the captain. I can do that.”

Ed pushed his way past Torres and me. “No, you can’t. As legal counsel to the Coronado Yacht Club, I can inform you that the club and its docks are located within city limits. Since you are tied to that dock in a spot rented from the club, you are indeed subject to the local jurisdiction.” Ed stepped back and gestured to Torres to board the boat. Torres gave him a nod that seemed to indicate he was finally pleased with something that Ed had done.

Torres handed me a pair of gloves. “Put these on and follow me, but don’t touch anything.”

I gave him a puzzled look and he said, “If the boat shifts and you grab something for balance, I don’t want you leaving prints.”
After we entered the boat’s cabin, he said, “Now show me where you found it.”

I led the way to the cabinet in which I saw the fish net and reached to open it. Torres grabbed my wrist and said, “Wait a minute.” He opened the door and we both peered inside. The cabinet was empty and he asked, “You sure this was the one?”

“Yes, positive. She must have moved it after I saw it.”

I followed him as he walked the perimeter of the master stateroom and he said, “Wow, from the outside, I’d never guess how nice it could be in here.” He opened a second door to reveal the bathroom and then opened the medicine cabinet. He reached inside, pulled out an aspirin bottle, and opened it. He shook a pill out into the palm of his gloved hand and smiled, “Roofies.”

“Really?”

“Yes.” He returned the pills to the bottle and secured it inside a clear plastic bag.

I followed him out to the cockpit and onto the dock where he waved his evidence bag at Fitzpatrick and said, “Roofies.”

Fitzpatrick pulled his handcuffs from his belt, climbed on the boat, and arrested Maddie for illegal drug possession.

Torres asked her, “Where’s the fish net?”

Maddie said, “I’m not saying anything. I want a lawyer.” Then she indicated Ed with her chin. “But not him.”

Torres asked Ed, “Does she have any other personal space in the club? Maybe a storage room or something like that?”

“Yes, ” Ed pointed to a wooden cabinet on the dock next to Maddie’s boat. “Each slip comes with an equipment box plus members and guest are assigned a locker in our health club.”

Torres said, “Fitz, call and extend that warrant to the box and the health club.” Fitzpatrick stepped away to call for the health club warrant.

Ed nodded, “You need a warrant for the health club but not for the equipment box. Ever since some bozo stored a leaking gas container in one, the lease agreement has granted the club discretionary access.” Ed pulled his key ring from his pocket, opened the lock, and stepped back.

Torres leaned in and examined the box. He ran his hand around the inside feeling the top, bottom, back and sides. “Empty.”

Fitzpatrick returned from his call and put his phone in his pocket, “All set, Leon.”

Torres nodded, “McCarthy, show me the locker.”

I followed as Ed led Torres and me into the yacht club and down a hall until we came to a sign, “Women’s Locker Room.” Ed stopped and turned to face us. “We can’t go in there until it’s empty. I’ll call someone.” He pulled out his cell phone and dialed.

Torres said, “Tell them to bring a bolt-cutter in case we need to cut the lock.” Ed nodded and made his call.

When he finished, the three of us stood there, stared at the locker room, and waited until we could enter. I had to jump out of the way when the door flew open and a red haired woman came out. She stopped and looked at the three of us, one at a time.

“Wow,” she said, “Mona was right. She said that if I want to meet men, I should go to a health club.” She held out a hand palm up. “And look at you three. So, tell me, do you all do this stage-door Johnny thing together on a regular basis? You know, where you wait outside the door for women?” She placed a hand on Torres’s shoulder. “You’re nice.” She smiled at him. “I wouldn’t have minded meeting you inside.” She took hold of his wrist and examined his latex gloved hand. “Oooo, kinky.”

Torres stammered and pointed down to his belt where he wore his detective shield. The woman smiled at him and said, “Thanks, Hon, I wanted to check it out but I didn’t want to stare and make you uncomfortable.” She stepped back and looked down at Torres’s crotch. “Verrry nice, oh and you’re a cop too.” She patted his cheek and grinned. “Betcha got a big gun, too.”

Ed said, “I’m sorry about the confusion, Miss. The detective is waiting for the locker room to clear out so he can conduct some police business.”

She looked disappointed and said to Ed, “And who are you Mister Buzzkill?”

Ed responded, “My name is Max Fried.”

The woman harrumphed and flounced away down the hall.

Another woman wearing a tool belt passed her in the opposite direction and came up to greet Ed, “Hi, Commodore, Jeanie said you needed someone to clear the ladies?”

“Yes, Debbie, please.”

Debbie entered the locker room and a few moments later held the door open for us. “It’s all clear.”

Ed said, “This way. Jeanie said Maddie’s locker is number 22.”

We found Maddie’s padlocked locker and Torres looked side to side. “OK, where’s the bolt cutter?”

Debbie leaned in towards Ed and whispered, “We don’t use a bolt cutter. Members complained about broken locks.” Her whisper was louder than Ed’s normal voice.

Ed said, “What? They cost like what? Five bucks?”

“Yeah, but it’s not the money. The members don’t like the inconvenience of having their stuff unsecured and they really don’t like going to the hardware store or WalMart.”

“So, what do you do when you need to get into a locker?”

Debbie slipped something out of her pocket and showed it to Ed. “Padlock shim.”

“So use that. Why are you whispering?”

“Shims are illegal. They’re ‘burglary tools’.” She nodded towards Torres. “He’s a cop.”

Torres said, “I don’t care how you do it. Just open the damn locker.”

Debbie bobbed her head in understanding and placed a slim metal sheath around the padlock shaft. Once she had the shim in place, she pressed down and the locking mechanism released the shaft. She removed the open padlock and handed it to Ed.

Torres opened the locker, reached inside and pulled out a four-foot long fish net. “Got it.”

We formed another parade but this time we reversed our path back to Maddie’s boat. She sat handcuffed on the dock against a pylon while Fitzpatrick loomed over her. She looked up as we approached and Torres waved the fish net at her. “I found your net.” He hefted it and said, “It’s pretty heavy, heavy enough to do the damage we saw on Fisher’s head.”

Maddie said nothing and looked away from Torres.

“So, what happened? You drugged his booze so you could sneak up, whack him on the head, and toss him overboard?”

Maddie looked back at him with a defiant stare. “That lying drunk deserved it. He led me on and dumped me but I didn’t kill him. All I did was drug his booze. I wanted him to pass out and wake up in the middle of the Atlantic without any gas.”

“But we know you passed his boat in the inlet. You have his net.”

“I cruised down with Bucky, but his boat is faster than mine so I was a few minutes behind him. When I got to the inlet, I looked for Bucky but only saw one other boat. As I came closer, I saw it was Drew’s boat drifting in the channel. I thought he probably drank himself into a coma and I wanted to see it. I wanted to gloat but when I boarded the
Amante
, all I saw was blood on the deck. I didn’t even see Fisher on the boat.” She shrugged, “I decided to look for Bucky’s gold, and I tripped over the fish net.”

“Did you look in the cabin?”

“No, the fish net was in my way so I picked it up. After I saw how heavy it was, I realized I must have found the gold he bought with the money he stole from Bucky. I took it and left.”

Torres twisted the rubber handgrip off the net handle and a thin gold cylinder slid out into his hand. He pushed it back into the hollow handle and replaced the grip.

“OK, let’s go to the station and you can make your statement there.”

Fitzpatrick helped Maddie to her feet and led her into the clubhouse. As they walked through to the parking lot out front, the redhead from the health club watched. When Fitzpatrick approached with Maddie in handcuffs, she winked at him and said, “Now, that’s kinky.”

Ed and I watched as the police took Maddie and left. After a few moments of staring after cars that were no longer in sight, Ed said, “I didn’t hear them arrest her in connection with Fisher’s death.”

I said, “Maybe they’re going to wait until they have a look at the murder weapon? How long do they have?”

“There’s no statute of limitations on murder but if she’s guilty and they let her go now, she’ll flee. We need to attend Maddie’s arraignment.”

“Why?”

“So we can find out the charges against her.”

“Can’t we find that out some other way?”

“Not as quickly. It’s public record but it won’t be recorded anywhere we can get the information as quickly as we can by being there when her plea is entered.”

“Let me guess. I’ve got to get up early tomorrow, don’t I?”

Ed lit a cigarette and blew smoke out the side of his mouth. “Pick you up at eight. This time, eat first.”

I wondered how Maddie’s arrest would affect Brenda’s situation. Was their case against Maddie strong enough that they would leave Brenda alone?

The next morning, I was showered, fed, and dressed by 7:57 am. Ed pulled up just as I finished putting my dishes in the dishwasher. I think I surprised him by getting to his car before he could open his door. I slid into the passenger seat and he gawked at me. “Who are you and what have you done to Max?”

I put my finger to my lips, “Shhh. Don’t tell anyone.”

Ed raised an eyebrow as he backed out of my driveway. “No one would believe me anyway. How’s Mariel?”

“Don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“Last time we spoke was last night.”

“What’d she say?”

“I love you but don’t wake me up on your way out.”

We arrived at the courthouse and got through security just as the bailiff called the first case. Ed and I took seats and I watched a young A.D.A. with a wispy mustache charge a young man with a DUI and driving without a license. The judge took the man’s plea, set his bail and then the bailiff called Maddie’s case. Maddie stood and scanned the faces of the people sitting in the gallery. When she fixed her gaze in one spot, I followed it and saw Bucky in a back row, corner seat.

The judge, a 50-ish woman with short blond hair said, “Appearances?” The small, white haired, lady on Ed’s right placed her left hand on his forearm and whispered, “Oh, don’t you just love Judge Simmons. I think she’s the best.” Ed turned to the lady. He looked surprised. She smiled up at him, patted his knee, and said, “Haven’t seen you here before.” Ed’s mouth dropped open.

The A.D.A stood at the prosecutor’s table for what was likely to be the second of many times that day and stated his name for the record. “A.D.A. Knott for the people.”

A handsome, well-dressed, older gentleman approached the defendant’s podium with Maddie at his side. “Alfred Helmsley for the defense, Your Honor.”

Ed whispered to the lady, “Oh? Do you come here often?”

She beamed at him and wiggled the top of her cane in her right hand. “I haven’t heard that line in years.”

Without looking up, the judge wrote something down and said, “Quiet in the gallery. Mr. Helmsley. Do you waive the reading?”