I'll Protect You (Clueless Resolutions Book 1) (16 page)

Saturday was a quiet day as the month of June was drawing to a close.  College and high school graduations had been processed through the media.  Governmental assemblies were nearing the traditional summer breaks.  Baseball and golf dominated professional sports and otherwise world events had not caused any exceptional interest.  National political interest was beginning to pick up as the final term of the administration in place in Washington, DC was playing out, with seventeen months remaining until the next national election.

The local weekend news focus was becoming more centered on the three unsolved killings in south central Connecticut and, as news organizations tend to do in quiet news times, a stirring up of interest was underway.  Talking heads were all over television, experts were being quoted and opposing politicians were beginning to channel criticisms toward each other and to the status quo.  The media competition was keen in attempts to capture the interest of the Southeastern Connecticut populace in light of the upcoming July 4th holiday.

East Wayford Chief of Police Lou Devaro had decided that the time for action was now.

He called Inspector Don Chace, Max Hargrove and Maggie Marshall.  All four of them agreed to meet for a strategy session the following day, Sunday, at a Foxwoods Casinos Hotel.  It would be a relatively easy eastward drive up Route I-95 to Ledyard, Connecticut, close to the Rhode Island State line.  After the calls were finished the chief dialed the hotel on his cell phone and reserved a small meeting room suite for the following day.

Sunday had a bright start with a cloudless sky and a warm southwesterly breeze. Chief Devaro was the first to arrive at the hotel meeting suite.  He ordered a coffee urn and the fixings, along with a dozen assorted doughnuts and muffins.  A lunch menu was on the meeting table along with an ice bucket, glasses, a pitcher of ice water and four note pads with pencils.  There was a projector screen and a DVD projector beside an erasable magic marker board.
Well, I guess we have everything we need for a meeting,
he thought,
but I don’t think most of what we’re meeting about will be put on any slide screens or display boards.
He turned on the TV for background noise while he awaited the other participants.

A local station in Hartford was broadcasting a discussion session by a panel of state congressmen and congresswomen.  The subject of the discussion was an increase in capital crime in Connecticut.  Tapes of outraged citizens from several cities and towns were shown angrily speaking out about the situation and, as-if on cue, recent file tapes from an unknown reporter showed an interview of Detective Salvadore as he drove out of the East Wayford headquarters driveway.  The date of the tape preceded Salvadore’s attendance at the course in Pennsylvania.

Click, went the TV as the chief had seen enough. “
I just can’t seem to escape this bullshit!”
he steamed silently, “W
e don’t need this to remind us why we’re here on a gorgeous Sunday morning
.”

At that point in walked Inspector Don Chace.  They exchanged weather and traffic talk and, with the chief looking impatiently at his watch, in strode Maggie followed by Max.  The two slightly tardy attendees were dressed in T shirts and shorts.

“Sorry we’re late”, Max offered, “We came up yesterday afternoon, played some slots, had supper and stayed over. We’ll have to break for a few minutes later on, before noon, to get our stuff and check out.” The chief, with an exaggerated look at his watch, looked at Don Chace with a wink unseen by Max and Maggie.

“Get this, Don, what a tough life these two have.  It must be nice to be civilians, I can’t remember”, he added.  “Just kidding, sit down, grab some coffee and doughnuts compliments of the town of East Wayford”, he directed at Maggie and Max.

The chief had Inspector Chace recap where they stood in the investigation.  Then the chief summed up why they were meeting:

“You can see that both of you are integral to the puzzle because of the crime scenes involving the vacant properties you visited while doing your work for your employers,” he directed at Maggie and Max.  “We need to re-create the crime scenarios as closely as possible in order to draw out the responsible party or parties, or at least to give us a clue as to who we are after.”

Chace asked Max and Maggie if they were aware of their employers’ likely implication in the crimes.

“Yes, we are aware of that”, Maggie said emphatically. “After totaling up all our winnings last night, which took about three seconds”, she stated in jest. “We had some conversation on that subject. If your trap works, it’s quite possible that both Max and I will be out of a job”, she finished somberly.

“With that in mind,” Chace went on, “do you have any reservations about being involved with our plan?” he asked.  Maggie and Max exchanged glances.

“No”, said he.  “No”, said she.

“If this caper fails and word gets out, Lou and I might be joining you in the unemployment line.” stated Chace. “We’ve all got a little skin in this game.  Let’s do it.” he said as he raised his closed hand for a fist bump.  They all followed.

Between then and 11:30 AM  they established that, as a matter of routine, once it was decided that a “distressed property” would have to be auctioned, Maggie would set an inspection date with Max. Francine had always insisted that Maggie then report back to her as to the state of the building, or buildings.

Items at issue would be; working locks with keys, operable electric and water utilities, working heat/AC, an amount of furnishings, and manual timers for vacancy/safety lighting, etc.

Max would prepare the valuation report, along with the size and condition of the structures which Maggie would add to the information that she passed on to Francine.

Max would then submit that same information, but also including a minimum bid value estimate, to Carl Jenson.

If the time negotiated with the mortgage holder allowed for a “short-sale effort before auction”, the usual group-visit by Francine and her sales staff would be made for familiarization of the property.

The four of them went back and forth using Max’s and Maggie’s experiences as to the importance of each part of the reports and which parts were key to the property being selected as the crime location.  Although it was hypothetical, the consensus was that a property had to be at least partly furnished, utilities had to be functioning and heating/cooling systems needed to be functional.  Properties not fitting that scenario would not be considered.

At break time they selected their lunch choices from the menu and ordered them brought to the suite.  The two hotel room occupants went to check out.  While they were gone the inspector and the chief went over the need to inform Maggie and Max, and if so, to what extent, about Francine’s past, Carl Jenson’s possible involvement and Carrie’s confession to Chief Devaro.  By divulging this law enforcement-acquired personal information, they could be liable for slander, or worse, if it went any further beyond these two civilians.

The chief and the inspector also knew, however, that at this point they were ‘in it up to their necks’.  They decided it would be best to trust Max and Maggie with the same information that they had acquired when they first decided to risk going ahead with the sting plan. This should erase any doubts the two civilians may have regarding their respective employers’ implication in illegitimate practices. In that way, the chief and the inspector reasoned, the integrity of the sting operation would be reinforced.

Lunch was served and the idle chatter led to a consensus among them that, if they were ever inclined to attend a meeting in the future, for any reason, this venue would be held up as the epitome of locations.  Then it was back to business.

Chief Devaro explained to Maggie and Max that the information they were about to be exposed to was in confidence and was being given with the realization that both he and Chace would be laying their professional lives on the line in doing so.  He added that they had both agreed, in full awareness of the risk, but with full faith in their judgments, to share this confidential information.  Maggie and Max both steeled themselves to accept some unknown facts.

Inspector Chace revealed the information received from his inquiries to the federal agencies, and from his confidants within the State Police environment, concerning Francine Stanley, Carl Jenson and Carrie Slavonic.

The civilians, Maggie and Max, were stunned at first, at some of the information they were being given about people they knew personally.  But both being mature, secure personalities they rationalized that seasoned law enforcement officers, with careers on the line, wouldn’t be acting on information which was inaccurate or unreliable.

The question was put to Maggie whether she would be comfortable setting up the plan at a property with which she was currently involved, or if it would be more workable to select a property whereby she would ‘fake’ a lead, or source of the listing, and submit it to Francine as if it were an actual situation. Maggie thought for a moment and, having been presented with a tough call, she offered a suggestion.

“Although a listing of an actual distressed property would cause no undue suspicion, none of my current pending cases meet the description that we discussed earlier. To wait for a workable solution would be unpredictable.  A subject property could be faked, but within a few days, questions would likely arise which could jeopardize the whole scheme of secrecy. Also, the owner of the selected property would have to be practically sworn to silence.  Either way could work but each has its risks.”  There was a moment of silence.

“Ms. Marshall, that was beautiful!  Have you ever considered politics as a career?” boomed the chief.

Startled at the break in intensity of their discussion, the other three participants broke out in spontaneous laughter.  The chief joined them and it took a few minutes for the foursome to compose themselves.

“I’m sorry,” the chief apologized, “this is no laughing matter.”

Chace spoke up in a serious tone, “Well, there is one thing that her display of tact proves to me,” he commented, referring to Maggie’s response. “It’s that I can have full confidence in this lady’s ability to pull this caper off.” 
Just as I called it!
Chief Devaro thought, as he showed a thumbs-up to Chace.

“Come on now, you’re going to make me blush.” Maggie shot back, “Seriously, if you want an ‘either-or’ decision, I would feel more confident if we get someone trustworthy to volunteer a property.  That way we could control the plan at least for a few days; then I could withdraw the ‘listing’ with an excuse of some sort before anyone checks it out.”  All four planners agreed to take that route.

Max was asked if that would pose any problems with him if and when he filed the report on the property with Carl Jenson.

“I don’t see a problem with that,” Max replied. “Sometimes I need a few extra days to verify sales of comparable properties. Carl then takes a day or so to prepare an auction agreement which I pass back to Maggie for participants’ signatures on her end. There’s no rush on that.  If current value is less than what is owed on the property at least 30 days is usually allowed for a short sale offer from the general public.”

With those contingencies settled, Don Chace brought up the final point of the meeting.

“We’re fairly certain that the killings revolve around Carrie Slavonic, although we have no idea of what the motive is.  If it has to do with the prostitution, Carrie doesn’t seem to have a motive and Francine wouldn’t likely have a motive.  If Jenson is involved it would have to be that he has contact with some high profile ‘johns’ and gets a cut, which means he would have no motive either.  Neither Jenson nor Francine Stanley can be aware of this set up.  Now the question is, what about Carrie?  Should she be aware of the trap when it’s ready to spring or should we let her go in with business as usual, using the fake property for a ‘session’ as she calls it, with us monitoring the surroundings?”

“That’s a good question,” said the chief, “She can be really tough and, as she told me, she has been a good ‘actress’ for most of her life.  She could probably pull it off, but I don’t think we should take that chance. According to the routine that she and Francine have been using, a session is arranged for a certain date and time. The pre-paid ‘john’ has to present a photo ID to Carrie when they meet.  This is so that she doesn’t have to collect and carry large amounts of money, and also it’s to prevent an undercover vice cop setting it up to nab her in the act of taking money. If we get the advance info from Carrie, we can stake out the client’s location and have him tracked along the route. If he is being followed by anyone else, that may be the killer. If anyone else shows up at the site, that could be the killer. In any case, Carrie will be protected and we may get a lucky break”, the chief concluded.  Chace nodded in agreement. 

“With the time and place pinned down, I can have some back-up from State Patrol Division ready to track the client in case he is being accompanied by any cohorts.” he offered. “One of us can ‘stakeout’, in advance, inside the building and tell Carrie what’s going on when she gets there. We can wait a while, and then cover her when she leaves.”

“I think we have the makings of a plan”, said the chief. “The next step is to put our heads together and come up with a location.  Let’s take a few days to locate a property.  Once we have a location, we can set a date, and set the trap.”