LIES OF THE PHOENIX (A Lieutenant Cassidy Mystery Book 1) (17 page)

Jordan waited for a long time making sure the man was gone. Then he drove to the alley with his headlights off. He parked in the garage and entered the townhouse as silently as possible without turning on any lights. He made his way up to the bedroom and packed a small bag of clothes. He grabbed his computer and shoved it into its bag, then quickly left through the back door.

He walked down the alley and cut through a backyard to the next street. Halfway down the street, parked at the curb was a non-descript dirty beige older car. Under another alias, he had bought the vehicle for cash from a small used car dealer in a questionable part of town. He walked up to it, unlocked the door and climbed in. It was time to disappear again.

He had scoped out hiding places for just such a contingency. He had found this little out of the way motel in a rundown part of town that would serve his purposes. His intention was to close the international bidding as soon as possible, transfer the data, and get paid. Then he would say goodbye to this life and embark on his next adventure with a new identity.

This time it would be someplace tropical and relaxed. He was ready for a little vacation. Maybe he would even marry again. He liked the idea of an attentive wife ministering to his every need. In the meantime, he had a nice financial cushion to keep him in comfort until the mother lode came in.

He was starting to feel hungry. The area around the motel held nothing that interested him. He decided to venture out of the immediate locale to find someplace more appealing for a nice meal. He went to the window and scanned across the parking lot. He saw no one. He walked to his car with his laptop securely tucked under his arm. His computer was crucial to him and he wasn’t letting it out of his sight. He slid into the driver’s seat, and pulled out of the parking lot hoping to find a good restaurant close by.

He found a small eatery a couple of miles away that looked appealing. The hostess was able to seat him in a quiet corner of the room and he ordered the chef’s dinner special complimented by a pleasant house wine. When he finished, he looked at his watch—8:30 p.m. He wasn’t ready to return to his motel room. He asked the waiter if there was a quiet bar nearby and received directions to a place a couple of blocks away.

He entered the tavern and found it passable. A few people were sitting at the bar near the front door. He chose a small table against the wall in the back. He ordered a drink and flipped open his lap top. Within seconds he found a Wi-Fi connection that he was able to hack. For the next three hours he was transacting business. Things were going very well and he anticipated that the deal may close sometime tomorrow. It would take another day to set up the electronic transfers and he would need that time to retrieve the data drive from its place of safe keeping.

He glanced at his watch. It was after midnight and time to head back to the hotel. He closed up his laptop and went out to his car. It was a weeknight and the streets in the outskirts of the city were quiet and deserted. He drove to the motel and parked on a nearby street so as not to attract attention.

He started across the dark parking lot towards his room and something did not feel right. He stopped behind a parked car and tried to get his eyes to focus in the dim light. He could see the outline of the door to his unit. It was slightly ajar. He felt his heart begin to pound as he crouched in the shadows. Only the rumble of an occasional car going down the side street broke the silence. He edged closer and saw the mangled lock hanging from the door frame. The door had been kicked in. He waited for what seemed like an eternity scanning the parking lot and watching the other units for any signs of activity in the murky silence. There was nothing.

He crept slowly towards his unit and stopped just to the side of the door. There was no sound coming from the room and he could see only blackness through the partly open door. He reached out and pushed the door to open it. It swung half way open and then stopped. Jordan stepped through the opening. He scanned the room in the murky darkness. Everything seemed to be as he had left it. His eyes then traveled to the floor and to the object that was preventing the door from fully opening. It was a body.

He crouched down and pulled out his phone. He put it into flashlight mode. He was careful to keep the light at a low angle so it would not be easily seen from outside. He shined the light on to the body lying on the floor. It was Kyle Mason. His hands and feet were bound and his face was so battered and swollen that he was hardly recognizable, but Jordan knew it was him. He looked dead.

Jordan was about to leave and then Kyle’s bloodied mouth began to move. No sound came out at first and then a raspy choking whisper broke the silence.

“I’m supposed to give you a message.” His voice trailed off as he strained to continue. “You have to give them what they want. They’re going to kill us if you don’t. Sarah too. Just give it to them and they’ll let us go. Please, you have to give them the account data or we are all dead.”

Jordan looked at the pathetic crumpled figure hogtied on the floor. “Kyle, if you think giving them anything now would make a difference, you’re a fool. They dumped you here hoping I would cringe in fright and handover the account data. Then they would kill us both and be done with it. That data drive is the only thing keeping me alive right now. If they kill me, they know they’ll never get it. You on the other hand, I’m afraid, have nothing left to bargain with.”

Jordan snapped off the light on his cellphone and stood up. He carefully wiped off the inside and outside of the door handle with his handkerchief. It was the only thing in the room he had touched. He stepped out the door and shut it as best he could. He ran across the dark parking lot to his car parked on the street and drove away hoping that there was no one following him. He was sure someone had to have been watching the motel room. He drove for several miles ducking in and out of traffic and zigzagging down multiple side streets and alleys. After a while he pulled to the curb and parked. His heart was beating madly in his chest.

He sat silently watching for any signs that he was followed. After a long time he was satisfied that he was safe. He climbed out of the car and crossed the street. He walked to the corner and turned down a side street and then casually walked to another older car parked at the curb. He had purchased this second vehicle a couple of weeks ago also under an assumed name and for cash. He had left it on a convenient street for just such an escape.

He got into this back-up vehicle and drove a zigzag route again down a series of side streets. Then he pulled to the curb and parked. He waited and watched nervously. After fifteen minutes he saw no suspicious vehicles. He started the car and headed to Chicago’s Northside.

A month ago he had rented a shabbily furnished one bedroom basement apartment in an old house. He paid three months’ rent in advance and the landlord was ecstatic. The landlord further thought nothing of it when Jordan explained how he coveted privacy and did not want to be disturbed by visitors.

It would do for a while, until the next part of his plan fell into place.

A
S THEY ENTERED
Ben’s apartment, Sarah couldn’t believe her eyes. The apartment had a sweeping open floor plan decorated in high end contemporary motif. Floor to ceiling windows wrapped around the living and dining room displaying a breathtaking cityscape view of the Chicago skyline with Lake Michigan as a back drop. At the end of the living room, sliding window walls opened to a landscaped roof deck. The deck was every bit as fabulous as the interior spaces. It was furnished with upholstered outdoor furniture that shared the space with a fully equipped wet bar, hot tub, and inviting lap pool. Back inside on an interior wall was the biggest TV she had ever seen.

“Are you planning to charge admission and show movies in here?” she said pointing to the TV wall.

“I like to watch TV sometimes. You know, sports and things. Ultra high definition, 104 inches!” he said with a note of pride.

Sarah just looked at him with a blank expression.

“I guess it’s a guy thing,” he said with a shrug.

Ben next escorted Sarah to the gourmet kitchen. It was equipped with restaurant quality stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, and all types of built in kitchen gadgetry, the likes of which Sarah had never even imagined.

“Last stop on the grand tour are the bedrooms,” he said as he showed the way.

There were two. Each had floor to ceiling windows with expansive city views. The rooms were almost identical in size with private attached baths equipped with jetted tubs and steam showers. White veined Carrara marble adorned the floors and walls. The master bedroom had a door that led to a comfortably furnished office, also with a cityscape view, and with added accessibility to the living room.

“That’s it. What do you think?” Ben said.

“I think I should have brought a bathing suit. Really, I had no idea you were talking about anything this plush.”

“I have to give credit to the architect and my interior designer. I just told them what I thought would be nice and they ran with it. I was surprised the way it came out myself.”

“This must have cost you a fortune.”

Ben paused for a moment debating on whether to continue.
In for a penny, in for a pound,
he finally decided. “I’m kind of a low maintenance guy. I don’t need a lot of material things to keep me happy.”

Sarah rolled her eyes in exaggerated disbelief.

“Now just wait a minute before you make any rash judgments. There’s more to this story.”

“Alright, but don’t expect any sympathy from me in the midst of this conspicuous consumption.”

“I told you I wrote some books. I was surprised at how well they were received. They proved to be very popular and the royalties came rolling in. I just kept putting the checks in the bank and living the way I always did. I didn’t really need anything and I didn’t know what to do with all that cash. After a few years the accumulated royalties became substantial. An investor friend of mine kept harping on me to get that money out of the bank and put it to work.”

“And so you bought this place?”

“Well, yes. I needed to be in Chicago and my buddy convinced me that this piece of real estate would be a good investment. He said to protect my investment I needed to renovate the apartment so it would compete favorably with other high end properties in the area— in case I decided to sell in the future.”

“You certainly went top of the line. This place looks like something out of a magazine.”

Ben smiled, “You can thank my interior designer for that. I think you know her.”

“What? You mean Ruth? She never said anything to me!”

“Of course not, she respects her client’s privacy. Although I wouldn’t have cared if she told you. She did a great job, considering I didn’t give her much input.”

“You could have told me!” Sara said sharply.

“Given all the drama going on in your life lately, my living arrangement seemed to be pretty far down on the priority list. It didn’t occur to me that you would be interested.”

“I would have,” she countered, although she doubted that herself.

“So now that you have seen the accommodations, how about we order something in for dinner? The doorman gave me a menu for a place around the corner that he says people seem to like.” Ben walked over to a table near the entry door, picked up a folded menu, and handed it to Sarah.

“Sure. I’m getting a little hungry.” She looked over the menu selections and picked out an entre and salad.

Ben concurred with her choice and phoned in the order. “They said it will be delivered in about 20 minutes. The doorman will let us know when it arrives.”

Just then the sound of chimes broke the air. Ben walked to a video screen located next to the door. He pushed a button and the screen lit up.

The doorman’s voice came over the speaker just as Nora Castle’s face appeared on the screen, “There’s a Miss Castle here to see you, Mr. Taggert. Shall I escort her up?”

“Yes, that would be fine, Edmond. I’ll meet you at the elevator.” He turned to Sarah, “I’ll be right back”. He then disappeared out the double doors.

A few minutes later he reappeared carrying Sarah’s overnight bag and a shopping bag that contained everything that didn’t fit in the overnight bag. He carried the bags to the guest room and then reemerged.

“I invited her to come in, but she said she had orders from Lieutenant Cassidy to check out the rest of the building and the parking garage. She’s already interrogated the doorman and the security guard. Oh, she said to tell you that your refrigerator and cupboards are all now clean—but she did save us the rest of our doughnuts.” He held up a small paper bag before he took it into the kitchen.

“Yeah, I guess that was a little stupid to ask her to do that. I don’t know why I did it. It just seemed important at the time.” The day’s events had taken a toll on her. She again thought how glad she was that Ben had been there.

Ben then changed the subject, “Come out on the roof deck. I want you to see this view. You can’t really appreciate it from in here.”

He pushed the window walls to each side and they went out on the deck. The view was spectacular and Sarah had the sensation of being at the top of the world.

“O.K., I know where we are eating dinner tonight,” she said.

Ben guided her around each side of deck to look at the views and Sarah pointed out various historic Chicago buildings and places of interest. Then the chimes sounded again and Ben went back to the video screen at the door.

Edmond’s voice again came over the speaker, “Your dinner order is here, Mr. Taggert. The delivery person says he would like to bring it up to you.”

“Just tell him to leave it at the desk. I’ll be down to pick it up. Tell him his tip was included on the credit card charge.” He flipped the speaker off and turned to Sarah. “I’m going to run down and pick up our dinner. Be back in a minute.” He disappeared out the door again.

Ben road the elevator down to the lobby. He had selected this building especially because of the security. Having a dedicated security guard in the lobby was an extra layer of safety since the doorman’s duties often took him away from the desk to assist residents in the building. The doorman had an elevator key, but it only allowed access to the exterior hallway of the penthouse. The stairwell was also accessible through the exterior hallway, but was locked from the inside.

The double doors at the entrance to the apartment were made of steel and finished with a faux painting technique that made them look like finely finished oak. The door frame was reinforced which made forced entry through the main entrance almost impossible. He also had a state of the art alarm system installed that was close to impossible to bypass or hack, although he knew nothing was foolproof.

Ben traveled often and he was becoming somewhat of a minor celebrity with his writing. As a former police officer, he had a certain paranoia about leaving his residence unprotected when he was away. He had seen too many families return home from traveling only to find a ransacked house and valuables missing. Ruth had also suggested the extra security as an added feature that would be attractive to potential high end buyers in the future. Now he was glad to have the extra security for Sarah’s sake.

The elevator came to a stop and the doors opened into the lobby. Ben walked to the desk and saw a large white paper bag sitting on the desk.

“Hi, Mr. Taggert. I would have been happy to run that up to you. I was going to suggest it, but that delivery guy was insistent that he wanted to take it up. Funny, I’ve never seen him deliver here before. He must be new. He left when I told him you were coming down.”

Ben stopped and listened carefully to Edmond. “Edmond, if you see him around here again, I want you to let me know. No one is to be allowed up to the penthouse unless I personally authorize it. That includes delivery men, maintenance workers, or repairmen. I have a guest and I don’t want her disturbed by anyone. Do you understand? ”

“Yes, sir. No one.”

“Also, if you see any one strange hanging around or asking about me or my guest, I want to know about it. Alright?”

“Yes certainly, sir.”

Ben thanked Edmond and then had a word with the security guard. He entered the elevator with the wheels of his brain turning. As a former police officer, he was tuned in to inconsistencies. Edmond’s report that he had never seen this delivery guy before and the guy’s insistence on making a personal delivery made his skin prickle. It may be nothing, but he was determined to step up his vigilance.

He decided not to mention anything about the delivery man to Sarah. He was satisfied that she was safe as long as she stayed put in the apartment. There was no use raising her anxiety level based on suspicions after what she had been through today.

Sarah met him at the door and they headed for the kitchen to find plates and silverware. Ben pulled a handle on one of the cabinets and the whole cabinet rolled out to expose a floor to ceiling fully stocked wine rack with a refrigerated section at the bottom.

“This was Ruth’s idea. She said it would save space,” he said as he selected a bottle of wine and found the glasses.

They carried their dinner to the deck and sat at a table with a view toward the lake.

“Now isn’t this more comfortable than that corporate apartment you stayed in last night?” Ben expected to hear her enthusiastic agreement. Instead Sarah seemed lost in thought.

“I want to go to the townhouse tomorrow. I need to look for that flash drive.”