She Who Watches (3 page)

“Don't worry, Sarge.” Kevin stepped out of his new office. “I'll make sure he does exactly what I tell him to.”

Mac nearly choked on his coffee at the comment. No one told Philly what to do. While Mac didn't always agree with Philly's tactics, he had a deep respect for the man. Philly was a top-notch detective and a solid friend. When Kevin lost his hair to the chemo treatments, Philly had shaved his head to commiserate. The hair had grown back about an inch during the past few months, trimmed up around his ears and the back.

Philly approached the older man, his ample belly stretching the front buttons on his dress shirt. “I'm deeply hurt that you'd think me capable of causing you any embarrassment, Sergeant Evans.” He placed his thick hands on the sergeant's shoulders and stood eye to eye with him. “Frank—I can call you Frank now, can't I?” The gleam in Philly's eyes told of the mischievous thoughts behind them. “Don't worry your pretty little head, my friend. I'm not going to let any of the dirt out of the bag in front of your family and friends. I promise.” Philly pulled his left hand from behind his back to expose crossed fingers. He winked at Kevin and laughed. “This is going to be a fun night.”

Sarge shook his head. “Don't forget, I'll still be around when you retire, Phil.And I bet I have a lot more dirt on you than you have on me.”

Philly didn't seem the least bit intimidated.

“I can't believe I even invited you, Phil,” Frank teased as he walked away.

Mac had been around these guys long enough to know that Frank wouldn't have it any other way. Even though Philly had been the office jokester for years, Frank trusted him with his life and considered him one of his closest friends. Frank knew full well that Philly would have it in for him tonight, but roasts were par for the course at police retirement parties. Mac could hardly wait. This would be his first retirement party as a homicide detective.

Frank and Kevin went back into Frank's old office and closed the door. Mac suspected that Sergeant Evans wanted to give Kevin some last-minute instructions before completely letting the reins go. Considering that Kevin had recently come out of surgery and chemo for prostate cancer, Frank had hung around longer than necessary, making sure Kevin could handle the load.

So far, Kevin was doing great. The bout with cancer surgery and chemo had left him bald, thin, and far weaker than he'd ever been, but none of those things seemed to affect his ability to lead.

“What are you wearing tonight?” Russ asked Philly. Russ was Philly's partner and his biggest fan.

“A thong and tube top. Why?” Philly answered, his features serious.

Russ looked embarrassed. “I was just curious. I haven't been to a fancy retirement party since I moved up here.”

“If the Elks Club is your idea of a fancy retirement place . . .” Philly nudged Russ's shoulder and shook his head. “No wonder you're single! That, and the fact you ask other men what they're going to wear. I worry about you sometimes, Russ.” Philly ducked into his office and shut the door.

“The invitation said ‘casual,'Russ,” Dana said, coming to his aid.

“Slacks and a nice shirt will be fine.”

“I'm wearing Dockers and a button-up shirt without a tie,” Mac told him.

Dana offered Russ a smile. “You don't want Philly's advice on clothes. He'll be wearing something with high polyester content, so you wouldn't want to dress like him anyway.”

Russ chuckled. “Thanks, guys. Nice to talk to someone normal for a change.” Russell Meyers was a seven-year cop with four years as a detective, having transferred out of L.A. He was a nice-looking guy with brown hair and hazel eyes. He and Philly made a good pair, but Mac felt sorry for the guy. Philly's practical jokes could get a little tedious.

“Hey, I have a question for you guys. What are you going to call Kevin—I mean, his first name or sergeant? I've never had to work for someone who was promoted from my own peer group. I don't want to offend him either way.”

“Good question,” Mac said. “I've wondered the same thing. I think we better stick to Sergeant Bledsoe, at least when the brass is around. Sarge or Kevin is good for other times. I guess he'll let us know if he doesn't want us to use his first name. I've seen supervisors go both ways, so we'll wait and see.”

“Well . . .” Russ cleared his throat. “I've got court in Clackamas County on a suppression hearing, so I'll see you guys down at the Milwaukie Elks tonight. Six thirty, right?”

“Right on. See you there.” Mac pushed himself away from the wall and returned to his cubicle and mountain of work.

Shortly after Frank left, Kevin stepped out of his new office. “Mac, Dana!”

“Yeah, boss?” Mac eagerly looked up from the paperwork. “You got an assignment for us?”

“I do.” Kevin stepped into Mac's cubicle.

“What's up?” Dana hustled into the small space still holding the iced Starbucks coffee Mac had brought her. He was buying her coffee for a month because of another stupid bet he'd lost with her. This made the second bet so far this year that he had lost to Dana, dipping into his pockets to buy her coffee for a month. But luck was bound to be on his side soon, Mac reasoned, eyeing the Starbucks logo on Dana's cup. Next time, he'd win the bet for sure.

“Come on into my office.” The two younger detectives followed, and for a brief moment, Mac allowed himself a modicum of admiration for his partner. Dana Bennett was cute, blonde, shapely, and entirely off-limits. She was also a darn good cop, and he was lucky to have her for a partner.Not only that, she could outrun him, which was something he intended to rectify. He and Dana sat in the two chairs in front of Kevin's desk.

“We have a request from the governor's office to work a missing persons—a possible kidnapping case—with the FBI, and you two bought the ticket.”

“I don't understand.” Dana frowned. “I didn't think we did missing persons.”

“Normally we let the FBI handle them, but this is a special case. Senator Wilde's niece, Sara Watson, is missing.”

“And we do what?” Mac asked, his attention now solely on his boss. “The feds aren't going to like our coming in to investigate.”

“They'll be the lead investigators. You and Dana will act as liaisons between the two agencies.”

Mac didn't like the idea of playing politics but didn't voice his objection. He and Dana were the two newest detectives in the Violent Offender Unit in the Oregon State Police, Portland office. It figured that they'd get stuck baby-sitting the feds.

“I know it doesn't sound like a plum job, but it's important.” Kevin fingered the crease in his slacks. “You in?”

“Sure.” Dana grinned, showing off her perfect teeth and deep dimples. “Sounds interesting, actually. I've never been in on a missing persons case.”

Leave it to Dana to put a positive spin on things.
“I'm in,” Mac agreed, knowing Kevin had only asked as a formality. In a way, though, he had to admit, a missing persons case might be interesting, especially one as high profile as this one would be. “Senator Wilde's niece, huh?”

“Right. Her father was the senator's brother. He and his wife died years ago, and the senator and his wife practically raised her.

She's married now and has a family of her own, but they are still close.”

“She campaigned for the senator in the last election, Mac.” Dana jotted some notes on her pad. “You probably saw her on television.”

“The FBI agents are at the house, so you'll want to head out there right away.” Kevin handed Mac a file. “This is all we have so far. Her cousin had plans to stay with the family for a few days. She found Sara's car in the driveway with a window busted out and the front door unlocked—nobody home. A mess on the kitchen floor. Husband was at work until the day-care provider called to tell him their little girl hadn't been picked up. Guess this is way out of character for Sara. One of our uniforms responded about an hour ago. Our CSI crew has been dispatched.”

“OK, then.” Mac stood up and snatched his jacket from the back of his chair.

“You ready, partner?”

“As soon as I get my briefcase.” She stepped out of the office and leaned back in. “By the way, Kevin, um, I mean, Sarge. With you moving in here, who gets your old office?”

“You want it?”

“Yeah.”

“It's yours.”

“Wow. Thanks.”

Mac frowned. “I thought it was a seniority thing.” He wanted the office himself but thought it would go to Russ.

“Nope.” Kevin chuckled. “Goes to whoever gets there first.”

Dana stepped into the near-empty office and plunked her coffee cup on the desk. “I'm staking out my territory.”

“Humph,” Mac grumbled. “That's what I get for being a gentleman.”

“You two can fight over the office later. Now git.”

Mac put aside his annoyance with Dana for stealing the prized office space out from under him and grabbed his briefcase.

“You'll need to stay on the sidelines on this, kids.” Kevin gave each of them a nod. “Just make sure you get all the details and keep abreast of the case. Be there if the feds need your assistance, and if you have any questions, call me.”

“Not to worry, partner . . . er . . . Sarge,” Mac assured him. Kevin was still getting used to his new job and tended to overstate his instructions.

Dana signed them out on the board near the door at 5:15 p.m., and the two detectives headed out.

“You want to drive, or should I?” Mac asked as they reached the parking lot.

“Go ahead.Your car is closest.” Dana aimed for Mac's unmarked Crown Victoria.

FOUR

W
hile they drove, Dana read the preliminary report, restating Kevin's comments about the cousin's coming in from Seattle and the husband's coming home early and finding signs of a break-in and his wife missing.

Mac raised an eyebrow, wondering if the husband might somehow be involved in his wife's disappearance. It wouldn't be the first time. “Kevin said the husband was at work when the day care called.We'll have to verify that.What time did he call 911?”

“About four fifteen.”

“No kidding. How'd the feds get involved that fast? Us, too, for that matter.”

“I have no idea. According to this report, Sara had called him around two to let him know her car had been broken into.”

“Hmm.That explains the broken window the cousin found.”

“Right. He was in a meeting at that time, and Sara told his secretary not to bother him. He left work as soon as he got that message and the one from their day care. Sara was supposed to pick up their little girl at three, but she never showed up. The responding officers suspect kidnapping, but there hasn't been any contact regarding a ransom.”

“Wonder how they determined kidnapping? Maybe the feds will have more information.” Mac made a right and started up a steep hill.

The Watsons lived in a nice neighborhood in northwest Portland near the University of Portland, in an older but roomy Victorian-style home. The hills afforded lovely views, but the homes were too close together to suit Mac. There were a number of vehicles parked on the street, including two cruisers, a van from the OSP crime lab, a minivan, a green Pontiac, and a BMW convertible. They pulled into the wide circle driveway and stepped out. If he were buying a home, it would have to come with either an oversized yard or acreage.

“The two suits by the car in front of the door must be the FBI agents.” Mac adjusted his tie and grabbed his suit jacket from the backseat.

“Must be.” Dana looked apprehensive.

“Are you nervous?” Mac asked.

“A little. I haven't worked with the feds before.” Dana straightened and grinned.

He didn't say so, but that dimpled smile of hers would have those guys melting all over her within minutes. “I haven't worked with them directly, but from what I hear, we're in for a treat.”

“That doesn't sound like a compliment.”

“Sorry. I've heard they can be a pain.” Mac tried to rein in his preconceived notions about the feds. A lot of the guys he worked with had nothing good to say about them, but he needed to keep an open mind, especially if he was going to do the job Kevin expected of them. He and Dana showed their badges to the uniformed officer outside the crime scene, signed the sheet on his clipboard, and slipped under the crime-scene tape.

Dana opened her notebook, noting the time and weather conditions.
Warm evening, fading light, FBI and OSP crime lab on scene.

“What do you make of it?” One of the two men in suits asked as he fingered some hard, white fragments on the floorboard of the car.

The second man leaned into the Audi. “Looks like some kind of shell or something.”

“Probably a busted spark plug,” Mac offered.

“A what?” The second guy, a heavyset man with a paunch, whipped around to face him.

“It's a piece of an automotive spark plug,” Mac repeated as he pulled on his latex gloves.

Both men stepped away from the car, eyeing Mac and Dana as if they were onlookers rather than official investigators. Mac and Dana produced their badge wallets, displaying their credentials. Then with his hand extended, Mac said, “Detective McAllister with the Oregon State Police. This is my partner, Dana Bennett.”

“I'm Agent Jim Miller.” Miller, a well-proportioned man with a receding hairline, shook Mac's hand, then Dana's, and nodded to the larger man. “This is Agent Mel Lauden.”

Once the introductions were made, Agent Miller cast a dubious eye on the two detectives. “What's the deal? You two with the crime lab or something?”

“Not the lab,” Mac explained. “But we are OSP.We're assigned to the Violent Offender Unit out of our Portland office. We were dispatched at the request of the governor's office to act as a liaison between our agencies.”