The Advocate (The Advocate Series) (26 page)

“But what about Honey? There’s a missing five-year-old no one can explain. They’re all lying. Think about it. Why hasn’t this child been reported missing? Why didn’t anyone mention her until we brought it up? Why did Alexis need to make up a name for her and hide her identity?”

“That’s exactly why Alexis needs to stay where she is until we know more. Besides, even if Murdock is not involved with anything illegal, he may not be able to protect Alexis from those thugs who snatched Elizabeth.”

“You did the only thing you could do. Something surely will shake out by the trial, and if not, it won’t be your decision any longer. Judge Cheney will make the call.”

“You’re right. Let’s get out of here. I need some lunch,” Sabre said.

“Okay, I’ll drive. Where would you like to go?”

“You pick. I’ve made enough decisions for one day.”

They chatted as they walked. Bob lit up a cigarette as soon as they stepped out of the courthouse. When he reached the car he took a few long, hard drags, and put it out. “So, what are your plans for Thanksgiving? Are you going to see your mother?”

“Yes, I’m driving up there on Wednesday, right after court. Mom would have a fit if I didn’t go. Besides, I’m looking forward to a change of scenery.”

“Good, you need a break. When will you be back?”

“Probably Sunday evening or late afternoon. Mom will insist I go to church with her on Sunday morning, and then she’ll have to fix me a good meal before I leave. She’s afraid I may starve to death on the long, one-hour drive. Then she’ll pack me a care package of all the leftovers from the turkey dinner. Actually, that’s my favorite part. I love the leftovers.”

“My wife always makes a really big turkey so we can have sandwiches for a week, but after a few days, I get sick of them. Corey never seems to tire of them, though.”

“So, are you going to the mountains this year?”

“Yeah, we’re all going, the whole family, even ‘the hippies,’ my sister-in-law and her husband. It’ll be a grand time,” Bob said, in his usual sarcastic humor. “My mother-in-law will spend the whole time complaining; the hippies will make their own vegetarian dinner with their home-grown herbs; and their kids will run wild through the cabin, because the hippies don’t believe in stifling them. Since there’s no television, telephones, or video games, I’ll pretty much be bored out of my mind.”

“Sounds like a ball.” Sabre, amused by Bob’s reference to his sister-in-law and her husband as “the hippies,” couldn’t recall ever hearing their actual names.

“It’s okay. When things become too crazy, Corey and I’ll go skiing. He’s getting pretty good,” Bob said with pride. “I’m giving him some new ski equipment for Christmas this year. He’s outgrown most of last year’s stuff.” He looked at his friend, “Sobs, I’m glad you’re getting away for a while. I feel better knowing you’ll be out of town while I’m gone. That lizard thing bothers me. You should’ve called me when it happened.”

“It was three o’clock in the morning. I didn’t want to wake everyone up.”

“I don’t care what frickin’ time it was,” he scolded her. “You must’ve been scared out of your wits.”

“It was a little spooky, until I realized it couldn’t hurt me. The poor little thing was probably more frightened than I was. The way I screamed, it’s a wonder I didn’t scare him to death.”

“Listen, Sobs, why don’t you stay with us until you leave on Wednesday?”

“No. You don’t need me intruding on your family.”

“Then go stay with my friend JP, the private eye. He’d love the company. I’d sure feel better.”

“Bob, it was just a lizard, a little lizard at that,” Sabre said. “I just wonder how the poor little thing got into the house and into my bed.” She saw the look of concern on Bob’s face. “I’ll be fine. You worry too much.”

Sabre didn’t tell him about smelling Ron’s cologne at the beach. He’d never let her go home alone if she did.

27

Detective Joe Carriage had the attention of Internal Affairs. The information Sabre provided from Ruby Sterling, coupled with the attempt on Joe’s life, provided enough to spur them to open an investigation.

Brett and Joe left the department, walking together but not speaking. As soon as they entered the car out of earshot, Brett asked, “So, what’s the latest from IA?”

“They’ve talked to Ruby, and she gave them the information they needed.”

“Can she identify Davis?”

“She picked him right out of a set of photos. She also identified the thugs who took her daughter. The big guy is still in town. The other one is nowhere to be found, but they’re looking for him.”

“So are they going to make an arrest?”

“Not yet. They hope to find the second guy, and they’re trying to find out who ordered the hit on Steve. There also appears to be a gambling ring under investigation that may be tied in with Elizabeth’s disappearance and Steve’s death.”

“Well, I sure will be glad when this is over and things are back to normal at the office.”

Before Joe could respond, his cell phone rang. “Joe Carriage,” he said.

“Hi Joe, it’s Howard Martin.”

“Howard, nice to hear from you; I’ve been waiting for your call.”

“I know and I apologize. I was waiting until I had more to tell you, but I’m still chasing some loose ends. I can tell you this much, though. There’s an FBI file on Elizabeth and Gaylord Murdock. It doesn’t, however, include her disappearance. No one informed us. It should’ve been reported to us five years ago, but the liaison between the Atlanta PD and our department neglected to inform us. In fact, it looks like someone squelched it deliberately so we wouldn’t know about it.”

“So the FBI was working with the Atlanta Police Department, but we didn’t keep you informed. Is that what you’re saying?”

“Yup, but here’s the kicker. The liaison . . . none other than your buddy, Bill Davis.”

“Bingo,” Joe said.

“There’s more. It appears your friend, Steve Parker, investigated thoroughly, in spite of the effort by Bill Davis to close the case. It looks like Steve must’ve gotten too close and that’s why he turned up dead. And we have a pretty good idea where that may take us.”

“Have you spoken to Internal Affairs about this?”

“No, I wanted to talk to you first, but I’ll be glad to pass the info on if you say so. I’d have to do it eventually anyway, but I have a little leeway if you need some time,” Howard offered.

“No, there’s no reason to stall; in fact, the sooner the better. Thanks, Howard. You just made my life easier.”

“Hey, it’s the least I can do. By the way, I’m still working on the phone number. I should have something for you soon.”

Joe hung up the phone and told Brett what he just learned. “That should add another nail to Davis’ coffin. This is opening up their case, too, on Elizabeth and Gaylord Murdock. I wonder what that’s all about.”

“I don’t know, but let’s get back to the office. Adelle and Harry are coming in for the lie detector test this afternoon,” Brett said.

“Do you think they’ll show?”

“Who knows? Let’s go find out.”

Brett and Joe arrived back at the office a few minutes before the scheduled test. They tried to avoid as much time as they could at the department, but they walked in this time with the realization it would soon be over.

The examiner kept Harry in a separate room while they tested Adelle. He asked some preliminary questions and then delved into the questions about Honey. “Did Honey Stone ever live with you?”

“Yes, most of her life,” Adelle answered; the needle steady.

“When did you last see her?”

“In October, just before Peggy left for California.”

“Where did you see her?”

“At Peggy’s boyfriend’s house,” she said. Still no suspicious activity on the machine.

“Have you had anything to drink today?”

“No.” The needle went up.

“How much have you had to drink today?” the examiner rephrased the question.

“Just a beer, one beer; I had to settle my nerves. I was worried about the test. I drank it just before we got here. I didn’t think one beer would hurt nuttin’.” The needle steady again.

“Do you know where Honey is?”

“No.” No activity on the monitor.

“Have you seen or heard from Honey since Peggy left for California?”

“No.”

“Have you spoken with Peggy recently?”

“Not since she left for California.” No movement on the machine.

“Are you in any way involved in Honey’s disappearance?”

“No.”

“Do you have any knowledge or information about her disappearance?”

“No.” The needle did not indicate any misgivings.

The examiner looked at Joe and Brett to see if they had anything else they wanted covered. They both shook their heads. “Okay, Ms. Thompson, you’re free to go. Just wait in the lobby; Detective Carriage will be with you shortly.”

“Did I do okay? I told the truth, you know,” Adelle said, her hands shaking. She looked like she could use another drink.

“You did just fine,” Joe assured her.

When she left the room, the examiner spoke. “Well, the machine seems to think she’s telling the truth. And it caught her immediately on the drinking question.”

“Yup, I don’t think she knows anything,” Joe said. “Let’s bring Harry in and see what the machine has to say about him.”

They went through a similar series of questions with Harry and obtained the same results. In fact, the needle hardly moved. He showed little emotion about anything. At the end, when the examiner checked with Joe and Brett to see if they wanted to ask anything else, Joe asked, “Do you beat your wife?”

“Of course not,” Harry responded. The machine went wild. “And this ain’t sposed to be ‘bout me and my wife; it’s sposed to be ‘bout Honey.”

Joe nodded at the examiner, who unhooked Harry from the machine. “Okay, Harry, you can go,” he said.

Joe thanked the examiner. He and Brett went to speak with Adelle and Harry. “So, how did Harry do? He didn’t know nuttin’ did he?”

“Harry did fine, Adelle.”

“Peggy better not have done nuttin’ to my little girl. I knowed I shouldn’t of trusted her. Are you going to arrest her and her boyfriend?”

“We’ll continue to investigate and we’ll let you know if we find out anything about Honey’s whereabouts,” Joe said. He stood up and stepped towards the door.

Adelle ignored the implication to exit and went on, “Those Murdocks will probably try to cover it up. All that money and all . . . .”

Brett walked over to her and directed her to the door, “Don’t worry, Adelle, we’ll take it from here. We’ll find out what happened.” He kept talking with her all the way to the door.

Before she exited, Adelle stopped and looked at Brett, “Don’t let those Murdocks get away with this just cuz they got money. Ya hear?”

“We won’t. We’ll find out what happened, and we’ll get the person responsible. You just go home and get some rest now,” Brett said.

Adelle still would not leave. Finally, Harry grabbed her by the arm and gave her a yank pulling her off her feet. “Adelle, let’s go. We’re done here.”

Joe did all he could to keep from popping Harry one for the way he treated Adelle. After they left, he said, “Boy, Harry’s some piece of work, isn’t he?”

“Yup, he’ll probably go home and beat the crap out of her for making him go through this. He had little interest or concern about Honey. Say, if you don’t need me right now, I have some paperwork to catch up on.”

“Sure, I’ll catch up with you later.”

“Okay. I do want to stick around here for a while in case your friend Howard gets through to Internal Affairs. You know how they like to make their busts so everyone can see them. I wouldn’t want to miss this one if it goes down at the department,” Brett said.

When Brett left, Joe returned to his office, called Detective Nelson, and explained everything he knew so far. Then he called Sabre. He had several things he thought she ought to know for her own safety.

“Hi Joe. How was your weekend?”

“Not bad, and yours?”

“Interesting,” she said without any further explanation. “What’s up?”

“We just finished the lie detector tests on Adelle and Harry Thompson, and they appear to be telling the truth. Peggy seems to be the last one who saw Honey.”

“Does Detective Nelson know?”

“Yeah, I just spoke to him. He’s going to go talk with Peggy again. Maybe even take her in for questioning.”

“You don’t think she’d hurt her own daughter, do you?”

“I don’t know. It wouldn’t be the first time a druggie sacrificed their kid for drug money. I’ve seen druggies do some pretty awful things.”

“Yeah, me too, but she doesn’t strike me as the type. Although, she is pretty self-centered.”

“Well, we’ll see what Nelson comes up with,” Joe said. “Sabre, I think there’s a connection between Elizabeth Murdock’s disappearance and your attack by the bat.”

“What are you talking about? What kind of a connection?”