One Deadly Sister (Sandy Reid Mystery Series #1) (20 page)

He shifted around awkwardly trying to close his fly, but some material was caught in the zipper. He looked back at Sandy and yelled, “Does Goddard know you’re a lesbo? Get the fuck out of my truck before you stink it up!”

Sandy was over at Linda’s pickup before she realized his key ring was still tightly gripped in her hand. She heaved the ring of keys as far as she could into the darkness of the adjacent vacant lot.

T
he number one task for Sandy the next morning was at the newspaper office. The obnoxious assault by Huress had unsettled her mind. She wanted to be certain she had thanked Linda. In addition, something else about Linda bothered her.

The newsroom was busy and carried a high-level jumble of voices, keyboard clicks and printer noise. Linda pulled a chair over for her. “You really were shaken last night when I dropped you off. You should have let me come in for a minute.”

“Now that I think about it, you’re right. We could have had a cup of tea, and you could have talked me down. I was so hyper I couldn’t sleep.”

“Yes, a horny two-hundred-pounder with a gun can do that.”

“Hush up or I’ll start shivering again. One of his threats was to see that Raymond was transferred out to the county jail immediately. He’s probably taking care of that this morning.”

“He might have been acting on orders from Moran.”

“Geez, does Moran play like that?”

“I‘ve never liked him, he’s a pain in the ass.” Linda stared up at the ceiling for a moment. “After I let you out last night, I sat watching you go in and was thinking. You kept thanking me, yet I had the feeling you didn’t want me in your apartment because you were worried about me. You know, about me bothering you. I’m sorry, don’t answer, bad timing. I shouldn’t hit you with that right now.”

“No, it’s okay. You’re right. I felt so vulnerable, I just wanted to go hide under the covers. I was going to take out his eye, if you hadn’t shown up when you did. I hate it when I get in those angry moods. You know, I wondered how you happened to show up just at the right time.”

“Just dumb luck, I guess. I was headed to the girl bar. That convenience store is on the way. There was something I wanted to get.”

Something wasn’t straight about her story. “Linda, did you follow me last night? You came to my rescue at just the perfect time. And you took me straight home after, without me telling you where I lived.” She fixed her eyes on Linda.

“Okay, I was following you. Sorry if I misjudged you. The reporter in me. You were just too much when you showed up yesterday. I became suspicious. Had to find out more about you. After we had that sandwich, we came back here to pick up your car. You zipped out of the lot, and I got the dumb reporter idea to follow you.”

Sandy didn’t buy it. “I was working in the apartment for a couple of hours before I went out. You just parked out front?”

“For awhile, thinking you were just changing clothes and would head back out. I started to leave when I saw Huress pull up. Then I got interested because maybe he was on the clock, and I’d stumbled onto some investigation. You might say I staked out the cop on the stakeout. Later he followed you to the store. I followed him. He never saw me. I watched you guys from across the street.”

“I shouldn’t have gotten in with him. I thought I could learn something.”

“Most men are either horny or hungry. If you see one not eating, just figure he’s got an erection.”

Sandy didn't completely believe her story and was upset with herself for trusting Linda too soon. “I suspected he was stalking me.”

“Huress has been in trouble before. He used to be Towson’s official driver when he was mayor. He was caught filling up his personal vehicles using the city’s gas credit card. He offered to pay for the charges and it was all hushed up. Nevertheless, Towson tried to get Huress fired over it.”

“Meaning, Huress might have had it in for Towson?”

“Stick that one in the back of your mind”

“I’ve another suspicion about him. Something about the line he was handing me last night to get me to come across. At first, he was understandably nervous about me being there, yet when he started in with the proposition part, he was too cool. As if he had practiced the routine and rehearsed the lines. He anticipated my objections and was ready with his response. I think he's done it all before.”

“Boys have been using those lines on girls ever since back seats were invented.”

“No, I mean he’s run that routine before, there in his truck.”

“I don’t get you.”

“What if that had been an immature girl sitting there shaking, because Huress had just caught her boyfriend stealing a pack of cigarettes. He didn’t dream that deal up just for me. Of course, he changed it around to fit my situation. You see, he knew all the right words. He knew the routine because it works and he uses it. A terrified girl couldn’t stand up to his threats, badge and gun. It’d be way easy for him. Suppose he does cruise around looking for victims?”

“That’s a serious sex crime, and I wouldn’t put it past any male. Even if true, Sandy, you don’t need this right now. Hanging Huress for his sexual assault on you would be a full time job. You already have your hands full.”

“Damn it! I hate to let another predatory man get away with that shit.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t know. You’re probably right. What do I do? Maybe I should ask Chip what he thinks.”

That name definitely got Linda’s attention. “Chip, Chip? Oh, my God, the girl’s uptight with Detective Chip Goddard. The unnamed police source gets named.”

“I didn’t mean to say that! Forget that! Please don’t get him in trouble, Linda, please. I’ll do whatever you want.”

“I don’t want you to do anything.” She laughed. “But I can’t go to jail for what I’m thinking.”

“You’re a sweetheart, I mean...we’re buddies?”

“Just buddies.”

“You’ve got a big hug coming. And I’m not uptight with him. Not yet anyway.”

“You do know he’s got a live-in girlfriend.”

Sandy didn’t know and didn’t want to know. “Not surprising, I suppose.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

“Look, there’s nothing between us. I could care less who he’s living with.” Then she couldn’t resist. “Do you know her?”

“I’ve met her. Very nice. She’s a legal secretary.”

She had at least a dozen more questions about Miss Legal Secretary, yet decided to shake it off, at least for the time being. Her phone buzzed. It was Chip. She turned away from Linda to take the call.

He said, “Problem here. I wanted to warn you. Huress saw us at the Coffee Spot yesterday and ran to Moran. Now Moran is in an uproar. He wants to meet with me, the chief and Huress this afternoon.”

“Wait, wait, when did he tattle on you?”

“Yesterday, I just told you.”

“What time yesterday?”

“What difference does the time make? Yesterday, I don’t know, in the afternoon, just before quitting time.”

“So, it was long before yesterday evening. Are you in big trouble over this?”

“Not much. I’ll just explain our arrangement, listen to him berate me and watch Huress gloat. If the case falls apart, they’ll bring it up and I’ll be blamed.”

“Huress won’t show up this afternoon.”

“You don’t understand. You don’t know Huress.”

“No, you don’t understand. I do know Huress. I’m telling you he won’t show up with any complaint. And he’ll be reluctant to ever mention my name again.”

Chip muttered something about a crazy woman. Sandy could picture him shaking his head. “Let me explain. I had a serious encounter with Huress last night.” She told him what happened.

She could tell he was steaming, as expected. After a minute, he settled down. “Damn it, Sandy, are you up for all this?”

“I’m not through with him.”

“Sandy, if you file charges, the internal investigation of Huress probably won’t get beyond the first inquiry. Your chances of any satisfaction are nil.”

“So I should forget it?”

“No, I guess not. Go ahead and bring your charges so it gets in his file. However, try to keep it out of the paper.”

Chip went on to explain the procedure required a first hearing within forty-eight hours of the accusation. The review panel will consist of the state attorney, the chief and two police officers.

“Do I get to testify, so I can face the bastard?”

“No, your charges must be written, and then sworn to under penalty of perjury. The panel will put their heads together for a split second, and then announce...yahda, yahda, yahda...they’re helpless because it’s he said-she said. And the matter’s closed.”

“But I have a witness, Linda saw Huress standing there with his pants open.”

“You know Linda is gay?”

“Sure, but she’s out.”

“They’ll completely discount her as a witness. Completely. Think about it. At the very least, she’s your biased lesbian friend. At most, she’s your biased lesbian lover. You may not care, yet as far as her being your witness, it’s as though she was never there.”

“What if it just happens to get in the paper?”

“Your brother might suffer from the fallout.”

“I don’t want to tell him about the incident just yet, but I know he would say go for it.” She clicked off with Chip and turned back to Linda. “Now I’m worried about you. I know you’ll back me up, yet what does that do to you?”

“Won’t affect me because I can’t be named, not at first. I hope you understand that part. I’ll be happy to write the piece, but I can’t control the headline. And it’s going to read, ‘Suspect’s Sister Accuses Local Officer.’ The item will state you have a witness. However, if I’m named, then we become the story. Then the headline would be, ‘Reporter and Girlfriend Accuse Local Officer.’ It would sell a hellava lot of papers but would spin out of control.”

“If I don’t make it all known, then Huress wins. Another creep gets away with it as though it never happened. Will you please go ahead and write it and be sure his name gets in?”

“Sandy, if I’ve learned anything about you in the few hours that I’ve known you, it’s that nothing is going to stop you. I already went ahead and wrote it. It’s done. Let’s go. The editor will read it now.”

They walked back to the glassed-in cubicle in the corner and waited while t
he editor read the printout. “Linda, you mention here that there is an unidentified witness. That’s misleading. Change it to an unnamed witness. Otherwise, it’s good copy. Are you women certain you know what you’re doing? Someone might dig in and want the unnamed witness to be identified. You may think you’re out, Linda, but this town doesn’t want to hear about it.”

He then phoned Chief Oehlert to verify the facts. After a long conversation, he hung up. “I agreed to hold the piece until the chief has a chance to talk with you, Sandy.”

Linda frowned. “The downside risk is the additional bad publicity and public outcry against your brother. There’s the danger you’ll come off as the desperate sister attacking the police in a pathetic grasp at some last straw to free her guilty brother.”

That made Sandy think about Moran, all this was perfect for him, exactly what he wanted. And, if Chip was correct, then there was no upside. Nothing would come of her complaint, no advantage. Then she imagined Bobby Huress in the darkness of his pickup. Watching a teenage couple parked. Waiting for the right moment. Knowing he had a sure thing going with his threats, badge and gun. Succeeding again and again with his slimy routine because no young girl would know how to stop him. “Tell the chief I’m on my way.”