Cause of Death (Det. Annie Avants Book 1) (22 page)

Tom's first stop was at Uncle Sam's Army-Navy Surplus on Fruitvale Avenue.  One customer was at the checkout, so Tom poked around the clothing area while he waited for the man he assumed was the owner to finish up.

When the lone customer left with his purchases, Tom approached the counter.

The man looked up from some paperwork he was reading and said, "Hi there.  What can I do you for?"

Tom showed the man his badge.

"Whatever it was, I didn't do it," he said as he laughed.  He seemed to be a jolly sort and showed no signs of nervousness.

"That's OK, Tom said.  "I'm not here to bust you, Mr.?"

"Carl Dunphy at your service," he said as he leaned over the counter and shook Tom's hand.

Tom pulled a copy of the photos from his pocket and spread them on the counter.  In addition to the prints, he had actual photos of the boots that Charley had turned over.

"I'm trying to get a line on these boots.  I understand they're military issue only and not available commercially.  Can you tell me anything about them?"

Mr. Dunphy looked at the pictures of the boots and the boot prints.

"As you said, these boots are military issue and were designed for our troops who serve in desert regions such as the Middle East.  They do surface in stores like this from time to time, but they're very expensive and very popular."

"So, you might be able to recall when someone bought a pair from you?"

"Normally, yes, but it's been a couple of years since any have come through my store and my memory doesn't go back that far."

"But you say they're very popular.  How many pairs do you estimate you've sold in the last two years or so?"

"Maybe two pair but, like I said, it's been quite a while and there's really no way I could trace the name of a purchaser."

"Well, thank you for your time, Mr. Dunphy.  Here's my card.  If you think of anything else or if someone comes in looking for boots like these, please give me a call."

"I sure will, Detective.  Have you checked with Ali Samaha over at the surplus store on Chester Avenue?  He's got a sign out front that says 'America's Greatest Army-Navy Store' and I've been told he handles a lot of military clothing.  You might have better luck there."

"That's where I'm headed now," Tom said as he walked towards the exit.  "Thanks, again."

The second store was a lot busier than Uncle Sam's, so Tom had time to wander around and check out the military gear.

It didn't take him long to find the boots section and he was surprised at the large selection of different styles on display.  He found some that were similar, but not the exact style as the ones from the crime scenes and Charley.

When the manager approached him, he identified himself and showed him the photos.

"I'm trying to locate someone who may have purchased these boots, probably within the last year," he said as he handed the man the photos.  "Are you the owner, Ali Samaha?"

"Yes, that's me," the man said as he looked at the pictures.  "These are pretty unique boots," he said.  "There are other similar models that are a lot less expensive, but have the same 'military' look that guys who have never been in military service like to affect nowadays.  They want the military look, but they don't want to pay the price."

"Do you remember the last time you had a pair of these in stock and who you might have sold them to," Tom said, getting the man back on track.

"Actually, yes.  It wasn't that long ago, a couple of months, and they were a fine-looking pair of boots, practically new.  When I saw the man trying them on, I thought to myself, 'He'll never buy them once he sees the price', but he did buy them as well as some other items."

"Do you remember what other items he bought?"

"A couple of fire-proof ammo containers, the metal rectangular ones that latch shut and are designed to keep ammunition from exploding if they're in a fire.  I think he also bought a cone of that yellow nylon rope, 1000 feet on a spool, and some tarps."

"Can you describe him, or would you have any records with his name?" Tom asked.  "And can you show me the rope he bought?  I'll need to buy a few feet if it matches what I'm looking for."

"Well, like I said he was young, under 30 I'd say.  He had brownish hair but wore a cap of some sort.  He was clean-cut looking, but didn't have that military bearing.  He wasn't buff, but he looked to be in pretty good shape.  He was maybe 5'11" tall, 160 pounds or thereabouts."

"Did you notice what type of vehicle he was driving?"

"No, I sure didn't.  We were kind of busy that day."

"Would you be willing to come to the Sheriff's Office and work with our sketch artist to make a drawing of what he may look like?"

"Sure, I'll try to get down there, but I'm pretty much tied up here every day."

"Well, just let me know when you can come and we'll have someone there to work with you.  It usually takes a couple of hours.

"Here's my card.  If you think of anything else, give me a call.  If I can't pick up, you can leave a message and I'll get back to you.  Or, if he comes in again, call us, but don't make him suspicious."

"OK, will do.  I'm not going to ask you what this is all about 'cause you probably won't tell me - at least on TV they never do."

Tom laughed.  "Let me get a length of that rope and I'll get out of your hair."

After paying for his purchase, Tom headed back to the Detective Bureau.

Thursday, 30 August 2012, Noon

"I don't want to be morbid or poke my nose into business that isn't mine, but can you share Tom's story with me?" Laine asked Annie as they ate lunch at Jake's Tex-Mex Cafe on Oak Street.  "It's been nagging at me since I started working here.

"I know he's been a widower for several years.  His aura is just so melancholy that sometimes it hurts to look at him."

"How much have you heard?" Annie said.  "It's really not a subject I like to talk about."

"I heard his wife was killed during a bank robbery turned bad in July of 2006.  I don't know the details.  I guess I could look up the newspaper accounts, but that seems a little extreme.  I just thought you could fill me in, but if you're not comfortable talking about it, that's OK.  I apologize if I've stepped out of bounds.  He's such a nice guy, but so lonely."

"I can tell you what I know.  If you're working with him now, it makes sense for you to know where he's coming from.

"Back in July of 2006 Tom and his partner were working in the Fraud Division.  A lot of their work was done through research, of course, and on this particular day they were downtown to check some records at the County Recorder's Office.  The bank wasn't far from there, just a small branch, nothing big.  When the call came in of a bank robbery in progress, they responded.

"Things quickly got out of hand.  The robbers panicked and took hostages.  As soon as the SWAT team arrived, they set up a perimeter.  The hostage negotiator made contact with the robbers immediately upon his arrival at the scene.

"There were three robbers.  The bank had just opened its doors and there were eight customers inside in addition to four tellers and the Branch Manager.  Two other staff members were also present, so the total count was15 people in all, plus the bank robbers.

"The robbers were radical.  They didn't expect to find themselves in that position.  They thought they could stroll in, rob the bank, and stroll out.  However, one of the employees was just returning from the safe deposit box area and they hadn't seen her yet.  She had time to push an alarm button before one of the robbers spotted her, realized what she had done, and shot her.

"Needless to say the robbers were in a panic when the SWAT team and everyone else arrived.  They made the other fourteen people lie on the floor.  They obviously didn't know what to do next and they had already killed one person.  It didn't look good.

"The hostage negotiator talked to them for a long time.  Finally, they made their demand - safe passage to Meadow's Field where a small plane was to be waiting to take them away.  They would tell the pilot where they wanted to go when they arrived.

"It wasn't a very well-thought out plan.  They didn't even ask for any money.

"They said if their demands weren't met within thirty minutes, they would start killing the hostages.

"And no matter how much talking and agreeing to their demands the hostage negotiator did, they didn't wait after the thirty minutes was up to show everyone how serious they were.  They picked Mary.

"Up to that point, Tom didn't realize that Mary was in the bank because the parking lot was around back and he didn't see her car.  When they put Mary at the front door, Tom yelled "NO!"  Mary just had time to catch his eye before they shot her in the back.

"Tom's partner had to restrain him from bolting to her side and getting himself shot as well.  In the confusion, the SWAT team found a way into the bank and were able to take out the robbers without any of the other hostages getting hurt.  However, it was too late for Mary and the other bank employee.

"The paramedics on the scene had to sedate Tom and he was taken away.  Tom's heart froze that day.  It took him months of therapy before he could return to work.  At first, he went into a comatose state and responded to nothing.  His and Mary's family had to come and take care of all the funeral arrangements for Mary.  Tom wasn't even able to attend her funeral.  And to make matters worse, during her autopsy the pathologist found out that she was six weeks pregnant with their first child."

Laine sat there with tears streaming down her cheeks.  "I almost wish that I didn't know," she said, "but now I can understand why Tom sometimes disconnects and gets that far-away look in his eyes."

Annie patted Laine's hand, then continued, "After he recovered, he left Fraud and threw himself into the Drug Enforcement Unit.  He was driven and he didn't care.  Nevertheless, he never did anything to endanger his new partner or the other members of the team.  He was very successful at busting drug dealers.  Part of his motivation was the fact that the bank robbers were looking for money to buy drugs.  He hated druggies after that, even more than he had before.

"In December of 2009, Tom's partner retired, and Tom was assigned to be my partner in the Robbery/Homicide Unit beginning in January of 2010, when I transferred there from the Rural Crime Unit.  By then, he was ready for a change from the violent world of the Drug Enforcement Unit.  That's how he ended up with me.

"I didn't know anything about his history when I came here from Mena.  The Drug Enforcement Unit keeps to itself and I didn't have much contact with Tom while I was working in the RCU.  However, like you, I sensed a deep sadness in him. 

"Since we would be partners and responsible for each other's backs, I asked about him and Sarge told me the story that I just told you.  I was concerned at first, thinking he would be a 'hot dog' and not think things through, but I was wrong.  He's very thorough and conscientious, and I couldn't ask for a more caring partner.  I truly feel he would die to protect me, and I would do the same for him."

"Thanks, Annie, for telling me this.  I will keep it to myself, of course.  It just helps me understand Tom a little better."

"Do I detect a hidden interest lurking there somewhere, Laine?" Annie asked, with a smile.

Laine blushed a little.  "I'm not sure, but I am drawn to him somehow.  We'll see how it goes.  I haven't had a lot of contact with him outside of work until recently.  We've seen each other at the meetings at your house, of course, and there was our fun night at the Crystal Palace.

"Noelle and I are going over to Tom's this Saturday afternoon to learn how to make coil pots with real clay.  That's about it, so far.

"I have my own issues to deal with, so I'm not in any hurry to even think about the possibilities of a relationship, especially with someone I work with.  I can see the problems you and Jesse face and you're not even an 'item' yet," Laine said, laughing.

"Yeah, well, I'm not sure I want to be an item with anyone, not even Jesse, as fond of him as I am."

The ladies finished their lunch chitchatting about non-work related topics and then went back to work.

Friday, 31 August 2012, 2:00 PM

Tom, Jesse, Annie and Mike slowly walked out of the Church following the funeral mass for Carmen Gutierrez.  The church had been overflowing with mourners for this vibrant, young woman taken from them.

They made their way to the cemetery for the interment, keeping a watchful eye out for anyone who looked suspicious, but they saw no one.  Mike took as many discrete photos as was possible under the circumstances.

Annie didn't have much to say and the men could tell she was distraught.  They were all feeling the pressure to find this perp and Maria Ortiz wasn't far from their thoughts.

"Two funerals in one week," Annie said.  "That's two too many."

Tom put his arm around Annie's shoulders and gave her a hug.

"We're doing what we can, Annie," he said.  "This perp is just slick and doesn't leave us much to work with."

"I know.  I'm just so worried that he has Maria Ortiz now and is putting her through the same thing these two women suffered.  Soon we'll have another funeral to attend. And then maybe another and another. . ."

Tom looked over his head at Jesse and Mike and shook his head.  "We'll get him, Annie.  It's just a matter of time."

"Yeah, I know," Annie said.  "It's just that Maria may not have much time left.