Chapter 12
“The funeral service was great, Hawkeye,” Brand told him walking into his office the next morning. “Adams didn’t make an appearance which is what we were afraid would happen. Especially me. I was really afraid of a déjà vu moment at the church.”
“I know.” Hawkeye looked up from the stack of paperwork on his desk. “Which leaves me puzzled. Why didn’t he show? Could we have been wrong?”
“No. Swede pulled together evidence from the data for us,” Brand pointed out. “It showed we were on the right track suspecting Adams.”
“Could he value his job at the arena that much?” Hawkeye asked. “The service was during his normal work hours. Is that why he didn’t leave work to come to the funeral?”
“I believe if he wanted to get away to do harm to Harley or Scottie, he would have found a way around his work schedule.”
“I’m sure you’re right,” Hawkey said.
A rapid knock came on the open door prompted Brand to turn around to see a flushed faced Mitchell Simpson standing there. “Clint Rogers is dead.”
“What the hell!” Hawkeye jumped from his chair and came around his desk in seconds. “He was at our safehouse.”
“I know,” Simpson said. “That means we have a mole in the department.”
“Shit,” Brand said, and he stepped around Simpson to slam the door shut. “I’m assuming you found him at the safehouse?”
“Yes,” Simpson said. “He was lying on the floor, in a fetal position, foaming at the mouth.”
“Were there pills near the body?” Hawkeye asked.
“None,” Simpson said. “I checked the entire place but found nothing. I called Dr. Holland myself and had him come get the body and told him to keep it quiet. That we didn’t want Rogers death leaked to the department since we were afraid it was linked to Flynn’s.”
“Good call,” Hawkeye said. “What about his car? How did Rogers get to the safehouse? Did you take him there?”
“He drove and followed me,” Simpson continued. “Said he wanted to be able to leave for a doctors appointment he had at the first of the week. I know now I should have checked the car over. Because I found this tracker hidden in the back tire well.”
The man held up a square device to show them. “After finding the device, I had his car towed. It should be at the garage soon for the crime scene techs to go over. They’ll notify you immediately if they should find anything else that should have been there.”
“What about the safehouse?” Hawkeye asked. “Has it been searched?”
“Yes. I processed the crime scene myself, checking out the entire location while I waited on Dr. Holland to show up to collect the body. He will contact you when he has the COD.”
“What about Graves?” Brand asked. “Have you heard from him lately?”
Hawkeye shook his head. “Not since he left my office day before yesterday to go undercover. He said he’d be in touch.”
“That’s relatively a good amount of time to go without touching base when we just found another person murdered,” Brand said.
“It is,” Hawkeye agreed. “Perhaps I should reach out rather than wait for him to contact me.”
“In the meantime, I better go call my team in,” Brand said. “It sounds like you are going to need all hands-on deck today.”
“Thanks,” Hawkeye said. “Simpson, sit down and tell me again why you think there is a mole in the department if you found a tracker on Rogers car? Couldn’t that be the reason he was followed to the safehouse?”
Brand left the office, shutting the door behind him and called Don Juan. “Hey buddy, can you round up the troops. We’re needed down at the police station today. I’ll explain when we’re all here. If Wyatt wants to tag along, let him know he’s welcome.”
“Sure thing, Brand.”
When the call ended, he gave Rookie a call since he wasn’t sure if he had left for the task force office yet or not. “Hey Brand,” Rookie said, answering on the second ring. “What’s up?”
“Just calling the troops together to meet down at the police station today,” Brand explained. “Don Juan is getting the guys at the brownstone to come down here, but I thought if you hadn’t headed there yet I’d save you some travel time..”
“Thanks,” Rookie said. “I just left, so I will change directions and head your way instead.”
“See you soon, then,” Brand said.
After Simpson left his office, Hawkeye took out his cell phone and made a call to Detective Graves. The phone rang twice before it was picked up.
“Graves.”
“Commander Burns here. We’ve had a development and I thought I should check in to make you’re aware of what’s happened.”
“I understand, but I can’t talk. Could you call back?” Graves said.
“Someone’s died. Is something wrong detective? Are you in danger?”
“Not now,” Graves stressed.
“Detective,” Hawkeye said before the line went dead.
Hawkeye had the detectives location traced by his cellphone’s GPS and he contacted Brand. “Is your team close by? I think Graves is in danger. He hung up on me when I was talking to him.”
“Rookies here,” Brand said. “We’re downstairs waiting on the others.”
“I’ll be right down,” Hawkeye said. He grabbed his tactical gear and the backstairs. When he got to the lobby he saw the rest of the task force entering the building.
“Good, you’re all here now,” he called to them. “I believe Detective Graves needs our help. I had his call traced and got his GPS location after we hung up.”
“Let’s go then,” Jett said.
The headed back out into the cold gray morning with blistering winds and snow flurries flying. A total one eighty from the day before when the sun had been shining and even though it was cold the sun’s presence had been bright and felt.
The men divided up into three SUVs and each driver followed the leader speeding out of the parking lot determined to get to Graves’ location in North Chicago in the quickest amount of time possible even if it was technically out of their precincts district.
“What do you think he is doing all the way out here?” Brand asked Hawkeye as they got out of the SUV.
“I have no clue,” Hawkeye said. “For all I know by the time I traced the call his cellphone could have been tossed out of his car window as he drove by that overpass over there and landed somewhere nearby.”
“Not a good thought after we raced all this way,” Jett said.
“You know where we’re near?” Loverboy said.
“Where?” Rookie asked.
“The arena,” Loverboy said. “The far side if you were to come from taking the ‘L.’ I came this way one day to practice when Jules borrowed the car to run errands after work. It was back in the summer so I didn’t mind walking, but I got off at a stop too soon and I had farther to walk if I had gone to the next stop which brings you around to the front of the arena. ”
“Huh,” Don Juan. “And we all know who works at the arena.”
“Don’t go jumping to conclusions,” Hawkeye cautioned. “We want it to be him, but without solid proof we will be right back to square one.”
“And none of us want that,” Brand said. “So what if, Graves’ phone is out here somewhere? Because he was following Monte Adams and he was spotted.”
“I’ll send a text and see if he responds,” Hawkeye said.
“And I’ll contact Swede and see if he can pick up the phone’s location,” Loverboy said. “It can’t hurt.”
While he made the call, they walked around as if looking for something that had been lost along the street. Unsure where to look or what they were looking for. Did Graves have a smart phone or an older model flip phone?
Ten minutes of futile searching and Swede informed him, “Sorry. The phone is either off or no longer using the same SIM card.”
“Thanks, man,” Loverboy said and hung up. “Let’s keep looking.”
They had made it almost to the end of the street when Jett saw something that looked familiar.
A blue and black police flag and he bent down to look closer and realized it was not a piece of paper, but a phone case that had been crushed by the curb between two parked vehicles. “I think I found it!” he yelled.
“Don’t touch it.” Hawkeye warned. He pulled on a pair of latex gloves and picked up the phone and he could tell it was damaged beyond repair as if it had been stomped repeatedly by the heel of a boot. “Anyone got an evidence bag on them?”
“I do,” Don Juan said and he opened up his backpack and pulled out a plastic bag, handing it to Hawkeye.
Hawkeye slipped the phone inside.
“Swede said the phone was either off or the SIM card removed,” Jett repeated what the guru said. “It’s obvious now that the phone was off because it was destroyed.”
“Yep,” Rookie said. “What now?”
“We’re not defeated,” Hawkeye said. “We’re still going to find Graves. He’s around here somewhere. And the best place to look is the arena. I brought the signed contract with me. So I have a legitimate reason to go in there.”
The guys chuckled as they turned back toward the arena.
“I’ll also see about scheduling our practice schedules again,” Hawkeye said. “Gotta keep our team in shape.”
“But we’re down two men,” Don Juan said. “Can we find two replacements?”
“Does Hunter play?” Hawkeye asked.
“Nope,” Don Juan said.
They talked about possibilities as they went to the arena and then went inside walking toward the security office to drop off the contract. Monte Adams met them before they got there.
“What are you guys doing here today?” he asked.
“Bringing back this contract,” Hawkeye said. “It’s too cold out for the guys to wait on me. I hope you don’t mind that they came inside?”
“Whatever,” Monte said. “The arena manager isn’t in. You’ll need to drop it off at the security office with my manager.”
“That’ll work,” Hawkeye said. “Who would I talk to about rescheduling practice sessions before the exhibition game? We have to replace Flynn and give the new player time on the ice to get used to playing with the rest of the team before the match.”
“You’ll have to talk to the arena manager about that,” Monte said. We don’t have say so over anything like that.”
“Okay then,” Hawkeye said.
“You haven’t seen anyone looking for us have you?” Brand asked.
“Like whom?” Monte wanted to know.
“Our new player,” Jett said.
“He was supposed to meet us down here, but he wasn’t out back when we arrived,” Rookie said. “Which is odd because he called us saying he was here before we came.”
Monte’s eyes widened when Rookie said that. “Sorry. Haven’t seen anyone around. This place is usually dead when there aren’t hockey games or skating tournaments or free skate times scheduled.”
Loverboy walked over to Monte and shook his head. “Funny thing is, we don’t believe you.”
Don Juan walked over as well and stood on his other side. “We think you’re lying to us.”
Hawkeye held up the evidence bag with Graves phone inside. “And we have the proof that you smashed his phone for some reason.”
Brand pulled out his own cell phone and started typing on it. “And I have CTV footage of you dragging him inside the arena, so why don’t you cut the crap and tell us where our guy is? Did you get spooked and then he was following you or something when all he was doing was meeting us here?”
“Do you have something to hide, Monte?” Jett asked.
“You gotta be freakin’ kidding me,” Monte said. “How the hell do you guys do it?”
The security manager looking angry came around the corner helping a dazed Graves who’s clothes looked disheveled and his pupils dilated try to walk straight. “Monte Adams, do you want to explain to me why this poor man was knocked out and tied up in our supply closet?”
Monte’s facial expressions wilted and he looked between Loverboy and Don Juan as if sizing up his chances of making a run for it.
“Don’t even try it,” Loverboy told him.
“Ah hell,” Monte said and held out his wrists. “You might as well cuff me.”
“Adams, you’re fired,” the security manager groused. “And don’t think you’ll get a reference from me either.”
Hawkeye handed a pair of handcuffs to Loverboy and then walked over to Graves. “Are you alright, detective? We got here as soon as we could.”
“I will be. You wouldn’t have some aspirin?” Graves asked, blinking his eyes, trying to clear his vision.
“Not on me, but we’ll get you an ambulance,” Hawkeye said. “I think you might need one.”
“Calling for one now,” Rookie said.
“And a patrol car,” Jett added
While waiting for the patrol car to arrive, Hawkeye was pleased to read Monte Adams his Miranda Rights and read off the numerous charges against him.
“Yea. Yea,” Adams said. “I did it. You know I did it. If Dugan hadn’t got into that fight with Flynn on the ice I would have gotten away with killing him. But Rogers had to go and mess things up big time.”
“Is that why you killed him too?” Hawkeye asked.
“Sure is hell right,” Monte said. “Anyone that stupid doesn’t deserve to live, and he thought we were pals, ha!”
“Did he really buy the rat poison for you?” Brand asked.
“He did to help me get rid of the infestation in my building,” Monte said. “But there wasn’t one.”
“And your tattoo?” Don Juan said.
Monte patted his forearm. “Underneath the excellent concealer the tattoo artist recommended so I could keep my job here. What a crazy policy.”
“Just as we thought,” Hawkeye said.
He walked away while the guys continued grilling Monte since he was telling all at the moment and called Harley.
“Commander Burns, what can I do for you?” she asked.
“I wanted to let you know that we have arrested your brothers killer.”
There was a brief pause.
“You have?” she finally said.
“Yes.”
“That’s wonderful, Commander Burns. Truly wonderful. Who is it?”
“Monte Adams, Dugans former partner.”
“Was it revenge?” Harley asked.
“We believe so,” he said.
“Thank you again for calling and letting me know,” she said. “It can’t bring Reilly back, but knowing no one else can get hurt by him is a relief.”
“You have a good day, now,” Hawkeye said. “And a Merry Christmas.”