Chapter 12
TWELVE
Eric’s stomach was unsettled as he knocked on Sergeant Levine’s doorframe. His old mentor was seated behind his desk, buried beneath a mound of folders.
Todd looked up, smiled, and waved him in.
Eric’s nausea gripped him tighter. There was no way the man he’d idolized was corrupt.
There must be some mistake or oversight with the file.
Some innocent explanation that would clear up everything.
Really, it was ludicrous to consider that some hopped-up hostage taker was getting into his head so much.
Or as a cop driven to find justice and truth, was Eric seeking out wrongdoing that didn’t exist, as he thought before?
He’d rather believe that was the case than the alternative.
“What brings you by, Birch? You lost?”
“Why can’t I just be coming around for a quick visit?” The offhand joke was to lighten things up for himself. It failed. The coffee he’d finished a few minutes ago churned in his stomach. “You got a minute?”
“Sure. Come in. Sit, sit.” Todd pointed at the visitor chair across from his desk with the tip of a pen.
Eric took the offered seat and strived to make himself comfortable.
He lengthened his legs and crossed them at the ankles and crossed his arms. Then he unfolded himself and leaned slightly forward.
It was better to appear casual and interested rather than closed off.
Not that the repositioning put him at ease. Nothing likely would.
Todd’s eyes narrowed. “What’s weighing on your mind?”
“There’s a current hostage situation involving the Hanson family.
” He gave the highlights. Five hostages, including four Hansons being held inside their estate.
He’d also learned the hostage taker’s identity from a text he’d received from Sandra.
Holding that back from Todd didn’t feel good, but Eric needed to safeguard the investigation as best he could.
Todd set his pen on his desk. “I was aware of the hostage incident. Officer Moore’s assisting in the field.”
Eric had heard of Moore. On the track to becoming a detective. Solid cop, solid instincts, if just a touch impulsive. Like he used to be. On the upside, Todd hadn’t shown any reaction to the Hanson name. That has to be a good sign. Right? “Then you heard about the hostage taker’s demands?”
“Nope, but I’ve got a feeling you’re going to fill me in.
” Todd was watching him closely. It was in that scrutinizing sort of way he’d often employed when training Eric.
Back then the gaze intimidated. Eric was ashamed to say that after all these years it still did the same.
But today it came with an added implication, a challenge.
He was being called upon to rise above it and do his damn job no matter how difficult.
“The hostage taker wants an old investigation opened. It was a fatal crash that happened thirty-three years ago.”
“Wow. Really? That’s a long time ago. Though I’m not sure why you’re talking to me about this, or how it even involves you.” Todd angled his head.
“I’ve been asked to look into it.” Some favor… “The file lists you as the responding officer and your sergeant at the time, Dean Finley, signed off on the crash report.”
“Okay, well everything should be on file and in storage.”
“Yes, well one would think that.”
“They’re not?”
“No. Just a copy of your crash report is attached to the digital file. There’s not even anything from the Major Crash Investigation Unit.”
“How bizarre.”
“That’s why I thought you might be able to help me out. It won’t take more than a few minutes to clear everything up.”
Todd hesitated, and Eric feared he was chewing on the meaning behind his last words. “From thirty-three years ago? I’ll do my best, but it seems absurd this is coming up now.”
Eric found it unsettling Todd reiterated the age of the case.
Extending the benefit of the doubt, it might simply be shock at the request. After all, a lot of time had passed.
But Eric feared it might be something else.
Something he didn’t care for. Was Todd working to lay a defense for himself?
Only the guilty needed to worry about that.
In a handful of words, Todd had also diminished the validity of the HT’s request. “I hear ya, but we’re here nonetheless.
Anything you might remember could be helpful. ”
“Huh. I don’t know, Eric. I mean, I’ll do what I can, of course, but no guarantee. I’ve seen a lot of things during that time.”
Being a cop, every shift contributed to a catalog of horrors.
“I get that. Just whatever you can. As I mentioned, it was a fatal crash. A thirty-two-year-old woman, mother of one, died on scene. Her name was Susan Crawford.” Eric paused there when he saw Todd’s eyes light up.
He recognized the name. It made Eric’s stomach clench.
It was one thing to remember a tragic accident from over three decades ago and another to recall the name of the victim in an accident that was considered straightforward.
That is if the record is to be believed…
“Though, as you said, it was thirty-three years ago. It might have left your memory.” Eric added this to relieve some pressure, hoping to tease an open dialogue with Todd.
“The name is vaguely familiar. Are there any more details you can give me?”
“It was January, and a snowstorm had hit earlier in the day, making for poor road conditions. She crashed into a pole.” Eric deliberately left out mention of the boy in the backseat, curious if Todd would bring him up.
“Ah, yes, I remember now. There was a kid in the back. I think he survived but sustained critical injuries… That right?”
Could it be the accident stuck with Todd because of the kid? It was possible, but that didn’t stop tingles from running down Eric’s back. Nor did Eric buy it. “Impeccable memory.” He smiled at Todd.
“Sometimes I surprise myself.” Todd laughed it off and sank back into his chair, swiveled left and right and was averting his gaze.
Not good… Not just the lack of eye contact but the self-soothing.
Why did he feel the need? Was there something about the accident that had him feeling guilty?
The flags were there, that someone had messed with the file.
Eric had come here wanting to be mistaken.
For Todd to say something that would obliterate his concerns.
Provide some explanation for the missing attachments and hard records.
Anything… “And here I can’t remember what I had for breakfast some days.
” It was a challenge to push out those words, but he felt the need to say something.
“I’d just worked my way up to riding on my own. But it stayed with me. That woman’s mangled body… It was heartbreaking.” Todd’s eyes glazed over though he still wasn’t making eye contact.
“I bet it was.” Eric studied his mentor, unease growing in his belly like a malignancy.
None of this was going the way he’d wanted it to.
Todd also elaborated too much. Oversharing was another mark of a guilty conscience.
But, surely, Eric must be reading the situation wrong.
Todd would never… Eric couldn’t stomach to even finish the thought.
Sabotage her car and cause the accident?
Or was his role limited to covering up the truth of what happened?
Though that was just as heinous. But what would make a good cop do that?
“So who asked for the file to be looked at? It’s the kid, isn’t it? He’s the hostage taker?” Todd raised his eyebrows, his question striking Eric out of left field.
It hadn’t taken Todd long to reach that conclusion. “It is. Ryan Crawford.”
“It’s hard enough losing a parent if they die from a long-term illness. Unexpected in a car accident, makes things even more rough.”
“Add to that he was just a child at the time.”
“Right, but he’s not now. I tell ya, some people have a hard time letting go.
Their drive to get answers becomes an obsession and they want someone to pay.
Rather scary, too, given how long it’s been.
Why now after all this time? Does he blame the Hansons?
He must, I mean, for him to be there. But that’s crazy because it was a single-car crash. Am I right?” Todd leaned forward.
“Like you said, sometimes people get obsessive.” A diversion. Sandra had mentioned in a text that the HT’s implied allegation was Timothy Hanson had caused Susan Crawford’s accident. He wasn’t laying that out so bluntly to Todd.
“Yeah, well, he’s wasting his time, and so are you. I’m surprised Medina approved one of his homicide detectives to work on this. I’m sure your skills could be put to better use on a case where there’s something to actually investigate.”
“Well, you know me. I don’t question directions and do as I’m asked.”
Todd chuckled. “Then you’ve changed. One thing I suspect hasn’t, though, is your tenacity. You’ll get to the truth.”
“That’s my intention.” Eric met Todd’s gaze and chased it away. Pain shot through Eric’s gut. It always reacted strongly to deception. “As I said, I’m having a hard time compiling details. There aren’t even photographs. Your report references them.”
“The photos weren’t even scanned in?”
The response came fast. Too fast for Eric. He shook his head. Not about to repeat himself again that the digital file contained one thing and the hard copies were missing.
“Well, there should have been photos. Roger Simms, from the Major Crash Investigation Unit, was the photographer for that accident. He must have misallocated them. Or it was a computer glitch.”
Like they were simply missing… “You remember Simms?” It was unsettling that Todd had pulled out the man’s name so quickly.
“He was the go-to back then.”
Eric hadn’t heard of him. Maybe he retired. Either way, he’d track him down. “I’ll talk with Simms.”
“Good luck doing that. He died thirty-some years ago.”
“Oh.” Thirty-some… His gut picked that apart. Can that be a coincidence?
Todd pointed at him. “That right there. I don’t like what I’m reading off you. You’re not that good at hiding your thoughts. You never have been. Am I being interrogated here? As if I did something wrong?”
“It’s not like that at all.” Isn’t it…
“No? I’d say it’s exactly that. You have some nerve coming in here and attacking me.”
Eric held up his hands, but before he could respond, Todd steamrolled ahead.
“Are you suggesting that I didn’t do my job back then? That I dropped the ball and failed to investigate properly?”
Eric took a few measured breaths. “I never said that once. I’m just asking questions.
Nothing more than doing my due diligence here.
” It took all of his willpower to muster a calm, level voice.
His back was up from Todd’s defensiveness, from a new glimpse he was getting into his mentor. “How did Roger die?”
“Well, I didn’t kill him.”
“He was murdered?” Eric volleyed this back lightly, refusing to let Todd see how he was getting to him. Or at least trying to mask that much. He was going to need to down a few antacids when he left here.
“No. If I remember right, it was a hiking accident.”
The accidents are piling up… The thought fired through Eric’s mind.
Todd smiled tightly. “You’d do well to learn there’s not always some grand conspiracy at play.”
Eric stiffened. “And I never said there was. All I’m looking for is the truth, nothing more, nothing less.”
“Then I think we’ve about covered it. If there aren’t any other questions, I should get back to work.” Todd grabbed a folder and made a show of flipping it open.
“Actually, I do. The MPD lot doesn’t have any record of ever logging Crawford’s Chevrolet Cavalier sedan.”
“Poor record keeping? It’s not like I towed the car myself.”
Todd wasn’t meeting Eric’s eyes again. “No, of course not.” Eric hoped his acting skills were serving him now, or Todd’s back would really go up. “Just one more thing. Are you aware of a connection between Susan Crawford and Timothy Hanson?”
“No. Though how could I be? I didn’t know either of them personally.”
That was the first honest thing Todd had said since Eric came into the room. “Fair point. Thanks for your time. I won’t keep you any longer.” Eric had reached the doorway before Todd said his name, causing him to turn around.
“The Hansons have more money than God, so tread carefully. Also, just a little life lesson, take it from me that nothing good comes from digging into the past.”
“Noted.” With that Eric stepped into the hall, a hand over his stomach. Todd had done a poor job of disguising his threat as a warning. But why such hostility if Susan Crawford’s accident was nothing more than tragic and straightforward?