Chapter 7 #2
Jake sighed. “Yeah, that doesn’t surprise me.
According to Larry, it was his brother that got him messed up in the theft he was convicted of in the first place.
There’s no love lost between them as far as I know.
So, if he has an inkling of where his brother is, he’ll probably tell you.
At least that’s the impression I have.” Jake checked his watch just as the door opened.
“What’s all this? I didn’t do anything.”
“We aren’t saying you did. This is Officer Harper, and he has a few questions for you.” Larry was instantly on his guard. “Part of your probation is to assist law enforcement whenever possible. So, sit down and answer his questions.”
Larry sat, his arms crossed over his chest. “I’ve held down a job and done everything I was supposed to. I haven’t even come close to doing anything wrong, not even speeding.”
“Do you know where your brother might be?” Eddie asked, coming right to the point.
“Son of a bitch—I don’t have a clue. And if I did, I’d tell you just to keep that asshole out of my life.
He came to me maybe three weeks ago looking to borrow money.
I sent him packing, and I ain’t seen him since.
He said he was going to be coming into a load of cash and wanted a thousand.
Do I look like I got that?” He shook his head.
“Then when I told him no, he started acting all put out, like I’m supposed to be his goddamned bank. ”
“Where did you meet him?” Eddie asked.
“He came to my work, and I got in trouble for it. I’ve been working hard and doing everything I can to rebuild my life.
I got a month left on probation, and I ain’t going back to jail for nobody.
People have come up to me, wanting me to do shit, and I tell them to go fuck themselves.
They think because I got out that I’m gonna do shit for them, and I’m not.
” He pulled out his wallet and took out a picture.
“I got a girlfriend and I really like her. She seems to like me, too, and is willing to look beyond my past. So I told Kevin to go fuck himself, and he eventually left. I ain’t heard from him since. ”
“How would you get in touch with him if you needed to?” Eddie asked. “You have to know his friends or people he would know.”
Larry sighed. “You could try Martha Connely. The two of them always seemed to run hot and cold. Zach Midas, he lives west of the capital building somewhere. He and Kevin were budding criminals together. The guy has to have a record of some kind. I deleted Kevin from my phone when I got out.”
“Okay. Is there anything else you can tell me?”
Larry shook his head. “Nope. My folks don’t know where he is neither. Not after he did shit and let me take the fall. Is there anything more that you need from me? I want to go home, and I’m supposed to have a date tonight.”
“No.” Eddie handed him his card. “Just call me if you see him or if he contacts you again.”
“I will.” He took the card and slipped it in his pocket. “What do you want Kevin for?”
“He’s a person of interest in a murder. You or anyone you care about does not want to have anything to do with him.”
“Whoa…,” Larry said, standing and taking a step back. “If I see him, I’ll call right away. Now can I go?”
Eddie met Jake’s gaze. “Yes. You can go. I have that you checked in and that you cooperated with Officer Harper here. We appreciate it. And remember, probation prevents you from being around known criminals.”
“I know. I’ll call if he comes around.” Larry left the office, and Eddie shook hands with Jake and left as well.
On a hunch, he went to his car and followed Larry as he turned out of the parking lot.
He didn’t stay too close but wondered where he’d go.
If he knew where his brother was, he was willing to bet that would be his first stop.
But he drove to an auto garage, presumably where he worked, so Eddie continued on back to the station.
“The brother is a dead end. He hasn’t seen Kevin in weeks, but the last time he saw him, Kevin tried to borrow money on the pretext that he was going to have a real score soon.
Sounds like he was expecting to get a real big payday from someone.
” Eddie sat next to Marty, who was playing games on his phone.
“Do you believe him?” Marty asked.
“What he said goes along with what we know, and I followed him. Larry went back to work without stopping anywhere. Can we get logs from his phone to see if he called anyone?”
Brian placed a report on his desk. “Already done. He hasn’t been on the phone all day. He didn’t call his brother.”
“Then that helps back up what he told me. What about the parents?”
“They say they last heard from Kevin ten days ago. He tried to borrow money from them too. Struck out there as well,” Brian said. “They gave me the names of some of his friends.”
“So did Larry. Martha and Zach?” Eddie asked, and Brian nodded. “We need to check them out.”
“Let’s run some background on them before we knock on the door. I’d like to know what we could be walking into.”
They both got busy, running down what they could find before heading out once more. Eddie hated leaving Marty behind, just sitting at a desk waiting around, but he also wasn’t going to take him along. More than anything, he needed Marty to be safe.
Martha answered the door at her home with two kids crowded around her legs. She was very pregnant and said she hadn’t seen or heard from Kevin in a while. But she did say that if they found him, remind the bastard that he owed her money.
“Looks like we know where Kevin got the cash he was looking for.”
“Yeah. Let’s try Zach,” Brian said, driving to the address. No one was home, and the house was dark. They peered in the windows in case they could see anything, but there was no reason for them to go inside.
“Should we wait?”
“Let’s sit for a little while. It’s nearly five, and he might come home from work soon.
I’d prefer not to have to come back if we can help it.
” Brian got comfortable, and Eddie did the same, waiting until others in the neighborhood began arriving home.
And still they waited. Brian reached for the button to start the engine when a pickup truck pulled into the drive.
Brian got out, and Eddie followed up the drive. “Zach Midas,” Brian said, and Eddie saw him tense and thought he was about to run. “We need to speak with you about Kevin Reynolds.”
“I haven’t seen him in more than a week,” he said. “I don’t know where he is, so if you’re trying to collect from him, get in line.” He stood in the doorway, arms folded over his chest. Eddie knew this guy was hiding something or someone. His gut screamed it.
“The back,” Brian cried, and took off. Zach looked like he was going to try to run as well.
Eddie pulled out his cuffs, swung Zach around, and cuffed his hands, putting him under arrest for harboring a fugitive and accessory to murder.
He called for backup, and Eddie got Zach in the back of the car and waited for Brian to return.
Sirens sounded, coming from both directions.
Brian continued his pursuit, giving instructions over the radio.
But the guy was too fast and backup didn’t arrive in time.
Brian returned to the patrol car, covered in sweat and fuming. “At least we have you.”
“Hey, he’s my friend…,” Zach said as though that were an excuse.
“Maybe. But now your friend has you involved with his crime, and he’s wanted in connection with a murder. So maybe we’ll just hold you.” Brian glared before returning to the house.
“I’ll stay with him,” a fellow officer offered, and Eddie joined Brian inside, looking for anything that might tell them where Kevin had gone.
“We should have had him.” Brian trudged into the station, mumbling under his breath.
“At least you saw him too,” Marty said. Brian humphed as he went to his desk. They had Zach in an interview room and were letting him stew a while.
“I can interview him if you want,” Eddie offered.
“No. You go on and take Marty home. I don’t think we’re going to get a lot of useful information out of him. Kevin is going to go to ground, and we’re going to have to flush him out again.” He slumped in his chair. “I should have taken more units.”
“You couldn’t have known he’d be there,” Eddie said, feeling just as bad as Brian did. But those were the breaks. At least they were certain they were on the right track.
“Go on home. I’ll talk to Zach and see what he can tell us.”
“Are you sure?” Marty asked. “I can stay if it’s going to help you with the case.” Marty was wearing down, though. Hours of filling time will do that.
“It’s all right,” Brian said, and Eddie took Marty to find on officer to give them a lift back to the house.
“Thanks, Davis,” Marty said as he got out of the Toyota. The house was dark, but Eddie cleared it just to be safe before allowing Marty inside. That might have been overkill, but he was becoming more and more protective of him as time went on.
“I don’t know what we’re going to have for dinner.”
“How about I order a pizza and we get comfortable?” Eddie offered. “Just let me get out of this uniform, and I’ll place the order.” He went to the bedroom, changed clothes, and got dinner ordered before returning to find Marty in sweatpants and a T-shirt, sitting on the edge of the sofa.
“I’m sorry for all this mess,” Marty said softly.
Eddie sat next to him. “You did the right thing, and none of this is your fault.”
“Yeah, but I should have just called the police instead of putting this on your doorstep.”
Eddie scoffed, and Marty turned to him. “You do realize that I am with the police and that it was going to end up on our desk anyway.” He rolled his eyes. “This isn’t your fault.”
“Maybe not. But it’s still a real pain in the neck.”