Chapter 44
With the phone call, we probably had enough to get Richard on obstruction of justice. He expressed clear intent to suppress evidence. But I wanted to make sure this stuck. The exchange of funds for the evidence would be hard to beat.
Richard didn't know what Zoe looked like. Zoe could have been anyone. I recruited Denise for the job. She jumped at the chance.
We met at Diver Down. JD and I got into character. We dressed in tattered clothing and tried to look like bums.
We headed over to the demolished warehouse well before the designated rendezvous time and got into position on the loading dock.
It wasn't unusual to see homeless types sleeping on cardboard in the warehouse district.
Nobody paid attention to the homeless. They were practically invisible. Perfect cover.
With wireless in-ears, we had encrypted comms with Denise. We did a quick radio check, then she waited around the corner from the warehouse in her SUV.
It was a simple sting operation. Richard Pearson would show up, exchange the money for the flash card, and we’d make the arrest. That, combined with the audio recording of their phone call, would be enough to hold him on obstruction charges.
It wasn’t a slam dunk for the murder case, but maybe he'd crack.
It would give us time to come up with other evidence.
The timeline of the murder was tight. Richard would have had to kill Riley and hide the body in the house before his wife got home.
He didn't have time to dump her in the ocean.
There was a real possibility that Julie came home and found the dead nanny in their bedroom.
Maybe they were in on it together. Maybe she knew the scandal would bring scrutiny to his venture capital firm. Maybe she was complicit. Who knows?
The moon glowed overhead, and the stars twinkled. It was quiet in the warehouse district. The old building had been destroyed during an explosion not long ago. Debris and rubble still littered the area. Nobody was in a rush to clean up the long-abandoned building.
The streets were desolate. Not a soul in sight.
The witching hour drew near, and headlights approached.
I whispered over comms to Denise. "Suspect inbound."
Pearson's black Aston Martin pulled into the lot. He stayed in his car.
A few moments later, Denise drove up in her banana-yellow SUV. The two cars faced off, headlight to headlight, with about 40 feet between them.
Denise called Pearson on the phone and told him to step out of the vehicle. Richard cut the engine and complied. He stepped out with a briefcase in hand.
Denise climbed out of her SUV, wearing a ball cap and big sunglasses. She had her hair pulled back into a ponytail. They both kept a cautious distance.
"Let's see the money," Denise shouted.
"Let's see the flash card."
Denise pulled it from her pocket and brandished it. "Now show me the cash.”
Richard glanced around, set the briefcase on the hood of the Aston, and flipped the latches. He lifted the lid, displaying $250,000 in cash. "It's all there. Count it if you want. Now give me the flashcard!" he demanded.
Denise took a step closer to him.
We had enough, but before we could spring into action, Richard drew a pistol.
He shot Denise in the chest.
The report echoed through the night air and bounced off the brick wall. The bullet streaked across the lot and hit Denise with a thump, knocking her flat on her back.
Rage boiled in my veins. I sprang to my feet with my weapon drawn and took aim. "Coconut County! Drop the weapon! Now."
Panic filled Richard’s eyes. He swung the barrel in my direction, and I squeezed the trigger twice.
My pistol hammered against my palm.
Gun smoke wafted.
The copper minions of death drilled into his chest and tumbled him back against the Aston.
Crimson spewed.
Richard fell to the ground, gasping and gurgling for breath as his lungs filled with fluid.
I jumped down from the loading dock and sprinted to Denise while JD secured Richard. By the time Jack got to him, the perp had exhaled his last breath.