Chapter 15
Eddie
‘Did you ask Julian Vanderpool about Teresa Chase?’ asked Harry.
‘No, not until we know more about who she is and what the hell she has to do with the Vanderpools. Pat Vanderpool’s political opponent seems to think it’s something that could jeopardize Pat’s political career.
It’s a weapon. You don’t pull a weapon like that out of the bag unless you know how to use it and— Ow! ’ I said.
‘Sorry,’ said Denise as she dabbed some cotton wool on the cut over my eye. I could smell the disinfectant from the swab. Denise had soaked the thing in iodine.
I sat on the desk in the conference room, blood on my shirt. Collar open, neck tie in the trash.
Harry leaned against the doorframe while Denise cleaned the wound. Lake sat beside Harry and Bloch, who was listening but also on her laptop.
‘Did the little demon lawyer get Vanessa out on bail?’ I asked.
‘She did,’ said Denise. ‘She called and left a message for you. Vanessa wants to meet with Ms. Voss and you.’
‘I’ll look forward to it . . . Yikes, that stings. You’re going to blind me with that thing. I’d rather die from an infection.’
‘Don’t be such a baby,’ said Denise, then pressed the wool swab down harder. Held it there. I gritted my teeth. After a few seconds, she let go and said, ‘There, the bleeding’s stopped.’
‘Thanks,’ I said, then rubbed the back of my neck. I had a monster headache coming on.
‘So what do you make of all this?’ asked Lake.
‘I was hoping my investigators and my mentor might have some ideas,’ I said.
‘Dekker, Lee Harold, emigrated to the US from South Africa when he was fifteen. Former Navy Seal, originally based out of Little Creek Naval Base in Virginia Beach,’ said Bloch, reading from her laptop screen.
‘He transferred at the rank of Master Chief Special Warfare Operator to the CIA’s Special Operations Group and retired two years later.
Worked as a merc for a while, which is why we have a profile online.
And some headlines. He was part of a team that was investigated following the war in Afghanistan.
Allegations of alcohol and drug abuse, and sexual assault within the unit.
He denied all the allegations and because he was already out of the service nothing happened. ’
‘He sounds delightful,’ said Harry.
‘We need to know what was in that package. What did Dekker give to Detective Larkin, and why?’ said Lake.
‘Could he have given him some piece of evidence so he could frame Vanessa?’ asked Harry.
‘That doesn’t make a whole lot of sense,’ I said. ‘Julian doesn’t want any mud on his son, Patrick. He can’t run his campaign on bringing down crime stats if he’s married to a murderer.’
‘Could it have been a bribe? To make sure the cops focus on Vanessa instead of Patrick?’ asked Lake.
‘I don’t think that makes sense either. Vanessa and Patrick are tied together, at least politically.
And the cops on this case are their own mystery.
Ben Larkin is a has-been, and his partner is greener than Vermont.
If even one of them was on this case it would be out of the ordinary, but both of them? ’
‘This isn’t an ordinary homicide. All the power players in this town are watching,’ said Harry.
‘When the suspects include the ultra-rich and powerful, you can bet this investigation will be closely handled, every move debated and signed off by the top brass,’ said Lake.
‘Okay, find out the shift pattern for detectives on the date and time the body was found. It could be that Larkin and Carey lucked out and were just the only homicide detectives available and someone let them ride the case out this far. If they weren’t on that shift, then we need to find out who was and how this case got handed to the dream team. ’
Bloch nodded and got up to get to work.
‘Wait, I need something else. Fairfax, the governor, mentioned a woman’s name – Teresa Chase. I looked online, couldn’t find a single thing about her. We need to find out who she is and talk to her.’
‘If it’s not connected to our case, then why do you need to know about her?’ asked Lake.
‘Julian Vanderpool threatened me. Threatened everyone here, too. If Teresa Chase has dirt on Julian, or his son, then I want to know. We’re going to need some leverage.’
‘What are we gonna do?’ asked Harry.
‘We’re going to talk to Vanessa. It’s time we had a heart to heart. Then I want to talk to her husband.’
‘You sure that’s a door you want to open?’ asked Harry.
‘That’s a door we have to kick down. Somebody cut off a young woman’s head in her own apartment, and I don’t think it was our client.’
‘You didn’t sound so sure when you said that, kid,’ said Harry.
‘She lied to us, but there has to be a reason. Maybe she’s protecting her husband.
We have to make it clear to her that the best defense in this case is giving the jury an alternative suspect and that’s Patrick Vanderpool.
I don’t care what Julian says, we have to do the best for our client, whether she wants that or not.
And that means we have to go after her husband with everything we’ve got. ’