LIES OF THE PHOENIX (A Lieutenant Cassidy Mystery Book 1) (11 page)

Sarah sat in silence. She didn’t feel like talking. Her home and her life were in ruins. She wanted to run away and hide. Just then her cell phone rang. She looked at the screen on her phone, but didn’t recognize the number. She let the call go into voicemail. A few seconds later a text blinked onto her screen—
It’s Kyle. Pick up when I call back.

Her phone rang again. Sarah reluctantly answered. Maybe Kyle would have some news. “Hello, Kyle. . .No, I haven’t heard from Jordan. . .I already told you he didn’t leave anything for me. Why do you keep asking?. . . Look, this is a really bad time. Someone broke into my house and trashed it. The police are here. I have to go.” She hung up the phone.

“If that guy is bothering you, I’d be happy to have a talk with him,” Ben offered.

“No, that’s O.K. He’s just been a pest since Jordan left. He was Jordan’s best friend and they spent a lot of time together. He’s probably suffering from separation anxiety. The guy is strange, that’s all.”

“Why does he think that Jordan left something for you?”

“I have no idea.”

After what seemed like an eternity, Lieutenant Cassidy came out and approached the car. “Given the state of things in there, I think it would be best if we talked down at the precinct. Detective Castle will stay here to oversee things. I’ll see you back at the station.”

Sarah interrupted, “Can I go in to get some clothes and personal thing? I’m staying at a friend’s and need a few things.”

“Just a minute.” Cassidy motioned to a person standing by a white Crime Scene Unit van that had just arrived. He spoke briefly to that person and then turned back to Sarah. “Mel will take you in to make sure you don’t accidently disturb something that could be evidence. He’ll give you some plastic bags to put things in. Ben, you may want to go with her to help with the bags. You know the procedure.”

Ben and Sarah followed Mel into the house. He handed them booties to slip over their shoes and then told them to follow closely and not to touch anything. They made their way through the destruction in the living room and Sarah was appalled by the devastation to her home. Even the kitchen had not been spared. They ascended the steps and arrived in the master bedroom at the top of the staircase. The damage was just as bad there.

She felt sick to her stomach at the scene. All of her clothes from the dresser and closet had been dumped in a heap on the floor. The bed linens had been stripped off the bed and the mattress and box spring had been slashed open.

She looked at Mel and said, “I need to take some of my clothes. Can I go through this pile and take what I need?”

“Pick out what you want. Our team has already looked this over, but I will take another look at whatever you decide to take. We don’t think that the clothes were of interest to the perpetrator. That’s why they were dumped on the floor. We’ll log and photograph anything you select before it leaves here. Once the team is finished with the scene, you’ll have access to all your stuff, but that may take a day or two. Sorry,” Mel said.

The thought of someone examining and photographing her clothes and underwear was revolting, but she only packed an overnight bag when she went to Ruth’s and she had no choice. She needed something to wear.

She picked through the pile of rumpled clothes on the floor and made a new pile in a corner of the bedroom that was free from debris. Mel went through what she had selected and examined each piece. He photographed the clothes and recorded each item in a log. Sarah then folded the items and placed them into one of the two plastic bags that Ben was charged with holding.

Ben watched as she went through the pile of clothes.
This guy was meticulous.
Nothing escaped his search
, he thought. He noticed that the pockets on all the clothes in the pile had been turned inside out.
Whatever he was looking for was small enough to fit into a pocket
. Given the extent of the damage, he also had his doubts as to whether the culprit had found what he was looking for.

Mel finished his inspection of the clothes Sarah had selected and then led them carefully back out of the house. She surveyed the extent of the damage again as she followed him out. This was her house, her things, her life that were destroyed. Anger began to take over and displace the fear and abandonment she had been feeling. There was no way this was going to defeat her.

Lieutenant Cassidy was outside speaking to a member of his team. He saw them exit the house and walked over to them. “Go ahead to the precinct and wait for me. I have a few more things to do here. I’ll be along shortly.”

Sarah walked to Ben’s car without saying a word and slipped into the passenger seat. Ben placed the bags of clothes into the trunk and walked to the driver’s side door. He slid into his seat and saw that Sarah was just staring straight ahead in silence. She didn’t seem upset, just absorbed in thought.

“Are you O.K.? I could talk to Cassidy and put him off for a while if you need some time,” said Ben.

“No.” Her tone was resolute. “I’m ready to talk to him.”

It was only a short ride to the precinct station. They made the trip in silence. Sarah was processing all that had happened and Ben did not want to disturb her with idle chatter.

They entered the station and Sarah took the lead. She walked up to the desk and informed the clerk that Lieutenant Cassidy was expecting them. After a short wait the clerk motioned to them and she was on her feet immediately. Ben had to hurry to keep up with her brisk pace.

They were shown upstairs to an interview room and told Lieutenant Cassidy would be in shortly. Ben noticed that Sarah’s demeanor had changed. She seemed more in control and determined, maybe even angry.

After a short wait, Lieutenant Cassidy walked into the interview room carrying a folder filled with papers. He greeted them and sat down at the table across from them. Cassidy opened his file, and was just about ready to get started when Sarah broke in.

“I have some things I want to tell you before we get started,” she said.

Cassidy smiled to himself. Sarah had called earlier to say she had some additional information to share. He did not act surprised. He had been at this game a long time. It was important to allow a witness to feel comfortable and talk freely. They may be intimidated by a stiffly structured interview and choose not to volunteer information because they think it might be off topic or too insignificant to mention. When a witness indicated a readiness to speak, it was best to let the conversation flow.

He had told his young protégés many times that an investigator hates to stumble upon a piece of evidence late in the case and then ask a witness,
Why didn’t you tell me that before
? Only to be told,
You never asked,
or,
I didn’t think it was important.
He imagined Sarah remembered some detail from the night of the break-in that might be helpful so he was ready to give her the floor

“O.K., I’m listening. Go ahead.” He leaned back in his chair and gave her his full attention.

“My husband, Jordan, is missing. I think he packed a bag and left Saturday night without so much as a word or a note. He just walked out when I wasn’t home.”

Cassidy sat forward in his chair. He had to admit he wasn’t anticipating that piece of information. He listened as Sarah went through everything that had happened regarding Jordan’s disappearance. Cassidy asked several questions to clarify the details, and then questioned Ben as to his observations when he dropped Sarah at the house on Saturday.

When Ben finished he said, “Sarah has a couple of other things she wants to tell you about the night of the break-in as well.”

Cassidy looked in Sarah’s direction, but didn’t say anything. Sarah took the cue and told Cassidy about the gun clip. She glanced at Ben and then continued.

“I didn’t hear any voices downstairs that night and I never heard any sounds of a fight—just the two gunshots and the lamp breaking. I should have heard something. Our bedroom is right at the top of the stairs.”

Cassidy sat back in his chair assimilating what he had just heard. “Is there a reason why you are just telling me these things now?” He already knew the answer to his question.

“After I said I heard the gunshots and the lamp breaking, no one asked me about anything else that I heard.”

Cassidy nodded with a resigned look on his face and motioned for her to continue.

“Your police officers and detectives talked to us separately. I never heard Jordan’s version of what happened until you were talking with us at the dining room table that night. Everything was so chaotic and I felt confused. I talked to Jordan about it later. He convinced me that I was upset and distracted with the 911 operator and couldn’t be sure about what I heard.”

“And how about the ammo clip?”

“Jordan said the gun belonged to the burglar. I had no reason to question what he said. I didn’t think the ammunition clip had anything to do with what happened.”

As Cassidy assimilated this information he asked, “Do you think your husband’s absence has something to do with the two break-ins at your townhouse?”

“I kept thinking he would be back, that he had a work emergency or something. I didn’t think his leaving had anything to do with your investigation.”

“Has something changed your mind about that?” Cassidy sensed that there was more to come.

“Yes.” Sarah took a deep breath, hesitated, and then continued. “I called his employer, Reston Global Securities. I was hoping they could tell me where he was. They said they never heard of him, that he never worked for them.” She looked over at Ben and then back at Cassidy. “Ben thought I should tell you.”

After hearing of Jordan’s disappearance, this latest piece of information about his fictitious employment was not as big a surprise to Cassidy. It fit with the failure of the L.A. police to find any trace of a Jordan Lawrence in the California system.

“Anything else you want to tell me?” Cassidy said.

“I think that’s everything.” Sarah leaned back in her chair and felt a small measure of relief after sharing the information with Cassidy.

“Thank you, Mrs. Lawrence. What you’ve told me is very helpful to our investigation. Some of it fits with information we have uncovered in our investigation. I have some information I want to share with you now. It may not be very pleasant.”

Cassidy looked at Ben and Ben knew bad news was coming.

Somewhere between the destruction at her townhouse and the precinct station Sarah had found her feet and they were now firmly planted in reality. Jordan was gone; his life with her had been filled with lies. Like a curtain lifting, she was seeing things clearly now. Jordan and his past were at the bottom of all this. She was ready for whatever Lieutenant Cassidy had to say.

Cassidy started, “We have identified the intruder that your husband killed. His name is Vladimir Zykov. He was from the West coast. A highly skilled thief and murderer who hired himself out to various crime organizations out there.

“You’re thinking then that he broke into Sarah’s house to do a job?” Ben asked.

“Yes. We are working on the theory that Zykov was hired by a West coast crime organization to find and retrieve something specific. That something was likely the reason for the initial break-in at your townhouse and the ransacking that you found today.”

“Do you know what they were looking for?” Sarah asked.

“No, not yet. We believe it has a connection to your husband’s activities in Los Angeles.” Cassidy stopped for a second before he burdened her with additional bad news. She seemed to be holding it together so he continued, “After we found Zykov’s connection to the West coast, the L.A. police offered to do a background check on your husband. They came up with nothing, not even a California driver’s license. According to them, Jordan Lawrence does not exist.”

Sarah sat forward with a start, “Are you saying my husband isn’t Jordan Lawrence?”

“We think that it is likely your husband assumed a new identity when he relocated to Chicago. Maybe to throw off people who were looking for him. The fact that he is now missing of his own volition may mean that he is on the run from them.”

“But why?” Sarah asked.

“Your husband worked in international finance and investment. He had access to a lot of sensitive information. Information that people would pay a lot of money for.” Cassidy was interrupted by a tap on the door.

The door cracked open and a clerk popped his head in. “Phone call for you, Lieutenant. Detective Russo said you would probably want to take it.”

“O.K., thank you, Mark.” Cassidy stood up and excused himself saying he would be back in a few minutes.

Ben’s mind was trying to order and assimilate all the information he was hearing. His police senses were in high gear.
Sarah does not realize just how bad this is,
he thought. Jordan, or whoever he is, was involved up to his neck with organized crime. They were after him and something that he had. Ben looked at Sarah who was lost in her own thoughts.
They may come after her next!
he thought.

Cassidy returned a short while later with a grim look on his face. “That was the L.A. police. They found a facial recognition match for your husband in their Bureau of Motor Vehicles driver license data base. He was using the name Lloyd Nash out there.” Cassidy stopped, reluctant to tell Sarah the rest of the information he had.