Personal Justice (21 page)

Asher dropped his hands to his lap, rocked back and forth in his chair, and remained quiet.

“Aggravated assault with a deadly weapon,” Hank said. “That’s a serious charge.” He leaned forward. “With the intent to cause bodily harm.” Hank looked at King and shrugged. “Who knows? The crown might want to pursue an attempted murder charge.”

Asher’s eyes narrowed. “I didn’t try to kill him. I only wanted to teach him a lesson.”

“He’s got a cracked rib,” Hank said. “That’s serious, and you could’ve killed him.”

Asher gritted his teeth. “He murdered my cousin. Michael and I were like brothers when we were young. My parents took him in when his mother and father died. We practically grew up together.”

King bounced off the wall. “That’s a sad story.” He leaned in. “Now, how do you know Shaft killed your cousin?”

Asher looked up at King. “I saw it on the news.”

“There’s no proof it was Shaft,” Hank said. “You’re looking at serious jail time for assaulting someone who might be innocent.”

“Do you know Rocky Shaft?” King asked.

The suspect shook his head. “Never met him before.”

“How did you find him?”

“It wasn’t hard. His name and picture was on the news and I tracked him down.”

“Tell me about Michael Norton,” Hank said.

“What do you want to know? He’s dead now. We’ve always been close, and even after we went our own ways, we still hung around sometimes.”

“If Shaft didn’t kill him, do you have any idea who else might’ve wanted him dead?”

Asher shook his head. “No.”

King bent over the table. “You and Rocky Shaft were involved in a robbery a few months ago,” he said. “Tell us about that.”

Asher looked confused. “What’re you talking about?”

“Norton was a criminal,” King said, as he straightened his back. “Are you telling me you didn’t know about that?”

Asher hesitated. “I knew he went to prison a few years ago, and he might’ve been involved in some shady deals after he got out, but I wasn’t part of it.”

“What kind of deals?” Hank asked.

Asher licked his lips and looked at Hank. “Can you get my charges knocked down to simple assault if I tell you?”

“Depends on what you have. I can probably convince the crown to drop the attempted murder charges.”

The suspect frowned. “I … I don’t want to go to prison.”

“That might be up to Shaft. If he presses charges, you’ll be lucky to get by with aggravated assault.”

Asher rocked in his seat, rubbing his hands together. He sighed deeply, and then spoke. “Michael was involved in the heist you mentioned. He told me about it. I swore to keep quiet, but he’s dead now, so you can’t do anything to him.”

Hank leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. “Who else was involved?”

“I … I don’t know. More than just him, but I don’t know who.”

“Where’s the money?” King asked.

“I don’t know. Why would he tell me?”

“I thought you two were close?”

“Sure, but … he didn’t tell me, and I didn’t ask.”

King swung a chair over to the desk, flipped it around backwards, straddled it, and laid his arms on the back of the chair. He looked intently at Asher. “Who killed Werner Shaft?”

Asher shook his head and looked back and forth between the detectives. “I honestly have no idea. They said it was Michael, but I know it wasn’t.”

“How do you know that?”

“Because he’s not a killer. He was a good guy.”

“A good guy who robs people,” King said dryly. “Don’t forget, he was in prison for burglary.”

Asher jutted his chin. “Yes, he was. But in all those cases, I’ll bet you won’t find one case where anyone got hurt.”

“You seem to know a lot about his crimes,” Hank said. “Except the one we’re asking about. Why is that?”

Asher shrugged. “Everything I know is public information. I followed his case, and I was in contact with him while he was inside, but we never talked about what he did. And I know he never hurt anyone.”

Hank looked at King and jerked his head toward the door. They stood and King followed Hank into the hallway.

“I think he’s telling the truth,” Hank said. “He’s just a guy who decided to take matters into his own hands. It was a dumb move, to be sure, but I guess he figures blood is thicker than water.”

King nodded. “Yeah, you might be right. I don’t think he knows anything else.”

“All right. Book him for assault, and at least he’ll be handy if we need to talk to him again.” Hank turned away and then stopped. “See if you can convince Shaft to let this guy off with simple assault. He doesn’t belong in prison.”

King went back into the interview room as Hank went to his desk. Asher had confirmed what Michael Norton admitted during his phone call to Annie—Norton was one of the three men who committed the heist.

Asher also seemed convinced Michael Norton wasn’t a killer. Hank wasn’t so sure.

Chapter 40

Thursday, 12:51 p.m.

WHEN ANNIE ARRIVED home, Jake was lounging in the living room. She sat down and filled him in on her interview with Sharon Stipple. There wasn’t much to tell, and soon the conversation turned to Jake’s encounter with Stanley Asher. She was concerned Jake might be injured, perhaps a cracked rib, or worse.

“It’s honestly just a bruise,” Jake told her, sitting up to prove his point. “Shaft is the one who got the good beating. They took him to Richmond General, bandaged him up, and released him. He’s got a cracked rib, and he’ll be sore for a while.”

“It’s a good thing you were there,” Annie said. “He might’ve been killed.”

“Perhaps,” Jake said. “But if I didn’t rile Shaft up, he might never have left the warehouse, and might never have been beaten.”

Annie shook her head. “You can’t blame yourself. Asher was out to get Shaft and he would’ve waited as long as he needed. Shaft should be thanking you.”

“He did,” Jake said. “And he sounded sincere.”

“His life might still be in danger.”

“From whom?”

“I don’t know. If he’s not the killer we’re looking for, then he could be next.”

“And if he is the killer?”

“Then we have to prove it,” Annie said. “One thing I know for sure, he’s involved in all this.”

“I’d still love to find out where the money is,” Jake said. “That’s the key to it all.”

“We’ll find it. Somebody knows, and they’re not going to leave it alone forever.”

Jake shrugged. “I haven’t ruled out Maria Shaft. If her husband knew where the money is, he might’ve told her. It might even be hidden in their house somewhere.”

“The same goes for Tammy Norton,” Annie said. “Although Norton claimed on the phone his wife knew nothing about it.”

Jake glanced at his watch. “Let’s see what’s on the news.”

Annie reached for the remote control and turned on the television. Channel 7 Action News was coming on and Lisa Krunk’s face took up most of the screen.

“I’ve just received some breaking news,” Lisa was saying. “Rocky Shaft, the chief suspect in the slaying of Werner Shaft and Michael Norton, was attacked this morning by an unknown assailant. I’ve been unable to obtain the name of his attacker, but Shaft received some injuries before the attack subsided.”

“How did she hear about that so fast?” Jake asked.

“She has eyes and ears everywhere,” Annie said.

A picture of Rocky Shaft appeared on the screen and Lisa continued, “Rocky Shaft was questioned by police earlier and released. Apparently, they didn’t have enough evidence to hold him, but I’m told the case against Shaft is mounting, and it’s just a matter of time until he’s arrested and charged.”

“Where did she get that?” Jake asked. “That’s not even true.”

Annie turned off the TV and laid the remote control on the stand beside her. “If Lisa can’t dig up any sensational news, she makes it up.” She stood. “I’ll be in the office if you need me.”

She sat at her desk, turned on her computer, and spread out her notes. She scrutinized every detail in an attempt to make some sense of what they knew. Finally, she replayed the phone conversation with Michael Norton.

No matter how she connected the dots, it all pointed to Rocky Shaft. But something didn’t sit right with her. Something disturbed her about the obvious conclusion and she couldn’t put a finger on it.

If she had a way of knowing where Michael Norton was when he called her, it might give her a lead.

She had an idea. She knew someone who might be able to help.

Better known by his friends as Geekly, Jeremiah Everest was a long-time friend of the Lincolns, and helped them on occasion when they needed his expertise. When it came to anything technical or computer related, Geekly was the absolute best.

She duplicated the folder of recent phone recordings onto a flash drive, and wrote a note asking Geekly to analyze the recording labeled, “Michael Norton”, for any background sounds or other information that might shed some light on the location of the caller.

She dropped the drive and the note into a padded envelope, addressed it to Jeremiah Everest, and called a local courier. She asked for same day delivery and twenty minutes later the package was on its way.

~~*~~

HANK TURNED as Captain Diego poked his head from his office and motioned him over. “And bring King with you,” he called.

Hank found his partner in the break room. “Diego wants to see us.”

King tossed a half-eaten sandwich into a paper bag, balled it up, and made an expert shot into the wastebasket. He stood without a word and followed Hank to Diego’s office.

Hank sat and leaned back while King took his usual spot, holding up the filing cabinet, his arms crossed.

“Fill me in on the Shaft case,” Diego said, looking at Hank and smoothing down his black mustache.

“I’m afraid we haven’t made a lot of headway,” Hank said. “But we’ve confirmed the drug money heist was perpetrated by three gunmen. We’re no closer to finding the killer or killers, but we’re pretty sure it wasn’t a revenge killing by the drug lords.”

King added, “And the best motive we can find is the money from the heist.”

“And that points to Rocky Shaft, does it not?” Diego asked.

“I’d say yes,” Hank said. “But we don’t have enough for a search warrant or an arrest warrant.”

Diego steepled his fingers under his chin. “What about that character who beat up Shaft?”

Hank shook his head. “Stanley Asher. He’s just a fool looking for revenge. I don’t think he’s involved in any other way. And he has solid alibis for both killings.”

“But he also confirmed Norton was in on the robbery,” King said.

Diego took his cap off, ran his fingers through his dark hair, and replaced his hat, adjusting it in place. “Any luck in finding the money?”

“No luck,” Hank said.

“It seems to me,” King said. “If Rocky Shaft killed his brother as well as Norton, he would make sure he knew where the money was hidden first. So whether or not he knew before that, you can bet he knows now.”

“I agree,” Hank said. “But with all this heat around him, I doubt if he’ll go near it.”

“He would if he thought it was in danger,” Diego said.

“That’s what Jake tried to do,” Hank said. “Jake told Shaft he knew where the money was. Jake told me he was pretty sure Shaft was headed to check on it when he got waylaid by Asher.”

“We’ve got a tail on him,” King said. “Ever since he was released from the hospital, he’s been watched. If he goes near the money, we’ll get him.”

Diego leaned forward. “That’s all well and good, but I’m more interested in getting him for murder.”

“So are we, Captain,” Hank said. “But we have to find something on him before we can get a warrant to search his rooms. Everything we have is circumstantial.”

Diego sat back, dropped his arms on the armrests, and blew out a long breath. “All right, guys. Get out there and find something. And keep me informed.”

“We’ll get him,” King said, as he straightened his back. “It’s just a matter of time.”

Diego waved them out and went back to his paperwork.

Hank returned to his desk, dropped into his chair and sighed wearily. He wanted to get this case cleaned up before somebody else turned up dead.

Chapter 41

Thursday, 3:15 p.m.

LISA KRUNK HAD already convicted Rocky Shaft. As well as being, in her humble opinion, the best reporter this town had ever seen, she considered herself a first class investigative journalist, yet to be nationally recognized, but unsurpassed in her chosen field.

She had everything it took—expertise, tireless perseverance, and a dogged determination. And with Don at her side, ready to capture tell-tale video and sound bites, she was always raring to go.

Recently, she had cracked a lot of cases wide open, and was confused she hadn’t received the recognition she so richly deserved. Unfortunately, others always stepped in at the last moment to claim the accolades belonging to her.

But this time, things would be different, and she resolved to get to the heart of the killings she knew Rocky Shaft was responsible for.

Her sources had confirmed Shaft was released from the hospital and returned home to nurse his wounds. One way or another, she had to speak to him.

Lisa leaned forward in the passenger seat of the Channel 7 Action News van as she directed Don on the route to the Shaft residence.

She pointed. “Pull over there.”

The van pulled to the curb, Lisa observed the house a moment, and then jumped from the van. Don got out, slid open the back door, and removed his camera.

She passed the red Ford pickup parked in the driveway and trod the brick pathway to the front door. Don dutifully followed, always ready to shoot at her pleasure.

She rang the doorbell and waited. There was no answer, so she persisted, ringing again and again.

“Go away. I don’t want to talk to you.” It was a muffled voice Lisa recognized as Rocky Shaft’s.

Lisa rapped on the door and raised her voice. “I want to tell your side of the story,” she lied.