Episode 3: Dirty Money Dirty Deeds, #3 Read online

  Dirty Money Dirty Deeds

  Episode 3

  Nico Jackson

  Iceflo Publishing

  This Complete Book is Copyright (c) 2019 by NorthStar Studios

  Dirty Money Dirty Deeds (and what happens within / characters / situations / worlds) are copyright © 2019 by NorthStar Studios

  * * *

  All rights reserved. No part of this specific publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of NorthStar Studios

  * * *

  This is a work of fiction.

  All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Sometimes both.

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  1

  The phone on Kendra’s desk buzzed, and she cursed when her assistant told her who was calling.

  “I’m unavailable.”

  “He called three times yesterday.”

  Kendra tapped her fingers on the desk. “Okay, I’ll talk to him.” She punched the flashing button and took a deep breath. “Kendra Mason.”

  “Ms. Mason? This is George Campbell. I’m your brother’s parole officer.”

  “The last time I saw you, Mr. Campbell, you were illegally searching my home.”

  Campbell cleared his throat. “I want to apologize for that. I didn’t want to do it.”

  “Yet you did. You’re still on Bobby’s case? I’m surprised they didn’t fire you. Then again, maybe your bosses think illegal searches are fine.”

  He was silent for a beat. “I’m sorry.”

  “Why are you calling?”

  “I haven’t been able to reach Robert. He’s missed another counseling session. He hasn’t been to work in twelve days.”

  “I’m not sure what that has to do with me.”

  “Have you talked to him?”

  “No.”

  “When was the last time you saw him?”

  “I don’t remember.”

  “I had to put a warrant out on him. He’s going back to prison.”

  “Fine with me. I have a question for you, Mr. Campbell.”

  “What is it?”

  “The search wasn’t your idea, was it? Vasquez wanted it.”

  “Yes.”

  “It never occurred to you to question why he was so sure he would find something?”

  “It didn’t feel right, no. I regret doing it.”

  Kendra scoffed. “You should.”

  Campbell let that hang for a minute. “Anyway, since you’re his contact, I had to let you know.”

  “Do me a favor. Don’t ever call me again.” Kendra gently put the receiver back in its cradle and went back to her work. She flipped through a few pages of the contract, then stuffed the file into her bag. She gathered her things and went to the front desk.

  The receptionist looked up.

  “I’m working from home today.”

  “Okay….”

  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “Is something wrong?”

  “No, I think I need a change of scenery.”

  “Okay, see you then.”

  Kendra waited until she got to her car to call Jay.

  “Hey, baby, what’s up?”

  “Are you busy? I’d like to come by.”

  He chuckled. “I was just about to have breakfast. Are you hungry?”

  “Yes.”

  “Come on. It’ll be ready when you get here.”

  * * *

  Jay was standing in the kitchen when she arrived. He was wearing a pair of jogging pants and a tee shirt. As usual, he was barefoot. Kendra watched him look at a skillet, then go to the coffee pot. He held out a steaming mug. She tasted it. The coffee was just the way she liked it, with a splash of cream and no sugar.

  “This is good.”

  He smiled and kissed her. “I’m glad I got it right.”

  “Something smells good.”

  “French toast and ham. I was gonna have fruit and yogurt, but I figured I’d make you something special. What’s wrong?”

  She took another sip of the coffee and leaned against the counter. “What makes you think something is wrong?”

  He tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. “Come on, baby. I know your voice.”

  “Bobby’s parole officer called.”

  “The one that searched your house? I wish I could have heard that!” Jay turned to the stove and looked at the toast.

  Kendra sat on a barstool. “There’s an arrest warrant. He hasn’t been to work in almost two weeks.”

  “So he’s going back to jail.”

  “Yes. Does that solve our problem?”

  Jay flipped a piece of toast onto a platter and turned the stove off. He carried the platter to the table. Two places were already set. “Come on. Eat before it gets cold.”

  Kendra moved to the table and sat. “This looks good.” She speared two pieces of toast and a slab of ham. She poured syrup over the bread and started to eat. “Delicious.”

  “I’m glad you like it. You sounded like you needed comfort food.” He cut a piece of ham, chewed and then swallowed. “You know your brother likes to talk. He’ll do anything to get himself out of a jam. Don’t worry about the warrant. They’ll never find him.”

  Kendra felt her throat tighten. “What are you saying?”

  “He’ll never bother you again. I made sure of it.”

  “He’s dead, isn’t he?”

  Jay shook his head. “I didn’t give the order for him to die, if that’s what you’re asking.”

  She concentrated on cutting a piece of French toast into a perfect cube. “You won’t tell me more?”

  “Nope. The less you know, the better. I’m protecting you.”

  “Should I thank you for that?”

  His fork paused in mid-air. “You should know me better by now. What’s your problem?”

  “Nothing,” she said. “Nothing.”

  “Don’t give me the silent treatment. I know you. What’s on your mind?”

  “You’re keeping things from me.”

  “For your own good. Vasquez will keep coming at you. If you don’t know anything, then you won’t have to lie. He’s good at what he does. If he finds a crack in your story, he’ll bust it wide open. You’re good at what you do. You’re making me a lot of money.”

  “And it’s not good business for your attorney to go to prison.”

  “It’s not good for me for my woman to go to prison. This isn’t just business, and you know it.”

  “You pay me well.”

  “For your job. It’s not about the money. If it’s gonna affect our relationship, I can find somebody else to do the work. I want you, Kendra. What’s with you this morning? I can’t do anything right.”

  “Are you afraid that I might say something that’ll get you arrested?”

  “I’m not doing anything wrong. And even if I was, I trust you. I don’t trust many people, but you’re one of them. You’re as gangsta as they come.”

  She chewed, swallowed, and picked up her mug. “I’ve been meaning to ask you something. You make a lot of money. You don’t have a big house. You don’t drive fancy cars.”

  “You ever heard of Frank Lucas?”

  “American Gangster.”

  “Right. Remember how he got the Feds’ attention?”

  “He wore a full length fur coat to the fights.”

  Jay nodded. “He didn’t stay under the radar. I’m ju
st a businessman. Nobody can say I spend more money than I make.”

  Rogers grinned when he saw Vasquez come into the squad room. He stood and gave him a back-pounding man hug. “Welcome back! It’s about time!”

  Vasquez dropped his bag into his chair. “That was the longest two weeks of my life.”

  Rogers looked around before he spoke.“Hey, man, you’re lucky it was only the two weeks,” he whispered. “Avery could have fired you.”

  “Yeah,” Vasquez said. “I’m lucky I’m so good at my job.”

  Rogers cleared his throat. “Well, we have a lot to do. I’m glad you’re back.”

  “Any progress on Sinclair and Bishop?”

  A voice came from behind Vasquez. “You don’t want to ask that question.”

  Vasquez whirled. “Captain Avery.”

  “I need you and Rogers.” Avery turned on his heel and went to his office, not bothering to see if they were following. He sat at his desk and watched the two cops as they couldn’t decide whether to sit or stand. “Close the door,” he said.

  Rogers closed the door.

  Avery looked at Rogers, then Vasquez. “You haven’t learned your lesson. You still can’t leave the case alone.”

  “Cap, I—“

  Avery held his hand up. “Stop. Don’t lie to me. That wasn’t a question. I know you can’t let this go. You risked your career to get a bad guy. This is why I hate having DEA agents on our task force. You guys don’t know when to quit. I want Bishop as badly as you do, but I won’t have the law violated. You fucked up when you went after Kendra Mason.” Avery threw a file folder on the desk. “Whatever god you pray to must be looking out for you. Bobby Mason is dead.”

  “What?” Vasquez beat Rogers to the folder and snatched it up.

  “His body, or what was left of it, was found in the Florida Everglades. You’re back on the case.”

  Vasquez resisted the urge to pump his fist. “You think Sinclair was in it?”

  “That’s for you to find out. You got those Federal resources. Find out what happened.”

  “Will do, Cap. Is that all?”

  Avery grunted. “Don’t make me fire you. One more stunt like the one you pulled with his sister, and I can’t save you.”

  * * *

  Vasquez sat on Rogers’ desk. Rogers squinted up at him. “Where do you want to start?”

  “The autopsy report. You look at what they found with the body.”

  Vasquez pulled the chair from his desk. Rogers handed him the autopsy report. Rogers looked at the evidence listing.

  Vasquez frowned. The body was male and the right height for Bobby Mason. The corpse had been in the water so there had been a lot of decomposition. The jaw had been crushed, and most of the teeth were missing, so the body couldn’t be identified by dental records. Something had feasted on the body, so it was pretty much a skeleton when it was found. Cause of death had not been established.

  “No cause of death, no positive I.D.”

  Rogers looked up from his file. “They found Mason’s wallet nearby. No money, no credit cards. How long had he been dead?”

  “The body had been in the water, so there’s no telling.” Vasquez shuddered. “Not much flesh left.”

  “Are we even sure this was a murder? A gator or a snake could have gotten him.”

  “He could have been killed and the body moved to the swamp.”

  Rogers sighed. “How could you prove it?”

  “I can’t. I still have that feeling in my gut. Sinclair killed him. And the sister was in on it.”

  “Why? What’s the motive?”

  Vasquez shrugged. “He told me he had an argument with his sister. ”

  “It wasn’t like Mason was Citizen of the Year. He ran with a rough crowd.”

  “What was he doing in Florida? He’s lived in Detroit all his life. He had a job. He couldn’t leave the state. All of a sudden he’s in a swamp? That doesn’t make any sense.” Vasquez slammed the folder shut. “It’s the sister.”

  “You really believe she killed him?”

  “If she didn’t, she knows something about it. Come on, let’s talk to Avery. I think we have enough for an arrest warrant.”

  Rogers let out a long, low whistle. “That’ll be fun.”

  * * *

  Kendra looked at the video monitor and mumbled under her breath. “This mother--“ She touched the button for the intercom. “What are you doing here?”

  Rogers looked at the camera. “We need to talk to you, Ms. Mason. I left several messages. You haven’t returned my calls.”

  “And still you didn’t get the message. We don’t have anything to talk about.”

  “I’m afraid we do. I have some bad news.”

  Kendra’s mind went to Jay. She had just talked to him, so she was sure he was safe. She thought of her brother. “What is it?”

  “Please, we shouldn’t do this from the porch.”

  “The last time your partner was here, he tossed my house and planted drugs. I see him standing there on the sidewalk. I’m not letting you in.”

  Rogers looked sad. “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but your brother’s body was found in Florida.”

  Kendra gripped the kitchen counter. “What did you say?”

  “Bobby’s remains were found in the Everglades.”

  Rogers took a step back when the door flew open. Kendra stood there, feet wide apart.

  “What the hell do you want? If this is another one of your tricks, I swear I’ll have your badge.”

  Rogers looked at her through the screen door. “Can we come in?”

  “Hell, no! What happened to my brother? When did it happen?”

  “We’re not sure. The body…” Rogers looked down. “Uh, I’m sorry, but animals got to the body.”

  Kendra felt her knees go weak. She grabbed the door frame to keep from falling. “Oh, my God.”

  “We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

  She shook her head. “I don’t have anything to say to you. Tell me who I have to contact to bury him.”

  Rogers sighed. “We’d like you to give us more information. We don’t have a warrant. You’re not a suspect.”

  “I’m not letting you in my house again. I’ll meet you at the precinct with my attorney.” Kendra closed the door.

  Rogers looked at Vasquez. “I told you this would be fun.”

  2

  Kendra closed her eyes. She sniffed. It didn’t smell as bad as before. Maybe they had a new cleaning crew. Vasquez, Avery, and Rogers watched from the next room.

  Avery grunted. “She’s a cool customer. How long has she been in there?”

  “Half an hour,” Vasquez said.

  “How long was she in the last time? Two hours?”

  “About that.”

  “Huh. She’s not going to say anything. Smart girl. She always lawyers up.”

  “Smart?” Vasquez said. “Or guilty?”

  Avery rubbed the back of his head. “What do you have against this girl?”

  “She’s Bonnie to Sinclair’s Clyde. She knows a lot more than she’s telling. I’ve got the feeling in my gut she knows who killed her brother.”

  “I don’t know,” Rogers said. “She looked genuinely surprised. Did you see the way her knees buckled?”

  “She’s a good actress,” Vasquez said. “She could win an Oscar.”

  Rogers shook his head. “I get the feeling she didn’t know.”

  “She was expecting it. You could tell.”

  “He had enemies. He was a junkie. It’s never really a surprise when someone like that dies,” Rogers said. “I had a cousin on heroin. I wasn’t shocked when I got the call she overdosed.”

  The door opened. “Lookee here, we got a new lawyer.”

  * * *

  Kendra stood when Stephanie Dawson came into the room. Stephanie hugged her.

  “How are you? What’s going on?”

  “They’re telling me my brother’s body was found in Florida
, and they have questions.”

  “I’m sorry for your loss. I’m glad you called me. We can alibi you?”

  “I haven’t left the city in months.”

  “Then why are you here?”

  Kendra shrugged. “It’s a little game Vasquez likes to play.”

  “He’s the one who brought you in before. Jay brought me up to speed on him. What evidence could the police have?”

  “I have no idea. I know Vasquez has a hard on for me, but I think he’s really after Jay.”

  Stephanie sat and patted the table. “Then my job is easy. They have the burden of proof. Let’s see what they have.” She looked at the mirror and made a “come here” sign with her fingers. Vasquez and Rogers entered the room and sat opposite them.

  Vasquez sneered. “New counsel?”

  “Stephanie Dawson. And you are?”

  “DEA Agent Uriel Vasquez. This is Sergeant Richard Rogers from the DPD.”

  Stephanie smiled. “Richard Rogers? I saw The King and I at Stratford.”

  “I get that a lot.”

  “I’ll bet you do. Now tell me why I’m here instead of enjoying a pizza with my husband.”

  “Your client is a witness in the murder of Robert Mason, Jr.”

  “I’ll assume you didn’t have enough evidence for a warrant this time. Was my client Mirandized?”

  “No.” Rogers’ face got red. “We just have a few questions.”

  “Then we have a few minutes. You’re making me late for dinner.”

  “A lot of people wanted your brother out of the picture,” Vasquez said. “Who were they?”

  Kendra leaned over and whispered into Stephanie’s ear.

  “My client’s brother,” Stephanie said, “was a convicted felon. He didn’t hang out with choirboys.”

  “He was a stick up boy before he went in. Was he still robbing dope boys?”

  Kendra looked at Stephanie, who nodded. “I’d heard rumors. I don’t know for sure.”