"Marcia," Stanley said, crossing the room to take her hand and give her a quick kiss on the cheek. "You're home early."
"Giles Morgan left the paperwork that we were *supposed* to go over at home - so we rescheduled," she explained. "I heard my name mentioned -" she prompted, moving away from him toward their guests. Stopping before them, she looked at Callie. "I've never seen you before -" she said, then turned toward Carter. "But you - I've seen you - Mr. - Carter -" Carter smiled, and she shook her head. "No, Mr. Jankowski. I never forget a name. You're a reporter. You did a lovely article about the foundation a few years ago."
Carter nodded. "Yes, ma'am," he replied. "I did get your thank you note after the article was published." He turned to Callie. "This is Callie Harris."
Marcia Appleton smiled at Callie, offering her hand. "It's nice to meet you, Ms. Harris. Are you a reporter as well?"
"No. I'm a former Dallas Police Officer turned Private Investigator," Callie explained.
"These are the two that you told me about," Marcia said to Stanley. "They're investigating Leah Davies' death?"
He put an arm around her shoulders. "Yes. Why don't we all sit down? Would you like a drink, dear?"
"Not at the moment. I also heard Carole's name mentioned. What could she possibly have to with poor Leah's death?"
Carter quickly recounted the details about Leah's death that they had uncovered, including the fact that the order to close the case had come from Marcia's brother. She frowned. "Oh dear. I do hope that you're wrong - Edward was always so proud of the fact that he was a police officer - and he was good at his job. Why would have done something like that?" she asked.
Callie spoke up at last. "The only reason we can come up with is that a family member asked him to do it," she said.
"You think that Carole -?"
"Or her husband," Callie suggested. "Mrs. Appleton - I hate to bring up a touchy subject, but - " she ignored Carter's wince as she continued, "did you ever mention anything to your sister about Leah and -" she glanced in Stanley's direction.
It seemed that both men were holding their breath as they waited for Marcia's response to the question. But when Marcia smiled and reached out to take her husband's hand, they relaxed. "I might have mentioned something about being glad that Leah was strong enough to resist temptation. I do seem to remember Carole asking me how I could possibly let the two of them go off on business trips together - and I simply told her that I trusted Stanley *and* Leah." She looked at Carter. "What are you thinking?"
"Well, it's too coincidental for the last person that Leah dated to have been Michael Galloway, don't you think?" he asked. "Our theory is that Carole, in a clumsy attempt to make sure that Leah wasn't a threat to *your* marriage, had Michael take Leah out a couple of times. I don't know whose idea it might have been to take her completely out of the picture, but someone spent a lot of money to set up the two false witnesses and hiring someone to put her car into that lake. Then there's the money that one of those witnesses continued to get from that person before he, too, was killed."
Marcia sat there, shaking her head. "I had no idea," she murmured, leaning into her husband's side. "I had no idea."
"What is it, dear?" Stanley asked her, holding her close.
"Around - Around the time Leah disappeared," she began, "Carole told me that Michael had gotten a girl into trouble - and she needed enough money to give the girl so that she would leave town and never come back. I gave her the money," she said, lifting her eyes to focus on her husband's face. "I'm sorry, Stan. I am *so* sorry."
He reached up to touch her cheek, wiping away a tear. "It's okay, Marcia. I would have believed her story as well, if I'd known about it."
"We have one more question, Mrs. Appleton," Carter said in a quiet voice - and waited for her to look at him. "Do you know where your brother is right now? We can't find him."
"Edward? He's been staying with Carole. She has a guest house that he uses when he comes to town."
Callie had another question. "Do you think that he would have agreed to be a part of Leah's murder? Even if it was only to help cover it up?"
She sniffed again, nodding. "Edward and Carole have always been close. He would do anything if she asked him to do it. When we were growing up, she was always getting him to do things that I doubted he would have done otherwise."
"Well?" Callie asked as they drove out of the gates. "Should we go and see if Edward Dobbs is home?"
"I think I'd feel more comfortable if we make a stop at home first," he told her.
"Why?"
"To get our guns. I'd rather not go in there without any protection. The man *is* an ex-cop, remember?"
"True. We could get some help -" she began, but Carter was already shaking his head.
"You're going to suggest going to put this on George Piper's desk - the first thing he'll do is refuse to believe our theory - mostly *because* Dobbs is an ex-cop. The second thing he'll do is toss us out of his office. No, we have to find another way to do this."
"George hates dirty cops more than anyone I've ever known," Callie told him. "I used to tell him that he'd have been happier working for Internal Affairs instead of Homicide."
"But we have no proof - only an unsupported theory. Oh, we have Mrs. Appleton, who gave her sister money around the time that Leah disappeared - but without Danny Green to testify -"
"Then we'll get the proof," she declared.
"Any ideas about how we'll do that, love?"
"Let me think about it," she said.
"I found a two year old photo of Edward and Carole," Carter told Callie after they had been home for awhile."
"Really?" she asked, getting up from the sofa and coming over to the desk. The photo on the screen was of two men and a woman, all smiling into the camera. "Who's who?" she wanted to know.
"From left to right, Michael and Carole Galloway, and Edward Dobbs," he told her. "It was taken during a trip to Barbados."
Michael had been a good looking man, almost too good looking, Callie decided. Carole's blonde hair was likely colored, and was expensively styled. Edward Dobbs was wearing far more casual clothing, his tousled gray hair seemed to pair perfectly with his deep natural tan. "Dobbs is obviously an outdoorsman."
Carter nodded in agreement. "Sailing, tennis, probably golf as well. As of two years ago, he was still in pretty good physical shape if his bicep is any indication." He pointed to the muscular arm beneath the polo shirt the man in the photo was wearing.
"You think that he killed Leah, don't you?"
"It's possible. And I'd almost be willing to bet that if we checked back far enough, both Danny Green and Archie Brooks knew a Dallas police officer by the name of Edward Dobbs."
"They wouldn't have had a record - Harry Lansing would have found it -"
"No, but if they were informants - or just friends, that would do it."
Callie stared at the photograph for a moment. "I think I have an idea." She put her arms around his shoulders and her head close to his. "Why don't *we* try to black mail Mr. Edward Dobbs?"
"Are you out of your mind?" he asked. "Callie - you *are* aware that blackmail's illegal, aren't you?"
"It's a sting," she told him. "I'll call him and tell him I'm a 'friend' of Archie's, and know where he got all of his money -"
"It won't work," Carter insisted.
"Why?"
"Edward Dobbs was a Captain in the department. You were a decorated, well-known junior detective in that same department. He'll recognize you -"
"I'll use another name," she told him.
"And disguise yourself?"
"He retired before I finished the academy," Callie reminded him. "How would he know -?"
"That's my point. You spent less than half the time he did on the force - but whenever there's a newspaper or TV report involving the police, you devour it. I'm sure that Dobbs does the same thing. When you were given that promotion to detective - and then, well, everything that happened after that - your photograph was all over the papers."
"Was it?"
He smiled. "I've seen them. I told you that I checked the story out, remember?"
Callie sighed. "I guess you're right. I still think it would work -"
"It might - if he would buy me as Archie's - business partner. Maybe a cousin -" He pulled her into his lap. "Do you think you could call Robbie and find out if anyone has claimed Archie Brooks' body?"
"First thing tomorrow morning," she promised, sliding her arms around his neck.
Robbie confirmed that Archie Brooks' body hadn't yet been claimed by anyone. Carter called his contacts at the local papers and asked them to run an ad, informing anyone interested that there would be a wake for Archie Brooks at Danny's Bar at one pm the next day, to be hosted by his "cousin" Jerome Brooks.
"What's Danny going to say about your using his bar to trap Archie's killer?" Callie questioned.
"As far as I know, he's still in hiding. But we'll stop by there later and talk to his bartender, let him know that Archie's cousin would like to see him there."
"And what am I supposed to do while this wake is going on? Sit in the car?"
"I think you'll be safe enough with me," he told her. "But you might want to wear those big sunglasses that you got when we were on stakeout a few months ago -"
"I have a better idea," she said, smiling. "And trust me, no one who knows me at all will recognize me."
The bartender saw them come in. "Well, if it isn't the sparkling water twins. Need a refill?" he asked.
"Not right now," Carter replied. "I was hoping to talk to Danny."
"Danny? He hasn't been around in several days - not since you two were here the last time," the bartender told them.
"Have you heard from him?"
"Oh yeah. He's called two, three times a day to make sure the place is open. What in the world did you say to him? Poor guy's acting like he's doomed or something."
"An old friend of his died," Callie told him. "Guess he didn't take it well."
"I didn't think he *had* any friends."
"When he calls again, would tell him that we're having a wake here tomorrow afternoon for his friend?" Carter said. "And that he just might ought to be here."
"A wake? Here?"
"Is that going to be a problem?" Carter asked, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a hundred dollar bill that he slid across the bar.
The man grinned, putting the money into his own pocket. "Not at all. We're usually slow in the afternoon, anyway. Any idea how many people to expect?"
"Not exactly. But I think you'll be able to handle it."
"Say, I don't think I got your name -"
"Jerry Brooks. Tell Danny that I'm Archie's cousin."
"Archie? Is that the friend who died?"
"Yeah. I wonder - if something were to happen here - do you have a way to let Danny know about it?" Callie asked.
The bartender tugged at his ear. "Well, he did give me a number - but he told me not to give it to anyone. Like I said, the guy's terrified of something -"
"You got my name - what's your's?"
He grinned. "You won't believe me."
"Give us a shot," Callie said.
"You've heard the old joke that all bartenders are named Joe - even when they aren't?" he asked, waiting for them to nod in confirmation. "Well, you're looking at one who just happens to be named Joe," he confided and they all chuckled.
"Well, Joe, I think Danny needs a personal invitation to Archie's wake," Carter said. "Tell you what - why don't you dial the number for me, and I'll talk to him? That way you won't have to break any promises."
"Can't do that. He'd see the caller ID and know that I must have talked to you." He grabbed a pen and bar napkin, quickly writing down a series of numbers. "There you go. You didn't get it from me."
Carter made a cross across his chest. "You have my word," he said. "See you tomorrow."
Out on the sidewalk, Callie looked at him as he surveyed the street. "He knows I was a cop," she reminded him. "I'd seen him in there before."
"You didn't know his name," Carter said.
"I don't think I ever knew it. And if I did, I would have thought it was someone's joke since he's a bartender."
"He didn't seem to recognize you that first night, either. Are there any payphones left down here?" he wondered.
"There used to be one down the street," she told him, peering in that direction. "I think I see it -"
"Come on." At the phone, he dug into his pocket for some coins, then showed her the number. "Is that a local number to here?" he wanted to know.
Callie studied it. "I think so. They've changed up so many areas codes - all I can say is try it."
He pulled a twenty out of his pocket. "Can you find someplace to get some change just in case?" As she disappeared into a small store, he picked up the receiver and placed the coins required for a local call into the slot, then dialed the number that Joe had given to him. He was waiting for the call to be answered when Callie returned with the change. "He might not answer, since he doesn't recognize the caller ID," he started saying when the line clicked.
"Hello?" The fear in the man's voice was clear even over the telephone line.
"We've never met, but you might want to be at your bar tomorrow at one pm for Archie's wake."
"What?" Danny asked. "A wake for Archie? Who gave you permission - who is this? And where'd you get this number?"
"Name's Jerry. And I'll say that you gave me permission unless you're there tomorrow. One pm. Don't be late. Your mutual friends might not like it if you are," Carter warned before hanging up the phone.
"Think he'll be there?" Callie asked.
"We'll see." He pulled the small notebook from his pocket. "Why don't I make the other call while we're here?" he suggested, putting more coins into the machine.
"Texas Steakhouse Group," the operator said. "How may I help you?"
"I'd like to speak to Mrs. Galloway, please," Carter said.
"I'll switch you to her secretary," the woman told him.
"Thank you."
"Mrs. Galloway's office," the secretary said a moment later.
Carter glanced at Callie before saying, "I need to talk to my sister," he said quickly.
"Your sister?"
"Carole," he said. "Tell her that it's her brother. It's important that I talk to her. Now."
"I don't know -"
"It's a matter of life and death," he insisted.
"Just a moment," the woman said, putting him on hold.
Carter grabbed two more quarters and put them into the phone. "Insurance," he told Callie when she frowned. "I'm on -"
"Eddie? What's going on? Helen said that -"
"Sorry, Mrs. Galloway," Carter said. "Forgive my deception, but I wanted to let you know that I'm holding a wake for my cousin Archie Brooks tomorrow afternoon at Danny's bar on Commerce."
"Who is this?" she asked in a demanding tone. "I don't know any Archie - Brooks, was it?"
"Well, my name is Jerry. Archie was my cousin. We weren't close, but he told me all about what he and Danny Green did for you ten years ago. Told me how he 'earned' his money. I figure that since you were paying Archie to keep quiet, you can do the same for me."
"You're insane," she insisted.
"But I'm not going to be greedy like old Archie was. He was bleeding you for ten years. I'll take a lump-sum and then leave - never to return. I think five hundred thousand will keep me happy. And I'll sign a paper promising never to come back or ask for more money. Tomorrow at one - Danny's on Commerce. If I don't get the money, I'll pay a visit to the police and tell them what I know. Have a nice day." Hanging up, he turned to Callie with a smile. "She was *not* happy."
"I have a feeling that if we called her brother right now, he'd be on a call."
"I'm sure of it." He took her elbow and turned her toward where the Jeep was parked. "We'd better get out of here. I'm pretty sure that Eddie has the contacts to try and track down any calls made from this number."
"Everything set?" Carter asked as he picked up his suit jacket from the bed the next morning.
"They'll be there before one," she told him.
"Are you going to get dressed?" he asked her as he clipped a holster with his gun into the back of his trousers."
"Won't take a minute," she said, moving to the closet and digging into a little used corner. "This'll do it," she decided, tossing a black, short dress with a bodice that had been far too low-cut for her to wear to the restaurant onto the bed.
"I haven't seen that one before," he said, leaning against the wall to watch her.
"I bought it not long before we met," she told him. "I didn't try it on at the store, but when I got it home, I realized that Dad would have had a fit if I'd worn it to work - so I put it aside."
"Reminds me of the green one that you wore on our first date," he told her, and Callie grinned.
"I bought them at the same time. I've been waiting for a reason to wear it." She stepped into the tight fitting dress, pulling the thin straps over her shoulders as she turned away from him. "Can you zip me up, please?"
He stepped forward to pull the tab, then placed a kiss on her basically bare shoulder. "I think I'll enjoy *un*zipping it more."
Callie's face reddened as usual, and she moved back to the dressing table. Teasing her hair, she studied it for a moment in the mirror, then grabbed a long string of faux pearls to put around her neck. She finished off the outfit with a pair of black platform sandals. At last she turned slowly, picking up the sunglasses to slip them on. "What do you think?"
"I think you enjoyed working vice," he told her, shaking his head in amusement.
"I did for the most part. I played dress up a lot when I was young. Mom would let me and Allie take stuff from her closet to dress up in."
"While I love the dress, there's not much of a place to hide a weapon -"
"That's easy," she assured him, grabbing a midsize black handbag with a a thin shoulder strap, which she tucked her gun into before slinging it over her shoulder. "See?"
Carter chuckled. "Come on, Dolly."
"Dolly," she repeated, taking his arm. "Oh, I like that." As they turned toward the steps, she pulled away. "One more thing," she told him, going to the dresser to pull out a long black silk scarf with long fringed edging. Putting it around her shoulders, she smiled. "Wouldn't want to get too cold."
The bar was more than half full when they entered, most of them were employed by Larry Kelso's security company. Callie winked at one of the men as she and Carter moved toward the bar where Joe was already pouring drinks. "Hi there!" Joe said. "Sparkling water?"
"In a minute," Carter said, looking around. "Is he here?"
"He's hiding in the office," Joe told them. "Refuses to come out. He thinks that I gave you that number."
"I told him that you hadn't, but I'll tell him again. Com'on, Dolly," he said, taking Callie's hand and leading her across the room to the corridor.
He knocked on the door to the office, and wasn't surprised when there was no response. He knocked again. "Danny, open the door," he said. "Or would you rather that I break it down?" Still no answer. "One. Two. Th-"
The door opened just far enough for Danny to peer through. He frowned, but stepped back for them to enter, giving Callie a long, appraising look as he did so. "Let me guess: you're the one who called me saying that he was Archie's cousin."
"You're smarter than I thought you were, Danny," Carter nodded.
Callie spoke up. "We know about Mrs. Galloway and her brother Eddie Dobbs."
Danny dropped into a nearby chair. "You - kn-know?"
"How much did they pay you to sign a false affidavit?" Callie wanted to know.
"We each got a half million - and I took it and ran. Figured I'd be safer if I kept my mouth shut. But Archie - Archie kept calling, kept getting money - The day you two came here, I called him to warn him that you would be looking for him, telling him that if you kept coming around, I might just talk to clear my conscience -" he looked up at them. "That girl - Leah - she was in the bar that night - but she only drank water - said she was waiting for someone who was supposed to meet her there. She left alone, and I never saw her again. Archie - he followed her out of the place, said he wanted to make sure she got to her car safely - but he came back in a minute later. His cheek was red - and his was rubbing it. I figured she had slapped him."
"Did Archie say if he'd seen another car following her when she left?" she asked.
"He did. Some kind of low-slung sports car is what he said. I had a feeling he got the license number, but he never told me if he did."
Callie looked at Carter. "That would explain why Mrs. Galloway continued to give him money."
He nodded in agreement. "And I found some random letters and numbers in that addressbook that were probably the license number. I just hadn't put them all together. Come on, Danny, time to say goodbye to Archie -"
Danny shook his head, once again terrified. "I'm not going out there -" he told them. "I saw that ad in the paper - I'm sure there's someone out there who thinks I'm part of this little scheme of yours -"
"But that's what we're counting on," Carter told him, pulling him to his feet. "You're going to be our bird dog, Danny."
Callie grabbed the man's other arm, steering himm toward the door. "Besides it wouldn't be a proper wake without Archie's best friend, now, would it?"
"All you have to do," Carter told Danny as they entered the bar room, "is be a gracious host and let us know when Eddie Dobbs or anyone he used to deliver money to you arrives."
"We'll even let you help Joe at the bar," Callie said, letting him go behind the bar. "He's a little nervous," she whispered to Carter.
"Not sure I blame him - but I doubt Dobbs would risk doing anything with so many in the bar. I figure he'll wait."
"You really think he'll show up in person? He'll be taking a huge risk, considering that he supposedly didn't know either man before Leah's death."
"Here you go," Joe said. Turning, they found two glasses of sparkling water on the bar.
"Thanks, Joe," Carter said as Callie perched on one of the barstools. Turning back to the gathered mourners, he lifted his hands. "Thank you, everyone for coming to show your respect for Archie. He and I were never close - we spoke to each other over the phone, mostly, but I thought that - if any of you who knew him would like - perhaps you'd be willing to say a few words -?"
Several people stood up and recounted anecdotes about their "friend", Archie Brooks, inciting laughter and head nods - and a few tears.
"Oh damn," Danny muttered behind Carter and Callie, and they turned to see him staring at the front door, his face as pale as his white shirt.
Looking at the door, they saw a tall man with a black stocking cap on his gray hair. He glanced around and went to a booth near the back of the room, carrying a briefcase with him. Joe nodded at the woman who was waiting on tables, and she went over to the booth.
"Relax, Danny. He's not going to do anything in here," Carter said quietly. "Too many witnesses."
"Just stay behind me," Callie added before taking a drink from her glass. "You'll be safe."
The waitress came back to the bar. "Gin and tonic," she told Joe.
Joe prepared the drink and she took it back over to the booth. Carter slipped off of his stool. "Guess I need to go introduce myself," he told Callie.
"Be careful," she said, her hand on his arm.
Carter leaned in to give her a kiss. "I'll be right back, Dolly," he told her. "Don't worry."
He stopped to talk to random people on his way across the room, then slid into the booth across from the man. "Hello, Eddie."
Eddie Dobbs' blue eyes narrowed dangerously as he studied Carter. "Do I know you?"
"I know *you*," Carter told him. "And I'm the one who called your sister yesterday."
"Saying that you were me."
"No, I didn't," Carter clarified. "If you'll check with her secretary, you'll discover that I told her to tell Mrs. Galloway that it was her brother."
Dobbs inclined his head. "You also mentioned a dollar figure -"
"I did. And I told Mrs. Galloway that I'd sign a paper promising never to come back here or ask for more money."
"I told her not to pay you," Dobbs said, opening the briefcase that he'd brought in with him as it lay on the dark corner of the booth seat to remove something before closing it again. "But she's hoping that this will be the end of it. That louse of a husband was to blame for all of it - just couldn't keep it in his pants." He placed a paper in front of Carter, then pulled a fountain pen out of his shirt pocket. "Feel free to read it before signing it."
Carter read through the paragraph, which declared that for the agreed upon sum of $500,000, he promised to leave and never return. And that he promised never to contact Mrs. Galloway or any of her family for any reason, especially to ask for more money. "I'm assuming that you have the money," Carter said, the pen hovering over the paper.
Dobbs sighed and lifted the briefcase onto the table, opening it just enough to reveal the money stacked neatly inside. "You going to sign or not?"
Carter used the table to click the tip of the pen, seeing the eyes narrow ever so slightly again as he did so. "Why don't I use my pen?" Carter said, taking one from his jacket to sign the paper. Picking it up, he waited for Dobbs to push the briefcase closer to him. "Pleasure doing business with you," Carter said, wrapping his fingers around the handle. "It goes without saying that if anything happens to Danny, our - arrangement becomes null and void. The poor guy won't say a word. He's too scared of you." Lifting his other arm, he signaled to the waitress. When she came to the table, he told her, "Get my friend here another drink, please," before leaving the booth and returning to the bar. Danny's face was still pale as he looked at Carter. Smiling, Carter turned to the guests. "I want to thank you all for coming to give Archie a send off. And now, I have to be going. Thanks again." After helping Callie to her feet, he whispered, "Let's go, Dolly." He glanced toward the booth where Eddie Dobbs was still sitting as they left the bar.
Callie turned a few times to look behind them. "He's not following us."
"I didn't think he would. Yet." Arriving at the car they had rented earlier, he unlocked the passenger door and opened it for Callie, giving her the briefcase. "Don't touch anything but the handle," he warned. "His fingerprints are all over the top."
"Yes, sir," was her reply as she fastened her seat belt and waited for him to get behind the wheel. "Now, we wait."
They didn't have to wait for very long. Halfway to where they were going, Carter glanced into the rearview mirror and said, "Don't look now, but we've picked up a tail."
Callie nodded, looking into the side mirror. She scanned the police car that was several cars behind them. "I saw them right after we left the bar," she said. "Probably waiting for less traffic - fewer witnesses."
"What say we give them what they're waiting for?" He reached behind his back to pull out the gun, placing it under his suit jacket in his lap. "Can you get your weapon out without their seeing you?" he wanted to know.
"I think so." Her purse was in the seat beside her, so it was easy to unfasten it and slip the gun out. Placing it into her lap, she draped the black silk scarf across her lap, leaving her legs uncovered. Another glance at the car as it turned onto the side street behind them, turning on their lights. "Looks legit."
"Danny is convinced that Dobbs still has pull in the department, remember. Someone had to cover up Michael Galloway's - transgressions, after all."
"Street cops can't cover anything up unless they fail to make a report -" she shook her head as Carter finally found a safe place to pull the car to the curb. "I suppose if instead of filing the report, they reported what they had been told to Dobbs and let him handle things -"
The two officers came up on opposite sides of the car, and the one on the driver's side waited for Carter to roll the window down. "Did I do something wrong, Officer - Barnes?" Carter asked, reading the name on his uniform. "I wasn't speeding, and I made a full stop at the corner -"
"Mr. Brooks?" the officer questioned. "Jerry Brooks?"
"Forget it," his partner said, having taken a long look at Callie through her open window. "Let's go, Barnes."
Barnes looked at the man across the car. "What?"
"Don't know him, but I know the lady," the officer, who's name badge read "Sgt. R. Winslow", explained. "She's an ex-cop. The year I joined the department, she got promoted to detective. Worked with Lt. Piper."
"Then it was a set up," Barnes declared. "All the more reason why we can't just forget it. The boss -"
"You mean Eddie Dobbs?" Callie questioned. "If anything happens to us, the full weight of the department will come crashing down on both of you. Are you aware that he's responsible for the death of a young woman ten years ago?" she said, slowly bending toward the floorboard.
But Winslow drew his weapon and held it on her as Barnes did the same to Carter. "Hands on the dash where I can see them, please."
"I was just going to get the briefcase," Callie insisted. "- surely Dobbs told you what's inside - half a million dollars. We'll give you half - that's enough for you to disappear so that he can't take you down with him." She laughed. "You can't think I'm armed. I mean, where would I possibly hide a gun in this dress?" she asked him, indicating the barely-there dress she was wearing.
Winslow's leering grin was echoed by Barnes as both men took a moment to appreciate the sight of Callie's long legs. In fact, Winslow leaned closer to the open window, giving Callie the opportunity to reach out and grab the barrel of his gun, pointing it up, grabbing her gun at the same time.
Carter took the sudden surprise of both men to pull his gun, pointing it at Barnes. "Drop it," he said, aware that several cars had passed and slowed slightly. Barnes didn't drop his weapon, but turned and followed Winslow back to the patrol car , jumping inside and tearing off down the road. "Did you see their badge numbers?" Carter asked Callie.
"I did." She opened the car door and picked up the gun that Winslow had dropped. "Nice of them to leave this, don't you think?"
"I think it's finally time to talk to Lt. Piper," he told her.
George Piper listened to their story from start to finish without doing more than asking a few clarifying questions and grunting. ""Why didn't you come and talk to me after Archie Brooks' death?" he finally asked.
"Callie wanted to," Carter admitted. "But there was the very real possibility that there might be someone in the department -"
"And he was right, George," Callie told him. "Sgt. Winslow and Officer Barnes."
"You're sure of the names?"
"And badge numbers," she nodded. "And I'm curious to know where the sergeant will say his gun is right now," she said, nodding at the service weapon laying on Piper's desk beside the briefcase.
"Well, let me get this briefcase down to get it checked for fingerprints - and I'll see if I can't locate Winslow and Barnes." Picking up the phone, he called for someone to get the briefcase, then dispatch. "Can you give me the location of Unit 3145?" He made note of the answer, "and where were they around an hour ago?" Nodding, he looked at Callie. "Thank you." He sighed. "They called in as being on surveillance fifteen miles from where you say they stopped you," he told them.
"And where are they now?"
"Their last check in was at that time. According to dispatch, they're still watching a house on Taylor for a possible burglary suspect."
A young woman knocked on the door. "You needed someone to pick up a briefcase, Lieutenant?" she asked.
"Right here. Concentrate on the lid - where someone would have opened it. I also need the contents inventoried and returned to the case, with a receipt for Mrs. Harris and Mr. Jankowski." She smiled, nodding at them. "I need the fingerprint result yesterday, Barrios. Oh, and I need this weapon serial number checked against department records to find out who it's registered to."
"Yes sir," she replied, leaving the office.
"Lieutenant," Carter began, "is there anyway you could check to see what Winslow and Barnes location was when Archie Brooks died?"
"You don't think that they had something to do with his death -"
"It's a possibility, George," Callie told him. "They're on Edward Dobbs' payroll -"
"That's another thing. Dobbs' record with the department - the man won a purple heart, and was nominated multiple times for the Award of Valor."
"And he retired right after the Leah Davies case was closed - on his orders, according to Harry Lansing."
Picking up the phone again, he called dispatch. "What was that date again?" he asked Callie, writing it down when she told him. "Piper again," he told the person on the other end of the line, "I need to know where Unit 3145 was on the third of this month from say around 1200 to 1500 hours." He sighed as he waited for a response. "You're sure about that? Who were the officers assigned to that unit that day? Thanks." He hung up the phone. "They were both off that day. They were scheduled to appear in court that morning."
"Damn," Carter muttered.
"The murder could have happened early in the afternoon," Callie pointed out. "That would have given them time -"
"I'm not saying that I don't believe you," Piper said as the phone rang again. "Piper Did you identify them? Really? And did you check on that serial number?" he asked, grabbing the gun. "Okay. Thank you Yes, please. Send it to my office when you finish the count." He hung up. "The fingerprints were mostly smudged. But there were two they were able to identify as belonging to Edward Dobbs. The prints were still on file with the department. They also found a small tracking device inside of the briefcase."
"That's how they knew who to follow," Carter said.
"And the gun?" Callie wanted to know.
Piper picked it up again. "According to department records, this weapon belongs to Sgt. Steven Winslow."
Callie and Carter waited in the hallway outside of the interview room while Piper informed Winslow and Barnes of their rights. "You look nervous," Carter pointed out, seeing her try to pull the bottom of her skirt down as a couple of officers passed with a long look in her direction.
"No, uncomfortable," she clarified. "I wish we had gone home so I could have changed clothes. I feel a bit too 'on display' right now. I'm sure most of them think I'm a -"
Give me your shawl," he told her, taking the triangle of silk from her and placing it around her waist, tying it, marginally lengthening her dress. "There. Is that better?"
Thank you," she told him as the door opened behind them and George Piper spoke.
"Come on in."
Winslow's eyes narrowed as he saw them, but Barnes looked decidedly worried. "Now, you were telling me about how you lost your service weapon, Sergeant Winslow?"
"I have nothing more to say," Winslow declared.
"Barnes?" Piper asked.
"Look, I only got into this because Steve here kept taking me to the track on our days off -"
"Shut up," Winslow muttered. "Let me make a call -"
"No, I won't!" he yelled. "I needed the money," Barnes told them. "I admit that. Taking reports on things that Dobbs' brother-in-law had done and giving them to Dobbs instead of filing them - But I never counted on getting involved with a murder - not even as an accessory."
"I said shut up!" Winslow said again, with more force this time.
"Are you waiving your rights, Officer Barnes?" Piper asked the younger man.
"Yeah. S-sure."
"You're an idiot," Winslow declared. "I never realized how much until right now. You don't want to cross Dobbs."
"What things did you take reports on, Officer Barnes?" Callie asked, speaking for the first time since they had entered the room.
"Look, I need some kind of assurance of protection. Winslow's right. Dobbs is dangerous - "
"I can't make any deals," Piper told him. "But if you tell us what you know, I'll speak to the District Attorney's office on your behalf."
"That's coercion," Winslow insisted. "You can't -"
"Dobbs' brother-in-law - Mr. Galloway," Barnes blurted out, "he had - problems with - women."
"What women?" Carter asked. "And what kind of problems?"
"R-rape," Barnes said, trying to ignore the glare that his partner was giving him. "Dobbs would call Sgt. Winslow and tell him who we needed to talk to, and we'd go take a report - but we never turned them in. They went to Dobbs."
"And what did he do with those reports?" Callie asked with thinly veiled disgust.
"Don't know. Once we handed them off, we were out of it. I guess Dobbs handled it from there."
"You have anything to add?" Piper asked Winslow. "I'm sure that the DA would include you in whatever deal he gives Barnes - *if* you talk."
Winslow looked thoughtful before making up his mind. "Not until he's behind bars," he said.
"He?"
"Edward Dobbs," Winslow clarified. "Once that's done, I'll tell you anything you want to know."
"I still say that it wasn't necessary for you to come with me," Piper told Carter and Callie as they turned into the driveway of the Galloway residence.
"You're not going to cut us out of this, George," Callie insisted. "We're the ones who found enough for you to even be interested in talking to him at all."
"We did come to you early on, remember?" Carter pointed out. "You barely gave us Harry Lansing's name."
Piper sighed and rolled down his window to push the call button on the security system. "May I help you?"
"Lt. George Piper with the Dallas Police Department. I need to speak with Edward Dobbs."
"Mr. Dobbs isn't here at the moment -"
"I worked with him when he was with the department," Piper told the young woman. "I'm sure he'll see me. I really need to give him a 'heads up' about some trouble that he might be in," he said, giving Callie and Carter a wry smile in the rearview mirror.
Carter leaned closer to Callie. "I think that's our cue to stay out of sight until we're inside," he told her.
She glanced at George Piper, who nodded as the girl began to speak again. "Mr. Dobbs is in the small cottage behind the house, Lieutenant. Just keep to the right when the drive splits off."
"Thank you," Piper said, rolling the window up again. "Duck down. Best that anyone who's looking only sees me in the car." Callie slid down in the seat beside Carter, who saw her pulling at her dress again, and handed her his jacket. Putting the car into gear, Piper said, "Here we go."
Carter, practically laying on top of Callie in the back seat, ran a finger across her shoulder, leading her to swat his hand away. "Stop that."
"Okay, you two, this is an official police vehicle," Piper growled. "Behave." He parked the car in front of the cottage as the front door opened to reveal Edward Dobbs. "Give me a minute to get inside," he said quickly, "Then find a place where you can hear what's being said." He opened the door. "Captain."
"Long time since I've been a Captain, George," Dobbs said. "Why don't we go inside? I have some fresh coffee ready."
They waited until they heard the front door of the cottage close before slowly sitting up and looking around. "I don't see anyone else," Carter told Callie, quietly opening the car door.
"That row of hedges should hide us from the main house," Callie pointed out.
They got out and moved to the cottage, beside a pair of French doors, where they stopped to listen to the two men talking inside.
"So, what's this 'heads up' you mentioned to the maid?" Dobbs asked.
"Your friends in the department have been discovered, Captain."
"I have quite a few old friends in the department, George."
"Winslow and Barnes."
"Who? I'm not sure I've heard the names."
"They claim to know you. Said that they've been doing 'clean up work' for you."
Dobbs chuckled. "Clean up work? What does that mean?"
"Interviewing people about crimes committed by your late brother-in-law for one thing and giving their reports to you to be handled."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Dobbs told him. "Mike had his faults, but when did he commit a crime?"
"Rape's a crime," Piper told him. "Apparently, according to these two, he raped more than one woman - I'm sure once we talk to them a little more, they'll be able to remember the names of some of those women that they interviewed."
"So don't talk to them," Dobbs said. "I can make it worth your while to help me on this, George," he said.
"Interesting," Piper replied. "You're offering me money to sweep this under the rug - but you threatened another detective with the loss of his pension if he didn't drop a case."
"What?"
"Ten years ago, just before you retired early from the department, Harry Lansing was investigating the death of Leah Davies. Do you remember that case, Capt. Dobbs?"
"Vaguely. What's this about ordering - who was it?"
"Strange that you don't remember the case. Especially since Miss Davies worked for your brother-in-law Stanley Appleton as his executive assistant."
"Okay, I remember the case. Did Lansing really say that I gave an order to drop the case?"
"No, actually, he says you told him to close the case, accepting the statements of two men who claimed to have seen Miss Davies drinking on the night that she disappeared. Says that you threatened him with losing his pension if he didn't do as he was told."
"I honestly don't remember telling him that. He's clearly mistaken. Why would I have done something like that?"
"To cover up what really happened to the woman," Piper suggested.
"And just what is it that you think happened?"
"Either you or your sister - or Michael Galloway wanted to make Leah Davies disappear before she had a chance to tell Appleton about what Galloway did to her. Doesn't really matter which one of you did it - as you know, all of you would have been implicated in her death. One of you bought false affidavits from the two men to cover the fact that somehow one of you sent Leah Davies' car into a lake with her inside."
Dobbs' laughter sounded from the cottage. "I thought you were a better detective, Piper. You can't use anything I've said in a court of law. I don't recall your informing me of my rights -"
"I don't think I'll need to worry about it," George said. "Between what those two officers have told me, as well as Harry Lansing, I think we have enough to arrest you, at least. Plus, we have one more pair of witnesses - You two want to join us?" he called out.
"That's our cue," Callie said, using one hand to open the French doors. Her other hand was covered by Carter's suit jacket, hiding her gun from view.
"I believe you know Mrs. Harris and Mr. Jankowski?" Piper asked Dobbs.
"Harris," Dobbs mused, finally focusing on Callie's face. He had barely glanced in her direction at the bar. But now, he studied her. "Callie Harris." Turning to Piper, he said, "Your protege. Cal - something?"
"Calista," she supplied. "Callie."
"Now that one -" Dobbs told Piper, nodding toward Carter -"he tried to blackmail me - said he was Archie Brooks' cousin."
"You paid the blackmail," Carter said. "But we didn't call you to ask for money," he said. "We called -"
"I'd suggest that none of you move a muscle," a woman's voice said. "Turn around."
Carole Dobbs Galloway stood in the open doorway, a gun held in her shaking hands. She was clearly unused to handling a weapon, but that made her all the more dangerous. "Carole," Dobbs cautioned. "That's not necessary -"
"I'm not going to jail because Michael couldn't keep his hands to himself," she declared. "Tie them up, it'll give us a chance to get out of the country, someplace they can't extradite us from - I've always liked Rio -"
"We always knew this could happen," Dobbs reminded his sister. "We talked about this, remember? Even before Mike died -"
Carole shook her head. "Stay back, Edward," she warned him. "I won't go to jail for you, either. My hands are clean - all I've done is cover up with Michael did - and pay blackmail - even to you."
"Me?"
"If I hadn't given you money, you might have turned on me as well - If you'll promise to keep them here, let me get away -"
"You won't shoot me, Carole," he said, but she stood her ground.
"Stop. I mean it."
Callie lifted her arms, letting the suitcoat slide to the floor and reveal her gun. "Drop the gun, Mrs. Galloway. No one needs to be hurt here."
Piper brought out his own service weapon, backing up Callie. "She's right, Mrs. Galloway."
Finally, Edward Dobbs held out his hand. "Come on, sis. Give it to me." As she did so, Callie and Piper changed their sights to him, but he shook his head and held the gun out for Carter to take. "We won't fight, George," he said, putting his arm around his sister, who was quietly sobbing. "Whatever comes, we'll face it together," he told her. "Just like we've always done."
"According to his wife and brother-in-law, your mother was killed by Michael Galloway," Carter told Paula and Mrs. Logan the next morning.
"Who?"
"He was married to Mrs. Appleton's step sister," he explained. "He and his wife own several restaurants in the Metroplex.
"Why did he kill her?" Paula asked.
"According to his wife, Galloway said that he overheard her talking to her brother about Leah - that she was concerned about Stanley Appleton leaving their sister because of her," Carter began. "Apparently Galloway was jealous of Appleton - and 'arranged' to run into her at a local restaurant and turned on the charm. Leah agreed to go out with him. After dinner, he drove to an isolated spot and took advantage of having drugged the one drink she had agreed to have."
Paula gasped in horror. "You mean, he - he raped her?" she questioned.
"It wasn't the first time -" Carter confirmed.
"Or the last," Callie added, thinking of what Allie had told them about her date with Michael Galloway.
"Is that why he killed her?" Paula wanted to know. "Because of what he did?"
"In a way," Carter nodded. "According to his wife, the more he thought about it, the more worried he became that she would tell Stanley Appleton about it - and he knew that, since Appleton didn't like him, he would insist that she report it to the police."
"She should have done that anyway," Mrs. Logan said.
"Yes, she should have," Carter agreed. "But it weighed on Galloway's mind for a couple of months before he decided to try and buy her silence. He didn't tell his wife who the woman was, but he asked her for enough money so that the woman could leave town for good. She had to go to Mrs. Appleton for the money - simply telling her that Galloway had a problem with another woman and needed to pay her off. Apparently it wasn't the first time she had made such a request."
"Mrs. Appleton knew that -"
"She didn't know that the woman was your mother, Paula," Callie assured the girl. "And she swears that Mr. Appleton never knew that Galloway was -"
"A rapist," Paula said in harsh tone. "Do you believe her?"
"For whatever it's worth," Callie answered, "yes, I do. The relationship between herself and Mrs. Galloway is - complicated. Mr. Appleton was never happy about her giving either of her step-siblings any money, felt that they were taking advantage of her."
"If he was going to pay her off, why did he kill her?" Mrs. Logan asked.
"Mrs. Galloway isn't sure when his plans changed. We do know that Galloway frequented the Lake Bar where the two 'witnesses' claimed to have seen your mother drinking, so he knew both men. Galloway left to give Leah the money in a meeting at the bar, but at the last minute, decided not to meet her in public as agreed, and waited for her to come out of the bar. He followed her until they got to the lake, and then pulled her over. He told his wife that he got into Leah's car to talk to her, and they argued. The argument ended with him strangling your mother, and then pushing her car into the lake. Then he went home and told his wife what he'd done - and who he'd done it to."
Paula closed her eyes, wrapping her arms around herself. "Poor Mom," she whispered as a tear rolled down her cheek. Opening her eyes, she asked, "Did he - did he know that she was pregnant?"
Callie and Carter looked at Mrs. Logan, who sighed. "I thought she should know the truth," she told them.
Callie answered Paula's question. "He told his wife that
that's what they were arguing about when he killed her. He wanted
her to take the money and terminate it. She insisted that she
wouldn't do it."
"It was Mrs. Galloway who set up the affidavits from the bartender and other patron, which they paid for using the money intended for Leah," Carter continued. "She even convinced her brother Edward to make sure the police would close the case after your mother's body was found, to mark it as death due to intoxication."
"You told us that one of those witnesses had been killed -"
"He had been greedy, continuing to threaten to tell the truth about that night - he'd seen Galloway's car follow your mother's car out of the parking lot at the bar and put two and two together. Once he discovered that we were looking into her death, he called again and asked for even more money - only this time, she was tired of his demands, and sent her brother and a police officer that *he* had used to cover up Galloway's later problems. Now, Edward says that the man's death wasn't intentional - they only wanted to scare him into leaving town, but he slipped and hit his head, then fell into the pool and drowned. That's for a jury to decide if it goes to trial."
"And who sent me that horrible note?" Mrs. Logan wanted to know.
"Mrs. Galloway wrote it, and her brother placed it in your car."
She nodded at Callie's answer as Paula asked, "Do the Appletons know about all of this?"
"The police contacted them this morning, asking them to come down to the station to discuss the case. Mr. Appleton asked me to tell you that he would like to talk to you at some point - he really did care a great deal for your mother, Paula. That's the truth."
"I know. I'll contact him. I really want to thank you both. Finding out that we were right all along, that Mom hadn't been drinking and that she didn't kill herself is such a relief - you have no idea. The sad thing is that her killer ruined so many lives - not to mention the lives of the other women that he -"
"The officers who were helping them cover up those rapes have agreed to give the police the names of those women, so hopefully they'll get the help they should have gotten at the time," Callie explained.
"Well, what do I owe you?" Paula asked.
"The only thing I want is your permission to tell the story in my column," Carter answered.
"You have that, of course. But you had expenses -"
"Mr. Appleton has told us that he'll cover our expenses," Callie explained. "You'll need to take any arguments about that up with him."
"I'll do that," Paula told her.
"I *think* that was the last box to unpack in the kitchen," Carter said as Callie came back into the house after collecting the mail. "Unless you're hiding more somewhere - I'll go start on the boxes in the study -"
"Okay," Callie said, not really listening as she opened an envelope and began to read the contents.
Carter chuckled at her distraction, knowing that she would tell him what she was reading when she finished, then went into the small bedroom that they had agreed to use as a study. Cutting the tape on one of boxes of books, he pulled several out and placed them into the shelves.
"Carter!" Callie's shocked tone caused him to turn, a concerned frown on his face. She almost ran into the room, holding a piece of paper before her. "Look at this!"
"What -?" he began, taking the paper - which he discovered to be a check. Reading the amount, he scanned the information, confirming that it was from Stanley Appleton. "Wow. I think this will more then cover the expenses on the Leah Davies case."
"Three times over at least," Callie nodded. "There was a letter with it. He thanked us for finding out the truth about Leah's death, and says that he's changed his will." Looking at the letter, she read, "I've changed my will. While Paula has always been included in it, now she will receive a much larger portion. Marcia is in total agreement with my decision. She's agreed to testify for the prosecution in any trial involving Carole or Eddie, with the hope that the court will go easy on her providing money to cover their crimes. I hope the enclosed check will cover any and all expenses you may have incurred. You both have my everlasting gratitude. If you ever need anything, please don't hesitate to call." She looked at him.
"He's a good man," Carter told her as the telephone began to ring.
"I'll get it," Callie told him, picking up the phone on the desk. "Hello?"
"Callie, you need to turn on the TV." The concern in her father's voice surprised her. "What's wrong, Dad?"
"Turn on the TV. I'll - I'll talk to you later."
"Dad?" she frowned as she realized that he had hung up. Going to the television, she turned it on to a scene of two tall buildings - one of them had smoke coming from it. "What the-?"
Carter shook his head. "That's New York City," he said. "The World Trade Center. Turn up the volume."
Callie pushed the button on the remote. "Oh my - Carter - do you -" An airliner was heading toward the towers - and made impact.
He pulled her close as they both sat on the edge of the desk, their eyes fixed on scene. "That wasn't accidental," he said. "I - uh - need to make a phone call," he said, pulling his cellphone from his pocket and dialing a number. After a moment, it went to voicemail. "This is Carter Jankowski. Give me a call when you get this, let me know what's going on, please." He hung up. "The syndicate that handles the column - their office is in that tower," he explained.
"I remember you mentioning that," Callie nodded, watching the scenes on the streets around the towers. "I know several Dallas first responders who moved to New York - they're probably out there somewhere, trying to help " She shook her head slowly. "Why?" she asked. "Why would someone do this - the people on those planes -"
As they continued to watch - another aircraft was reported to have slammed into the Pentagon. The towers fell, almost in slow motion, Callie thought. Seeing all of the ash and soot covered people running away from the scene, she couldn't help but think about all of the police and firefighters and other personnel who would have been running *into* that cloud of dust.
She finally turned to Carter, who was just as shocked as she was. "Let's get married," she said.
He looked at her, clearly surprised. "What?"
"I think we should get married. As soon as possible."
"Callie, do you know what you're saying?"
"I'm saying that I want to marry you," she told him. "Have you changed your mind?"
"No," he told her. "I just don't want you to rush into something because of -" he waved toward the TV, "because of what's happened."
"I'm not - well, I am, but - it's hard to explain - I don't want to risk something happening to either of us, leaving the other with regrets for what might have been." She looked at the TV again. "All of those people - they left their homes and families this morning and had no idea -" She took a deep breath, swallowing the tears that were threatening to fall. "I love you."
Carter lifted her chin and gave her a kiss. "Okay. We'll get married."
The End