The Harry Starke Series: Books 1-3: The Harry Starke Series Boxset Read online

  “He said he did, and the other businesses in the block, too.” I shook my head, “But you’re right. It doesn’t work me either.”

  “So if Tree doesn’t own it, who does?”

  “Harper would be my guess.”

  “What makes you think that?”

  “It’s a long story, and far from complete. Mike did the early spadework, but I have Ronnie on it now. Let’s just say that there are a whole lot of shady dealings — no pun intended — going on in the Harper camp. Investments, fund transfers, banks, and all of it hidden under layers of shell and off-shore companies. There’s no transparency or accountability at all. But there are indicators that Harper is in amongst it somewhere.”

  “Hey,” she whispered, interrupting me, “don’t be obvious; but try to get a look over to your right. Is that who I think it is?”

  I dropped my napkin, bent down, picked it up, and looked across at the woman seated by herself two tables away. She was wearing glasses, and a dark blue, understated two-piece jacket and skirt, and shoes with modest heels.

  “I dunno. Who do you think it is?”

  “It’s Senator Linda Michaels, chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee. I’ve seen her on TV, many times. There’s even been talk that she might run for president.”

  “I dunno. Can’t say I’ve ever seen her. I’m not into politics, you know that.”

  “Oh my God. Look at her neck.”

  This time, I turned in my seat. Sure enough, even from fifteen feet it was easy to make out the entwined snakes. I turned back to face Kate and nodded. She stared across the table at me, her eyes wide; an unspoken question. I thought for a moment.

  “Okay, I’ll get this. Give me a minute.”

  I got up from the table and went to the restroom. I took off my tie and put it in my pocket, and then I put the pendant around my neck and made sure the collar of my shirt was open far enough for it to be easily seen. I checked how I looked in the mirror, and then I headed back into the dining area.

  As I passed her table, I made it a point to look down at the senator, and then I did a rather obvious double take, turned and approached her table.

  “Senator Michaels?”

  She looked up. “Yes?”

  I leaned forward and offered her my hand, letting the pendant swing out from inside my shirt. “It’s so good to see you in person, ma’am. I’m a big admirer.”

  She continued to look up at me; no, she was looking at the pendant. She smiled, took my hand, quite firmly, and shook it, once.

  “It’s nice to see you, too, Mr....”

  “Starke, ma’am. Harry Starke.”

  I was able to get a better look at her; the suit was, I thought, a little deceiving. I had a feeling there was more to Senator Michaels than met the eye.

  “Nice to meet you, Mr. Starke. Thank you for your attention and support.”

  “No, ma’am, thank you for all that you do.” I looked over at Kate, who was watching closely.

  “What do you do, Mr. Starke?” Her voice had a pleasant resonance to it. “Should I know you?”

  “I wouldn’t think so, Senator. I work for my father.” Not exactly a lie, but what the hell.

  “Your father? And what does he do?”

  “He’s lawyer, ma’am, a tort lawyer, and a very good one.”

  The senator nodded. “Do you have a card, Mr. Starke?”

  “I do.” I gave her one of what I call my anonymous cards: it had my name and phone number on it, but no profession or company affiliation. She took it, looked at it, nodded, slipped the card into her clutch, and offered me her hand. I took it, and immediately felt a slight pressure from her forefinger on the center of my palm.

  “Thank you, Mr. Starke. It was very nice to meet you. I do hope you have a lovely evening.”

  “Thank you, Senator.”

  “You dog, Harry,” Kate said as I sat down. “What was that all about?”

  “Dunno. I was just testing the waters. Her pendant is a twin to this one. She got a good look at it. We’ll see what happens, if anything.”

  “Yeah,” she said, “and there’s more. Look at that picture over there.”

  There was a lot of art on the walls. “Where? Which one?”

  “The door, over there in the rear wall, over the top of it. There’s a small painting. Look at it.”

  I did, and I saw what she was talking about; a small painting, maybe fifteen inches square. It wasn’t a picture of anything in particular, just patterns. That’s what I thought at first. The colors were muted pastels, mostly shades of blue and pink. I had to look hard to make anything of it. The distance made it difficult to make out the patterns, but it was there, right in the middle, barely discernable amid the rest of the swirls, two snakes entwined, each swallowing the other’s tail. I turned and looked at Kate. She was grinning.

  “Christ, Kate. It can’t be a coincidence. There’s something weird going on.”

  She nodded. “You know, Harry. Now that I think about it, I’m almost certain there’s one just like it over a door in the rear wall of the gym. I saw it yesterday, but didn’t take any notice then. The patterns are difficult to see. You have to know what you’re looking for, and I didn’t, at least not then. We need to check out the other businesses.”

  “It’s a bit late now. It’s after ten. They’re all closed, except for this one and the gym. Besides, I can’t. Shady and his boys know me too well.”

  She nodded. “They don’t know me. I’ll see if I can join the gym. I’ll do it tomorrow.”

  Our meal lasted for another thirty minutes, during which time Senator Michaels finished her meal and left. She nodded to us as she walked out of the front door. She was a good-looking woman.

  I called for the check. Wow! $392; talk about sticker shock. This is no place for a quiet night out. Only a millionaire can afford these prices. I paid the bill, left a tip that was more than I would normally pay for the meal, and we left just after ten-thirty. The door under the painting at the rear of the dining room remained closed the whole time we were there. No one went in; no one came out.

  I took Kate home, kissed her goodnight, watched as she walked to her door and let herself in, and then I left. I drove slowly home. The city was quiet, the streets almost deserted, my head was in a whirl. I was half-expecting a call from the senator, but no. I poured myself three fingers of Laphroaig, wandered into the living room, and sat for ten minutes and looked out over the river, thinking about the events of the day, and then I went to bed. Sleep did not come easily, and when it did, my dreams were full of snakes, dark waters, and... Senator Linda Michaels.

  Chapter 24

  The following morning, I arrived late at the office. Jacque immediately loaded me up with paperwork. I had gotten most of it done and out of the way and was enjoying a second cup of coffee when my office door opened.

  “Lieutenant Gazzara is here to see you, Mr. Starke,” Jacque said, standing to one side to let her in.

  “Hey, Kate. What’s up?”

  “This is official, Harry. I need you to come with me.”

  I rose to my feet. “What the hell? Why?”

  “She’s dead, Harry. Olivia Hansen is dead.”

  I was dumbstruck. My mind went blank. Time seemed to stand still. I couldn’t think. Dead? What the hell happened? Then I came out of it.

  “Oh shit, that poor woman. Where? When? How?”

  “Later, Harry. Let’s go.”

  We left everyone in the office staring after us. Lonnie Guest was waiting outside, standing beside the unmarked, waiting, a huge grin on his face.

  “Told ya, didn’t I, Starke?” he said, opening the rear door. “I told you we’d get ya. Welcome to the dark side.”

  “Shut up, Sergeant.” Kate glared at him. I got in the car and Lonnie slammed the door shut, still with that shit-eating grin still on his face.

  The receptionist at the police department on Amnicola buzzed us in and I was taken straight back to an interview room. Kate an
d I sat down, one on either side of the table. Lonnie lounged against the wall with his legs crossed at the ankles and his arms folded across his chest. He was one happy detective.

  Kate turned on the recorder and the camera, went through the usual routine, identified those present, recorded the date and time and so on, and then it began.

  “Where were you on the afternoon and evening of Monday, January twenty-sixth?”

  “You know where I was. I told you. I was with Olivia Hansen, at her condo in Alderney Gardens.”

  “What time did you arrive at Alderney Gardens?”

  “Just after three.”

  “Why were you there?”

  “I told you. I wanted to find out about the pendant, Tabitha Willard’s pendant.”

  “How did that go? Did you learn anything?”

  “I did. But not enough. It’s a key, admission to some kind of sex club.”

  Lonnie sniggered. Kate looked sharply at him.

  “And?”

  “That was about it. She wouldn’t tell me anything about it. How did she die? When?”

  “She was strangled. The ME puts the time of death sometime between six and midnight. That gives you opportunity, Harry.”

  “Of course it does, but I didn’t do it.”

  “He thinks you did.” She nodded her head in Lonnie’s direction.

  “He’s a stupid f... he’s stupid.”

  “Yup, that’s why I’m here and you’re there.” Lonnie grinned as he said it. I’d never seen the man so happy.

  “You were there a long time, Harry. Why?”

  “Hell, Kate. She didn’t want to talk about it. I had to be persuasive. It took time.”

  “You were there from three until eight. That’s five hours. It took five hours? Did you have intimate relations with her?”

  “That’s none of your business.”

  “It is my business. This is a murder investigation, and you’re a person of interest. Now don’t lie to me. Did you have intimate relations with Olivia Hansen?”

  “No comment.”

  “Fine. Then you should know that the ME determined that she engaged in sexual intercourse no more than ten hours before her death. The techs retrieved semen from her body. DNA. Your DNA, Harry. We know you had sex with her and as far as we know, you were the last one to see her alive. Your prints are all over her condo; only yours, Harry.”

  I ignored the first part of the statement. They knew I had sex with her; it didn’t need qualifying, or denying.

  “Of course my prints were there; I was there. And so was someone else; must have been, because I didn’t kill her.”

  “And who might that have been?”

  “Hell, I don’t know. I left around eight, and I was followed, well, for a short distance, by a silver Honda SUV.”

  “Hah!” Lonnie said. “Don’t that beat all? You were followed. Of course you were, dumb ass.” Hell, he wasn’t even good at sarcasm.

  “Kate, you know I didn’t kill that woman. So what’s this all about?”

  “Just crossing the T’s and dotting the I’s, Harry. You know the routine.”

  “The hell you say,” Lonnie growled. “He did it. Sure as hell, he did.”

  Kate shook her head. “Maybe, but probably not. You can go, Harry.”

  She followed me out into the parking lot. Amnicola Highway was busy. It was just after eleven o’clock.

  “Buy you a coffee?” I asked.

  She looked at me, nodded. “Over there.”

  We walked across the busy road to McDonalds, ordered coffee, and sat down at a table by the window.

  “Come on, Kate. Give.”

  “You say she had a pendant. Was she wearing it? Did you take it?”

  “Yes, she was, and no, I didn’t take it.”

  “Well, it was gone, Harry.” She sat quietly for a moment, sipped her coffee, and then continued, “I don’t think for one minute you killed her, but you’re in way over your head this time. You screwed her, Harry, possibly only minutes before she died. That makes you a suspect.”

  I looked down at my coffee and said nothing.

  “Do you have any idea who could have killed her?”

  I shook my head, slowly, and then looked her in the eye.

  “So, if we know that you didn’t do it, and that you left around eight, that narrows the time of death to the four hours before midnight. Someone got past the gate, but not in a car. The guard doesn’t remember any other car, known or unknown to him, entering or leaving the complex, other than yours. The security cameras confirm that, too.”

  “It’s only a gated community, Kate, not Fort Knox. Someone could have walked in.”

  “Not through the gate: the cameras would have recorded any intruders.”

  Then they must have gone over the wall.”

  “That’s what I think, and somewhere between there and her front door, whoever it was stepped in something nasty. By the time he or she arrived at the door, the shoe was almost clean; it left just a faint, partial print in the foyer floor. A Nike tennis shoe. They figure the size to be between nine and eleven. You wear Nikes and you’re size eleven, Harry.”

  I nodded. “Along with half the men in the state. Go on.”

  “She must have known whoever it was, because there’s no sign of forced entry.”

  “Not necessarily. It’s supposed to be a secure community. That being so, it’s possible she opened the door and whoever it was shoved it open. Hell, maybe she had a date. The pendant.”

  Kate nodded. “That’s possible. The maid found her on the bed. She was naked, strangled. Unfortunately, whoever killed her knew what he was doing; left no trace, none at all. He must have worn gloves, coveralls, maybe even a hairnet. According to what little evidence we have... you were her only visitor that night.”

  “So, where do we go from here?”

  “With the investigation, you mean? We keep digging. You need to stay on track with Harper. Keep me informed. I’ll do what I do and if I have anything I can share, I will. As far as you and me....”

  Oh oh, here it comes.

  She was silent for a long moment. I waited.

  “I don’t know. I just don’t know.... Harry, I’ve never had any illusions about you. You’ve always been one to cat around, and I’ve always looked the other way, well, most of the time, but this.”

  “You’re right, Kate. I am what I am, and yes, I have gone off the rails a time or two, but you’re the only one in my life who matters. What I said the other day about research, it was true, at least at first. I figured it was like water boarding, a necessary evil to get the information I needed, and then... well, it kinda got out of hand.”

  “It got out of hand all right. Water boarding? Sheesh. That’s a good one. Water boarding! I must remember that.” She shook her head, slowly and sadly.

  “Kate, I’m forty-two years old....”

  “Dammit, I know that Harry.” She looked around; people were listening. She lowered her voice. “We’ve never made each other any promises, which was fine, but .... Harry, I think we’ve reached a sad place in our relationship. I think we need to take a break.”

  “Kate....”

  “No, Harry. Hear me out. I think we need to take a break. I know I do. I need to think. In the meantime, as a professional, I’ll continue to work with you, help you when I can, and I expect you to do the same. We were a good team, Harry, we worked well together, but on a personal level, well, I can’t do this anymore. I need some time. As I said, I’ll continue to work with you. Outside of that, it’s ‘don’t call me, I’ll call you.’”

  And with that, she pushed her cup to one side, rose from her seat and walked out of the restaurant. I watched through the window as she ran across Amnicola and into the police department. What the hell have I done?

  I sipped on what was left in my cup. I can’t tell you quite how I felt, but it wasn’t good: kind of wrung out, guilty, stupid, whatever.

  It wasn’t the first time something like this h
ad happened, but never before had I been caught quite so... red handed. Not only that, I now realized I was in something of a mess. I was in the middle of an investigation that included a suicide and two murders and of which Kate was the major player. On top of all that, I had the Harper thing to deal with. Dammit.

  Yeah, I was upset that she’d walked on me, but she’s done it before. She’d be back, I hoped. But then again, she’s never caught me screwing someone else before. Well, she has... but this time it’s different. Geeze! Oh well, what’s done is done. I can’t change it so I’ll just have to let it play out and hope for the best.

  There was nothing I could do about the two murders. My office doesn’t have the resources to carry out a full-fledged murder investigation, and it wasn’t my job anyway. Kate and dumbass would have to handle that. All I could do was work on my investigation for Willard and continue to dig into Harper and his foundation, but here’s the quandary: I was pretty damn sure that the suicide, murders, and the foundation were all somehow connected. If so, a large part of what I needed to do was beyond my sphere of operations... or was it.

  I dragged out my iPhone and flipped the lock screen. Damn, it’s still only Wednesday.

  Chapter 25

  For the next couple of days I occupied myself with the routine matters of the agency. Harper wasn’t the only thing I had on my mind and I'd been neglecting my duties, and that vexed Jacque no end.

  I spent the days catching up, and mulling over what I thought I knew, which wasn’t much. I thought a lot about what had happened to Olivia. Someone is going to pay for that! Not a word did I hear from Kate.

  On Friday morning, I called the staff into the conference room. We did the usual rundown of the week’s progress, and then the conversation turned to Harper. Ronnie and Tim both allowed that they were making progress, but neither one was ready to report. I was frustrated, but it was no good pushing them. They did what they did, and they always got it right, which was why I hired them. I closed the meeting, got myself a cup of coffee, and went back to roost in my office.

  Dammit! I have to do something. Can’t just sit here and mope.... Olivia.... Who killed her? Why? And Charlie. I shuddered at the thought. What the hell would have happened if I hadn’t pushed her away? Wow. Now there was something to ponder.