Chapter 1
CHAPTER 1
Swirls of light dance about the buildings from the parade of police vehicles, waking up the weary alleyway. Voices echo from car radios. The noise bouncing off the buildings along the narrow roadway arouses those who live there. It is close to midnight when Detective Allen Masterson walks up to the police officer standing by his car, talking into his shoulder mic. The vehicle is blocking the entrance to the alley.
The detective, dressed in a dark suit, white shirt, and tie loosened, lifts the caution tape, flashes his badge to the officer, and then proceeds to the crime scene. An older man wearing a rather rumpled suit stands near the car waiting for the detective.
“Well, it took you long enough Allen.” Ed yawns. Allen ignores his comment, and they both get back to business.
“So Ed, what do we have here?”
“It looks like a shooting . . . might be a 9 millimeter... Haven’t found the gun yet.”
Glancing around Allen inquires, “Any witnesses?”
“We are working on it. I got Barton canvassing the area and asking around.”
“Who called it in?”
“Just an anonymous call . . . short and sweet.”
“So no lead there?”
“I doubt it.”
“Any ID on the victim?”
After a quick survey of his tablet, the senior detective reads off the information, “We found his wallet in his back pocket. According to his license, he was a Dr. Dean Grable.”
Interrupting, “No shit!”
“Do you know him?”
“Not really, I heard of him that’s all.” Allen’s mind races back to his wife Abigail. She worked with a Doctor Grable before they were together.
It is obvious he was shot in the right side of the head. As Allen stares at the dead man, he can’t stop thinking back to Abby. Why did she seem so damn upset when he mentioned Dr. Grable’s name two years ago.
It was at the hospital after the birth of their son Nathan. Because of his preoccupation and excitement over his son’s birth, he accidentally ran into a doctor in the hospital corridor. Being a first-time father he was distracted when he almost knocked the doctor over. After the collision, he apologized and a conversation ensued. He told the doctor about his wife Abby having their first child. Inquired if he recognized her name, being the proud husband of what he called a famous author. The expression on the doctor’s face when he mentioned her pen name, Abigail Curtis was puzzling. They never introduced themselves so he took a quick glance at his hospital tag before continuing to Abby’s room. He had forgotten to mention it to Abby when he got to her room. It was on their way home that he mentioned he ran into and almost knocked over a Dr. Grable on his way to her hospital room. He was driving so he hadn’t noticed if she had a facial reaction to his name. The ride home did become rather quiet though. Now he would definitely ask Abby about this man Dr. Dean Grable.
“Detective, excuse me, we would like to move the body if you’re done here.” Startled back Allen steps away from the car.
“John, did you take enough pictures?” He hollers to a young man in khakis and a polo shirt holding a camera. The man taking photographs nods his head.
“Yeah, you can go ahead and take the body,” Allen informs the Assistant Medical Examiner. He watches as they move the body into the ME’s vehicle, then drive off. Allen talks to the other officers at the scene. He wants to make sure he didn’t miss any pertinent information about this shooting before going home. He followed up by talking to the crime scene investigators to see what they had so far. Nothing can be done until the ME determines a definite time of death and the autopsy confirms he died from the shooting. You can’t always go by the obvious. It’s never that simple. Then there is the evidence. Tomorrow would be a long day.
Allen and Abby live in a two-story brick house in a brand-new housing plan. Driving up to the two-car garage he didn’t bother opening the garage door. No sense in parking it inside. He would be leaving early the next morning. The motion light comes on as he approaches the door. Allen lets himself in the front door and quietly locks it behind him, turns off the lights, and goes up to their bedroom. He and Abby have been married for 5 years now. The idea of life without her is unimaginable. Before going to their bedroom he goes in to check on Nathan and kiss him goodnight. How peaceful he is sleeping.
Allen stands for a moment taking in the sight of his son. A rustling behind him startles him and he quickly turns around.
“Allen, I thought you would never get home.” Abby appears in the doorway dressed in a short silk robe and fuzzy slippers, her hair tossed about.
“You are a sight” he chuckles. His huge smile and warm eyes were a welcoming sight.
She walks over to him and puts her arms around his waist laying her head on his chest. “It was kind of a tough day. Nathan is teething and he’s been fussy all day. I think I spent most of my day calming him down.” She yawns.
“Awe baby, come on let’s put you back to bed. He leads her to bed, slides her robe off as she kicks off her slippers, she climbs in covering herself.
“I am going to wash up and I’ll be back in a minute.” He returns to bed to find she is fast asleep. He crawls in next to her and pulls her close wrapping his arms around her. This is the best part of my day was his last thought as he dozed off.
The alarm on his Smartphone wakes him around six-thirty. Retrieving his arm from under Abby’s head trying not to wake her he gingerly gets out of bed and heads for the bathroom.
“Where are you going?” Her voice sounds so sexy in the morning maybe he would go back to bed. Unfortunately, because of last night’s shooting, he knows he can’t.
“I need to be at the office early. We had a shooting, a man is dead. Not sure but I think you told me you worked together.”
“Really! Who?” Eyes wide open now.
“A Dr. Dean Grable.”
Abby shot up “What. . . Who did you say . .” Deep breaths Abby she says under her breath. “What happened?”
“Sorry, babe can’t discuss the case.” He walks back into the bedroom brushing his teeth. “What’s the matter? You seem rather upset about this shooting. Are you alright?”
“I told you before, I worked for him at the medical center remember? I am just shocked someone I used to work for, someone I knew, murdered.” He continues back into the bathroom and loudly says “We can’t say murder till all the facts are in. Yeah, I guess you’re right though it is unnerving when someone you were acquainted with is found dead.”
The sound of the shower comes from their bathroom so she lays back down thinking about the shooting. Gee, I wonder what happened. I can’t believe he is dead. Eventually, she falls back to sleep dreaming about that day long ago and the attack.
She wakes up in a cold sweat glad her husband already left. The cold sweats seemed to have somewhat disappeared after they married. Now she is afraid they are back to stay. All day Abby can’t shake the thought of Dean’s death from her head. She thought that the past and what happened to her was just that, in the past. Now sitting in the kitchen reading the headlines in the morning paper, Doctor Found Murdered shakes her sanity. Here it is years later and like a bad nightmare, it will not go away. The flashbacks had disappeared and now she is afraid they will reappear. Reaching over picking up her cell phone off the table she dials Pastor Paul’s number. No answer so she leaves a message, “Pastor, it is Abby, Abby Masterson. I really need to talk to you. I think I might be in trouble. You can reach me at home or my cell. Please call me back as soon as you can!” She remembers she gave him both numbers when she began counseling with him. Allen is not aware of the counseling sessions.
Upon his arrival at the station, Allen goes straight to the ME’s office for an update about the previous night’s shooting. With two cups of coffee in hand, he walks the long hallway to the ME’s office. The door is open so he enters. “So George what did you find that we didn’t.” He asks handing him a cup over the top of his desk.
“Why thanks Allen, I was thinking of getting a cup. Well, like the obvious he was shot with a 9-millimeter at close range about a little less than a foot or two away. No sign of any struggle almost like he knew the shooter. We are still waiting for the toxicology test to come back.” Allen sits across from George on the other side of his desk. He takes a drink of his coffee.
“So, nothing else I need to be informed of?”
“Not right now. As soon as all the test results are in you will be the first to look at them.”
Allen stands, “Just make sure I am made aware of the results as soon as possible.”
“That is what I said.” familiar with how Allen is about his cases the ME did not feel the least bit slighted by his demeanor. When Allen leaves the ME’s office he decides to see if they found any new evidence in the doctor’s car.
Downstairs where they are working on the car no one seems to be around. So Allen decides to check around the outside of the car. It would taint the investigation if he touched anything. Nothing seems amiss from what he could determine at such a distance. The sound of footsteps breaks the silence.
“Hey Detective, what are you doing down here all by yourself?” She’s a cute little thing wearing gray overalls, her brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. Her appearance did not match her age. Almost everyone at the precinct thought she was doing an internship for college. They all felt rather foolish when they found she worked there and was twenty-nine.
“Kali, I wanted to check to see if you found anything.”
“Nope, we did find some hair that they are examining now. Other than that this car is clean! I mean, except for blood and brains on the driver-side window.”
“So the shooter had to be sitting in the passenger seat?”
“If you say so, I just find evidence what you make of it is all you.” Allen often talked to himself which caused a smile to cross his face at the young girl’s comment.
“So the bullet shot into the right side of his head from the passenger side of the car. No casings found on the floor or seat?”
“Nope, nothing so far.
Seems like they cleaned up after.”
“Well thank you. You’re a lot of help.” She beams after him as he walks away toward the stairwell. She can still hear him talking to himself.
‘So we are looking for someone who knew Dr. Grable well enough that the Doctor looked away without concern when the bullet struck him. Apparently, the shooter did not show the gun or their intent while sitting in the car. Well, we need to talk to those people close to the Doctor. The first place to look is Dr. Grable’s wife and family.’
Allen and his new sidekick as he often referred to the young detective walk up to the front door to the address on the doctor’s license. They are uncertain what they will find. Allen rings the doorbell. The sound of the bell ringing is followed by footsteps that can be heard getting louder as they approach the door. The door swings open to a young man appearing to be in his late teens facing them.
“Can I help you?” Both men present their badges as Allen introduces them,
“I am Detective Masterson and this is Detective DeLuca. Is this the residence of Dr. Dean Grable? We are trying to reach his wife.” The boy steps back, and turns yelling: “Mom, two detectives are here, they want to talk to you about Dad.” The young man motions for them to come in shutting the door behind them. “My mom will be down, she is taking care of my little sister.” he leaves them standing at the entrance.
Both men survey the house from where they stand.
“Why, hello detectives, what can I do for you?” A tall, dark-haired, fairly attractive, and very high-maintenance-looking woman catches them off, guard. Allen’s father would say she is built like a brick shit house. It took him years to understand the meaning. “Mrs. Grable, when was the last time you saw your husband?” Allen inquires.
With a broad smile, “He is no longer my husband. We divorced several years ago. I am remarried. Why? What is this about?”
“Your name now is. . ?” The younger detective has a small notebook and pen waiting to document her information.
“My name is Evelyn Carter.”
“Is Carter your married name?” He asks as he writes.
“Yes.”
“Now back to your ex, have you seen him lately?” Allen insists.
“No, can’t say that I have. He rarely comes around even to visit his son.” She pauses to think. “I haven’t seen him in. . . I would say at least a couple of months. We ran into each other downtown. I was at the fruit market. He came out of some kind of social center. I don’t think it was the Y. Anyway, I cannot help you because I don’t know where he lives. The last thing I was aware of was that he worked at one of the hospitals in the city. Not sure if he left to go somewhere else.”
“Can you tell us what social center downtown your husband came out of?” Allen persists.
“All I can tell you is that it can’t be far from the fruit market. I think the market is still in the same place.”
“Where were you last night between seven and eleven?” Mrs. Carter pauses and then answers curtly. “Why, I was here with my husband and daughter. It was my husband’s birthday.”
“Well, thank you for your help, Mrs. Carter. I am sure we will be in touch. By the way, here is my card. My number and the precinct’s number are on there.”
“Thank you.” she takes the card, looks at it, then realizes she doesn’t know why they were interested in her and her ex. “Uhm, you never said why you were asking about my ex-husband.”
This is the part of his job he hates. First, the interview then telling someone their loved one is dead. Not sure about the loved one part in this situation but they were married once. Allen explains, “I am sorry to tell you Mrs. Carter but your ex-husband is dead.” She gasps, feeling faint she begins to fall. Allen catches her holding her up. “Are you all right?”
“I can’t believe that he is gone. I mean . . . yes, we divorced but I loved him. I just couldn’t stay married to a man who cheats and does well what he did . . . it was not good for my son. But . . . I never stopped loving him.” She is quietly sobbing. Then suddenly, “I will be fine.” Pulling away from Allen and straightening herself up. With tears rolling down her cheeks she walks them to the door. Before they had a chance to walk away she asks. “How was he killed?”
The question struck Allen as odd. She didn’t ask how he died. For all she knew, he could have had a heart attack. “We believe it was murder. Remember if you think of anything give us a call.” She stood stunned as they walked down the walk, to their car.
“I don’t think that was a complete dead-end.”
Allen is driving, “I agree. I think there is more to her and her son,”
Detective DeLuca nods. They return to the station to get the address of the fruit market.
At the precinct, both detectives go see the Chief. “Did you two get anything out of Grable’s ex-wife?”
“No Chief, although she did say she saw him outside of the social center a few months ago.”
“Wasn’t he found in his car in the alley behind a social center? I think you two need to take a ride back down to the center and check out the area. Well, move, Masterson. You are not getting anything done standing around here.” Allen likes the Chief but sometimes he is hard to take.
“Come on Sam we need to find as much information as we can today.”
“Here detective” the young woman sitting at one of the detective desks hands Allen a slip of paper.
“Here is the address for the fruit market.”
“Thanks, Sara.” Allen takes the paper handing it to Sam.
Sam is following Allen out of the station. “She’s an attractive young woman. I am surprised you haven’t asked her out.”
“I think everybody in the station has thought about asking her out and she is not just a pretty face I mean did you see that body?” Sam said more than he wanted to, at least more than he wanted to say to Allen.
“Uh ha yeah, she is very smart, graduated top of her class from college. Has a couple of brothers so you better be careful” Surprised Sam stops walking. Allen looks back when he feels he is walking alone.
“Hey, what’s the matter?”
“I didn’t realize you knew Sara.”
Chuckling Allen explains “She is my friend’s daughter.”
“Oh shit, I mean if I said anything disrespectful I mean I didn’t mean to.”
“Come on, get in the car kid, and let’s go down to the fruit market before it gets late.”
“I am thinking we should talk to the son. Possible he’s hiding something. Maybe he and his dad didn’t get along.” Deluca offers.
“Yeah we should, but I wanted to wait. See if he makes any moves.”
Allen is still thinking about the social center and its proximity to the alley. Pulling the car into a parking space in front of the center they can see the fruit market down the block. Both men get out walking toward the alleyway next to the center. Looking down the alley Allen turns to Sam. “We need to go inside the center and see if anyone there has any information about Dr. Grable.” Sam agrees. They walk back around to the front of the building up the steps, opening the glass double doors. Inside is a long hallway with doors on either side. The smell of cigarettes lingers beyond the mustiness of an old building. The floors are hardwood, and not kept up well. The walls need painting. Their steps resonated with every step they take. The sound must have alerted someone because the sound of footsteps approach them.
A man looking to be in his sixties comes from around the corner at the end of the hall. He is of average height, with a scruffy gray-white beard. His long shoulder-length hair was covered partly with a ball cap. The closer he gets the more visible his appearance, his plaid shirt is torn and his pants dirty.
“Can I help yous genlemen?”
“I hope so, I am Detective Masterson and this is Detective DeLuca” Both men show their badges. “We were wondering if you knew a Dr. Dean Grable,”
“Oh, ya mean Doc. Sure, we yall knew Doc. Why? Whatz goin on?”
“How well were you familiar with him?” asked the younger detective.
“Yous guys want to come in the lobby and have a sit down so we can talk.” They follow him in the direction he came from entering a room on the right. The lobby area is a huge hall. Signs are hanging offering help for drug and alcohol addiction as well as pamphlets for medical vaccines and illnesses. Chairs are set in a semi-circle in the middle of the hall. A long table is set against one wall. The old man motions for them to sit down.
“So tell us what do you do here?” Detective DeLuca inquires looking around.
“Oh, we have meetins you know like AA and such.”
“And what is your name” Sam has his tablet out again.
“It is John H. Capperton but most everybuddy calls me Cappy.”
With a glance around the hall Allen asks. “So what was going on last night?”
“Oh we was pose to have a meetin but the Doc didn’t show up.”
“What kind of meeting was the doctor having?”
“It were an NA meeting. Ya know like AA but for druggies. We have lots a different people like even the good doctor. Hes like what they call a sponser now since he went clean.”
“Did the doctor have any enemies that you’re aware of?”
“Well, that’s kina hard to say. I don’t know him all that well. Most everybody that comes to the late meetin is veterans. Drugs is bad after you get out. Especially after getten back from that there midle east. So much bad stuff its jest hard on a person. Drugs helps with that there, what they call PTSD.” With a shake of his head he goes on, “and all those injuries. Bein put on pain meds and stuff. No real health care or no one to care at all. Jest sad.” They sat there for a moment to let the man pull himself together. He seemed shaken by the things he said.
“Excuse me gentlemen, Hi Cappy!” For some reason, they did not hear the man’s footsteps in the hall. If Allen had to guess he would say this man was in his thirties. He is wearing dress pants and a dress shirt, top two buttons undone. He is clean, hair short, no beard, not at all like the older man. The two detectives stand.
“Hey boss, these two guys are detectives.”
“I thought I heard voices. Cappy, you go ahead to the kitchen and grab something to eat.” The older man gets up and scurries out of the hall.
“Now what can I help you with?”
Allen presents his badge. “I am Detective Masterson and this is Detective Deluca. We are investigating the death of Dr. Dean Grable.”
“Dean’s dead? How?”
“So where were you between the hours of seven and midnight last night?” Allen didn’t have a good feeling about this guy.
“Why, I was here. Dean didn’t show up for his meeting. I can’t believe he is dead.” He plops down in the chair Cappy was sitting in.
“Just for the record what is your name?” Deluca did not want to miss one bit of information. “Uhm. . . Yeah, my name . . . it is Carl Winger. I manage this place.”
“So you are familiar with everyone that comes and goes?”
“Pretty much, I wouldn’t say I know everyone who comes here.” he stands up “So that was all the commotion in the alley last night? I knew something was going on but I had to make sure everyone stayed in here. A loud sound, like a car backfiring, scared everyone. We didn’t think much of it because some shady sounds were always coming from that alley. When the sirens and lights filled the alley I just thought it was another overdose. That’s not how he died is it?”
“No Mr. Winger, it is not. So you say a loud sound like a car backfiring came from the alley early in the evening. Could you say approximately what time that was?” Allen was doing the interviewing.
“I can’t say exactly. I mean we were waiting for Dean and well it might have been around or close to seven-thirty – eight o’clock. Please don’t quote me. So much was going on in here. Our meeting was supposed to start at eight-thirty. It was our late meeting.”
DeLuca folded his small notebook and stuffed it into his jacket pocket along with his pencil.
“I guess we got all we can for now. I would like to talk to some of the people who were here to attend the meeting last night. I need their names.” Allen informs the manager.
Carl walks toward the door. “We had a sign-in sheet. Everyone is required to sign in since it is mandatory for some of these people to attend so many meetings.” He rifled through the papers on the table by the door. “Here it is.”
“Can I have a copy of that paper? When is the next meeting?”
“The next meeting is next Tuesday at seven. Our meetings are every week, same day but the time changes. I can’t guarantee that the same people will be there. Let me go make a copy of this.”
“I’ll tell you what.” Allen stops him, “I will take it down to the station make a copy and you can either pick it up or we will bring it back. Tell me how you want to do it.” Carl thought for a moment then realized they were not going to lose that piece of evidence. “I figure you will be back soon to talk to some of the people on that list, so bring it back then. At least get it back before the next meeting.”
“I am sure we will be back before then.” Carl walks them to the door. “If you think of anything or anyone that might have had a problem with Grable please,” Allen hands him his card, “Call, ask for me or Detective Deluca.” He takes the card and watches the two detectives walk away.
Just as Allen and sidekick pull into the precinct parking lot Allen’s cell rings. “Yes, this is Detective Masterson. Why Hi Mrs. Carter. What seems to be the problem?” She is sobbing and talking at the same time. It is difficult for him to understand what she is saying. “We are on our way, hold tight.”
“What is that all about?” Sam asks.
“I can’t say something about her son. I couldn’t hear through the crying and hysteria.”
At the Carter home, Mrs. Carter is standing on the front stoop waiting. She starts toward the car as soon as they park. Allen steps out of the car before she reaches them.
“I don’t know what to do. Mike and Davy got into a heated argument about Dean and school. There was a tussle between them and I started screaming. I guess my screaming made them realize what they were doing and they both stormed out. Mike got into his car and left. Davy ran down the road. I didn’t realize my revolver was missing until a few minutes ago. I have no idea who has it and I am scared to death.”
“Now calm down Mrs. Carter. Let’s go inside and you can tell me what kind of revolver it is.”
Allen leads her back into the house with Sam following. Inside Sam goes into the kitchen and gets Mrs. Carter a drink of water. She is shaking and still crying. “What am I going to do? Tell me.” Sam gently takes her by the arm and leads her to the sofa. “You need to calm down. Here, sit right here and take a deep breath.” She sits down doing as she is told breathing in and out a few times.
“Now let’s go over this again. You are frightened because??” Allen waits for a reply.
Evelyn sits back on the sofa. “Davy blames Mike for his father’s death. He kept saying it’s all your fault; it’s all your fault. Then Mike told him his dad was a drug addict and he’ll probably end up just like him and all hell broke loose.”
“You’re saying Mike and David don’t get along, but he adopted him. I don’t understand.”
“In the past few months, things have changed. I think Davy had been sneaking to see his father.”
“Why did he have to sneak?” Allen asks puzzled.
“There was an agreement when Mike adopted him that Dean could not be in contact with Davy while he was treating his drug addiction.”
“So he wasn’t completely clean?”
“He was. Mike felt that Davy didn’t need to be around NA.”
“Now, about a gun, you say you own.” Sam is fishing.
“It is mine, a Glock 26. I wanted something I could handle. Mike works away a lot and I wanted to feel safe. It is missing and who has it is a mystery.”
“Do you have the paperwork for it?”
“I do because I carry it in my purse.” She leaves the room to find the paperwork for her gun.
“This does not sound good!” Sam shakes his head.
“No, it doesn’t but it gives us some leads Sam.”
Evelyn comes back with the papers handing them to Allen. He takes a look at them inspecting every detail. “Can I take these with me?”
“Of course especially if they help you find my gun, now about my husband and son.”
“We can put an APB out since there was an altercation and your son is still underage.” She rushes over and hugs Allen. “Oh thank you.” He is unsure how to react so he lets her hug him. Then he gently pushes her away.
“Well, we will get all this taken care of” The two men walk to the door she is right behind them. “If your son or husband comes home please call me. I would like to talk to them.”
Mrs. Carter half-smiles as she watches them walk down the sidewalk to their car. Evelyn Carter closes the door, goes upstairs to her bedroom, takes several sleeping pills, and takes her afternoon nap. Her daughter won’t be home from school for several more hours.
“Well, now what?” Sam asks as Allen navigates the car.
“How about putting that APB out on the husband and son, that would be a good start,” Sam calls it in.
A few hours later a patrol car brings Michael Carter to the station. There is a knock on Allen’s door. “Come in” he hollers as he is pecking out a report on his computer. A patrol officer partially opens the door.
“There’s a Michael Carter down in interview room one. They told me to let you know.” Allen looks up. “Where did you find him?”
“He was sitting in his car in front of his house. His wife called it in.”
“Well isn’t that interesting! Thanks, I will be there in a minute. Does DeLuca know?” The officer shrugs his shoulder shutting the door.
Allen goes directly to the interview room where he meets Sam standing outside the door waiting.
“So how are we going to do this?” Sam asks.
“Together, I only want to ask a few questions for now. Did they search his car and person?”
“Yeah, but nothing there.”
“Okay, let’s get this done.”
Sam follows Allen into the room. Allen sits down across from Mr. Carter. Sam quietly stands off to the side.
“I am Detective Allen Masterson and well you are Michael Carter, wife Evelyn Carter, and father of David Carter is that correct?” He is reading off of the paperwork he has.
“David is not my son,” Carter barks.
“What happened today between you and David?”
“The little shit had been sneaking off to meet his no-good-for-nothing father. After all I’ve done for the ingrate.”
“Who is his dad?” Sam buts in. Mike looks up at Sam with a, who the hell are you look. “Oh, I’m sorry I am Detective DeLuca.”
Ignoring Sam’s question he asks Allen. “What the hell did I do that I was hauled in here like a common criminal? I mean I just had an argument with my adopted so-called son.”
DeLuca repeats the question. “Who is David’s father?”
Allen sternly directs Mike “Answer the question.”
“All right his dad is Dr. Dean Grable. Why the hell does that matter?”
Detective Masterson questioned, “And where were you last night between seven and eleven?” Mike didn’t answer. The expression on his face was answer enough. It wasn’t one of guilt but more of a confused puzzled look. Allen pushes.
“Answer the question.”
“Why what happened last night?”
“Again answer the question! We can do this all night if you want or you can answer our questions.” Allen was starting to get irritated.
“Alright already, I was home. It was my birthday, we were celebrating it. You know cake and all.”
“You were home all night?” Allen probes. This guy might not be guilty but he was seriously getting on my nerves Allen was thinking.
“Yeah, I mean no. I ran out to the store to get ice cream. Evelyn forgot to buy some.”
“About what time was that?”
Taking a deep breath Mike answers. “I don’t know. Why?” Allen and Sam looked at each other. “Dr. Dean Grable was shot last night between seven and eleven with a 9mm which is missing from your wife. And you sir, don’t appear to have an alibi.” Allen couldn’t have made it clearer.
“Wait a minute, check the surveillance camera at the store. I am sure they have one. I know we ate around five and I would guess it was between six-thirty and seven that I went to the store. Honest. I went and got ice cream and went back home. It was Shop A Lot, hum down on Gateway.”
“I’ll tell you what. We will look at the surveillance and talk to your wife and so-called son and see if what you say matches what they say.” Allen gets up. “You will be waiting here till we get this information confirmed.” Both men leave Mike in the interview room to sweat it out.
“I honestly don’t think he did it. I mean did you see the look on his face when you asked him where he was? He was clueless as to why we would want to know what he was doing Tuesday night.”
“I agree, but this is all we have now at least till we talk to the son,” Sam adds. “Yeah, but I think we should take a ride back to the Carter house. I think we need to talk to Evelyn again.”
At the Carter home, loud voices can be heard as both men approach the front door. Detective Deluca presses the doorbell. No one answers so he presses it again. The voices stop and the door opens to a smiling Mrs. Carter. They wondered what was going on in there.
“Come in detectives.”
“Are you alone?” Sam looks around.
“No Davy just walked in right before you rang the doorbell. I told him I wanted him to talk to you and he got angry.”
“Is he still here?” Sam is afraid he left out another door.
“He is in his room.”
“Can you ask him to come down?”
“I could, I doubt if he will. I will try.”
She disappears up the steps to the second floor. A few minutes later she comes back down followed by the young man. He has shoulder-length sandy color hair tight black jeans and an aqua t-shirt with The Raging Walnuts on it. David notices Sam staring at his shirt so he snips. “It’s a garage band, some friends of mine,” Sam smirks.
Evelyn takes them all into the living room. “It should be comfortable in here” she motions for everyone to take a seat. “Can I get you gentlemen something to drink?” Etiquette is always important to Evelyn even now.
“No, we are fine. So tell us what happened between you and your dad, David?” Allen gets right to the point.
“He is not my dad . . . Mike’s an ass!”
“Davy, that’s uncalled for,” David puts his head down.
“Sorry, Mom but he is. He said Dad was a loser and a drug addict. I mean I know Dad had a problem but he cleaned up and became a sponsor. He was trying to help other drug addicts.” Snidely David spouts, “I think Mike killed him, and with your gun Mom!”
“Honey, that’s not true, why would you say that.”
“Oh come on Mom, you know how much he hated Dad.”
“You are just hurt and angry about your father’s death. You can’t go around saying things that you don’t know the truth about. They will never find the killer if you make stuff up because you are mad.”
“Well, Mike did hate Dad. That I’m not making up.”
Allen and Sam were taking their conversation in. Sam wrote down everything David and his mother said to each other and them.
“Let’s get back to your mom’s gun. Did you see it recently?” Allen inquires.
“No, why would I? She always keeps it in her purse and I am not allowed near her purse. She thinks I will steal her money.” Sarcasm dripped heavily in his answer.
“Why, have you stolen from your mom or Mike before and got caught.” David didn’t answer. Allen started to repeat the question, but Evelyn interrupted. “You know how children are? They sometimes sneak money nothing serious.” She smiled what seemed fake, as though she was hiding something.
“Did you steal your mother’s gun? I have to ask.”
The boy’s eyes well up. “No, I could never hurt my dad.”
Allen informs Mrs. Carter, “We have your husband down the station. I would assume he called you.”
“Yes he did, and our attorney is on his way.” Standing up she continues. “I don’t understand why he is still there.”
“We are checking his alibi for the time of your husband’s I mean ex-husband’s shooting. It’s a little shaky.”
“I told you he was here celebrating his birthday with us.”
“You did, but you didn’t say he left for a while.”
“Oh that, he just went to the store for ice cream. Sometimes I am forgetful.”
“Yeah, well it is around the time your ex-husband was shot so we have to take everything into consideration.”
“Well, I can assure you he was not gone very long. Just long enough to buy some ice cream and come home. There was family here waiting.” the detectives stand ready to leave. David had already gone back to his room.
“We will be talking to your son again so tell him not to go anywhere.” The younger detective warns.
“Of course” She walks with them to the door. “I don’t think he will be going anywhere. We will be having the funeral as soon as they release Dean’s body.”
“That is true” agrees Allen. “Well, we will be calling you. I am sure there is more you and your son can help us with. As far as your husband, once we clear his alibi he will be free to go,” leaving her standing at the door only to watch as they walked toward their car.
