Cover image from Free Stock Photos: Railroad Track On A Fall Day by Curtis Dean Wilson

While visiting with Vanessa, Deirdre puts together how Troy was always able to get out of jail. It turns out that Sue, the secretary, is his aunt. Still, she needed help. Who could that be?

“Enter Jim Butcher,” Deirdre said, pulling another photo from the pile. “Dishonorably discharged, after less than a year, from the Marines, for Conduct Unbecoming,” she said.

Jasper’s lip snarled in disgust. He’d been a Marine himself, and that charge was the lowest possible, in his mind. “You need this boy brought in? I can make that happen,” he told Vanessa.

“I’d love for you to. News of Sue’s arrest will filter down quickly.”

Jasper picked up the phone and dialed. “Hiya, Butch, it’s Sgt. Waters. Yeah, I f**ked something up again, buddy. I need your magic touch.”

He’d put the phone on speaker, so they all heard Jim’s voice when he replied. “What this time, my man? You have the worst luck with computers.”

“Yeah, I dunno, I spilled my Coke on the keyboard and it’s not responding.”

“Probably just fried the keys. Got an extra anywhere?”

“You f**king kidding? In this place?”

“I’ll be by in ten with a new one. I’ve got a spare on my truck. We’ll take a look and make sure you didn’t short anything else.”

“Thanks, man. You take good care of me. I’ll put on a pot, and we’ll get after this.”

“No worries, got my Bull. See you shortly.” Jim hung up.

“I gather you do this a lot?” Eoin said with a smirk.

“I’m incapable of interfacing with computers. I hate them, they hate me. Women, on the other hand, no difficulty.”

“Only now, you’re married,” Vanessa reminded him.

“I know. Doesn’t mean I can’t be friendly. If I step outta line, my wife can kill me.” He shrugged.

Eoin looked puzzled, but Jasper laughed.

“I’ll introduce you sometime.”

Jim Butcher arrived nine and a half minutes later. He had a messenger bag over his shoulders, carrying an open can of Red Bull and a boxed keyboard. Jasper met him at the door, ushering him in, spewing lively nonsense as they walked into the office.

“Why are we going to Detective Weinstein’s office?”

“Oh, it was her keyboard I baptized. She’s ready to kill me. Come on in.” He let Jim precede him, closing the door in his wake.

“What’s going on?” Jim asked when he Vanessa and Scott waiting for him.

Jasper blocked the door when he tried to leave.

“James Butcher, you’re under arrest for Obstruction of Justice, and tampering with legal documents,” Scott said quietly, sounding deadly. “You have the right to remain silent….”

Strangely, he didn’t stay any quieter than Sue. They put him in a cell opposite her. The two of them yelled back and forth, blaming one another for past misdeeds. Jasper had both cells monitored, recording everything they said. Neither of them had asked for a lawyer, nor were they exercising their right to silence. They let quite a few juicy bits drop, including Eoin’s beating.

“Thanks to his caffeine addiction, we have his DNA,” Jasper said, bagging the can of Red Bull. “I hate to say it, but I have a feeling he’s another contributor to the manky deposits.”

“He always had a sick obsession with Wendy,” Eoin said sadly. “Perverted, twisted bastard.”

“What do you know about Bullock?” Vanessa asked suddenly.

“Coach Bullock? More than I’d like, why?”

“You missed what the girls had to say yesterday,” Jasper told him.

“Rather not know,” Eoin remarked abruptly, holding up his hand. “As to all that, not something I want Deirdre involved in it at all.”

“I’m a big girl,” Deirdre protested.

“As I’m aware. I wouldn’t tell my own mum, dreadful as she is. You do not need to be a party to this.” He shook his head. “It will come out at trial, that’s soon enough.”

Jasper nodded, conceding Eoin’s decision. Deirdre wasn’t pleased, but he was adamant.

“Honestly, I wish I didn’t know myself,” Vanessa said softly. “Okay. Deirdre, you’ve given me so much. Thank you. Now, to unravel the rest.”

“I can help,” Deirdre offered.

“No. This will get ugly. You’re not a cop, I’m not dragging you into this any deeper.”

“But you’ll let me know how it turns out?”

“I will. You and your son are as deeply invested in the outcome as I am.”

As they were walking to the front door, Deirdre paused.

“Is there any way to find out about my granddaughter?”

“I’m afraid not. Those records are sealed by the court. I know you’d like to contact the parents, but would it be fair to the baby?”

“I don’t mean to take her away,” Deirdre said. “She’s their daughter, as much as if they’d given her life. But I would like to know her. I understand, though. If there is any way to give them the information, about us. So, if she wants to meet Aiden when she’s older, she can.”

© 2018 Dellani Oakes

Cover image from Free Stock Photos: Railroad Track On A Fall Day by Curtis Dean Wilson

Deidre is driving Eoin home, and stops by the police station, to drop something with Vanesa.

“We’ve been looking at him, too, but didn’t find anything.” Vanessa pulled sheets of paper from the envelope.

“I found a lot of weird, inconsistent things. But it wasn’t until just now that I put it all together. I was looking for someone high placed, but it’s not.” Deirdre spread the papers, pointing to a particular photo.

“I don’t follow.” Vanessa glanced at the papers, finally noticing a photo. “Oh. Oh, my.” She looked up at Deirdre, dark brown eyes wide. “Just—now.”

“Yes.” She tilted her head. “I saw a familiar face in the office. And I’ve never met that woman before in my life.”

Vanessa caught her lower lip in her teeth. “Not alone.”

“No.” Deirdre shifted some papers and tapped one with her fingertip. She had no real proof about this, but a strong gut instinct.

The pieces of the puzzle fell into place. “I would never have figured this out. This is—scandalous!”

“Agreed.”

“I’m lost,” Eoin said, wincing when he leaned forward to see the pages.

“Sue!” Vanessa called. “Will you come in here, please?”

The older woman didn’t answer. They heard the beep of the security door opening. Eoin stood up and rushed out, finding Sue trying to get through the door with a rolling file box behind her. It caught on the doorjamb. She struggled to free it. He did so, snatching it from her, blocking her exit.

“Get out of my way,” she demanded, threatening to hit him.

Vanessa was at her elbow. “Far enough,” she spoke sharply. “You don’t want to hit him, Sue. Let’s not add assault to your charges.”

“You got nothing on me! You can’t prove a thing!”

“I’ve got a family connection between you and Troy Intriago. You’re his mother’s step-sister. And I can also connect you to someone else—Jim Butcher.”

“You can’t prove nothing!” Sue snarled. “You got nothing! Jimmy made it all disappear!”

“You might wanna shut up now,” Eoin said quietly, knowing she wouldn’t.

Sue snapped and growled, wrenching her fat arm out of Vanessa’s hold. Luckily, Jasper heard the commotion, and came to her aid. He cuffed Sue while she still tried to get away.

“Want to tell me why I’ve just arrested our secretary?” he asked over his shoulder, as he walked her to the holding cells.

“I’ll tell you in a minute. Get her booked.”

“On what charge?”

“Multiple charges of obstruction. I’ll come up with more later.”

“You got it, Boss.”

Jasper did his job quickly, listening to Sue rail and screech the entire time. He, wisely, turned on the recording app on his phone. She ranted and raved, revealing details they wouldn’t get in interrogation. When his job was done, he joined the others in Vanessa’s office.

“Speak.” He leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets, ankles casually crossed.

“I got to thinking,” Deirdre said. “Who knows the most in an office? Not the boss….”

“The boss’ secretary,” Jasper concluded. “Yes! And the connection?”

Vanessa handed him a picture from the paper. It was a picture of Sue, Troy, his mother and grandmother, all younger, but identifiable.

“That was right after his grandmother remarried, Sue’s father. Troy joined the Police Athletic League and who did he meet there?” She laid out another picture showing Troy with his arm around Jim Butcher’s shoulders. The two boys smiled wide at the camera.

“Whoa! This guy.” He tapped the photo. “I know this face! f**k!” His head snapped up. “That’s Butch!”

Vanessa frowned, shaking her head.

“Butch. The I.T. guy. He comes in when we have a problem, piddles around. But you know what else he can do?”

Waiting, Vanessa looked impatient. Jasper asked to use her computer. Pulling up the task bar, he found an icon she’d seen every day, but had no clue what it was.

“He can get into our computers by remote. Say you get stuck with a glitch, he can access your computer on a secure link, and take over its functions. He can see it like his own. And he can make things appear….”

“Or disappear,” Eoin finished.

“Exactly. It was easy for Sue to do alone, when Troy was younger, all actual paper work. But once things went electronic, she didn’t have full access, or the knowledge. She’d need outside help,” Jasper said excitedly.

© 2018 Dellani Oakes

Cover image from Free Stock Photos: Railroad Track On A Fall Day by Curtis Dean Wilson

Eoin and Deirdre are talking about his life and relationship with Wendy. He tells her he had a twin sister.

“Angelique?”

“Angela. She died when I was four. A horrible accident, because of Mum’s habit. She was passed out on the couch and we got outside. Angela fell in the canal behind our house, and couldn’t get out. She got too close, lost her balance, as toddlers do, and fell in, and drowned. I sat there, screaming and crying while my older sister drowned. Mum didn’t hear the ruckus, slept through it all. A neighbor finally heard me, but it was too late.” Tears he’d thought long shed, threatened to fall. He hadn’t thought about his sister for nearly fifteen years. In a way, little Rowan reminded him of Angela—all big blue eyes and blonde curls.

“I’m so sorry. To lose a part of you like that, would be horrible.”

He nodded. “As I grew, I still felt her with me. After a bit, I could hear her voice. She’s grown as I have, and she’s a haughty bitch.” He shook back his hair, his face and aspect changing to a more regal mien.

“I’d love to watch you perform.”

“I’ll set it up when Fred gets home. He won’t be—shocked?”

Deirdre snorted, shaking her head. “He’s even less easy to shock than I am. He’ll enjoy the show. We saw a drag show in New Orleans. The women looked better than me, and that was before I had three boys!”

“You are the most beautiful woman I know.”

“Now I know you’re full of blarney.”

“Believe what you wish, I stand by my word. I should be getting home, though. I can take a cab.”

“Don’t be silly. I’ll take you. Will you load the washer? I’ll dress.” She pointed to the dishes.

“Love to. Still just as picky about how it’s loaded?”

“Still a dumb ass?” She cast over her shoulder.

Eoin sang as he loaded the dishwasher. He usually sang around the house, but hadn’t felt like it for some time. Now, he was in full voice. It was a sad, soulful song, but beautiful.

Deirdre stopped dressing, listening to him sing. His song brought tears to her eyes. When he got to the chorus of Broken Bones and Pocket Change, she was crying. It had long been a favorite of hers, and his voice added a dimension that the vocalist was missing.

Deep sorrow. Eoin’s pain is an abyss.

Finishing dressing, she grabbed her handbag and the envelope of papers she wanted to drop off with Vanessa. Stuffing them in the bag, she picked up her keys and declared herself ready. Eoin was already waiting by the door.

“You’ll have to tell me where I’m taking you.”

“Not a problem.” He gave her very specific and easy to follow directions.

“You can’t tell me all that now. I’ll get to South Daytona, then you turn on the Tom Tom.”

Eoin chuckled, “Yes, ma’am.”

“I do need to stop by the police station. Is that all right?”

“Sure.”

They pulled up to the station and Eoin hopped out, opening Deirdre’s door before she could. He also opened the door to the station for her. Once inside, they waited at the window. An elderly, heavy set woman, with graying hair, lumbered into the room and over to greet them.

“Can I help you?”

“Yes, I need to see Detective Weinstein.”

“You have an appointment?”

“No. But I have some information for her, on the murder.”

“I can give it to her.” She didn’t hold out her hand, just stared at Deirdre.

“I’d like to give it to her, I have some questions.”

“She can’t answer about and on-going….”

“I realize that. May I see her, please?” She was fast losing patience with the woman. If stonewalling happened to be declared an Olympic sport, this woman would take the gold.

“I’ll ask.” She wandered to a desk and picked up the phone.

A phone rang in a back office. Deirdre assumed it was Vanessa’s. That was confirmed when the detective came out, smiling. She opened the security door, with a beep, ushering them both in.

“Hi there, Sue said you have something for me? Come on back. Coffee? Tea?”

“We just ate,” Deirdre said, glancing over her shoulder. She could swear she knew the woman in the office. She was really familiar. A light bulb seemed to go on in her mind. Suddenly, a very important question was answered.

“What can I do for you?” Vanessa invited them to sit in her small office.

“More what I can do for you,” Deirdre said quietly, handing her the manila envelope she carried. “It was bothering me, wondering how Troy managed to get miraculously freed every time he was arrested. Except this time. So I did some digging.”

© 2018 Dellani Oakes

Cover image from Free Stock Photos: Railroad Track On A Fall Day by Curtis Dean Wilson

By random chance, Deirdre jumps to the subject of Fonda, putting both Eoin and Aiden on high alert, though she doesn’t realize it.

“Yes, I believe so, yes,” Eoin replied, shifting uncomfortably in his seat.

“You’re in pain. Corin, Tylenol.”

Her youngest son grabbed the bottle and brought it over with a glass of water.

“Take. I wish you could use more, but I understand. You know what would help?”

“Hemp oil,” Burl said, grabbing it from the cupboard. “Two squirts under your tongue. Great for what ails you.”

“And the rub,” Aiden added, running to the bathroom. He came back with a jar of something. Opening, he held it for Eoin to smell.

“Lush! I want to eat it!” the young Irishman said. “What’s this?”

“It’s a hemp muscle rub. It helps heal the bruises and eases the aches. Keep it, I have more. I buy a case at a time. As much as my boys are hurting themselves.” Deirdre smiled at him. “I have missed you so much. Why haven’t you come around?”

“I didn’t think you’d want to associate with a man like me.”

“What’s wrong with a man like you?”

“Mum, I wear makeup and a dress, while I prance around in less than God gave Adam.”

“Are you a whore?”

Her question was so bland and straightforward, he paused, blinking.

“No, ma’am. Never sold it to a soul.”

“Then you have no reason to be ashamed. Even if you were, you’re still my son.”

“Here I go again.” He wiped his eyes on the backs of his hands.

Deirdre handed him a napkin so he could dry his tears. “I’m upset with you. You isolated yourself from the wrong people. You should know better.”

“I judged you by my mother’s standards. It was wrong. Now you’ve got me back, you won’t be rid of me.”

“Good. I do think having a drag queen in the family gives us a certain style and panache.” She put her hands under her chin, giving an angelic smile. Batting her eyelashes, she made a kissy face at him.

Eoin laughed loudly, then gasped. “Gods, I’ve missed you!”

“Go put that rub on. Not on the nuts, it’s got menthol. You’ll put yourself through the roof.”

Tilting his head, he tried to figure that out. Corin solved the miscommunication problem for him, making a universal hand gesture. Eoin laughed even louder, then gasped again.

“Going now. And I’ll avoid the nuts.”

The balm did help, so much, he was actually able to relax and sleep. Even the bustle of early morning didn’t wake him. He finally got up about nine, surprised that the boys were gone. Deirdre was just getting going, and made breakfast for them both.

“I could get used to this spoiling,” he said, sipping his coffee. Closing his eyes, he smiled. “As always, delicious. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome. And it’s not spoiling, it’s pampering. Don’t think my menfolk get this high a level, unless they’re sick or injured. Do you work tonight?”

“I do. But I’m feeling a lot better, thank you.”

She handed him a small paper bag. Inside was a full bottle of Tylenol, another jar of the balm and a small bottle of the hemp oil.

“I wrote instructions for the oil. Start the regime when you don’t have to work. Sometimes, there are a few days of detox, as it were. You won’t feel that good for a day or two, then it eases off and you feel a lot better. Depending upon how badly you’ve mistreated yourself, will govern how long you’re down.”

“I live a fairly clean life,” he said. “The occasional woman…. Wendy was my truest love. Such a spark of life in her. It sickens me that she was sent to such a dark place before she died.”

“Poor child. I never got to meet her, but she was so much in your life, and Aiden’s.” Her glance went to the refrigerator door. “Now, it’s touched mine a little.”

“She was trying to get Rowan back. She had a scheme to get the money, to petition in court.”

“That’s what got her killed.”

“Yes, I’m certain. There were some very influential people involved. Many of the county’s elite, would be embroiled in scandal. Can’t have that.” He shook his head sadly and wiped his eyes. “I can’t cry anymore. I’ve given enough time to tears. Besides, it will make my eyes puffy. Can’t have Angelique looking anything but her best when she struts her stuff.”

“You often refer to yourself in third person?” Deirdre chuckled.

“Only Angelique. She’s a very separate personality. I’m sure a shrink could have a field day with her—me. You see, she’s the strong one. I don’t mean like a multiple personality, just an alter ego. She’s been part of my life since I was a wee lad. I had a sister. A twin.”

© 2018 Dellani Oakes