Scent of Murder (31 page)

Darren understood that not everyone did everything perfectly. He knew he was stretched far too thin. Between studying for school, staying in shape, practicing karate, keeping his parents happy, and now getting involved in a relationship with Kim, he barely had time to concentrate on anything but keeping his head above water. It wasn't an excuse; his father had taught him early in life that excuses never helped anything. He was a pragmatist. He knew there was only so much a human could do, and there was nothing he wanted to cut loose from his life right now.

Darren was certain there was no assignment in the sheriff's office that would intimidate Claire. Throw Smarty into the mix and they were like a superhero and her sidekick. Her looks could get her into anywhere, her smarts could figure out what needed to be done, and she was tougher than any SWAT team member. Sometimes Darren looked at her as the sheriff's secret weapon.

But Darren liked sticking to things he knew best. As he got more comfortable with Brutus and his ability to sniff out trouble, whether it was a bomb or a cadaver, Darren enjoyed working the assignments given to the Canine Assist Team. Very few canine units could afford to have their dogs cross-trained and equipped as well as this unit.

Because Brutus didn't track or bite, they weren't really used on regular patrol. But as long as they were members of the CAT, Darren was just happy they were all together. Sometimes he couldn't believe he got paid to hang out with a girl like Claire and a buddy liked Tim.

Now, walking out of the headquarters building, wondering where his partners were, he saw one of the homicide detectives, Danny Weil, stepping out of his car in the parking lot. He stood by the Taurus with the driver's door still open. Then he gave them his trademark smile and friendly wave and said, “Your boy Hallett is making us look bad.”

Darren glared and wished Brutus would growl. “Someone screwed him on the news article because he was telling the truth. He just wants the right person arrested.”

“We all do. That's why Arnold Ludner is in jail.”

“What if he's not the right man?”

“How else do you explain the sediment in his welcome mat?”

As Darren tried to come up with a smart reply, Brutus tugged on his lead and started sniffing Danny's leg. Then he stuck his head into Danny's car. Immediately he started to react oddly and looked like he was going to alert. It took Darren a moment to realize what was going on.

Darren said, “You were at the crime scene out at the canal, right?”

“Of course.”

He pointed at Brutus poking his head into the vehicle's open door. “He's alerting on the sediment you tracked into your car. That's exactly how the sediment was tracked into the Ludner house.”

“I wasn't even at the Ludner house, doofus.”

“But somebody from the crime scene was. There were a lot of us out there that day. Brutus and I were at both scenes. I was wearing different boots, so it probably wasn't me. Apparently, it doesn't take much of the sediment to make Brutus take notice. That's why he wants to alert on your floor mat.”

The detective turned back to the dog sniffing inside his car.

It clearly frustrated the detective to have such a plausible explanation proven by a dog.

Then Brutus eased the situation by doing an abnormal alert Darren had never seen. Brutus peed on the front seat of Danny Weil's car.

 

36

In the two days since Tim Hallett had been tossed from the detective bureau and returned to patrol for the second time, he had barely eaten or slept, and now he was starting to feel the effects. He had done virtually nothing but consider the Ludner case from a hundred different angles. Now, nibbling at the edges of a sub and talking with Claire and Darren, he was at a loss for what to do next.

He said, “I wish cases were more black and white.”

Claire said, “At least there haven't been any more news stories. It was just that one quick blurb that really didn't say anything negative about you at all. If you hadn't been reassigned, it was a very positive article.”

“But everyone thinks I sabotaged the case to make myself look good. Some people even think
I
had the story planted. I can feel it around the headquarters building. Everyone thinks I want back in the detective bureau.”

Darren asked, “Do you?”

Hallett looked down at Rocky, sitting comfortably on the ground, and said, “Not at all. The only thing I wanted was to stop the kidnapper. To stop Ludner. My problem is I couldn't conceive that the kidnapper was not Arnold Ludner. I was trying to make up for my error three years ago. I feel like a turd whenever I'm reminded of my exit from the detective bureau. Now I'll never get redemption.”

Hallett thought about what he had said. Was he turning into that guy? The guy who only cared about what affected him? He said out loud, “Fusco and Weil will fight about glory and the real kidnapper might skate.”

Darren said, “Brutus showed that pompous ass Danny Weil how sediment from the crime scene could've been tracked into the house by one of us. He alerted on Danny's car mat.”

“The sediment never would've held up in court. It could've come from anywhere on the canal. Anyone of us could have tracked it into the house. It could've come from…”

Claire looked at Hallett and said, “What's wrong, Tim? Where else could it have come from?”

“We were watching the house the whole night from both sides, right?”

Both of his partners nodded.

“And only one person left during the entire surveillance, Ludner's son, Arnold Junior.”

Darren said, “Yeah, so?”

“Could Arnold Junior be the attacker?”

Claire said, “The description from the girls was consistent. The attacker was a chubby, middle-aged man.”

“We look at Arnold Ludner Jr. and think of him as being relatively young at thirty-five. But the guy looks like shit. And teenagers are notoriously bad at judging ages over thirty. Do you think they could've just gotten confused? He may not be chubby as much as he's
beefy,
having more muscle than fat, but that takes an experienced eye to detect. He could theoretically match the description, especially for as little as the girls saw him.”

Darren said, “Fusco wouldn't want to hear that theory.”

Claire said, “Neither would homicide.”

Hallett smiled and said, “So I guess it's up to us to check it out quietly. If we have enough time before they indict Ludner. Any ideas?”

Claire said, “One of the detectives' theories is that the kidnapper uses stolen cars and possibly rentals.”

“I still don't follow.”

“The Ludner brothers had a rental car at their compound, a black Chevy.”

Hallett considered it for a moment and said, “I see where you're going with this, but we're not in any position to issue subpoenas to rental car companies for their records.”

Darren had a big smile as he said, “I might be in a position to get that information.”

Hallett felt better just considering doing something proactive.

*   *   *

Junior needed to get out and drive around before he got back to work. Sometimes just doing minor chores cleared his head. But today nothing was easy because all he could think about was Michelle Swirsky. She had imbedded herself in his brain. He hated the thought of risking the police spotlight, but he could see no other path. It had something to do with what he had experienced with Tina Tictin. That ultimate display of power. When Katie Ziegler escaped, it didn't affect him like this. He moved on. Or maybe it had to do with the way Michelle had hurt him physically. He just couldn't let it go.

The idea of wasting all that effort to stay off the radar and make it tough for the cops annoyed him. Then he thought about Michelle, that athletic grace and fresh, beautiful smile. And the attitude that she thought she was better than him.

These girls didn't make a decision about what was going to happen and when, he did. He was the creator of this universe where he got to study girls and learn everything there was about their backgrounds before he opened a whole new world to them. The physical part, feeling them squirm or shake underneath his touch, was such a small part of the sensation. Knowing he had dominated them and had imposed his will, that was what made him feel so special.

He'd convinced himself that if he had finished things with Michelle, he could've lived off his memories and fantasies for at least a few years. But now he didn't see how that could happen. Not while she walked around so arrogant and carefree.

He tried to focus on something else. Anything. Then he gave in to the feeling and let his mind flood with images of what he imagined she would look like on the front seat of his car.

*   *   *

Darren had learned a lot about investigations in his time in the D-bureau. Fusco had helped him understand how to deal with people, and now he was gathering information without the use of subpoenas or any of the stuff he learned in the police academy. Police work really was about contacts. Knowing the right people and how they maintained information was the key to making things work. Even if he felt a little creepy asking Kim for the information.

He was honest as he stood in front of the Hertz counter and explained to her what he needed.

Kim looked at him and said, “I'm not supposed to give you any information like that. They're very specific in training. We need a subpoena, and I have to call our legal department.” The whole time she was talking, she typed on a terminal but kept her eyes pretty much on Darren.

Brutus had put his paws up on the counter and laid his head so Kim could reach across and rub it. He had definitely figured this girl out even if Darren hadn't.

Then Kim said, “Hypothetically, no one by the name of Ludner has rented any cars from us.”

Darren smiled as he realized how far out on a limb this girl was going for him. He appreciated it. But that didn't change the fact that he hadn't found out anything useful.

Then Kim said, “I can ask down the row. We all help each other, and they want to help me impress you.” She gave him a wink as she hustled off to the left and talked to the girl at National Rental first.

About five minutes later she came back with notes written on the stationery from Sunshine Rental Vehicles, a small, independent company. Kim said, “Sunshine has horrible records, but they know a guy named Arnold Ludner Jr.” She slid a sheet of paper across the counter to him. “He usually rents a car for three or four days about every two weeks. Always pays in cash. They thought he just traveled for work.”

Darren looked down at the sheet of paper and smiled. It had all the dates going back for the past year. There were almost twenty different rental periods. He looked up and said, “You rock.”

Kim flashed that perfect smile and said, “Yes, I do.”

*   *   *

Claire Perkins had spent her four years at the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office on patrol or in the K-9 unit. She had only done surveillance since working on the temporary duty assignment in the detective bureau. Even though the three Chevy Tahoes that she, Tim Hallett, and Darren Mori drove were unmarked, they were still large white SUVs. The fact that they were following a convicted drug dealer, who was probably looking for surveillance, made their job that much tougher.

She used to think that she'd been raised in a household with a drug culture. Her mom and dad had no problem with marijuana being smoked openly in front of her, and she knew that her dad, especially, used all kinds of other drugs. That was one of the reasons he was constantly changing jobs and also why her mother left him when Claire was a little girl. But seeing these two brothers brought a whole new meaning to the phrase “drug culture.” These guys had combined capitalism and consumerism to make a small fortune. Even if their house didn't show it. With their brother as their lawyer, they weren't losing a lot in attorney fees every time they were arrested.

In a way, she was just going along with this idea to satisfy Tim Hallett and calm him down. Like most everyone else in the sheriff's office, she was not convinced of Arnold Ludner's innocence. There were just too many factors that could explain the attack on Michelle Swirsky while they had Arnold Ludner under surveillance.

Today, they had been following his son for about an hour and half on what looked like regular errands. She had monitored the radio in case they got a call, because this was just something they were doing on the side without any supervisory approval or guidance. They hadn't even told Ruben Vasquez what they were doing. Although she suspected the dog trainer would approve of them working as a team.

Arnold Ludner Jr. drove his gold Toyota Highlander to the jail first. That was to visit his father, she was certain. It also gave them a chance to gas up their vehicles and let the dogs out to run for a few minutes. No visitor in history had ever slipped in and out of the Palm Beach County jail in less than an hour.

Then Ludner made a stop at the grocery store and visited his mother in the neighborhood not far from where Tina Tictin had disappeared. So far, Claire was impressed that the guy would visit both his father and his mother. She knew a lot of men that barely paid attention to their parents.

Then, trying to stay well back of the drug dealer, all three Tahoes followed him into one of the rougher sections of the county, just west of the sheriff's office.

Hallett came over the radio. “I had to drive past him. I'll pick him up if he heads north on Military Trail.”

Darren said, “I'll hang back this way in case he comes back south.”

That left Claire with the “eye.” She loved the slang the detectives assigned to some of their duties. The “eye” was simply the person who had the best view of the subject. It was really the narcotics unit that did most of the surveillance, but she enjoyed getting experience in anything that had to do with police work.