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  • Eyes Only Ch. 02

Eyes Only Ch. 02

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The chronological order of my stories is now listed in WifeWatchman's biography.

Feedback and constructive criticism is very much appreciated, and I encourage feedback for ideas.

This story contains graphic scenes, language and actions that might be extremely offensive to some people. These scenes, words and actions are used only for the literary purposes of this story. The author does not condone murder, racial language, violence, rape or violence against women, and any depictions of any of these in this story should not be construed as acceptance of the above.

Part 5 - Monday Morning Blues

Author's note: Peanut-butter-jelly time... i.e. groundwork. Hope you're not bored, and it will get better...

"This is Bettina Wurtzburg, KXTC Channel Two News!" shouted the lovely redheaded reporterette at 7:00am, Monday October 19th. "The Town & County Police have no new leads in the murder at the Cub Club last weekend. Channel Two News has learned that the victim's name is David Collins, an unemployed business manager who was known by others in the Punk Scene of the Tenderloin District. Police have found no motive for why Mr. Collins was targeted in the attack.

"Channel Two News has also learned that the autopsy revealed that two men stabbed Mr. Collins. Videotape of the incident was obtained from the Club, but Police are not saying whether they were able to gather any information from those tapes."

Bettina continued: "In other news, the Town & County Council will meet tomorrow night to hear the Study Group's recommendations for revising the rank structure of the Town & County Public Safety Department. The Fire Department is not expected to encounter changes, but are pushing for fewer and lower EMT ranks within the Fire Department. As for the Police Force, Channel Two News has learned that big changes may be on the way for Commander Donald Troy's Detectives. And now let's go to Nick Eastwood for the Sports report. Nick?"

"Thank you, Bettina!" said Nick Eastwood, reporting live from the Athletic Complex on the University Campus. "Channel Two Sports has learned that the Athletic Board is meeting later this week. The University lost 34-6 to Protestant College, one of the perennial doormats of the Conference along with State Tech. This was the University's first loss to Protestant in sixteen years, and Coach Russ Bronson will really be feeling the heat to turn things around, and quickly. The Bulldogs travel to play the Wildcats in two weeks, with the Wildcats having an open date this Saturday."

Nick Eastwood then became more somber as he said "State Tech is now 4-2 after their win over Taco State, a Division II school from Texas. State Tech fans are beginning to say that they're looking forward to playing the intra-state rival Bulldogs, sensing an opportunity to steal a win after many consecutive years of stinging defeats at the hands of the Bulldogs..."

"I can stand losing to the Wildcats; at least they are a good team." Cindy said as we drank coffee in MCD. "But we had better beat State Tech, if I have to go down there and whip their asses myself to make it happen."

"I'll be glad to help you stick some crowbars up Tech's ass," I said, "after what those pricks did to Nick Eastwood last year." There was a murmur of agreement.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

At 8:00am, the meeting of Crowbar's Angels took place in my office. Obviously the first agenda item was the David Collins case.

"So what do we have so far, Ms. Perlman?" I asked.

"We've eliminated Reynolds as a suspect." said Tanya. "Theo and Parker interviewed him yesterday. They said he's very articulate, friendly, and they don't understand why he's working in an absolute dump like Whippet's."

"Let me say something to that." said Cindy. "He is a member of my gym and works out there frequently. He's taken some mixed martial arts classes, as well. He seems very soft-spoken, articulate, quiet, like some of the NFL guys that go on to do well in the Media. He's also pretty charming and sounds very credible and believable in what he says."

"But he has occasional anger issues." Cindy continued. "He's punched some people out, gotten into brawls, and has enough of a record that he can't be hired by a police force or security for businesses firms and such. And his smooth talking ways are deceptive, also; he's not on the up-and-up all the time, he'll lie to you in a heartbeat if he thinks it'll give him an advantage. Having said all that, I still don't see him as a cold-blooded killer, especially not one for hire."

"So how was he eliminated as a suspect?" I asked.

"Whippet's had timestamped video footage of him being there, at Whippet's, at the same time Collins was dropping to the floor at the Cub Club. That also goes for the manager, Butch Harmony." Tanya said. Myron thinks it's a good and legit video, too."

Tanya continued: "The Day Manager also said he was there and Reynolds was there, and gave Theo an affidavit to that effect. Butch Harmony gave them other names of workers who could vouch for Reynolds's presence. The manager said that if a few patrons allow it, he'll give us their names, too."

"So they make video available to Police very readily, have people ready to vouch for Reynolds, even the Day Manager making sure to be there at night. They either are telling the truth and he's really innocent, or they're working hard to cover for him." I said, then wistfully added "I do wish I'd been there myself for those interviews."

"Commander, you gotta let your people do their jobs." Cindy said. "You can't do it all yourself."

"You're right, but I can and should be able to tell what's important enough that I should be there." I replied. "That's not a knock on the Detectives, but I do observe things, and I also can't teach others to elevate their game if I'm not there to see what to teach. And here's an example: what is Reynolds's relationship with Velasquez? Does Reynolds do extra work for Velasquez? If not, does Reynolds know if Velasquez hires other people for odd jobs, personal jobs, and if so, who are those people?"

Tanya was peering at me as she said "Commander, they did ask if Reynolds knew Velasquez, and he said he did because Velasquez comes into Whippet's from time to time to talk with the manager about the business. Reynolds said he knew Velasquez but had not spoken to him in a while, and the manager said that Velasquez usually talks to the managers and not Reynolds or the other staff. Overall, sir, Washington and Parker did just fine with this."

"Okay," I said, not mollified but needing to move forward, "what else?"

Tanya said "I organized a number of Precinct One cops to go in plainclothes to the Cub Club. Mary got them outfitted in light Punk wear, so they didn't stand out like sore thumbs. They said that it was pretty busy, and all of the chatter was about the murder the previous night. There were tighter checks for weapons, but other than that it was what would be described as typical for that Club. And nobody there said they knew who the victim was nor who the perps were; everyone was saying that all those involved weren't normal patrons of the club."

"Not surprised about that," I said, "but a good job organizing that and getting the information. It's helpful in its own way. Anything on C.I.s?"

Teresa said "My guys are starting to reach out to confidential informants. It'll take time, since we don't want to burn anyone. So far, we're getting nothing. There's been no vibe in the Underground about any of this, and it appears everyone is shocked about it."

"What about Velasquez?" I asked.

"He's disappeared." said Tanya. "He lives in a small home in a lower middle class neighborhood in the southwest of Town, not part of the Southwestern Ghetto, but south of where those dogs were killed a few weeks ago. Precinct Two sent officers to pick him up Saturday, but he wasn't home. So they've had patrol cars go by every few hours, especially in the evenings. No lights on in the house at all, no car in the driveway at any time. They're going to drop in on his business address as well as Whippet's again this morning to see if he shows up, but it looks like he's flown."

"I've got more on Velasquez, too, Commander." said Cindy. "Myron and our new guy, David Krueger, did some digging yesterday. Velasquez and his company, W.C.S. Solutions, are in some financial trouble. Whippet's was doing a little better after they converted from a gay bar to a straight club, but they're still not profitable. Velasquez bought into them to keep them afloat, but it may not be working out.

Cindy went on: "Velasquez also bought into a club in Midtown. It apparently looked like a good deal, but David thinks someone fleeced him: they showed him good but fake numbers when in reality that club is doing very poorly, also. So Velasquez might be the one left holding the bag."

"Financial problems." I said. "Always a potential motive for crime. Any correlations with the victim?"

"No sir." said Cindy. "David Krueger, who Myron is calling 'The Guru' now, pushed hard to see patterns, but found none. Collins never went to any BDSM clubs that we're aware of. Krueger thinks Collins didn't have any real friends. He wasn't with anyone else at the Cub Club the night he died, and no one at all checked on him when he was lying on the floor. Kreuger said he'd expect friends to at least check on the guy instead of fleeing."

"Good point." I said. "What did 'The Guru' think of Collins's various college majors?"

"Funny you asked that." said Tanya. "I expected David to say it showed Collins didn't know what he wanted to do, that he couldn't make up his mind, and was drifting even then. But he said that someone with those interests could become something like a recruiter for a scientific research firm."

"Where does 'ceramics' fit into that?" asked Teresa.

"Materials Engineering." I said. "State Tech used to have a Ceramic Engineering degree, but there are too few jobs for that. There were so few people majoring in it that the School cannibalized it into their overall Materials Engineering program. I can see where 'The Guru' was going with that idea."

Everyone nodded and then I asked "Who are Velasquez's partners in this W.C.S. group?"

"According to State records," said Cindy, "he is the majority partner at 60%. There are ten other shareholders listed, sometimes little LLC entities, sometimes personal names. We're making our lists and checking them twice, but so far we have not found anything."

"Okay, ladies," I said, "just a quick check, and 'not enough data' is not the answer. What do y'all think of this crime?"

Teresa went first. "Revenge for some past issue that we don't know about yet. If Velasquez is having money problems, maybe he tried to do a drug deal with this Collins loser and it went bad. But I can't see any other reason. On the face of it, it's senseless."

Tanya said "I have two ideas. First, Collins saw or heard something he wasn't supposed to, and the two perps very quickly moved to eliminate him. I know the video evidence doesn't suggest they were watching him, but maybe something happened in the bathroom, or somewhere else."

"Second, I'm trying to put together a scenario that fits the data, but this may be off in left field. I'm thinking that Velasquez and T-Square are not friends. Velasquez's operations are going badly, while T-Square's are doing well. So Velasquez decides that killing someone in one of T-Square's clubs will cause T-Square bad publicity, bring down Police, and maybe drive customers to Velasquez's bar. Pretty farfetched, I know, but if Velasquez is desperate enough to commit murder, maybe that would be part of his thinking."

"Not bad." I said. "It's good to use imagination and see what you can come up with. And there might be a kernel of truth in what you've just said. Cindy?"

"I think Teresa's word 'senseless' is what best describes this." Cindy said. "Even leaving Velasquez out of it, if we can't find something from Collins's past to suggest why someone would want to savagely butcher him like that, then what we are left with, however improbable, is that this was just a killing for the sake of killing, maybe just to see if they could do it and get away with it. Otherwise, I agree with what Tanya said, that he heard or saw something and was very quickly rubbed out for it."

"That's good. Very good." I said. "There's good and bad in every one of y'all's ideas, especially the 'senseless' part. If he'd heard or seen something, I think they'd have murdered him somewhere else, even in the parking lot, rather than in front of a whole lot of people. If they had a past beef with him, I likewise suggest they would've taken care of it in a much less public medium, and a much less public and obvious way."

I sat up straight in my chair and said "Cindy, get with Wes Masters. I want all three Precincts to beef up patrols, especially in the evening and night hours when the clubs around Town are in full swing. I also want everyone to intensify the manhunt for Velasquez. It is important that we find him, and quickly."

"So spill it, Crowbar 1." Cindy ordered. "What are you thinking? You sound like you think this might happen again."

"Yes, that's right." I said. "I am thinking... that what happened last night was some kind of dress rehearsal, and that there will be another murder, and soon, if we don't find Velasquez. And it is the intended victim of that crime that will be the answer to this case."

Part 6 - The Fast and the Slow

At 9:00am, Helena buzzed me. "It's the Governor, sir. Returning your call." I took the call, of course.

"Hello, Governor, thank you for calling me back." I said.

"You said it was urgent." replied the Governor.

"Yes sir, it is." I said. "I need for you to facilitate something for me. It might be something that saves lives..."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

At 11:30am, still Monday, October 19th, I pulled up in my Police SUV in front of Whippet's, Cindy Ross in tow. As we got out of the vehicle and looked at the place, we could see that it was getting shabbier.

"Not a bad location for a decent club." Cindy said. "It's a good property. Could even put a halfway decent restaurant here. I'd bet Weinstein would love to put that in, to go along with his strip joint right down the road. Heck, that might just be a motive for something..."

"That is true." I said. We went inside. A muscular young man in a leather vest and pants was at the front desk. We were wearing police uniforms, and he just looked at us.

"I need to speak with your security guy Reynolds." I said.

"He's not here." the guy said. I'd already observed that he had pressed a button under the edge of his podium.

"Bullshit." I said. "Get him or the manager out here right now."

"All right, all right." said the manager, actually the Day Manager, coming into the anteroom from the main part of the club. He was short and fat, his fingers stained with nicotine. "I'm Bruce, the day manager here. I handle the nuts and bolts of running the place for Butch Harmony, the overall Manager. What can I do for you officers?"

"I want to speak to Reynolds." I said.

"Your guys talked to him the other day." said Bruce.

"And we want to follow up." I said.

"All right." said Bruce agreeably. "Come this way." We followed the rotund manager into the main area then off to the right side and through a door. Going down a long hallway that stretched along the right side of the building, we were soon at an office. The door was open, and I saw a tall, bald, handsome black man sitting behind the desk.

"Reynolds, more cops to talk to you."

"Sure." said Reynolds in a baritone but clear voice. "Is that you, Ms. Ross? I work out in your gym all the time. Great place, much nicer than the crap place the Viscottis run right down the road."

"Thanks." said Cindy. "This is Commander Troy. He wants to follow up with you about some things."

"The Iron Crowbar." said Reynolds. "Everyone's heard of you." he said as he got up and came around the desk, offering to shake hands. "It's good to meet you."

"Likewise." I said, shaking his hand. "Are we interrupting you?"

"No, not at all." said Reynolds. "I was changing out the tapes from last night. If you wanted something from them, it's too late now."

"No, that's not why we're here." I said. "I just want to confirm that you were here last Friday night around midnight?"

"Yes sir." said Reynolds. "My manager told the other cops-- er, officers that were here. Everyone saw me."

"Yes, I heard." I said. "Do you know a guy, short, black hair, thin goatee, goes by 'Velasquez'?"

"Oh yeah, sure." said Reynolds. "He's invested money in this place. He comes around every so often, talks to the manager mostly."

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"Last Thursday afternoon, I think." said Reynolds.

"Has he ever hired you to do other jobs?" I asked. "Personal jobs, or security work in other clubs?"

"No, not me." Reynolds said. "I told him if he had other work for me, to let me know. I could always use the money. But he only has me working here."

"Do you know of any other people he might hire for other jobs? For transient or temporary jobs?"

"No, I wouldn't know if he did." said Reynolds. "The manager might."

"Not me." said the manager, who had stayed with us during the interview. "But he did ask me a few weeks ago if I knew of anyone who would be a good personal bodyguard. I said Reynolds here, but he said Reynolds was already doing good work at the club here, and he wanted someone that could travel around with him. I told him to ask our staff here at the club, see if any of the guys was into that kind of work, and he never said anything else to me about it."

"Sounds good." I said. "Thanks for talking with us. Captain, you have anything you want to ask?"

"Just this." said Cindy. "Have either of you heard of any threats from or to any of your clientele?"

"God, no!" gasped Bruce the manager. "We run a clean club here. Safewords and everything."

"He's right." said Reynolds. "Anything gets out of hand, my guys stop it quick."

"I get that." said Cindy. "But you haven't heard of anyone looking for someone, saying someone owes them, anything like that?" Both guys said they had not.

"If you do hear anything, let us know." I said. "As much as it keeps me in business, I hate having to investigate murders. And also, if Velasquez shows up or calls either of you, give me a call. I need to talk to him, also, and there might be some reward money in it for either of you if I can find him and talk to him."

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

"That was interesting." I said as we got back in my Police SUV. "Good question about possible threats to someone, and they misinterpreted it. That actually is good, shows innocence."

"Reynolds was lying, though." said Cindy. "You could see how friendly he can be, but I could see in his eyes that he knows more than he's telling."

"I agree." I said. "I get the feeling that Reynolds not only was asked about someone as a personal bodyguard, he may have given suggestions. And that's why I wanted to talk to him... see his facial expressions and his eyes. As you said, he wasn't giving us the whole story."

"Yep." said Cindy as we drove up University Avenue. "Don, can I speak freely?"

"Cindy, you can always speak freely with me when we're alone like this." I replied as I turned down a side street.

"I know, but this is an issue." she said. "Don, I know, and your Angels know, that you are a fair judge of your people, maybe sometimes a bit demanding in your expectations, but we know that's because you want to get the most out of us. I also know that you are not a racist, and that any problem you have with Theo Washington is not because he is black."

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