Little Red Haired Girl Ch. 03

Bowser came awake and poked his head up upon hearing his name taken in vain. I said "Do you guys need to go out?" To my amazement, Buddy beat Bowser to the door, despite appearing to have been sound asleep.

I took the dogs out, sitting on the deck in the cold and watching over my Town, the sea of twinkling lights stretching from north to south. I did not want to think; indeed, I wanted to clear my mind as completely as possible, so that I could start fresh and my trains of thought could leave the station in an orderly fashion.

And speaking of trains: as a real train came out of the western horizon and rounded the curve south near BigPharmaCorp, the dogs came back and up to me. I gave them both a lot of good skritchins. Mrs. Franklin, may she rest in peace, had been wrong, and Frieda was right: dogs are awesome.

Part 18 - The Day After

Saturday, February 23d. The shock of her loss was just hitting Frieda, but Susie Haskins got her to eat some breakfast. Frieda also was invited to help feed Betsy, which seemed to make her feel better for a few minutes.

Afterwards, I talked to Cindy as we sat on the deck while the dogs went to do their business.

"Thanks for taking Frieda to the hospital last night." I said.

"No problem." said Cindy. "I don't know how Susie knew, much less why she was so insistent on coming over, but I'm glad she did."

"Maybe she has the vibe, like you and Mrs. Veasley." I said.

"Could be." Cindy said. "So, what are we doing today about all this?"

"I need to talk to Frieda," I said, "and I need you as an official Police witness, if not videographer." I told Cindy my full theory of the attempts on Frieda's life, and the details of the meeting at Headquarters the night before.

"Wow." Cindy said. Then she mused: "It's got to be more than coincidence that it was you that came up behind that Bypass crash, and then you saw the SUV flee the scene, then put the puzzle pieces together."

"Your father would say there are no coincidences in the Universe." I said. "He's right, you know."

"Yes. Yes he is." Cindy replied. "Okay, I'll be ready whenever you are, to talk to Frieda."

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

Cindy and I brought chairs and Frieda to the basement room, and got a couple of lamps to increase the light. Then Cindy began videotaping as I talked to Frieda.

"Frieda," I said, "I know it's going to be hard, but I need to ask you some questions, so we can find out what happened to your parents, okay?"

"Okay." said Frieda, trying hard to be brave. I started by talking to the camera, stating the date and time.

"Frieda, where were you and your parents going last night when the car crash happened?" I asked.

"I think we were going home." said Frieda. "We went out to supper at the seafood restaurant near the Mall. My dad sometimes would drive by the warehouse where he worked, and I thought we might be going there on the way home."

"And that's the Kestrel Motors warehouse?" I asked.

"Yes sir." said Frieda.

We went through the car crash, where Frieda said she was restrained by her seatbelt but was stunned and breathless after the impact. Then she realized the car was on fire, and her parents didn't respond when she called out to them, so she got out of the car and tried to open the door to get her mother out, and that was when Laura and I came up.

"You were very brave to stay and try to open the door to save your mom, with the car on fire like that. And you're very brave and doing very well now." I said. "Let me ask you this: did you notice anyone following you or your parents this past week?"

"No sir." said Frieda.

"Did you notice anyone looking at you funny, staring at you?" I asked.

"Well..." said Frieda, obviously trying to remember something.

"If you can remember, please tell us." I said, coaxing her.

"It wasn't this week." said Frieda. "It was before the car hit Mr. Barker on the Square."

"That's fine." I said. "Go ahead and tell me."

"We were coming home after having supper at my dad's boss's house in Nextdoor County." said Frieda. "It was raining that night."

Cindy said "It rained pretty hard on February 12th, when we were at the Council Meeting."

"Was it a Tuesday night?" I asked Frieda.

"I think so." Frieda said. "My dad wanted to ride by the warehouse. He said he thought his workers were slacking off. I was feeling sad because my mom said I couldn't have a dog..." She stopped a moment, and I thought she might start crying. She tried to rally, saying "I'm sorry..."

"It's okay." I said soothingly. "Take your time."

After a few seconds, Frieda said "I was looking out the window at the warehouse on the other side of the street from my dad's. It was dark, but I saw some people in a doorway. I remember one of them looking right at me as our car drove by."

"And you were sitting on the right side of the car, behind your mom?" I asked.

"Yes sir." said Frieda.

"How many people were there?" I asked.

"There were three people." Frieda said. "One was a woman, an Asian woman. One man had a ski cap on. He was shorter than you, Mr. Crowbar, but he had big shoulders like you do. And he was really mean looking. The man that looked at me was older. He was wearing a nice suit and tie, like my dad would wear to work."

Something in her words had struck me. I looked at Cindy, then got out my Police iPhone and said "Frieda, I'm going to show you a photograph." I brought up the photo of Shimono, Paco, and Barsbane, and showed it to Frieda. "Were these guys the ones you saw?"

Frieda looked at the photo and her eyes widened. "Yes! Well, the woman is the same, and the guy in the middle is the mean looking guy."

"What about the third guy, the one on the right?" I asked.

"No, he wasn't there." Frieda said. "The man looking at me looked better than that, and was wearing a nicer suit."

I held up my iPhone so that Cindy could video the photo as I said "This is a photo the FBI sent me, showing Tomoko Shimono, Paco Domingo, and Jerry Barsbane. Frieda just identified Tomoko Shimono and Paco as the persons she saw at the warehouse."

I turned back to Frieda. "Have you ever seen that third man before that night? Somewhere else, maybe?"

"He... he looked familiar," Frieda said, trying very hard to remember, "but I can't remember where I saw him before."

"That's okay." I said. "Frieda, you have done very, very well, and what you've told me may help us find some bad guys. You're a very brave girl."

With that, we wrapped up. "Get that into the evidence servers as fast as you can." I said to Cindy.

"Transmitting already." Cindy replied.

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

I took care of the important stuff first. I called DFACS and asked for an appointment with the office's manager or leader. Mr. Wilton, a middle-aged black man who had a long career in State Government service, met me and Cindy at the DFACS office.

"So you believe this young lady was the target of an assassination attempt, Commander?" he asked me.

"Yes sir." I said. "I believe both the car crash on the Square, which took my Officer's life as he threw Frieda out of the way, and the car crash on the Bypass were both attempts to kill Frieda. I think she saw something she was not supposed to see, which she told us about when we talked to her this morning. The gist of it is, sir, that I want to keep her in protective custody. My wife and I will be glad to keep her for the time being."

"We can grant that, at least for a short time." said Mr. Wilton. "But while I know of your high integrity, Commander Troy, you and your wife would have to apply to foster in order to keep Ms. Franklin for more than about 72 hours, and the process just isn't that fast"

"Sir," said Cindy, "I applied to foster some months ago, and it was approved, and I'm fostering a baby girl that I'm in the process of formally adopting. Can Frieda also stay with me?"

"You would have a head start on the process, Commander Ross," said Mr. Wilton, "but since you've accepted a child, some of the process would have to begin again. We may be able to reach an accommodation that would suit the need for the girl's security as well as find her a home to be placed in. A couple applied to foster last week after their son was killed, and we're wrapping up the approval now."

"The Barkers?" I asked, feeling very sure. Mr. Wilton looked at me funny.

"Why, yes." he said. "How did you know?"

"He's a very good Detective, sir." said Cindy. "He amazes all of us, as well."

"I now see why you have such a formidable reputation, Mr. Iron Crowbar." said Mr. Wilton, perhaps with a bit of consternation in his voice. "Yes, the Barkers... the parents of your Police Officer that died. Please do extend my personal condolences as well as those of the Department of Family and Children's Services to your Police Department."

"Thank you very much." I said. "I'll relay that to the Force."

"The only issue is..." said Mr. Wilton, "Well, we're going to have to check with the psychologists to determine if putting Frieda in the family home of the Officer that save her life and died right in front of her is the right thing to do."

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

As Cindy and I were driving to Police Headquarters, I said "I happen to know that Dr. Yates will be one of the psychologists that DFACS will ask about Frieda. I'm not going to try to influence him, but at least I'll know ahead of time what will happen with that."

"Things can get very tricky with DFACS." Cindy said. "I know you won't tell a soul this, and you probably already know, but my father might've been more than a little... influential... in getting me custody of Betsy. And he was all over it when Woodburn tried to have them take Betsy from me."

I nodded, though realizing that another train of thought was boarding at the station: Cindy's use of pronouns in those sentences.

"So how is Callie liking the new addition to the family?" I asked nonchalantly.

"Oh, she loves Betsy." Cindy said. "As much as I do. I think being a mom is growing on her like it has me."

"Good." I said. "I keep needling Jack and Tanya about this, so I guess I'll needle you, too: when are you going to set a wedding date?"

Cindy smiled a little smile. "We're going to have a party to announce it soon. We've set the date: Sunday, June 16th."

"Congratulations." I said. "I'll keep the secret until you announce it. Anyway, you may be right about DFACS. We'll just have to see how that works out. But I do know one thing... I am keeping Frieda Franklin under my protection, until I can find out what's going on around here."

"You've drilled me to know where all the streets and businesses in this Town are." Cindy said. "The building in which Frieda saw those perps, including Tomoko Shimono, or whoever she is... is the BigAgraFoods warehouse. Where Mitt Willis played that music box song to you, and where I ambushed... due to an alleged sighting of the alleged Tomoko Shimono. Obviously a coincidence, dontcha think?"

I chuckled out loud at Cindy's pawky vein of humor. "Obviously quite a number of them." I replied.

"And the BigAgraFoods warehouse is to me what the Ward Harvester warehouse was to you... a bad, bad place." Cindy said.

"True, that." I said. We pulled into the gated parking lot next to Police Headquarters. "Okay, time to go to work..."

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

Going into Headquarters, Cindy headed to her office. I found two MCD Detectives at their desks: Theo Washington and Julia Rodriguez.

"Sir," Rodriguez said as I came into the room, "I was just looking at the interview with Frieda that Commander Ross just posted to the servers. Can I see the photo to which you were referring?"

"I'm going to post it up to the evidence servers now." I said, sitting down at the back desk which had a computer I could log into. I took out my Police iPhone and uploaded the picture, then put in all the necessary documentation on it as well as a confidentiality seal, which meant only authorized Officers such as the Leadership and MCD Detectives could access it.

"Rodriguez," I said when I was finished, "I want you to put out APBs on Tomoko Shimono, or a woman that may be using the alias of Tomoko Shimono. I also want you to put out a high priority APB to this entire State and every State that borders ours for Paco Domingo, with a concentration on the northwest part of our State. I strongly believe Paco is in the area."

"Yes sir." Julia said, turning to her computer to begin the process.

"And when you're done," I said, "knock on the door to my office. I want you to go with me to County Jail..."

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

"Shaw's in County Jail." said Julia Rodriguez as she looked around my Police SUV as we drove towards County Jail. "He's on keepaway status and isolated. He's had a rough time detoxing from his alcohol dependence; the doctors have visited him daily."

"That's good, actually." I said. "The doctors will be able to testify that we're not harming him while he's in our custody."

I had phoned ahead, so right as we got to the anteroom, Wayne Shaw was being brought into County Jail's Interrogation-1. His Court-appointed attorney, Dexter Epstein, also came in. Epstein was extremely incompetent, I thought to myself; he could fuck this whole thing up if we weren't careful. Detective Rodriguez and I went into the room and sat down opposite them.

"What is this about?" asked Epstein.

"Mr. Epstein," I said, "if you want to have any chance to clear your client of vehicular homicide charges, I would suggest you sit there with your mouth shut while I ask your client one question, and then follow-ups."

"You can ask me." said Epstein. "I've advised my client not to speak, and for me to answer questions for him."

"Detective Rodriguez," I said, addressing Julia, "this is why Mr. Epstein is going to get his client convicted." I then took out my Police iPhone, brought up the photo of the three in the bar, and showed it to Shaw.

"Mr. Shaw," I asked, "do you recognize any of the persons in this photograph?"

"Don't answer that!" said Epstein. Fortunately for himself, Shaw was looking at the photo.

"Yeah, that guy in the middle." said Shaw. "I've seen him before." Epstein was about to say something, but he caught my eyes boring into him, and wisely said nothing.

"When did you see him?" I asked.

"He... he's the guy that was talking to me in the bar!" Shaw said, remembering. "He's the one who bought me the bottle of bourbon!"

"Did he give you a name?" I asked.

"Not that I remember." said Shaw.

I held up my iPhone to the camera, and gave the evidence number of the photo in the digital servers. "Let the record show that Mr. Shaw identified the man in the middle, Paco Domingo." I said.

"Did you ever see this man before that Friday night?" I asked Shaw. "Maybe in a bar, or following you on the street near where you live?"

"Naw." said Shaw forlornly. "Just that night."

"Okay." I said. "Mr. Shaw, you're still in a lot of trouble... a lahht of trouble. But if you can get better legal representation than this dirtbag, you may have a chance to avoid a life sentence in prison."

"Hey!" barked Epstein as he realized it was him I was calling a dirtbag. He said it to my back; I was already on my way out, with Julia Rodriguez following.

As we drove back, Julia said "He was set up, sir?"

"That is a possibility." I said. "That izzzz... a possibility..."

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

1:00pm, Saturday, February 23d. My Police iPhone rang. It was FBI Special Agent in Charge Jack Muscone. He did not waste time nor words getting to the point.

"What's going on with this APB on Paco and Tomoko Shimono?" Jack asked.

"They've been sighted in this area recently." I said. "I have an eyewitness confirmation... and someone has attempted to murder that eyewitness... twice. Paco was also identified as the man who bought Wayne Shaw alcohol the night before Shaw drove his car into Officer Barker on the Square."

"Oh, wow." said Muscone. "Tell you what... you and every Officer with a security clearance, come on over to the Federal Building at 2:00pm. I wouldn't be saying it this way if it weren't a vital thing..."

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

The new FBI Resident Agency in the Federal Building in Courthouse Square had undergone some changes under its new Supervisory Agent, Melina Troy Allgood. There was a bigger plexiglass 'cube' with a bigger conference table inside it. And that was a good thing today.

Present at the meeting at 2:00pm were Sheriff Griswold, Chief Moynahan, Your Iron Crowbar (me), Cindy Ross, Teresa Croyle, Joanne Warner, Jack Muscone, Melina Allgood, Martin Nash, Dwight Stevens, and an older man to whom I was introduced as DEA Special Agent In Charge Rutherford Lyndon.

Lyndon was short, had developed some girth around his belly, and sported a full 'Santa Claus' white beard to accompany his sparse white hair on his dead. He wore a houndstooth fedora hat like Alabama Coach Bear Bryant always wore. His dark eyes were piercing. I met his stare at me with my own piercing look.

"It's a huge honor to meet you, Commander." said Lyndon as we shook hands. "I've heard a lot about you. And that bust you made of that school teacher and her gang... that'll be the stuff of legend before too long. Marvelous job!"

"Thank you, sir." I said. "I've heard of you and your reputation, as well, and it's an honor to meet you." Indeed, in addition to stinging a dirty U.S. Senator, Lyndon had a reputation of making some huge drug busts nationally, the biggest and most well-known being a massive haul at La Guardia Airport in New York, which greatly irritated the NYC Mob. I instinctively felt that Rutherford Lyndon was one of the 'good guys', like the retired FBI Deputy Director.

Then Supervisory Agent Melina Troy asked us all to go into the 'Cube Room' and take seats around the table for us to talk. It was a fairly tight fit, the larger cube notwithstanding. Non-disclosure paperwork came first, leading to my observation and deduction that this was a big eff'ing deal (BFD).

"What this meeting is about," said FBI Special Agent in Charge Jack Muscone, "is the situation with the Three Amigos in that photograph and the APB the TCPD put out on two of them. Dwight?"

"Thank you, sir." said DEA Special Agent Dwight Stevens. "Since that photo was taken of the so-called 'Three Amigos' in Turpin Heights, we have been attempting to determine what, if anything, they are doing together. We've also been trying to keep it quiet, so as not to spook them while we find them and do surveillance on them. But that... got blown out of the water when the TCPD put out those APBs this morning." Everyone looked over at me.

"I hope you're not expecting an apology for that." I said. "This woman, allegedly Tomoko Shimono, and especially the middle-man Paco, have been sighted in my County, and he is wanted as a possible if not likely murder suspect."

"Murder?" asked Muscone. "Who did he murder?"

"Three people." I said. "Officer Barker and Frieda Franklin's parents. If you want to get technical, it's murder in the first degree in the commission of felonies: two attempts to murder Frieda Franklin."

"Why is he trying to kill Frieda?" asked Muscone, wanting me to answer as much or the sake of the others in the room as for himself.

"I have reason to believe that she saw something she was not supposed to see." I said. "She didn't realize it, and still may not. But someone, and I believe it was Paco here, has attempted to kill her through proxies. Wayne Shaw, who was driving the car that slammed into Barker, identified Paco as the person who bought him alcohol the night before that crash. And the car he was driving may have been tampered with. And Frieda identified Paco and Shimono as persons she saw at an abandoned warehouse as her family was driving by it."