A/N: A loving, supportive family has always been the goal. But life is not a Norman Rockwell painting and reality rarely measures up to our ideal.
Major Crimes was enjoying a rare, relaxed lunch together. The talk soon turned to family, which reminded Lt. Tao of something. "Chief, my wife and I want to take our son surfing in Hawaii. When do we need to get our vacation requests in?" he asked while everyone was eating the tacos that Sanchez and Buzz had brought back from a food truck down the street.
"Chief Pope hasn't given me a deadline yet, but the Fourth of July is comin up so if you have plans, get it in soon because he'll be askin me for a schedule," Brenda replied.
As if on cue, Brenda's phone rang so she put down the rest of her taco and licked the sauce from her fingers as she walked back into her office. Sure enough, her caller ID showed that it was Will.
"Yes, Will. What can I do for you?"
"Brenda, there's been a murder. Bart Wellman."
"I've heard that name. Who is he?"
"A slip-and-fall attorney."
"Oh, the guy who wears a cowboy hat and rides a horse?"
"That's the one. His body was found behind one of his horse barns this morning. So, I need you and your squad to get out there. Oh, and wear your boots. He was found buried in a pile of horse manure."
"Lovely. I'm soooo glad we're all eatin lunch right now," she said sarcastically. "All right, we're on our way."
When they pulled into the Wellman ranch Brenda, looking at the expanse of horse barns and paddocks, said, "He certainly loved horses, didn't he?" Exiting the car she was hit by the early heat wave and high humidity.
They were met by a profusely perspiring Det. Carl from the Topanga Division who briefed Brenda. "It looks like Wellman was buried alive in a manure pile behind the barn, although the coroner's assistant is just now starting his examination. We had to dig him out of the shit so Kendall could get to him."
"Buried alive? In a manure pile?" Provenza let out a low whistle. "I'd say someone was trying to make a statement."
"It looks that way, Lieutenant. When we got here, one arm was sticking out of the manure and it looked like he was trying to lift his head up too."
"Who found the body?" Brenda asked while wrinkling her nose at the mental image.
"A friend of his from back east. He said he was coming to visit and that the housekeeper had told him that Mr. Wellman was probably exercising the horses."
"All right. Detective Flynn, would you please find this friend and take him downtown and get his statement and hold him there for me? I'm gonna have a look at the victim. Lieutenant Tao, please gather up the computers and cell phones. And would someone find out about our victim's family? Thank you, gentlemen." And Brenda walked around to the side of the barn where Kendall was examining the body.
"Kendall, do you have a time of death?" she asked while swatting at the flies circling her head.
"It's hard to tell. The grave was shallow, but the manure was fresh and the warmth kept his body temp up. It probably delayed the onset of rigor mortis. But it has begun to set in. It's only an estimate, but I'd say he died between 6:00 PM last night and 6:00 AM this morning."
"That's an awfully wide time frame, Kendall. Will you be able to narrow it down?"
"The coroner might be able to narrow it somewhat but it's going to be difficult, given the circumstances."
"Do you have a preliminary cause of death?"
"Probably suffocation since it looks like he was buried alive. I don't see any gunshot wounds but he sustained a blow to the back of the head. It doesn't look like it was hard enough to kill him, though."
"Thank you, Kendall. Buzz, please document not only the body, but the site where he was found. And, Detective Sanchez, please get the housekeeper's statement. I'm gonna go back to the office and see what our witness has to say."
"Yes, ma'am." Buzz wrinkled his nose and swatted at flies. "I think I need another job," he said disgustedly.
"Believe me, I'm thinkin the same thang," Brenda said as she turned to leave.
"Chief, before you leave, you might want to see this," Gabriel said while standing in the barn's doorway. Brenda followed him inside where Gabriel pointed to a pool of blood soaked into the straw and some drag marks leading to the barn's rear door.
"So this is probably where he sustained that blow to the back of his head and then was dragged out to that manure pile. Please ask Buzz to document this as well, Sargent. Thank you," she said as she walked to the rear door and looked at the drag marks leading to the manure pile.
When they arrived back at the station Lieutenant Flynn said with a smile, "Chief, our witness is a securities broker and he's from Atlanta so you might be able to communicate with him in his native tongue."
Brenda shot him a mildly annoyed look and asked, "In that case, I'm assumin you found a translator? May I read his statement, please?"
"Sure," and he handed the handwritten statement to her.
Brenda immediately recognized the handwriting and hurriedly turned the page to confirm the signature: Edward Harper.
Flynn saw her shocked expression and asked, "Is something wrong, Chief?"
Brenda ignored his question and turned to Gabriel, "Sargent, may I see you in my office, please?" Once inside her office with the door closed, Brenda said "Sargent, I'd like you to interview the witness."
This departure from routine puzzled Gabriel. "Sure, Chief. But can you tell me why?"
"Because I don't think I'd get very far with him. Mr. Harper is my ex-husband."
Gabriel was surprised but just nodded and walked toward the door.
"Sargent, please don't mention me durin your interview. Thank you," Brenda said.
Again, Gabriel nodded and walked into the Interview Room.
It's definitely him, Brenda thought as she and the rest of the squad watched the monitor from the Electronics Room.
She heard Ed state that he had recently been appointed the CEO of his hedge fund company and was in the process of transferring all of his clients to other associates.
When Gabriel asked him why he couldn't do that with a telephone call instead of a visit to Los Angeles, Ed replied, "Bart and I are... were... friends and he had invited me to come to Los Angeles on vacation. We had planned to attend one of his horse shows and then tour the best golf courses on the west coast."
"Are you involved with horses too, Mr. Harper?"
"Not at all. I was just gonna attend a show with Bart," Ed explained.
"You played golf together?"
"Are these questions necessary? I don't see the relevance and you're wastin my time," Ed said.
"If you'll just answer the questions we'll be done more quickly, sir. Did you play golf with Mr. Wellman?"
"Yes, whenever we got together, which wasn't often, given that he moved to Los Angeles about four years ago."
"Where did he live before that?"
"He lived in Nevada for a time and had his law practice in both states. Do you think one of his clients could have killed him?" Ed asked.
"He had a pretty successful practice. Why would one of his clients kill him?" Gabriel replied.
"I don't know. Maybe someone didn't win as much money as he wanted? Or maybe it was someone he sued? I don't think I should have to solve this murder for you."
As Gabriel chuckled and asked how he had met Mr. Wellman, Brenda thought, He's still the same old arrogant SOB.
The rest of the interview consisted of Ed saying that they had been friends for about five years and that he knew nothing about any disgruntled clients, Wellman's other friends, or his lawsuits, and that when he had discovered the body he immediately called 911 on his cell phone. Before letting him go, Gabriel told him that he shouldn't plan on leaving LA and that the LAPD was going to check his golf clubs.
"You mean you're gonna take them? Why?" Ed was obviously more upset at losing his golf clubs than he was at losing his friend.
"Yes, we're going to check them to see if any of them could have been the murder weapon."
"You can't do that. I need those clubs."
"Yes, sir, we can. I'm sorry for any inconvenience."
"How long will it take?" Ed was angry.
"A few days."
"Some thangs never change," Brenda slipped and spoke out loud. Buzz looked up at her but she didn't acknowledge him and he didn't ask any questions.
But Flynn did. "Chief, do you know this jerk?"
Brenda saw her squad's questioning expressions and, realizing that they were eventually going to find out the truth, she sighed and said, "Yes, Lieutenant. He's my ex-husband."
They all looked at her in surprise but she said nothing further. She just turned back to the monitor and Provenza's warning look and raised finger let Flynn know that the subject was closed.
While Gabriel was eliciting Ed's alibi that he had been in his hotel's bar all last night, Tao broke the silence. "Chief, SID discovered a shovel covered with manure and some blood buried in straw inside one of the barn's stalls. They're testing it to see if it's Wellman's blood."
"Thank you, Lieutenant Tao. To be safe, make sure SID tests Mr. Harper's golf clubs too, please. And would you please obtain a photo so we can take it to the bartender and confirm his alibi? Detective Flynn, please get that photograph and pay a visit to Mr. Harper's hotel. And, Detective Sanchez, please roll his prints. Thank you."
Brenda then retreated to her office. "I wonder how long I can prevent him from discoverin that I'm here," she said to herself as she closed the blinds.
Her thoughts were interrupted by her ringing phone. It was Fritz.
"Hi, Fritzi. What's up?"
"I understand that Bart Wellman has been murdered."
"That's right. I just got the case this afternoon. Why?"
"We have a flag on him."
"How come?"
"A few of his clients in both California and Nevada have complained that they were cheated on the settlements of their lawsuits. I'm on my way over to your office now."
"Ok, but please come up the back way."
"Why?"
"Just come up the back way, please," Brenda replied in an aggravated tone.
"Ok. But I should probably tell you that everyone in your squad knows me and I suspect that at least one or two of them know we're married," Fritz teased.
"Just... Oh, nevermind," Brenda said as she hung up the phone.
"Ok. See you in a few minutes," Fritz heard the line go dead before he finished his sentence.
Fritz saw that Brenda's blinds were drawn so he knocked on the door and was surprised to hear the lock click.
"Come on in," she said as she opened the door for him.
"What's going on? Why have you barricaded yourself in your office?"
"Because there's a witness I don't want to see. And I'm not barricaded."
"Who? Why not?" Fritz was wondering if obtaining useful information was going to require an expert interrogator.
"He's my ex-husband and I don't want to see him. And I certainly don't want him to see me," she explained.
"Ed Harper is here? What's he doing in Los Angeles?"
"He says that Bart Wellman was a friend of his and that they had planned a golfin vacation together."
"Do you believe him?"
"I don't know. I learned a long time ago that everythin Ed Harper says needs to be subject to verification, but I don't know of any motive he'd have. We'll see." Then, changing the subject she asked, "What can you tell me about those clients of Wellman's?"
"All five of them tell pretty much the same story. Wellman negotiated a large settlement for each of them. But the checks were slow to arrive. And when they did arrive they were a lot less than they should have been. And the client who initiated the complaint said she never did get her check, even though the trucking company said that they had paid the settlement. And another client had to threaten to go to the bar association to get his money."
"Well, I can't say I'm surprised. Those ads always seemed a little too slick to me."
"I agree. But, tell me. Didn't you interview your ex-husband?"
"No. I just told you. I don't want him to know I'm in the office so I had Sargent Gabriel do it."
"Are you afraid of him?" Fritz was wondering if he should be concerned for his wife's safety.
"No. I just don't want any unpleasantness, especially in front of my squad."
Tao knocked on the door. When he entered he said, "Chief, since he doesn't have a California driver's license I went onto his company's website to see if I could get a picture of him. And guess what? He's not the CEO. He's listed on their web page as a Senior Securities Analyst. So I called the company and they confirmed that his job title is still Senior Securities Analyst. No promotion. So, he's lying about that aspect of his story."
Why am I not surprised? Brenda thought. But she just said, "Thank you, Lieutenant Tao. We might have to ask him about that discrepancy. Were you able to get a picture of him?"
"The picture on the website was too low res. I tried to bump it up but..."
"Lieutenant Tao, did you find a useable picture or not?" Brenda was exasperated.
"I'm waiting for one to be faxed from Georgia's DMV."
"What about Bart Wellman's family? Were we able to contact anyone?"
"Not yet. Sanchez said the housekeeper said that he was married, no children. And the wife, Sylvia Wellman, and her assistant left two days ago for some horse shows near Phoenix. We've asked the locals to find her."
After Tao left, Fritz asked, "Do you think Harper might have done it?"
"Oh, I doubt it. He's definitely a braggart and a liar but I don't think he's a killer. I'm not eliminatin him as a suspect just yet, though. But, tell me. If you have a flag on Wellman are we gonna be able to check his finances?"
"Probably not. Everything is frozen."
"Ooh! I just hate it when you do that to my cases," Brenda's frustration was spilling out.
"You didn't have a case when the Bureau did that," Fritz said wearily. He was tired of the same old argument whenever they shared cases. "Come on. I'm hungry. Let's go home."
When they were in Fritz's car Brenda asked, "Will you at least give me the names of the people who feel they weren't paid correctly?"
"They're not all in California. Two of them are in Nevada."
"Well, the California ones, then."
"One is in San Francisco."
"All right. The Los Angeles ones, then. Look, Fritz. I need the addresses and phone numbers for all of them." Brenda was really annoyed. "I may need to interview them."
"As long as I can interview them with you," Fritz said.
"Fine. As long as I take the lead," Brenda said in a challenging tone.
"Fine. As long as you don't lie." Fritz's tone matched hers.
As Fritz unlocked the door they heard the phone ringing. Brenda hurried inside to answer it. "Hi, Mama. How are you? That's good. We're both fine too. A visit? That would be wonderful." Brenda's tone gave the lie to what she was saying. "Well, that's not true, Mama. Both you and Daddy have been here since we were married. You brought Charlie out here. And Daddy came and picked her up, remember?"
Fritz was busy putting their take out cartons on the table. He turned toward Brenda. Since it looked like he was about to speak, Brenda shushed him."
She shook her head no and turned back to the phone. "It's been almost a year? Really? Are you sure? Well, when do you want to come? Oh, Mama, I don't know if we can both get the Fourth off from work. Besides, you don't really want to drive that RV across country in this heat, do you?"
Fritz could tell she was losing the battle so he just smiled.
Brenda rolled her eyes, "Well, all right, Mama. But it'll have to be sometime in August. Cause we're both workin. There are two schedules to work around now. Ok. You talk it over with Daddy. I love you, too. Bye." She hung up the phone and then said, "There go our vacation plans."
"We were only going for a long weekend. We can still do it. When they come you take care of your parents for half the time and I'll do it the other half," Fritz said.
Brenda didn't reply. She just sat down at the table. As they ate, Fritz brought up the case again. "Brenda, I might need to interview Ed Harper."
She put down her fork. "What on earth for?" Suddenly her dinner had lost its appeal.
"He handled Wellman's investments. I need to check out whether or not there was securities fraud involved."
"Oh, right. Well, ok, but don't tell him anythin about me. Don't let him draw you into a fight. And, for heaven's sake, don't tell him that you're my husband."
"I wish you weren't in hiding. How can you conduct a murder investigation from a crouching position?"
"I'm not hidin and I'm not crouchin. I just don't want him to become antagonistic. We'll all get a lot farther if I step back," Brenda said defensively.
"Ok. But how long do you think it will be before he finds you?"
"I don't know. But, believe me, the longer we have the easier it will be."
The next morning, Ed Harper returned to the LAPD. He was intercepted in the hallway outside the Murder Room by Com. Taylor. "May I help you?" Taylor asked.
"Yes, I'm lookin for the man who's in charge of this unit."
"That would be Deputy Chief Johnson. Why do you need to see her?"
"Her? Would that Deputy Chief, by any chance, be a woman named Brenda Leigh Johnson? From Atlanta?"
"Yes. Are you a friend of hers?"
"Yes, you could say that. We go back a long way."
"In that case, right this way, sir. That's her office," Taylor pointed to the back of the Murder Room.
"I see her. Thanks," Ed smiled and walked back to Brenda's office as the squad watched intently.
Without taking his eyes off Brenda's office, Provenza said, "I don't think you should have done that."
To Be Continued...