Chapter 2:
Brenda was eating a jelly donut while reviewing the Topanga Division's report when her door swung open and Ed Harper sauntered in. The donut that she had been savoring suddenly turned to tasteless clay in her mouth and once again she was engulfed by the red hot lava of emotional turmoil from their disastrous marriage.
"I see you still have a thang for sweets. You haven't changed a bit. How are you, Brenda?"
Just hearing his smug, superior tone of voice had her struggling to quell long forgotten waves of anxiety. She quickly flipped the pages of her report up over Fritz's pictures on her desk. Angry that he had invaded the order in her life that she had fought so hard to achieve, Brenda swallowed hard and demanded, "What are you doin here, Ed?"
"Ahh, the same old charm. You really haven't changed, have you?" Ed said. "I came to reclaim my property and I was told I had to see you."
"Really. And who told you that?"
"It doesn't matter," Ed replied as he sat on the edge of her desk.
"Get off my desk. And we're not finished with your clubs. You'll get them back when our Forensics Lab is finished with them, provided the victim's DNA and blood aren't on them."
Ed rose from her desk and took a chair in front of her. "What if I were to tell you that I'm not leavin this office without them?"
"What if I were to tell you that I can call this whole buildin full of armed men to forcibly remove you from this office?" Brenda replied looking him right in the eyes.
Ed's attention shifted to her diamond and wedding band. "I see you've remarried. How many members of Los Angeles' finest, in 'this whole buildin', did you have to blow before you found one dumb enough to marry you?"
Brenda wanted to leap out of her chair and claw his eyes out but she knew she would probably lose her career. Besides, her blinds were open and she didn't want her squad to see her lose control. Instead, she picked up her phone and dialed Sanchez. When he answered, she asked, "Would you please see if Agent Howard is in the buildin and ask him to come to my office? Thank you."
"Who is Agent Howard? Another one of your fuckin minions?"
Brenda ignored his double entendre and replied, "Special Agent Howard is with the FBI. He is also investigatin this case and I believe he wants to talk to you."
"What about?" Ed was becoming even more surly.
"I'm sure you'll find that out from him," Brenda said coolly.
"Well, what if I don't want to talk to the FBI?" he challenged.
Before Brenda could answer, Fritz knocked on her door and entered.
"That was quick," Brenda said, surprised.
"I was in the hallway when Detective Sanchez told me that you wanted to see me."
"Yes, I did. Agent Howard, meet Edward Harper," she said, rising. "He's just dyin to talk to you. You can use one of our Interview Rooms." As she passed Fritz she mouthed, "Careful." And with that Brenda walked out of her office towards the Electronics Room. As she passed Sanchez she said, "Thank you."
Once both men were seated in the Interview Room, Fritz began. "Mr. Harper, as Chief Johnson told you, I am Special Agent Fritz Howard of the FBI," and he read him his rights.
"Am I suspected of wrong-doin, Agent Howard? Because if I'm not, I wish to leave," Ed replied.
"The answer to your question is that I don't know yet. I've got several questions regarding Mr. and Mrs. Bart Wellman's finances that I need to ask you about. And you may not leave until we're finished here. So let's get started, shall we?"
"What if I don't want to talk to you?"
"The law requires you to submit to my interview, Mr. Harper."
"Fine. Ask your questions, then," Ed replied in the surly tone Brenda knew all too well.
Brenda heard her squad enter the Electronics Room behind her. She ordered them out of the room and told them to follow up with the leads they already had. "Buzz, would you please cut off all the other monitors and give me some head phones?" she asked. Buzz nodded, flipped some switches, handed her the headphones, and plugged them in so only Brenda could hear the interview.
She held her breath hoping that Fritz wouldn't lose his self-control and that Ed wouldn't notice that Fritz's wedding band matched hers. Thank goodness we got plain bands, Brenda thought as her personal concerns broke through her concentration on the interview. But Ed never noticed the wedding band similarity and Fritz was maintaining his self-control. Brenda felt her blood pressure lowering and the waves of anxiety receded as she thought, In spite of your fixation on my private life, you have no powers of observation.
Fritz then hit Ed with a question that he knew would knock him off center. "You told the LAPD that you were the CEO of your company. Yet your title is Senior Securities Analyst. Can you explain this discrepancy?"
When he heard the question, Ed suddenly found his chair to be extremely uncomfortable. As he shifted his position he replied, "I said that I'm about to be appointed CEO. I never said that I am the CEO."
"We have you on tape, Mr. Harper. And I'd like to advise you that it's a crime to lie to the FBI. So let's just stick to the truth, shall we?"
Ed looked like he wanted to punch someone. "I just misspoke. Ok? Anyway, my job title doesn't have anythin to do with findin Bart's body, or my vacation."
"All right, Mr. Harper. Then let's move on." Fritz then asked about the Wellmans' investments and was told that they were all pretty much the standard products his company offered. Next Fritz asked for a history of the Wellmans' relationship with his company and Ed described signing Bart Wellman up for a package he was promoting at a financial seminar six years ago. A second portfolio in Sylvia Wellman's name was initiated by Bart about eight months later.
"I need to examine the Wellmans' portfolios and all the activities both Mr. and Mrs. Wellman had with your firm, Mr. Harper," Fritz stated.
"Suit yourself. I have nothin to hide. But, in order to cover me with my company, I'll need a warrant or a court order. So, if you don't have either one of those, I'm assumin this interview is over."
"Just as soon as you give me your company's fax number so I can send them the warrants," Fritz replied. As Ed wrote down the fax number for him, Fritz continued, "I believe the LAPD's investigation is still ongoing so you need to remain in Los Angeles."
"Oh, I'm not leavin without my golf clubs. I know what will happen if I do. Some flat foot here will decide they like them and they'll 'get lost' and I'll never see them again," Ed sneered.
Fritz ignored the dig at the LAPD and just said, "Thank you, Mr. Harper. In that case, if I need further clarification on any of this I'll contact you at your hotel. In the meantime we're finished here."
But Ed didn't rise to leave. Instead he said, "Now that I've answered your questions, I've got a few of my own."
"What do you want to know?"
Here we go, Brenda thought, the tide of her anxiety rising once more.
"I don't know if you're aware, but I'm Brenda's ex-husband." Ed stated this with all the confidence that indicated this status gave him the right to personal information. "So, do you know who her present husband is?"
"Mr. Harper, that's personal and I don't disclose personal information."
"But surely you know." When Fritz didn't reply, Ed continued, "Ok, but let me tell you somethin. I know her better than you do and I can tell you that she probably banged everyone here to get her office, because that would certainly fit her MO."
Ed stopped for a second to appraise Fritz. "I'll bet she's even gone after you. But she's poison. If you get involved with her you'll regret it." Ed saw Fritz's expression and added hastily, "Oh, that's not a threat, Agent Howard. It's a prediction."
Fritz was furious. He wanted nothing more than to punch Ed Harper in the face, slam him up against the wall and demand to know what he had done to his wife. But he knew that others were probably in the Electronics Room and they couldn't know the answer to that question. Even so, it took every bit of his professional training to bite his tongue and acquiesce to his wife's wishes. So instead he replied, "I just told you that I do not discuss the personal lives of the people I work with. This interview is over so I suggest that you leave."
"All right, I'll leave. But let me warn you from experience. Don't trust her. She'll screw you six ways from Sunday in order to get what she wants. And I mean that in every way possible."
"Just leave, Mr. Harper." Fritz kept his tone even but his scowl let Ed know that the interview was, indeed, over so he left, with Fritz escorting him to the elevator.
Brenda met Fritz in the hall and they walked back toward her office. "He's good looking, rich, and has all the personality of a scorpion. I can't imagine why your marriage didn't work out," Fritz said sarcastically.
"I'd say you summed him up perfectly, with the possible exception of the rich part. Ed Harper is all about his image." She stopped and touched his arm. "Thank you for not losin your temper with him. I know that was hard."
Fritz put his arms around her, hugged her, and said, "I doubt it was as hard for me as it was for you."
She nodded, smiled and gave him a quick kiss goodbye. Then she returned to the Murder Room and said, "The FBI has given us the names of the people who complained about Bart and Sylvia Wellman's business practices so I want Detective Flynn to follow up with the ones here in California. And, Lieutenant, get the Nevada authorities to check out the ones who live there. Also, Lieutenant Provenza, I want you to organize interviews with every person employed by Wellman, both here and in Nevada. Thank you."
She then went back into the Electronics Room and asked Buzz, "May I please have the recordin of Agent Howard's interview?"
As he placed the DVD into a case, Buzz asked, "Should I make a copy of it first?"
"No, thank you, Buzz. This is the property of the FBI."
Gabriel entered the room and interrupted her saying, "Chief, Dr. Morales is ready for us."
"Ok, Sargent, let's go."
When Brenda and Gabriel opened the door to Dr. Morales' examination room he turned around and greeted them. "Kendall and I really want to thank you for giving us a victim in such disgusting condition."
"Well, when I catch the killer I'll be sure to pass on your special thanks, Doctor," Brenda replied. "Do you have a better time of death than Kendall was able to give me?"
"Unfortunately, no. But I can give you a cause of death. I found manure in his lungs so he definitely was buried alive. But he died of asphyxiation by a cocktail of methane, ammonia, and hydrogen sulfide gases. With a carbon dioxide chaser."
"All those? Are you sure?" Brenda asked.
"Yes. They're all byproducts of manure and highly toxic if inhaled over a period of time. The blow to the back of his head wouldn't have killed him, although it was strong enough to have rendered him unconscious for a good long while. Even though his grave wasn't a deep one, he was overcome by the gases when he came to and struggled to free himself. Someone apparently didn't have a high opinion of Mr. Wellman."
"Lieutenant Provenza came to that same conclusion," Gabriel said.
"Can you run whatever tests are necessary to confirm the cause of death?" Brenda asked.
"I've sent blood and tissue samples to the lab for analysis but you can take this one to the bank. Or should I say, across the finish line?"
"Thank you, Doctor."
When Brenda arrived back at the Murder Room she asked if anyone had any updates.
"Chief, Ed Harper's alibi checks out," Flynn said. "The bartender recognized his photo and said he was in the bar until after midnight. And the security cameras show him leaving the bar and going to his room. He was there all night."
"I just spoke to the Phoenix PD and they said that they received a 911 call from Mrs. Wellman's assistant, a woman named..." Sanchez flipped the pages of his notes, "Alicia Anderson, reporting that she returned to their hotel and found Mrs. Wellman dead from an apparent overdose of sleeping pills. Mrs. Wellman left a note but the only thing it said was that she was sorry."
"Thank you, Detective. I wonder if her 'suicide' was just a coincidence. Do we know what she was sorry about?"
"No, but the Phoenix PD said the note was definitely her handwriting."
"Maybe the assistant knows," Flynn suggested.
"She told the Phoenix PD that she had gone to the show grounds to feed the horses and to start the prep work for the next day's show. They checked her alibi and it was solid so they let her go. She told the detective that she was going to pick up the horses and drive back to LA. She should be here some time tonight."
"Thank you, Detective Sanchez. Please make sure that Ms. Anderson is picked up in the mornin. I really need to talk to her. How are we doin schedulin interviews with Wellman's employees?"
"Provenza and Tao are working on that now," Flynn replied.
"Thank you, Lieutenant. Please help them both out. I'd like to hear what they have to say," Brenda said.
"One more thing, Chief," Sanchez added, "Phoenix PD said the assistant took the news of both deaths very hard."
"Hard enough to make them suspicious that Ms. Anderson and Wellman were havin an affair?"
"If he suspected it, he didn't say anything," Sanchez replied.
Brenda's cell phone rang. It was Fritz so she walked back to her office to take his call. "Hi, honey, what's up?"
"I just called to tell you not to pick up anything for dinner. I'm cooking tonight."
"You are? Did you finish up early?"
"There's nothing left for me to do until tomorrow so I'm done for the day. And I figured, since you had such a terrible couple of days, that I'd cook dinner for you."
"Thank you, honey. That's so sweet of you. Do you need me to stop and pick up anythin on my way home?"
"No, I stopped at the grocery store and got everything I need. What time do you think you can leave?"
"I shouldn't be late. I won't be interviewin Mrs. Wellman's assistant until tomorrow mornin."
"Ok, I'll plan on having dinner on the table by 7:30."
"That should be perfect timin. I'll see you soon. Love you. Bye."
That evening, Fritz served Brenda a green salad, beef tips and mushrooms over noodles and explained, "The recipe called for Burgandy wine but I used some of your Merlot. I didn't think I needed to buy a bottle of wine that you don't drink."
"Mmm. It's delicious, Fritzi. Thank you for cookin this for me."
"Like I said earlier, you deserve a little pampering tonight. I'm glad you like it. And, I baked brownies for dessert. But they're from a mix."
"I love it. It's wonderful. And I'm lookin forward to the brownies. You're really doin this pamperin right," she smiled at him.
As they ate their brownies, Brenda asked Fritz about the Wellman's investments.
"Everything looks like it's on the up-and-up. They're in line with their legal income from the practice. And all the investments are standard, hedge fund offerings. Oh, there are a couple of off-shore accounts in order to avoid paying taxes, but they're all legal."
Then he changed the subject. "I've been thinking about your parents' visit. Your dad has been wanting to see the Maritime Museum in San Diego. What would you think about us driving down there and then maybe taking them sightseeing in Mexico?"
"They'd like that," Brenda replied.
They both began clearing the table. But Fritz could tell that she was distracted so he turned the discussion back to what he knew was bothering her. "You've never talked much about your first marriage. Is it still painful for you?" he asked gently.
"It wasn't painful until he showed up here spoutin all those disgustin lies about me," Brenda nodded.
"Now I think I understand why you were so fearful of a relationship with me, why you ran away every time I said we should live together. Your first marriage was an even bigger nightmare than I thought it was."
"It wasn't at first. He was as charmin and considerate as any woman could want. And I was really happy at the beginnin of our relationship. But after we got married he became so jealous and controllin that I couldn't stand it. Reportin me for sexual misconduct was just the last straw."
Fritz moved to her and folded her into his arms. "I'm so sorry you had to go through all of that."
"I never think about it anymore. You put that whole thang out of my mind," Brenda replied softly. "I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have you."
"Ahh. My evil plot is working," he grinned as he held her.
Brenda pulled back just enough to look him in the eye. "Evil plot?"
"Yes. I plan to make you totally dependent on me. That way you can never leave me and we'll be together for the rest of our lives."
"Totally dependent on you?" Brenda raised an eyebrow at him.
"I like challenges in life," Fritz said with a wink and a smile.
"You must like impossible challenges," Brenda laughed as she left his arms, and they cleaned up the kitchen together. As they worked they talked about how they were going to spend a long Fourth of July weekend together in San Francisco.
To Be Continued...