CHAPTER 6: SNIFFING OUT THE TRUTH
"Wow, this place is…colourful." Sara said as she and Greg walked into the doors of Natural World Exotic Pets store. The immediate thought that entered Sara's head was how people could buy so much for their pets. To her left were toys galore for any kind of pet imaginable. Wooden blocks for rodents, balls and chew toys for dogs, catnip mice for cats, heating rocks and fountains for the scaly friends and…a harness for birds? Sara chuckled as she imagined seeing someone walking their pet Cockatoo down the street wearing the silly pink harness. "There are some pretty crazy people in the world, isn't there?"
"Well, Sara, not crazy." Greg said, following her curious gaze as it hit all different things in the store. "It takes all kinds of people to make the world, 'specially Las Vegas. Some people are passionate about pets, some love gambling, some love travelling, some love camping. Some," He added with a raised eyebrow, "love their jobs. Crazy people are only crazy in the eyes of some."
Sara gave him a sly grin. "That was deep Sanders. And you're right." She glanced at another elaborate contraption, a castle maze, for hamsters. "It takes all kinds of people."
Sara was looking to her right now, scanning the aisles of food and vitamins that we're all recommended by your local veterinarian when something else caught her attention. "Oh, it's you again." A bitter voice sang from the back of the store as it approached. Shannon Lindon, who did not wear her kilowatt smile today, approached them. "What do you wish to ask me this time? Did you find out anything about his murder?"
"I'm not allowed to disclose much information," Sara started, "But I can tell you he was murdered, and that we're looking for the killer."
Shannon looked to her right, then left, and then waved for Greg and Sara to follow her. When she heard resonating footsteps behind her, she led the curious CSI's to her office, located in the very back of the store. She opened the door, and ushered them in the cramped space in silence. She slammed the door, causing both Greg and Sara to jump and the blinds on the door to sway perilously from side to side, threatening to break the bracket that held it securely in place. In one corner of the office, a cat slept silently; it's leg in a bandage.
"She got her paw caught in the door." Shannon explained silently, with no encouragement. "It's not too bad, so a few days of rest and she should be fine."
"Ms. Lindon," Sara began again, "we have some new information pertaining to our suspect, and we were wondering if you could clarify something for us…"
"Without running away," Greg added saucily. Sara prodded him in the ribs and smiled, while her eyes were writing murder as Greg looked into them.
"What is it?" She said, obviously bored with her visitors already. "I'll answer anything at all, I have nothing at all to hide. I just want you to leave."
"Do you have any existing family?" Sara asked quickly to beat Greg to the punch.
"My parents are living up in Canada." She explained. "Have been for a while. They may not like the weather, but at least if something happens to their health, they won't be left in a lurch for money."
"How about siblings?" Greg asked, inching his way closer to the actual question he was dying to ask. "Any sisters or brothers?"
Shannon's eyes grew wide, a piercing green that almost screamed in terror. But her mouth only twitched in annoyance. "Why would you ask that?"
"Well, we found hairs, and fingerprints at the scene of the crime, and they have alleles in common with you, meaning you're related. And since your dad is in Canada, you must have a brother or son here. And, I doubt that it's a son, unless you want me to ask around..."
"I don't have a son." She stated coolly, "or a brother."
"That's a shame." Sara said, "Because this birth certificate for Neil Poldy says that you do." She handed her a copy of the document. "And this means that you just lied to us. Isn't that a shame Greg?"
"Sure is Sara," Greg said, feeling guilty of watching Shannon Lindon squirm in their mini-interrogation, "because that mean's that we can't trust what Shannon says, and we're going to have to bring her in to the station."
"I want a lawyer." Shannon whispered.
"I hate it when they lawyer up." Sara said, pacing the hallway outside the interrogation room. They had indeed taken Shannon in, to question her further about her brother. "If you have nothing to hide, why get a lawyer?"
"Don't ask me, I just think they were made to make things difficult for us." Greg said as he sat on an available chair. "What are we going to ask her? If she denies having, or knowing, a brother, then why bother taking her down to the station and asking her the same questions, this time with a lawyer?"
Sara glanced his way, smiling at the fact that, while he had caught on so well to the game of field of work, he still had a lot to learn. "Well, we still have a chance. A lawyer in this case may be good. She may be able to convince Shannon to tell all she knows to save herself. And even if not, we still have to get a verified statement from her with an officer present. Plus," She added with a sly grin, "We have a plan B."
"And what may that be?" Greg asked, giving her a blank stare as, in his head, he tried to figure out what she was going to say before she said it. "Wait…you're…looking for their paper trail."
"Exactly." Sara smiled, pride showing in her cheeks. She loved it when Greg caught on to stuff on his own. He certainly had improved over the past two years. "We found the brother's birth certificate,so maybe we can find something else, like from her bank records. Something."
"Who's working on it?" Greg asked, rising from his seat. "I'll go and give them a hand."
"Nick was working on it." Sara informed him. "Back in one of the smaller layout rooms."
"I'm on it." Greg piped, jogging down the corridor. "Call you if we find something."
"Thanks Greg." Sara called down the hall after him. She took a breath and sat where Greg had been previously perched. She adjusted the folders she held in her lap and looked at the clock. It was almost time for Brass to come and help ask Shannon questions.
As if on cue, the stout figure of Jim Brass came around the corner of the hallway. "Are you ready to go in, Sidle?"
Sara nodded, and silently followed Brass into the room once again. She hated the interrogation room. She had always preferred her duties in the field, finding and analysing evidence, interpreting what happened in a crime. Not this. She thought this was always for the police, but she knew her responsibilities to support the detectives with the evidence they had found. She passed through the second set of doors where Shannon Lindon sat with her lawyer at her side. Sara sat herself down across from them while Brass paced the room next to her.
"What is my client here for?" The lawyer started. "She doesn't have anything to do with the crime, there is nothing to put her at the crime scene, and thus, there is nothing to discuss."
"Not exactly." Sara said, her face impassive to the lawyer's attempts to rush her client out of the room. "Your client's hair wasn't at the scene, but her brother's was. Can you explain that?"
Shannon was silent. Her lawyer leaned over and whispered something into Shannon's ear, and Shannon shook her head. The lawyer leaned in again and repeated what she had said, but again she shook her head, this time hissing a very distinct "No."
Her lawyer cast her a questioning look, then turned to Sara and Brass. "You have her brother's DNA, not hers, so why don't you question him?"
"Well, you see," Brass started in his sarcastic tone, "we don't know where he is, so we though Shannon could help us with that, but apparently, she isn't willing." He planted his hands down on the table like a crouching tiger, watching it's prey, "Why is that? Got something to hide?"
"Does it matter?" Shannon said. "If you can't find my brother, then it's over."
"No, because you just gave it away." Sara said, her lips pursed amusedly. She saw Shannon's hand fly to her mouth. "You definitely have a brother. You just said, so we know he's not dead or missing. You know where he is, am I right? You may as well tell us, Shannon."
Shannon ground her teeth together, and if looks could kill, Sara would be broken and bleeding right there, in her chair. Shannon raised her shoulders threateningly. "It doesn't matter now, so yeah, I am hiding him, and I'm making sure he'll never get found out. He killed him…he told me so himself…and why he did it…"
"Nick, I got it!" Greg said, calling his partner over to the computer he was occupying. For the past hour, he and Nick had been pouring over the bank records of Shannon, and the paper trail of her brother from his birth certificate, a Neil Poldy. However, all records of the specific Neil Poldy died off when he was eighteen.
"What is it?" Nick asked, coming over. He hovered above Greg, who was sitting, and read carefully over the page that Greg was pointing too. "Hmm…at the ATM machine just outside North Las Vegas Airport, a large withdrawal was made from Shannon's account around 2:00 a.m. last night."
Greg had already hopped up from his seat and ran towards the A/V lab. He thanked his good luck when he saw Archie there, doing exercises. "Butt asleep again, Arch?" Greg asked innocently.
"Yup." Archie said, doing one last stretch before seating himself. "Now, I know you're not here on a personal call. What's up?"
"Actually, it's really important." Greg said. "Can you pull video from the ATM machine outside North Las Vegas Airport for us, between 1:00 a.m. and 3:00 a.m.?"
"Sure can." He replied, typing at the computer with incredible speed. In a matter of minutes, he already had the video playing. "Now, lets see who came a-calling this late in the night." He said. He played the stream at a faster speed as Greg came nearer, so they could clear more of the video in a faster time.
Greg carefully watched the faces of the people who passed, keeping tabs out of the corner of his eye the time code. He was looking for someone near the time of 2:00 a.m…and that time was fast approaching. As the seconds sped past, and the time hit 1:58 a.m., Greg caught a glimpse of a familiar face. "Hold it Archie." Greg asked quickly. "Hold up. Bring the time code to 1:58, and save the frames?"
"Okay," He said obligingly, setting to work once again. Greg watched in amazement as Archie did as he asked in record time, pleasing Greg to no end. If only Hodges could be this efficient, he thought to himself…
"Got it." Archie's statement brought Greg back from his thoughts and his eyes to the computer screen. When the familiarity of the face clicked in Greg's brain, his triumphant smile lit up the lab. "Want me to print it?"
"Yes sir!" Greg said, happily bouncing on the balls of his toes once more. A click of the mouse later, the printer by their side whirred to life, and the paper slowly making its way through the machine was starting to bring up the picture of Shannon Lindon's brother. A familiar face, that Greg recognized. The shock of who the person was had not even registered with Greg, he was that happy to finally see the end of the case approaching. He grabbed the paper the printer had shot out, and with a hasty thank you to Archie, he ran back to Nick who was still in the layout room.
"Hey Greg, where was the fire?" Nick asked with a grin on his face.
"Nick, we have him!"
"What?"
"Look!" Greg shoved the picture in his face, and Nick's smile mimicked Greg's in victory. "He was seen using the ATM machine outside the Airport the same time as the money was taken out of Shannon Lindon's bank account. And look at them…now that I recall it I see the resemblance."
"Way to go Greggo." Nick said, hauling out his cell phone. "It's Nick." He spoke into the small metal phone, "Send an APB out on…"
"I love my brother." Shannon said. "I still love him, even after what he's done. I know that he did it for me."
"What, did you pay him or something?" Brass questioned.
"No!" Shannon said, indignantly. "I told you, I had nothing to do with it…Damian betrayed me, and I wanted nothing more to do with him. But I still miss Monty."
"Motive, Shannon." Sara explained. "You're giving us motive that implicates yourself. Explain to us why your brother did what he did."
"Love." She said simply, smiling at the word. "My brother and I, ever since our parents moved North, have stuck together. Being an older sister, I always cared for him. I let him sleep at my house for a very small rent, we do a lot of leisure activities together…we both love animals, especially reptiles. I was actually help put him through college to specialize in the care of reptiles at the zoo."
"He was a student of Damian's." Sara said, starting to flip through her files. "But I don't remember seeing a Poldy or a Lindon on the list…"
Shannon ignored Sara's self-directed talk. "That's why he killed Damian. For me."
"Shannon, I think you should…" Her lawyer tried to speak up, but she was swiftly shushed.
"He saw what Damian did to me. He took my pride and joy away from me, like my child. Monty was my child. I loved him as such. The loss of Monty was destroying me from the inside out. Every day when I went to work, my brother saw it on my face. I wouldn't cry…but he could see the hurt etched into my face like granite."
"He was at your store often?" Brass asked, almost as a statement.
"He loved me…he killed Damian so that I might not hurt any more…now that's what family is all about."
"He killed a man." Sara said quietly. "He probably had a family too." Shannon seemed finished, so Sara continued. "How'd he do it?" Sara asked.
"Since he was being taught by Damian, he was always at the zoo. The training at the zoo would really look good on an application. So, he had opportunity when he was asked to stay behind. The students took turns to stay back and help clean and close up. This particular day was my brother's turn. When Damian took him up to the top level of the aquarium, my brother attacked him in the back of the head, and held him under water in the small tank there. Then to get rid of the evidence, he dropped him into the tiger shark tank, but he jammed up the filter with his clothes and hand, so when the sharks dragged him up to the surface, he pulled him out using...something, and he brought him to the house. He had the key. So, he dropped him off in his own house and tried to confuse you guys until he could get away."
"Shannon…what's his name?" Sara believed that since her revelation, Shannon would reveal what she was hiding."
"Neil Poldy."
"No." Sara said, annoyance at being almost lied to evident in her voice. "He's not Neil anymore, is he?"
"What's with your family and name changing?" Brass asked animatedly.
"What's his name now?" Sara asked slowly and quietly.
Shannon remained silent. Then, she started to say something. "My brothers name is…"
Along with a few police officers, Nick, Greg, and Detective Sofia Curtis arrived at the North Las Vegas Airport. They knew they had precious little time to lose…their suspect would soon be boarding a plane to far away from here, and their chance of putting an end to this case would go down the toilet. "Come on, hurry up!" Greg called from the doors of the airport. He had ran ahead of them, being somewhat speedy.
"I called ahead Greg," Nick called, "The plane that he was planning on boarding is being delayed for now."
"Oh." Greg said, somewhat disappointed at his exuberance being in vain. "Well, that's no fun!"
Nick laughed. "You're twisted. Come on, job first, fun later."
Greg never replied as he followed the rest of the group from behind, being the only one without a gun. He watched as the officer's spread out, all looking for the man they had seen on the picture Greg had shown them. Greg also went in search of him, knowing that they needed all the help they could get in such a big a place as an airport. He circled the waiting area, only seeing another officer in search of the face.
Greg stopped. He knew he had to think this through. A man, on the run from the law, who loves animals and needs a way to pass the time until his flight leaves. He sat down on a chair next to him, and pondered the question further in his head. Animals…the gift shop? No…it couldn't be. No animals were allowed in the terminal. When animals were brought in to travel with the owners, they were brought to a special place, outside the terminal. All the large animals, or animals in cages were brought to a special building annexed to the main terminal. There, they were put into the cargo hold of a plane, where they would stay until they landed.
Greg hopped up again, and headed towards the help desk. He hadn't been to the airport in North Las Vegas much, and didn't know his way around. "Excuse me…" Greg said, attempting to catch the attention of a flustered young woman. "Can you tell me where to go to drop off my pet too? My…wife is holding him, and we need to catch a flight soon."
"Sure." She said politely and sincerely. She leaned out over the desk, and pointed just right of the entrance. "Go through that door, and down the hallway. Then, go through the door marked, 'Cargo Hold.'"
"Thank you." Greg said as he walked rapidly towards the door. He spotted Sofia nearby, and he waved her over when she looked his way. She came over to him.
"What do you have?"
"I think I know where our guy is." Greg said, seriousness now evident in his voice. "I can't go alone unarmed. So come on."
Sofia just nodded. Her hand coming to rest on her gun was all the answer Greg needed. He started walking again towards the door he was told to go to, and proceeded to enter the hallway. Upon entering, Greg could already feel the temperature difference. The outside air seemed to enter the hallway like there were no walls at all, and Greg pulled his windbreaker tighter about him. He walked down the hallways, slower now, keeping an eye out for the door.
"Found it." Sofia said from slightly ahead. She looked back at Greg, and opened the door. The cold air hit the both of them then, sending chills down Greg's spine, making him shiver and his teeth chatter. He looked over to Sofia, and was amazed that she seemed to not feel the effects. "Greg, spread out." She called out to him. It was hard for him to hear her over the barking of dogs and the hissing of cats, and the humming and squeaking from all the machinery. "If you see him, just give my cell a call, it'll vibrate, and I'll come."
"Fine!" Greg called back, and he headed off to the right. All around him, he saw large boxes, cargo that was waiting to be loaded on to it's plane, and be carried off to who knows where. He also heard the animals, and he felt sorry that they had to travel in such a crude way. He saw random workers there, some with clipboards, checking off what was done, and marking what needed to be done. Greg dodged a stack of crates, and then the man he was looking for caught his eye. Greg reached into his back pocket, and dialled Sofia's number.
It took him completely off guard when the man, never even bothering to turn around, spoke. "I thought I was going to get away. Guess I was wrong." He turned around to face Greg now. "I guess I lost this game of cat and mouse."
"Guess so." Greg stated simply, eyeing the man warily. Sofia came around the corner, gun in hand, and the man lifted his hands on top of his head.
Sofia came over and after searching him, cuffed him. "You're under arrest…"
Sara and Brass followed Shannon out of the room, just in time to see Greg, Nick, Sofia and their suspect return. Sara watched Greg as he watched her, and then both their focuses turned to their suspects. Shannon burst into tears as they led her brother into booking. He had already confessed at the scene. They entourage passed her by, but then Shannon jumped in front of them and ran into her brother, hugging him.
"Neil…I'm so sorry."
He looked at her, his eyes also welling up. "Shh…sis, it's okay. I made my choice." His voice broke. "Remember to call me in prison, and remember I love you." Shannon sobbed. "When you visit, ask for my new name, Gordon Davies."
Did anybody figure that was who it would have been? If you did, then I either failed as a mystery writer, or you're really crazy good at murder-mysteries, and I'm not playing 'Clue' with any of you! Hahaha, anyways, one chappie left, so stick around! The story's not over yet!