Chapter 21

It was eight-oh-five Monday morning. Deke was five minutes late getting to work. A rare occurrence. Usually, he was early. But this morning, he'd had business to handle. Specifically, checking on the asshole Marine in River Heights. Deke had had Travis fire him a two days ago, but Deke wanted to make sure the message had been received. Strange thing, the Marine wasn't answering his phone.

Deke opened his office door and stopped dead in his tracks. Travis was perched on the corner of Deke's desk. Travis stood and nodded a greeting at Deke.

Deke frowned as he entered his office and closed the door. Travis being here didn't bode well for a good start to the day. They usually didn't meet up until ten when they started their patrols. "Why are you here? Something up on the docks?" Deke asked.

"It's Nicholson and he's fit to be tied. He's got guys running all over the docks looking for you. I wanted to give you a heads up before someone else found you."

Deke was grateful for the warning. "Any idea what's got Nicholson all wound up this morning?"

Travis shook his head. "No idea, boss. I've only been here fifteen minutes myself. The second I stepped in the building two dockhands were in my face asking where you were, saying Nicholson wanted to see you, ASAP."

"Well, thanks for the heads up," Deke said. "I'll stop by his office now."

"Okay, um, call me if you need me." Travis departed quickly, closing the door behind him.

Deke scratched his head. What had Nicholson all fired up? From Travis's demeanor it didn't sound like it was anything good.

# # # #

Joe and Frank were seated in a booth in a diner having breakfast. It was one of those mom and pop places where the food was greasy and there was plenty of it. Just the way Joe liked it. Frank wasn't as enamored, but he never refused a robust breakfast.

Frank took a careful sip of his piping hot coffee, swallowed, and said, "What's on our agenda for today?"

Joe forked eggs into his mouth and held up an index finger. He leaned to the side as he dug in his back jeans' pocket, withdrew a notepad, and laid it on the table. He swallowed the eggs, drank some orange juice, cleared his throat, and flipped the notepad open.

Frank was mildly entertained by Joe's antics.

"First on the list," Joe said, "is a meet and greet with Detective Ziegler. We'll tell him about Colonel Charles, Mr. Beard, and the shipping container graveyard."

"And the missing men," Frank added.

Joe drank more orange juice and nodded. "Those, too. And the murder for hire scheme. It's clear the Colonel, Deke, and Nicholson are involved in something. It might be murders, it might not be. I'll leave that to Ziegler to sort out. He's got the authority to investigate the hobos living in the graveyard and we don't."

Frank pushed his empty plate to the side. "What's next on the list?"

Joe eyed his notepad and then lifted his head. "After Ziegler, we head over to Wayne's. I need to let him know I'm back and that you're with me. You can meet him and Bulka at the same time." Joe smiled at the mention of the dog.

Frank smiled, too. He was excited about meeting the dog. Joe had talked quite a bit about her since rediscovering her in Healy. Frank, as a CID agent in the Army, had never directly worked with dogs. Occasionally, a dog and its handler were brought in for a case. The dog's handler interacted with the dog, not the CID agents. The dog sniffed around until it found whatever the agents were looking for – drugs, weapons, or a body. Once the item was found, the dog and its handler said good-bye. Frank privately envied Joe. Joe had worked side by side with dogs in Afghanistan.

"Then we're free for a while," Joe was saying. "Until tonight."

Frank cocked an eyebrow. "Another nighttime mission?"

"Yeah, we're going to take the boat out again. I'd like to do a little surveillance of the docks. See what – if anything – happens there at night."

Frank took this bit of information in with only a slight widening of the eyes. "We might need to do several nights of surveillance before we see anything."

"True. You okay with that? If we have to do nightly surveillances."

"I'm fine with it," Frank said. "I like the boat and the river. I don't mind spending time on either of them. Oh, and I have something to add to your list."

"Fire away," Joe said.

"I recommend we find a grocery store during our free time this afternoon. I'd like to have some supplies at the house. Coffee, bread, eggs, etcetera."

"Good idea. I'll pencil it in." Joe wrote on the notepad and smiled. "There. Grocery store penciled in for after lunch."

Frank grinned and shook his head at his brother's mockery.

Joe drained his coffee cup and set it on the table. "You finished eating, bro?"

"Yep."

"Then let's pay and head to the Police Station. Time's a wasting."

# # # #

Joe phoned Ziegler while Frank drove. The drive was short – just ten minutes. More time was spent at traffic lights than driving. Joe's conversation with Ziegler was short and animated.

Frank heard Joe say, "Arrested? When?"

So, naturally, when Joe ended the call, Frank said, "Who's been arrested?"

"Our client, Wayne Banyan." Joe looked like he'd been sucker punched and in a way he had.

Frank pulled up to a stop light. "When?"

"This morning."

"For what?"

Joe looked at Frank like he was an idiot. "Murder. The murder of Dan Sagget and Dolores Gage to be specific."

"Whoa. Ziegler probably didn't tell you why or how this came about, did he?"

Joe ran a hand through his short, blond hair, a gesture of frustration. "Nope, he said he'd tell us when we get to the Station."

The light turned green and Frank accelerated. Getting to the Police Station had suddenly taken on a new urgency.

# # # #

Deke drove down Main Street searching for Joe or his truck. Deke had checked the parking lot of every hotel and motel in town. There weren't many to check, not in a small town like Healy. Next, Deke had checked every diner and café in town and had struck out there, too. Where the devil was Hardy?

Deke knew Hardy was in town. The video from the snake shack proved that. Oh, it was grainy and poor quality, but there was no mistaking Joe Hardy. The body build matched his and the blond hair stood out like a neon sign. And Joe wasn't alone. He'd brought a friend. Some dark haired guy.

How had they found the snake shack? Nicholson had asked that very question this morning and, unfortunately for Deke, he'd had no answer. He was still in mild shock after watching the video. Joe and his buddy had crept up to the shack, waltzed right in, traipsed throughout the entire building, shot the damn snakes, and then high-tailed it out of there.

The story was right there in black and white. And Nicholson didn't like it. He'd make that abundantly clear. Deke had received a minor scolding.

Hadn't Deke stood in Nicholson's study on Friday night and said, "We won't let Hardy get too close."

Well, Hardy had gotten close. And for Deke, having his words thrown back at him, had hurt. Deke didn't like failure and Hardy finding the snake shack was a major failure.

All Deke could do was promise Nicholson that he was on it now. He'd find Hardy and set him straight. Run him out of town if he had to.

"You do that." Nicholson's eyes had gone dark and his mouth had been thin and sharp like a surgical blade. He'd poked a finger into Deke's chest as he'd spoke, "You find him and you make damn sure he gets the message. Stay away from me, the docks, and my properties. I won't be so nice the next time he, or his friend, trespasses."

Deke had every intention of doing just that, but right now his stomach was reminding him he'd skipped breakfast. He pulled into the drive-thru lane of a fast food restaurant and ordered a coffee and an egg muffin. A little caffeine and some food might spark an idea as to where Joe Hardy was.

Thirty minutes later, Deke sat in the parking lot of the fast food restaurant. The egg muffin was gone and so was the coffee. Deke had had plenty of time to think. His mind had sorted through the various possibilities and he'd figured it out. There was one person Joe Hardy had befriended in this town. That detective, Ziegler. There was a good chance Hardy would stop by the Police Station and check in with Ziegler now that he was back in town.

Deke smiled. He would park himself outside the Police Station and wait. Give it an hour or two. If this turned out to be a dead end then he would have to ferret out Hardy's whereabouts some other way. One thing was for sure, he couldn't go back to Nicholson empty handed.

# # # #

The Police Station was a beehive of activity. Joe and Frank followed Ziegler into his office.

Ziegler shut the door of his office and looked at Joe and Frank. "I have, literally, five minutes for you guys. The newspaper and TV people are going to descend upon this place like vultures once the Captain announces Banyan's arrest."

Joe noted the agitation in Ziegler's voice. The man was under tremendous pressure, so Joe got straight to the point. "Fill me in. You arrested Banyan for murder? That means you must've found some evidence that puts him at the scene." Joe's tone said, and you didn't share this with me?

Ziegler shot Joe a look of impatience. "Look, Hardy. I'm being nice letting you in here and discussing Banyan with. I don't have to share anything with you and you know it." He held a hand up and his expression softened. "But in the interest of cooperation, I'll tell you what happened."

"Thanks." Joe felt the anger that had risen, start to recede a little.

Ziegler plopped into his chair behind his desk. "Banyan's sister, Connie Marshall, called me this morning. Must've been around seven. She was kinda incoherent at first, but after a few tries she finally got out what she wanted to say. She told me her brother had confessed to murdering Dan Sagget and their mother."

"What?" Skepticism sparked in Joe's eyes. "Wayne just up and confessed?"

"Simmer down, Hardy. It gets better. I brought Banyan in for questioning right after Ms. Marshall's call, and guess what? He admitted to telling her that. He sat in the interrogation room and calmly told me how he wanted to kill his step-father and mother. Said he'd been planning the murders for a long time."

Joe stood in stunned silence, the wheels turning in his head, trying to piece this information into a narrative that made sense. Finally, he said, "Wanting to kill someone and planning to kill them doesn't necessarily add up to, actually, killing them."

The angles of Ziegler's face hardened. "He confessed, Hardy. And he's being processed as we speak. The Captain's happy as a pig in a mud hole about this. He's got a press conference scheduled in half an hour."

Well, good for the captain, Joe thought. Doesn't mean they had the right man for the murders.

Frank crossed his arms and directed his comments at Ziegler, "You'll need more than Banyan's word when the case goes to trial. A good defense lawyer will tear this case to shreds. Juries and judges like compelling evidence. You need something that puts Banyan at the scene of both murders."

Ziegler's face soured. "We're working on it."

"I'd like to talk to Banyan?" Joe said. He wanted to hear from Banyan himself. Wanted Banyan tell him to his face that he had murdered his mother and step-father.

Ziegler pushed out of his chair. "Only his lawyer's allowed to see him."

Joe had expected this answer, but he would have been remiss if he hadn't tried to speak to Banyan. "Who's his lawyer?"

"He doesn't have one yet. I'll let you know as soon as he gets one."

Joe knew Ziegler was placating him. Ziegler was never going to call him about the lawyer. That was way down the priority list. Ziegler was going to be busy with the case, looking for that much needed evidence. But still, Joe was gracious. "Thanks, I'd appreciate it."

"Oh," Ziegler said, "Banyan did have something for you."

"Yeah? What?"

"His dog." Ziegler withdrew a set of keys from his jacket pocket. "Banyan wants you to watch his dog while he's incarcerated. If you can't watch it, we'll have to put it in the pound." To his credit, Ziegler looked sad about the prospect.

Joe glanced at Frank – saw him nod – and turned back to Ziegler. "We'll take the dog." He held out his hand for the keys.

"Can't let you in the house by yourselves. We're processing it for evidence. I'll have a uniform follow you over there so you can get the dog and its food."

# # # #

Frank stayed inside the Station to wait for the uniformed officer who would accompany him and Joe to Banyan's house. Joe said he'd wait outside. He desperately needed air. The world had gone to hell in a matter of thirty minutes.

Joe pushed open the heavy, glass door of the Station and stepped out into the sunlit day. He put a hand to his eyes to shield them and aimed himself in the direction of Frank's SUV. Something caught his eye. It was Deke leaning against a shiny red pickup truck looking like he didn't have a care in the world. Well, until he spotted Joe.

Joe did a double take and halted. Thought about veering off in a different direction so Deke wouldn't know which vehicle he was headed for, but decided against it. Deke was here waiting, so he probably already knew which vehicle. The real question was, how had Deke found him?

Deke smiled at Joe. The smile was akin to a crocodile surfacing and spotting prey. Oh, looky here, something to eat. Joe crossed the parking lot and Deke's eyes bored into him.

"What?" Deke called out. "No hello? A good morning? No, how you doing?"

Deke laughed and it sent a ripple of anger rushing through Joe. The anger Joe had kept in check while talking to Ziegler. Ignore the mocking laughter, Joe told himself. Just keep walking. Easier said than done. His anger was looking for a target. His right hand curled into a fist.

"You being a PI," Deke said, "you should know the laws. Breaking and entering is a crime."

Joe felt his pulse thump and the skin at the base of his skull tightened. Every nerve ending sprang to life. Joe had officially stopped walking. And no sense pretending he was going to Frank's SUV.

Slowly, Joe turned and faced Deke. "What do you want Boxberger?"

That got Deke's attention. Joe knew his name.

"Wow, I'm impressed." Deke's tone conveyed the complete opposite. "Using those PI skills, huh? You're good, Hardy. If I ever need anything investigated, I'll call you."

Joe took a few steps toward Deke. His right hand was still fisted. It refused to relax. "I'll ask again, what do you want?"

"I think you know why I'm here, but since you seem to be intellectually challenged today, I'll spell it out." Deke pushed off the side of the red pickup and got within an inch of Joe. "Nicholson warned you once. Stay away from him, his docks, and his property. This is your second warning. Not many people get those. Consider yourself lucky."

Joe glared hard at Deke. "What's in it for you?"

Deke frowned. The question had caught him by surprise. He recovered quickly, though. "I work for the man. I do what he says."

"Even if it's illegal?" Joe watched Deke's face, saw him go deep within himself for a split-second and then he was back, cocky and sure of himself.

"Illegal? You're a fine one to talk." Deke's eyes shifted to something over Joe's right shoulder. "Who's he?"

Joe looked back, saw Frank, and turned back to Deke. "My brother."

"The message applies to him, too. Stay clear of Nicholson and anything he owns. This is your last warning. Both of you."

"Duly noted," Joe said.

Frank came up and stood beside Joe. The brothers watched Deke climb into his pickup, start the engine, and peel away.

"Friend of yours?" Frank asked.

"Deke Boxberger," Joe said. "Nicholson's right hand man."

"The man who's also buddy-buddy with Colonel Charles," Frank said.

Joe was about to reply when a young uniformed officer pulled up beside him in a patrol car.

The officer rolled down his window and stuck out his head. "I'm headed to Mr. Banyan's house. Mr. Frank Hardy says you know the way already."

"I do," Joe said. "We'll meet you there."

"Roger that," the officer said and drove off.

"The only bright spot in this morning so far," Joe said to Frank as they walked to the SUV, "is getting Bulka. Being here has reminded me of how much I missed her. Man, I missed her badly when I first left Afghanistan. I missed the guys, too, but Bulka .. Bulka held a special place in my heart. Dogs. They give you nothing but unconditional love."

Frank agreed. The bond between a man and his dog ran deep. "I can't wait to meet her." Frank smiled briefly. "But we need to check with Ms. Bentley and see if she allows pets. If she doesn't we'll have to find a new place to spend the rest of the week."

They were at the SUV. Joe opened his door. "Dang, I hadn't thought about that. All I've been thinking about was getting Bulka."

"Understandable," Frank said reassuringly. "I'll contact Ms. Bentley after we get the dog."

"Thanks," Joe said and both men climbed into the SUV. "I hope she allows dogs. I'd really hate to leave the house. It's got everything we need. Even a backyard for Bulka."

Frank started the engine. "I'll do my best to persuade Ms. Bentley if she seems reluctant."

Frank didn't want to lose the house either, especially now. The girls were scheduled to arrive on Friday. Frank didn't think they would be able to find a better place for all four of them. A place where they could have their own space, yet hang out together, too. And now, a dog had been added to the mix. Frank would do everything in his power to keep the house.

A/N: Thank you all for the reviews. You all are much too kind!