Andy pulled up in front of 15 and Traci was already waiting for her. She got in and told Andy where the legal clinic was. It was located in a storefront and was one floor with a front desk, bullpen and two offices.
The receptionist looked up at them and asked, "Can I help you?"
Yeah, I'm Detective Nash, this is Officer McNally. I talked to your boss, Mr. Crane, over the phone and he said he could talk with us.
"Sure thing, I'll go tell him you're here." She got up to go to the farthest back office and when she was out of earshot Traci remarked that she sounded a lot more hostile on the phone. The receptionist returned and led them back to the office. The man inside invited Andy and Traci to sit and he introduced himself.
"Lou Crane, I'm senior attorney and manager of this clinic. DO you have the letter from your boss?"
Traci produced the letter that Oliver had typed out and signed.
"Wonderful. Now then, how can I help you, officers?"
"We are investigating the Mary Daniels homicide. We understand she used to work here, do you remember her?", Traci asked.
"Oh, yes. She started here 3, maybe 4 years ago. Left when she got a job at a big firm. I always knew that's where she was heading. These kinds of clinics don't get lawyers like her too often to stick around. She was a great legal mind but also never put herself above anybody. That's a winning combination. I was very sad to hear she died."
"What about the name Andrew Walsh? We are interested to find out if he was ever a client of hers while she was here."
"Hmm, that name doesn't sound familiar. But I admit that I don't know the name of every client or person that walks in."
"What about your records?", Andy asked. "If she opened a file with his name wouldn't that information be stored somewhere?"
"I can't share information regarding case specifics, if there are any. But, I should be able to tell you if his name pops up in our accounting records." He typed away at his computer and it 'dinged back at him'. "Yeah, Andrew Walsh. He did receive some legal service here. I can't say what, however."
"Can you tell us when?", Traci asked.
"I can tell you that the first payment was made about 2.5 years ago for services provided by Mary."
"Thank you, Mr. Crane. You've been a great help."
"I'm sorry I couldn't help more, considering Mary's tragic passing. But I still have to honor attorney – client confidentiality. If you need anything else, I'll try to help if I can."
Andy and Traci thanked him again and left the clinic. Back in the car Andy commented that Crane wasn't too bad, for a lawyer. Traci smiled and pulled out her phone.
"I need to call Detective Anderson and update her. Let's swing by Walsh's place and see if he's in. Maybe he'll tell us what he was seeing Ms. Daniels for."
Slint was on duty which made life easier for Dov and Frankie. They drove over to 27 and walked up to the front desk. After they identified themselves and their intentions, the officer working the desk informed them that Detective Slint told him to expect Dov and Frankie. He buzzed them through and led them through to the Detective's cubicle. 27 was smaller and less busy than 15 but still bore the trademarks of any station in the service from the parade room to the numerous coffee machines scattered around. Slint was a middle-aged man, a little heavy and wearing a button-down shirt, no tie.
"Detective Slint," the desk officer began, "The two detectives from 15 division are here." They shook hands and introduced themselves. Slint rolled over an extra chair from the next cubicle so the detectives could all sit and the desk officer left.
"So, what I do for you two?"
"We are investigating the murders of Enrique Rojas and Mary Daniels," Frankie said
"No shit? Rojas bit it?"
"Yeah, found today shot in the head. Looks like a suicide."
"But you don't but that clearly. I'm sorry, what was the other name? Mary Daniels? I don't know her."
"We'll come back to her. We know you have investigated Enrique before."
"Yeah, a couple times. Couldn't get anything on the bastard, though."
"Can you tell us about them?", asked Dov.
Um, yeah, sure. The first time was a teenage boy, drug overdose. Los Viboras, Rojas' gang which I assume you already know, supplied the dope. But it's I couldn't prove who exactly sold it. I told the kid's dad-,"
"Andrew Walsh?", Frankie interrupted.
"Yeah, so you know about him. I told him that I wasn't going to be making any arrests in the case and he flipped out about lack of justice. I understood, if my daughter had died that way I would want something done and not listen to reason the time either. I figured, you know, he would eventually come around and understand why there was nothing I could do. Anyway, he kept hounding me about it. The last time he called me he told me that he found a note on his son's phone with the name Enrique and an address. That address was a mini-mart. Anyway, Walsh told me that this has to be the seller, that his son didn't have any Hispanic friends. I knew of Enrique Rojas in the gang but I didn't give Walsh the name because I didn't want him to go all vigilante on a guy that could be innocent of this. Wash said that if I wouldn't do anything then he was going to. That he had been to a legal clinic and talked to a lawyer and knew what he could do and what he needed to find. I told him I would't advise that but I knew he wasn't listening anymore. That was the last I heard from him until the next case."
"And the second case?"
"Walsh owned this pawnshop. Apparently, he foiled an attempted robbery. He had his gun, a Glock 26, and got into an altercation with the would-be robber. A round got fired into the wall and the assailant ran off with the gun. Allegedly. It purely by chance that I draw this case and when he sees me he immediately lashes out at me for letting this happen. I ask him what he means and he tells me that since I didn't arrest Rojas, the banger had robbed him and almost killed him. We pulled the slug from the wall and analyzed the broken glass but there was nothing linking Rojas to it except Walsh's statement. He claims he made out this distinctive neck tattoo in the middle of a night in an unlit room. That pared with no DNA or any other corroborative witness and Walsh's crusade against Rojas made me highly skeptical. Somewhere he learned Enrique's full name, I don't know how. Anyway, I check on Rojas and he had an alibi for the time of the incident. He and some buddies were watching a Raptors game and knew fine details and about the commercials in between. I told Rojas to be careful, this guy has it out for you. Probably deservedly so, but to be careful nonetheless."
"You think Walsh made the whole thing up?", Dov asked.
"That would be my best guess, he's cold and extreme, but I can't prove it one way or the other. You liking Walsh for all of this?"
"The Mary Daniels we mentioned earlier," Dov began, "was stabbed while out jogging and robbed of her phone. She was a lawyer that worked at a corporate law firm. But before that, she worked at a legal clinic. Among her belongings was a photo of Rojas, tattoo very apparent, and a sticky note attached to it with the name 'Drew' Andrew WAlsh was the guy that found her and called 911."
"She must have been the lawyer Walsh talked to, huh?"
"We are pretty sure of it. Have some officers nailing that down right now." said Frankie. "We found the knife that stabbed Daniels among Rojas' possessions and his prints were all over it. Oh, and the bullet that came from Rojas' skull matched the bullet you pulled from the pawn shop wall. And both bullets matched a bullet that was test fired from the gun found lying next to Rojas' body. A Glock 26. How many bangers pack a subcompact Glock?", Frankie asked rhetorically.
"Why would he keep the knife? It doesn't make sense. Do you have anything that suggests Walsh could have killed Daniels and planted the knife on Rojas?"
"Other than the fact her was there, no, we don't.," Dov said. "We don't like the feel of the knife wither but you think he would kill the woman who helped him? The only person who helped him."
"What I think is that if he was committed to offing Rojas, he would have no problem eliminating the person who could connect him to it. Like I said, he's cold. Look, if Walsh killed these people, don't take him lightly. He's got nothing to lose and he'll be ready."
"You're saying he'll fight?", Dov asked.
"I wouldn't be surprised. God, I can live with a gangbanger getting killed because I missed Walsh but having that girl's death on my conscience… Ah, fuck me." Slint had his head in his hands.
"Paul, this isn't your fault," Frankie surprised Dov with a compassionate side. "You didn't kill her and you didn't involve her. None of that is on you. You've been a great help to us."
Slint nodded a bit but didn't say anything. Dov and Frankie thanked him for his time and left 27. Walking to the car, Dov said, "Well, that sucked."
Frankie turned to him and said, "Sometimes, in this job, you'll be faced with things you want to do but can't for whatever reasons. Most times it ends okay but sometimes it all goes to shit. At the end of the day, detectives are rarely in a position to prevent crime, we're in the crime solving business. The best thing we can do is arrest the bad guys when we can and hope the rest works itself out. Traci called while we were in there, left a message." Frankie listened to it and jumped in the car. Dov got in and asked what was up as she peeled out of their parking spot.
"Nash and McNally confirmed that Walsh was a client of Mary Daniels at the clinic. They are on the way to his house now to talk with him," Frankie said.
"He might be the guy and they are walking right into it. And if he's like Slint thinks- ."
"Right, so that's where we are going. Try to call them and warn them off until we get there then call for backup.
As Dov reached for his phone, Frankie flipped on the lights and sirens and floored the accelerator.