Closing in
Andy Michaels would be accompanying his nephew to school, but not the classroom and he would hang back on the playground at recess and at the boy's sports events. His business was one of the most successful in Miami and though it would have given the business even bigger boost, Andy refused to take city-based elite unless they could prove they were under threat. Most of the city's elite, most of them just wanted body guards for show. And visiting celebrities? His company could meet these groups often outrageous demands but he found that his employees were treated with less then no respect by them. His business wasn't about just money to Andy Michaels. He wanted to provide a service to people who only needed it and not wanted it strictly for appearance. Elliott and Steven were getting their regular fee through a special account set up for cases like this. The rent for the house across the street and their personal expenses were also being covered this way.
This job, for Andy, was free.
He was grateful that he didn't have to worry about his and Aimee's parents. They had left for a six month European cruise three days ago. Andy himself was unattached and didn't have any children. He was too focused on his company. When Aimee and the kids were home, especially when Horatio was there, Andy tried to make himself "as scarce" as possible. He would eat his meals in the basement rec room that was his temporary apartment. Yes, he was family and he would come up and chat with everyone and play with the kids for a bit. But for the most part he left them to their privacy. His sister and brother-in-law told him he wasn't limited to basement. He could come up when he pleased and he was welcome to the frig and cupboards. Aimee already bought his own groceries, because he liked some things that Aimee normally didn't buy. Her brother buying his own groceries helped with the family bill.
Just as Andy wasn't limited to the basement, it was common for Kyle to go down to the basement to play board games and watch movies with his uncle.
Sparks flew from the grinder that sharpened his axe.
It had been easy as taking candy from a baby to get that young temporary receptionist at Dade Elementary School to look up, find and give him Horatio Caine's cellphone number, listed as an emergency contact for his son who attended there. Gina Hurley realized what she had done hours after. When she passed Baxter Murphy the number he asked for, he send a text to that number. Then with a sinister grin on his face said "now Horatio Caine will have to step his search for me."
In horror, she realized Baxter Murphy was the serial killer everyone was looking for.
Gina swallowed a bottle of pills, followed by whiskey, Gina lay down to die, leaving a letter under her pillow, apologizing for what she did. Telling whoever read it how Horatio's cellphone number was revealed, that Baxter Murphy was the "butcher." She wrote he had at least ten or more prepaid cellphones which he used to make calls. One of these was probably used to threaten the lieutenant's family. Gina also revealed that Baxter lived in in the second apartment behind hers in the group of five attached houses where she lived in a poor, run-down part of the city. Gina didn't die, her mother found her—and the letter, and dialed 9-1-1.
Attention readers, this story is going to have several more chapters but will be shorter than my others, action will ensue on the next chapter!