Murder in the Forest, Chapter 15
As Blacklaws and Seaver drove away in Blacklaws's patrol car, he turned to her and said that he wanted to run by his house and change into civilian clothes. "I'm not going to run around in lingerie shops in uniform," he explained. "We can use this car and park out in the lots by the stores and no one will associate a cop car with us inside the stores. By the way, is it PC acceptable to tell you that you look rather smashing today?"
Seaver blushed. She thought that she did look rather good in a black tee shirt, fairly tight jeans and a fawn blazer to provide just enough warmth and to hide the gun on her right hip. Her feet wore dark brown hand sewn boat shoes.
"It's acceptable, "she admitted. "I'm glad that you think I'm hot. It probably makes me seem less like a federal agent at work. Maybe it'll relax people more and get them to tell us things if we don't seem too official."
"A good point" he agreed. "Look here, when we get to my place, you can either wait in the car or if you trust me not to make a pass, you can come in and I'll make you a nice cup of tea while I change. And you can see my house and tell me if you like it, are revolted, or are just indifferent."
"That sounds good," she said. "Actually, I haven't had hot tea in ages, and I sort of like it. Is this English style?"
"The tea is from British firms, and I have several sorts, that is, from different growing regions. You may like a good Darjeeling, from NE India. Or, I have Ceylon, Irish blend, and a couple of herbals. Twining's Rooibos or Honeybush with Mandarin. The bouquet from the latter is especially nice. I think you'll be quite impressed. Or, if you prefer actual tea, one of the others has the caffeine that you may want for a mid-morning pick-up."
When they were in his home, Seaver followed the tall officer to his kitchen, which she thought was especially clean for that of a single man. And she was impressed at the selection of tea boxes, with a couple of choices of loose tea in cans.
"Bags are fine," she said. "If you'll put on some water, I'll keep an eye on things while you change. Good gosh! What is that fish on the wall?!"
She was staring at a fish mounted on the wood paneled wall approaching the kitchen.
"Tiger fish," he explained. "Looks a bit like your striped bass, except for the arsenal in its mouth, eh? I caught it back in Africa. They fight hard and if you mount one with the mouth open, they're good for terrifying guests, especially impressionable young girls." He grinned to show that he was teasing. "Seriously, it doesn't do to let one bite you. That tends to leave a lasting impression. That one weighed about 15 pounds. I've caught larger, but we couldn't bring everything from home when we moved to the USA. Well, look around and listen for the tea kettle to whistle. I'll just be a few moments. By the by, I'll have Ceylon Orange Pekoe tea, the Twining's brand. If you'll look in the second cabinet to the right of the sink, you'll find cups. I want one with a leopard image on it. Choose whatever you like, but most have African or North American animals on them and my glasses have mainly game birds or fish. My late wife used to call them my kitchen menagerie. There are conventional crystal glasses if you'd rather."
"Oh, the ducks are pretty," she announced. "I'll get one with wood ducks on it, if I may. My word, these are so realistic! Are they designed by real wildlife artists. Specialists? ?"
"Yes, and I hand wash them to prevent the dishwasher from fading the pictures. I'll answer your other questions in a moment. Feel free to wander and see the place. I do love it."
Seaver paused to admire two tall elephant tusks that framed a doorway and gazed with some astonishment at the mounted head of a huge Cape buffalo and a couple of lion and leopard skins on walls. She noted with amusement that there was a black bear hide and decided to tell JJ Jareau about it later. A calendar on the kitchen wall showed trout, painted by a remarkably talented fish artist named Joseph R. Tomelleri. Seaver learned this from notations on the calendar, which discussed each trout and its habitat, etc. The pictures were almost alive in their detail and realism.
She made the tea and found sugar, and then milk in the refrigerator. When Peter appeared in a few moments, he was dressed in nice tan slacks with a white dress shirt with thin blue lines. A navy blue blazer was slung over one shoulder. His shoes were dark brown hand sewn casuals , probably Timberlands. But she asked and he explained that the shoes were really from Allen Edmonds, a somewhat exclusive brand not as widely sold, but of very high quality.
"Both Presidents Bush wear the brand, I think," he amplified, "or at least George W. does. I saw a framed letter from him in the store. I say, you make a nice cup of tea. Would you like a granola bar with this? I've some in the cupboard behind you."
They talked awhile and finished their tea. Seaver enjoyed that he was quick witted, with a wry, droll sense of humor. She decided that she had been right to like him. Morgan's resentment was probably racially based and/or a matter of one alpha male disliking another strong male presence. That aspect didn't trouble her. Like many women, Ashley Seaver rather liked strong, handsome men, especially if they didn't act aggressively and had a sense of humor. She saw why women liked this man and felt protected by him.
"Hadn't we better go?" she asked after most of an hour had passed. "Stores should be open by now." She noticed that he'd exchanged the Beretta on his duty belt for a Smith & Wesson .357 Magnum that reminded her of Reid's gun, but with a barrel an inch longer and with an enclosed extractor rod housing under the barrel and with adjustable sights.
"Model 66," he explained when she asked about it. "I noticed that Reid has the plainer Model 65. I like this better than a big automatic when I wear a suit and the holster is not only handsome, it hides the gun well under my jacket. And now: shall we, my lady? Off to shop for sheer lacies, with a girl who could model them! This is the best day that I've had at work in ages!"
Seaver blushed and laughed as they locked the door and went down the sidewalk across a nice green lawn to his car.
On impulse, he drove to a famous lingerie store that sold such additional items as bath soaps, fragrances, towels, and other niceties. "It's the best known such shop, so probably the one most likely to have sold the items that we're looking for," he explained. "I'm not going here in hopes of meeting their spokesmodels. If they were in town, it'd be in the paper and on the TV news."
In the mall, they asked at the counter about the lingerie, showing the clerk what they wanted.
"I'm not sure we have quite these styles," she said, "but if you look on aisles three and five, we do have very similar styles, and we have a sale this week and next. It's 30% off! You came at a good time."
Blacklaws produced his badge and explained the purpose of their visit, and the girl blanched and said, "Oh, you mean this girl in the pictures isn't your lady friend here? If she wants to shop for a few minutes, I'll get Connie out of the back. She's the manager and if we have those styles, she'd know where and may recall selling them."
Connie came out, saw the official ID's and seemed impressed, especially by Seaver's FBI credentials. "Is this about that missing girls case on the news? I'd like to help, but we don't carry that line. The good news is, I know who in Elk Pass does. And it's exclusive, so you won't have to traipse all over every department store in town trying to see who may have sold some recently. I was at a trade show and saw those products and I know who carries them here. Do you know where Donna's Intimates is, on Forest Glade Drive? Donna McLaren owns it and we're friends, even if competitors. Can I call her and see if she's sold any? The line is from France, and its called Amour d' Nuit. She carries these two and several similar styles. They're pretty expensive and kind of sensual, for casual wear. And they're new this season. She may just remember if she sold any to a man. But a lot of our customers and hers are men, of course. "She laughed and cast a knowing eye at Seaver, who blushed and said nothing. Yes, she knew that such items were often gifts from men who wanted to see their ladies wear them.
"Thanks, but don't call. We'd rather just drive over to see her and let her look at the pictures to be sure she understands what we're looking for." Blacklaws doubted that either shop owner was an accessory to the crimes but wanted to see McLaren's face as he announced the purpose of their visit. If she covered for anyone, he thought he might be able to sense it.
The investigators soon found their way to Donna's Intimates and found Donna to be a pretty, intelligent woman who seemed very well informed about her stock. "Yes," she said on seeing the photos." I know just those two styles and I think we did sell a few since they came in maybe three weeks ago."
"Julie!" she called and a fashionable looking college girl who worked part time at the shop came over and looked at the pictures and thought.
After a few moments, she nodded. "You know, I sold five sets of several styles, not all black, from that Amour d'Nuit line. And a few other pieces from other lines, some of the better sale items, too. I mean, I sold them to this one guy, who I don't think was buying for his wife. I just don't think he's married. Maybe he's dating some chick who got them. He's kind of scary, so I remember him. I used to go in his store with my dad, and I've never liked him. He always undressed me with his eyes and I think he and his employees discussed me and my sister when we left. Have you met guys like that, Agent Seaver? Who just sort of make your skin crawl? I mean I sort of like guys checking me out; I'd feel bad if they didn't look. But there's a certain quality to the way some men do it, and it makes you feel a little afraid and like you'd just been naked in public?"
Seaver nodded and looked at Blacklaws. Yes, she knew that feeling. It had visited her many times since puberty. She looked at her companion as he spoke.
That gentleman said, "You mentioned his store? Is he a merchant in Elk Pass?"
Julie nodded. "Yeah, he owns Acme Hardware on Main St. His dad had it before him. Now, look, officers, I'm not saying that he kidnapped those girls on the news, but he did buy bras and panties here that are precisely those styles and I haven't sold any in that quantity to anyone else, and the other customers were all women except for Mr. Meadows, my English teacher. It was kind of embarrassing waiting on him, but he seems like a nice guy, and I know he's married. I've seen him and his wife eating out and at the grocery store a few times. She's hot. I bet she looks great in that lingerie. They're a cute couple. I don't think he'd do anything bad. But if this is a clue you're looking for, I'd say that Mike Bamka, the hardware store guy, is worth looking into. But don't you dare say that I said so. I'm really a little afraid of him."
The officers assured the women that they'd not mention Julie's recognizing Bamka unless she was needed to testify in court that he'd bought the items in the video clips.
"Deputy Blacklaws, can we help in any other way?" asked Donna. "I think it's just terrible that he may have taken those girls. Is this one in the No. 2104 style bra maybe Courtney Cassidy? The face is blurred but I've seen her in here with her mom and sister and around town. She seems like such a nice girl, and my husband has our home and auto insurance with her dad's company."
The deputy told the ladies that he could reveal no more, but that if Bamka returned, to just wait on him normally, note what he bought, and to call the sheriff's office and ask to speak to him. He gave each of them his card, jotting his cell phone number on the back.
"Remember," he cautioned, "This man may not be involved in the kidnappings. He could just have found a girlfriend or maybe he was running an errand for his sister or something when he came in here."
Donna and Julie looked at one another and shook their heads. "Nope," said Julie with conviction. "This guy was buying for someone he expected to see wear those things and I'm sure it wasn't his sister, if he has one. Not unless they have an incestuous relationship. Hey, Agent Seaver: we still have some other examples of those and other styles from that line. It really is nice lingerie. If I can get Deputy Blacklaws a cup of coffee, Donna or I can show you some things from that line and a few items that are on sale this week. As long as you're in here…"
Blacklaws seemed amused. "Sure, I could do with a cup of coffee," he said. "If one of you ladies will talk to me, the other can help Ashley here."
Seaver rolled her eyes and nudged her partner lightly in the ribs. "Never mind, ladies. He's just trying to make me blush. I may be back later, on my own time. But we'd better go now. We have some other leads to check out."
As they left the shop, she said, "Well, Peter, that went nicely, and I think that both Donna and Julie enjoyed meeting you, in case you find yourself short of dating material. "
"Donna's married. Has a ring on and mentioned her husband," he protested. "I don't even try for married ladies. That way is fraught with guilt and potential ruin."
"Didn't you promise me lunch at someplace nicer than a McDonald's?" she queried, looking at him with a smile. "You never know, you might get somewhere with me if you feed me. I could be even more fun than Julie if I wanted, I bet." She laughed at his faint flush coupled with a wry grin.
"Off to dine, it is, then: I'll call us in as on lunch break. Look, this Mike Bamka is sort of a sleazy macho fellow, but a lot of men look at foxy girls like Julie and talk about them when they leave. But we can look to see if anything else about him suggests that he's a suspect. And we think there are two men, remember. Maybe one of his employees is in on this."
They hit pay dirt sooner than expected. As they were finishing their meal at the same restaurant where they'd first met, Seaver's phone rang. She glanced at her dinner partner and said, "I'd better take this. It's our computer tech, Penelope Garcia. Hi, Penelope. What's up back at Quantico? Yes, I'm sitting down. I'm having lunch with this actually pretty handsome detective deputy who generously offered to feed me at a quite nice restaurant for the frontier boondocks."
She listened for a moment, said goodbye to Garcia, and looked excitedly at Blacklaws. "Guess what, Peter? Remember that Morgan was going to get Garcia to run a check to see if anyone in Elk Pass has ordered any Irish 8 cuffs or other restraints lately? Well, someone has, quite a few chains, regular handcuffs, shackles, and the like. Even a couple of chastity belts with rings on the sides to attach handcuffs! And guess who that customer was? A man named Michael R. Bamka! And Garcia has his address."