Dead to Rights Page 2

  Jamie’s phone rang and Jack muttered, “Saved by the phone.”

  “Ha-ha,” Jamie said as he hit the ignition on the vehicle and answered the phone through the Bluetooth. “Kennedy here.”

  “Jamie, it’s Shane Collier. I got that information you were looking for.”

  “Hey, Shane, Jack’s here with me,” Jamie said. Shane was one of the best intel people Jamie knew and he consulted for everyone from the US government to Harbor PD, as well as certain agencies that would remain nameless.

  “Hi, Jack,” Shane replied. “The best I’ve got for you two is that Amelia Warren went to a party on a yacht and disappeared. The party was a fundraiser for a cancer center the Warrens had endowed a few years ago and she would make appearances a couple of times a year at these events.”

  “Was her husband with her?” Jack asked.

  “No. While she was on the yacht, he was the guest of honor speaker at another event in New Haven at his old alma mater. Several hundred people are his alibi.”

  “Did the yacht leave the harbor that night?” Jamie asked. Most party cruises just did loops of the sheltered harbor area so they were never too far from shore.

  “I’ll have to check on that. I’m waiting for a copy of their route,” Shane said. “And no one reported Mrs. Warren as missing. She got on, but cameras at the dock never show her getting off.”

  “The event organizers didn’t notice? That’s unusual, isn’t it?” Jack asked.

  “Very. Most of these things have a checklist of who gets on board, and who gets off. This one didn’t check who got off,” Shane replied.

  “Can you get us a list of the event attendees?” Jamie asked.

  “Already in your inbox. There were some cameras and some video. I’ll have all of that uploaded to the cloud account and you can download it when you get home. Oh, and by the way – the sooner the two of you stop dancing around with Harbor PD and go work for Resolute Investigations, the sooner I’ll be more amenable to helping you out with things like this.”

  Jamie chuckled. “Thanks, Shane. Your opinion has been noted. Payment the usual way?”

  “You know it. I gotta pay taxes like the rest of you. Stay safe, both of you. My gut isn’t liking this one even a little bit.”

  “Later, Shane,” Jack said and the call disconnected. “Now that’s an interesting twist and we’ve barely started. I’m thinking Melly is at the bottom of the ocean, and not in the harbor. If she was in the harbor, there’s a good chance the way the tides and currents go, she would’ve already been beached somewhere, right?”

  “There are a ton of places around the harbor where a body could have washed up and no one has laid eyes on it yet. Rocky cliff bottoms or under a pier or dock somewhere would mean she wasn’t spotted until someone cruised by or swam near her.”

  “Let me guess, we can’t get teams out there looking for her body if we can’t prove she might be in the water, correct?” Jack said.

  “Correct. And it doesn’t help that Melly herself can’t tell us how she died – or where. Or where her body is right now,” Jamie said.

  “So, sort of like a regular murder case then,” Jack teased. “We’ve become spoiled.”

  “I suppose we have,” Jamie said with a laugh. “Let’s grab lunch and head back to my place. See if maybe Melly has remembered anything, or if we can jog her memory by telling her about the party boat trip.”

  “I’m still confused about one major point,” Jack said. “If she’s been gone since the cruise – and that was five days ago – why has she not been reported missing? I mean, the kids would’ve noticed even if the husband wasn’t around and didn’t realize.”

  “As soon as we can speak to them – with a valid reason for speaking to them – we’ll ask. Without a missing person report or someone asking us to do a wellness check, we can’t be rolling up on a politician’s family and asking why they didn’t report a member as missing.”

  “In particular, we can’t roll up on a politician’s house and ask. We’re barely allowed in public as it is after blowing up the governor’s senate race by arresting his son,” Jack said.

  “That, too,” Jamie agreed.

  Half an hour later, they climbed out of the SUV into Jamie’s garage and headed inside.

  “Mike, you around?” Jamie called out. “Need you and Melly in the office if you’ve got a minute.”

  “You mean he might have something else on his schedule?” Jack asked.

  “Hey, just because I’m dead doesn’t mean I don’t have plans,” Mike replied as he floated through the wall beside Jack.

  “Gah, don’t do that,” Jack yelped as she jumped at his sudden appearance.

  Jamie chuckled. “He’s good at that. Okay, Mike, is Melly around?”

  “She’s watching her kids right now. I can send one of my minions to get her if you need her?”

  “Yeah, we need her. We learned she’d been on a harbor cruise party boat. Hoping that if we tell her what we know, it might trigger some memories. Has she remembered anything else?” Jamie asked.

  “She remembered being at an event, but not which one. She said she’d given a speech, then accepted a glass of champagne from someone – and that’s it,” Mike said.

  “Maybe there were drugs in the champagne,” Jack said. “Rohypnol can paralyze someone and cause amnesia. That would explain why Melly can’t remember.”

  “So, she got roofied and killed? That’d make sense,” Mike said.

  Mike turned away from them and spoke to someone they couldn’t see. “Go get Melly, please. They need to talk to her. Thanks.” He then turned back and held out his hands. “Sent Tenny. He’ll go get her for us.”

  “Tenny?” Jamie asked.

  “Tennyson – one of the spirits over here. He likes being helpful,” Mike said.

  Jack arched a brow and Jamie shook his head. “Best to not ask. Okay, I’ll go make a pot of coffee, you go ahead and get set up.”

  Mike followed Jack into the office and perched on the corner of the table they used as a work space.

  “Something I can do for you, Mike?” Jack asked after a few minutes of silence.

  “No, I’m just watching. I’m glad Jameson has a solid partner who doesn’t think he’s crazy. I guess the Universe does have a sense of humor. I mean, the odds of his getting a partner that not only believes in ghosts but can see them like he can? That’s kind of amazing.”

  “I’m glad it worked out this way, too. The ‘crazy cop lady’ stories had tanked my career in the city, and I chose Harbor because it was where Avery planned on being for the next few years. I probably should have looked further out because the crazy rumors got leaked here, too.”

  “You and Jamie will do well as PIs. Probably better than you do as cops, and that’s saying something. Everything you do as a cop is now tainted by the harassment and bullshit you guys have to wade through every day. You won’t have that to worry about, working for Joey.”

  “But we still can’t tell Joey how we get our info,” Jack said.

  “We don’t have to report every information source as a PI,” Jamie said as he came in with their favorite mugs and the carafe full of coffee. “So, we can put down that we were told information that the ghosts tell us, and just say it was an anonymous source.”

  “What about when the prosecutors get ready to work the case?” Jack asked.

  “We’re the first line,” Jamie said. “For criminal cases, we then pass the information to Dai’s connections in law enforcement – usually at the state level – and they distribute the case and information to someone to verify what they can and prepare it for court.”

  “And as PIs you won’t be getting assigned criminal cases. Mostly missing persons, cheating spouses, information collection, stuff like that is what you’d handle. The dead people I introduce you to, you can gather and work the case, then pass it off and let Dai’s connections tie it up in a pretty bow. No more putting you two in the crosshairs,” Mike said.

&nb
sp; “Huh. Well, I know Avery will appreciate me not being the target in their sights anymore. He’s not interested in law enforcement except as to how it plays to his readers.”

  “I’d like to be able to drop that rider on my insurance I now have to carry after my place got shot up,” Jamie said.

  “Let’s not get too excited,” Jack said. “We’re still Harbor PD and we’ve got about ten days of administrative leave left to try and solve this case.”

  “Is Melly here?” Jamie asked Mike.

  Mike reached out a hand and Melly appeared. “She just got here.”

  “Hey, Melly,” Jack said. “We’ve learned a little bit, and we’re hoping what we tell you might help jog your memory.”

  “Before you go into that, I have something for you. Trey told the kids that I’m on a spa retreat vacation that he gave me as a surprise,” Melly said.

  “Well, that answers the ‘why has this not been reported yet’ question,” Jamie said. He poured two mugs of coffee and settled into his seat across the table from Jack.

  “We learned that you were on a harbor cruise party boat on Saturday night. It was for the Ribbon Benefit and you gave a speech. We were told you were definitely aboard and gave the speech, but no one remembers seeing you get off – and they didn’t do a checklist as people departed,” Jack said.

  “That’s a cancer benefit I do every year. My mother died from breast cancer, so I feel like I’m giving something back when I do that one. I guess that explains my outfit,” Melly said as she looked down at the evening attire. “I guess this is better than spending eternity in my pajamas.” She gave Mike a side-eye look.

  “These are not pajamas. Who do you know sleeps in their jeans? It was my day off and I was doing a quick trip to the grocery store. Jeans and a sweatshirt are perfectly normal day off attire,” Mike replied.

  Melly started to laugh. “Gotcha.”

  Jamie snorted into his coffee. “She got you good, Mikey.”

  “Try and think back through each step you do remember,” Jack said to Melly. “Maybe it’ll help trigger something. You remember picking out your outfit?”

  “Well, I didn’t pick it out. Trey had his assistant pick it out for me. I’m not allowed to pick my own attire for events. It might prove to be inappropriate or embarrassing for Trey. But I do remember Alis saying I couldn’t wear the pearls that night.”

  Jack blinked at Melly’s pragmatic tone and shook her head. “Okay, then what?”

  “I showered, did my makeup, fixed my hair, then got dressed. Trey checked me over to make sure I met his approval, and I kissed Liz and told her to go finish her homework. Channing was at his friend’s house for the night. I got into the hired car, then took off my earrings and put them in my purse. I hated those earrings. I exchanged them for these smaller gold squares as they’re more comfortable.”

  Melly stopped talking and looked at the floor. “I remember the car stopping at the bottom of the gangplank. I got out, checked in with the attendant there, and made my way up onto the yacht. I was about ten minutes early, so I asked someone to show me to the cabin they had set aside for me to go over my speech and have some privacy.”

  No one wanted to speak and interrupt the flow of memories, but Melly had started a slight rocking of her body. Mike kept her hand in his with a light grip.

  “Once the boat had pulled out into the harbor, I left the cabin to find something to eat. I chatted with a few people I knew…and that’s where things get confusing. I remember bits of conversations, but not exactly who I was speaking to. I remember the podium and the lights, but don’t remember my speech at all. It’s just bits and pieces after that.”

  “That’s really good, Melly,” Jack said, her voice soft. “That’s more than you remembered last time. Why don’t you go relax? We’ll be good with this for a while. If you remember anything else – people or conversations – just tell Mike and he’ll let us know.”

  They sipped coffee and waited a few minutes until Mike said Melly was upstairs.

  “Someone drugged her on that boat and either her body is still on it, was tossed overboard, or she was removed from the boat and disposed of elsewhere,” Mike said.

  “How would they get her off the boat without someone noticing she was dead?” Jamie asked.

  “Suitcase, catering cart, duffel bag, there are a lot of ways they could do it. Let’s be honest, she’s maybe a buck-twenty soaking wet, so it’d be no trouble at all to fold her up small enough to be carried off,” Jack said.

  “And the spa weekend that she doesn’t remember? If we can find out where he supposedly sent her, then we can confirm she’s not there,” Jamie said.

  Jack typed on her keyboard for a moment, then picked up her phone. “Shh,” she whispered to Jamie as the phone rang.

  “Congressman-elect Channing Warren’s office, Elektra speaking, how may I direct your call?”

  “Hello, Elektra, this is Jaqueline Forbes. I’m trying to reach Melly Warren, but her phone says the voicemail is full,” Jack said.

  “Oh, I’ve been finding that myself when I call her. I heard that Congressman Warren surprised her with a spa trip. Maybe she just shut off her phone?”

  “Maybe. Do you know where the spa is? I’ve got one of those coming up myself. Maybe we’ll cross paths there,” Jack said, her tone that of a woman without a care in the world.

  “I heard someone say it was Willow Bend, some place in Virginia. It supposedly is on an old plantation and there’s a river or something,” Elektra said. “If you’d like, I can take a message for when Mrs. Warren calls in?”

  “Oh, that’s okay. Melly has my number. If you hear from her, ask her to give Jaqueline a call, please?”

  “I’ll do that,” Elektra said. “Have a lovely day.”

  As the call disconnected, Jack gave an all-over body shudder. “I’m most definitely not the trophy wife type. I get squicked just trying to pretend to be one on the phone.”

  Jamie chuckled, then looked up from his phone. “Old Willow Bend Plantation Retreat & Spa, just a little south east of Jamestown on the York River. Want the number?”

  “How about you do this one? It must be a thing for husbands to buy spa trips for their wives, right?” Jack said.

  Jamie just made a face at her, then dialed the number. He, too, put the phone on speaker.

  “Old Willow Bend Plantation Retreat and Spa, Shelby speaking, how might I help you?”

  “Well, hello, Shelby, this is Jameson Kennedy. I’m interested in one of your spa packages as a gift for my wife. Her dear friend, Amelia Warren, is supposedly there right now, enjoying your facility’s services.”

  “I’d be happy to help you with that, Mr. Kennedy. Let me see if I can find out what package Mrs. Warren is enjoying and we can work on coordinating that surprise for your wife.”

  They listened to Ashokan Farewell on repeat for a good five minutes before the dulcet tones of Shelby returned to the call.

  “I’m sorry, Mr. Kennedy. It seems that the spa weekend Mr. Warren ordered for his wife was cancelled last week. She would have been here from last Sunday through Friday, but it was cancelled last Saturday.”

  “Do you know who cancelled it?” Jamie asked.

  “There’s no notation, but it would’ve had to have been either Mr. Warren or Mrs. Warren, their representative or staff. They would need to know the booking number and the credit card used to pay for it in order to cancel.”

  “I appreciate your help with this. I guess I’ll have to reach out to the Congressman myself and see what the package was. Maybe both ladies can attend together next time.”

  “I hope we do get to see them both here soon. Have a good day and thank you for calling,” Shelby said and disconnected the call.

  “She was awfully ready with information for such an exclusive place, wasn’t she?” Jack said.

  “It’s the last name. They hear ‘Kennedy’ and immediately think of JFK and his clan,” Jamie said.

  “I see. Well, whe
re’s your compound?” Jack teased, then sobered. “So, even though they’ve cancelled the trip, and someone is aware that Melly’s not at the spa - no one has reported her missing. They’ve created a gap without having to pay for it. That’s the hole in all of this, though. The spa trip that isn’t happening.”

  “And we can’t do much until there’s an official missing person report, or we’re risking getting fired before we can quit,” Jamie said. He was interrupted by his phone ringing. “It’s Joey.” He hit answer and set the phone on the table. “Hey, Joey. You’ve got Jack and me here on speaker. What’s up?”

  “I’ve got two license and ID folders, hot off the presses. You two have time to come in and pick them up – and get briefed on a case? It’s not the one I had originally intended to give you. This one just came in today and I think it’s one you can really sink your teeth into,” Joey said.

  “Well, we just hit a brick wall with the case we’re messing with right now, so I don’t see why we can’t head over. See you in about fifteen minutes,” Jamie said.

  “Yeah, I’m good with that. As long as Jamie drives,” Jack said. “I hate trying to find parking around your place.”

  “See you both in a few then,” Joey said and disconnected the call.

  “Guess I’m driving,” Jamie said with a chuckle. “Grab a couple of those muffins. Joey has a vicious sweet tooth. I bet he’d like them.”

  “Good idea. I’m going to get something to put them in from your kitchen. Tuck my laptop in your safe, please?”

  “Will do.” They’d gotten into the habit of locking their laptops and sensitive files in the huge fire safe Jamie had in his office after having people try to steal things while on the last case. At this point, they were both wondering what kinds of changes they’d be adapting to next.