letters from an empty trailer
the Valley of Decision
chapter twenty-eight
Detective Swallwell, walked back across the manicured graveyard now heavily bursting into spring. Detective Skidmore was waiting by the car for her. “It was nice, I met his wife.” Was all she had to say about the Mayor’s funeral.
“I really hate to say this to you now?” Doug said, looking sheepish, and unable to make eye contact.
“Do you have too?” she replied getting into the passenger seat.
“Ya!” he said reluctantly.
“What is it then?”
“Sanchez is dead,” he stammered, holding onto the roof with both hands, and looking down on her from outside the car.
“Wait. What!” were her only disbelieving words. “No, no fucking way! No?” Penny sat there with the wind totally knocked from her sails. She was awestruck at such evil.
“Yup, one of our own, must have been? The cell sprinkler system went off in his cell and he was moved to a clean dry one. They’re still trying to figure out why it went off?”
“Let me guess, there’s no surveillance in that cell?” said Penny kidding.
“Ya. How’d you know?” said Doug surprised. “It’s simply a temporary holding cell, for occasions like this,” replied Doug. “Not meant for anybody to be in for more that an hour or so.”
Penny broke out into tears. Then as bending a garden hose the flow stopped. It was all becoming too much for her. She began to sink into a dark place and felt a weird tightening of her scalp. Like an invisible tight band was being squeezed tighter. Enough so that she unconsciously rubbed her scalp.
“When?” she asked.
“He was found hanging an hour ago.”
They sat in silence all the way back to headquarters. Penny just stared out into space.
“Have you seen the tapes yet?” she said turning to him.
“No, but they should be ready,” replied Doug. “Wanna go review them now?”
“No, there will just be a reason or excuse why certain portions aren’t showing.” Penny said matter-of-factly.
“Wow, I’ve never seen you so defeated looking?” said Doug, surprised.
“Where is he now?”
“At the morgue, I’d guess?
I wanna see the actual cause of death!” demanded Detective Swallwell. “Is he there or not?” she yelled, walking into the police station. Doug parked the car, hurt and in a huff. As she walked by the front desk, the Sargent hailed her. “The captain wants to see you the minute you’re back, and the chief of detectives is waiting at your desk.”
Penny chose to ignore her new Captain Ed Dunchin and went to see the chief. “Ever answer your phone detective?” said James Fisguard Chief of Detectives, on her approach. Penny dug out her phone, and said, “I turned it off at the funeral, forgot to turn it back on,” and shook the chiefs hand. They were both happy to see each other again.
“I’m going to help you personally on this one detective,” announced the chief. Bad news travels fast around the precincts. I came as soon as I heard.
“Is that what the captain wants to see me about?”
“No, I have no idea. I’m here on my own time.”
“With the Mayor and Sanchez outta the way, I’m sure they’re gonna try and sidetrack me?” Penny stated matter-of- factly.
“Or worse!” cried the chief laughing.
“Hang on, I shouldn’t be a minute, with the new captain.”
Penny returned within a few minutes, her face pale.
“What’s up?” said the chief, seeing her stunned look.
“I’ve been taken off the case, as of now!” blurted Penny. “They supposedly got another team on it; they want all my files.” Penny slowly sank into her desk chair, thinking, what can go wrong now?
“Now detective!” yelled her captain, peeking his head around the corner of the squad room.
“Ok that’s weird,” piped the chief who out ranked the captain. Captain, are you forgetting to acknowledge a superior officer?” screamed the chief, loud enough to make everyone in the room turn to look.
“Sorry chief, didn’t see you there?” replied the captain, stepping into the room, looking a little annoyed.
“I just came all the way from across town to offer Detective Swallwell here my help. On my own time, no less!”
“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that, I was given orders to replace her.”
“This is highly unusual! When and by whom?” snapped the chief.
“I don’t think I like your tone sir! It’s police business.”
“What the fuck do I look like captain?” screamed the chief. “I was on the job when you were in fucking diapers!”
The captain turned to leave. “Captain! I’m not through with you. I don’t have to tell you that there is a deep stain on this office. The mayor murdered in his own home, and now a suspect, in our care, murdered, right under our fucking noses? Right in the middle of a full scale internal investigation. Everyone knows that they’re connected, and now outta the fucking blue, Detective Swallwell here, is taken off the case?” said the chief.
“Was there anything else, sir?” said the captain respectfully and held out his hand for Penny’s files.
“No, but another investigation just began,” yelled the chief. “By me!”
“Detective Swallwell,” said the chief in front of the captain. “I personally advise you to register a complaint, and in formal protest to refuse to turn over your files. Then talk to your lawyer, and the press if necessary, as soon as possible. In all my years in the service, I can only conclude that you are being set up.”
“Duly noted,” replied the captain, and gathered up all Penny’s files from her desk. “This all the papers?” asked the captain.
“Yes sir, all the papers!” answered Penny.
“Now, if that’s all, I’ll be off doing my job?” said the captain, stacking Penny’s files in a box.
After all the fuss settled down and they were alone at her desk, Penny pulled out two flash drives. “He asked for paper did he not?
“Yes, that’s what I heard,” replied the chief smiling.
“Something smells bad around here,” said the chief pretending to sniff the air. Two of Penny’s associates wandered over and offered her their support, and another detective came over and offered his. The comradery added a tremendous lift to her spirits.
Detective Swallwell and the chief left for the morgue. Penny drove as the chief went over Penny’s files in the car. “What about the small guy, the dwarf, what’s his name?”
“Mickey!” answered Penny.
“Ya him,” replied the chief. “Did you interview his friends and known associates and hangouts?”
“No, we were concentrating on Sanchez.”
“Well maybe that’s where we should start looking?”
Penny held on to this glimmer of hope, and for the first time today felt in control again.
After many phone calls and studying all files on Mickey closely, and all related files, they came upon a simple reference to Red’s ranch in Arizona. It wasn’t much to go on, but it had to be checked out. Penny couldn’t go, but there was nothing stopping the chief. When the captain knew for sure that the chief had gone, he called her into his office, and asked her what she was doing with the chief all afternoon? Thinking fast knowing that he would seize her files, she answered nonchalantly, “Oh, I had read his book, and we were discussing it. I was telling him how it should be required reading for every cadet.”
“Oh, I didn’t know that he had written a book. And that took three hours?”
“No. We talked about other things, like our first meeting, and other personal things, and things he had learned about detective work?”
“I’m sure you have plenty of work on your desk, Detective Swallwell, to keep you busy. Carry on with your other cases and inquiries,” ordered the captain, still not convinced about her answers to his question and knowing any further questioning could be deemed harassment.
The chief of detectives, took the flash drives and within hours knew everything there was to know about Mickey’s criminal career, and then some. He took note of his mother’s attempts to set him on the straight and narrow, with little effect. He decided to talk to her. She was living in a La Jolla Shores Nursing Home, in San Diego.
Agreeing to talk to him, the chief found her to be an open and honest woman. The topic of her only son’s career was an embarrassment and disappointment to her.
“Please officer, tell me how he died, they keep promising but never do.”
“He was shot, plain and simple. That’s why I’m here. I want to know why?” said the chief, thinking it better to come out and say it.
“O dear me,” came her instant reply. “I told him over, and over again, the wages of sin are death! I told him to stay away from that Red character. You know why they call him Red, when he’s a black haired Wap, don’t you?”
“No, we’ve often wondered about that? We just assumed it was a nickname?”
“Well you’ve got it half right. It’s because he leaves all his victims bloody, whether they’re dead or not. The devil’s helper is who he is!” she continued.
“Makes sense,” replied the chief.
“He had my son help design and build that desert hell hole. And his beautiful daughter, poor girl, living out there with those ruthless demons. Poor thing didn’t have a clue, she’s who I worried about. What ever became of her?” asked Mickeys mother.
“She’s of interest, she’s wanted for questioning. Along with her Canadian boyfriend.”
“Aha she’s a darling. I met her once with Mickey. She called him Uncle Mickey. That’s how sick it was, she didn’t know a thing that was going on. But I suspect she would eventually figure it out? “
“Yes, that what we figure, and why they’re hiding,” offered the chief.
“Who’s that brave woman up there that found Mickey, and exposed all that corruption? It was in all the news for a while.”
“You mean Detective Swallwell! She’s my partner on this case.”
“Promise me something detective, please arrest and hang that terrible man.” pleaded Mickey’s mother. “They were buddies in school together, and Red was the only person that would hang out with a midget. And I was grateful for that until, I became aware of his terrible nature.”
“That’s my plan, you can count on it,” replied the chief.
“You just concentrate of that ranch fort place, and you’ll find him. I can guarantee it!”
Although the chief knew where it was located, she provided other details about back escape routes and about the spotter scopes that everyone had to monitor for two hours everyday.
On the drive back to the police station, the chief started formulating a plan to stake out the ranch, and laid his plan out to his immediate superiors, who brought in the district attorney.
When Penny was apprised, it was music to her hears, until she heard about the DA?
“You suspect him as well?” asked the chief.
“I suspect everyone!” replied Detective Swallwell.
Dan Ger