Mature

Keywords: Pt., 03, Brodricksburg,

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Marge gave me an inquisitive look as she reached for her phone to call Carrie. Marge had known me for five years so our identifying ourselves as police officers and asking to see Mrs. Hobbs had to strike her as being a little odd.

"Mrs. Hobbs, there are two police officers here to see you."

Marge put down her phone and said, "You can go right up, Brian."

I thank her and Hanratty and I took the elevator to the second floor. When we got to Carrie's office I asked Hanratty to give me a few minutes alone with Carrie before he came in.

Carrie looked worried when I came into the office. "What's going on, Brian? You know you aren't supposed to come here."

"This is important, Carrie, and it's work related."

Carrie seemed to relax a little when I said that. "I just worried that you were violating the restraining order. People here know about it."

"I know but I had to talk to you about something," I said and then laid the pictures of Carrie and Commissioner Buske sitting in the park on her desk. "What can you tell me about these pictures?"

"Oh, my God, have you been following me?"

"No, I have not."

"Then where did these pictures come from?"

"I don't know where they came from but I have to know why you were with Commissioner Buske?"

"Are you accusing me of something here? I thought we were making progress and now this."

"I am not accusing you of anything but I need to know what this is about. I have to know why you were with Commissioner Buske," I said.

Carrie looked hurt. She took a deep breath and said, "That was last Wednesday afternoon. Mr. Mitchell gave me some papers that he needed to have Commissioner Buske sign that afternoon. I call the Commissioner's office and was told that he was out of the office for the afternoon. His secretary gave me his cell phone number and I called him to ask him if I could meet his somewhere to get his signature on the papers. He told me to meet him in the park. We were there for no more than five minutes. He signed the papers and I went back to my office."

"That's all?"

"Yes. Now why do you have pictures of that meeting?"

"The caller that started all the trouble between us had them delivered to my desk yesterday."

"Why?"

"I am not sure yet," I said. "At first I thought it was someone who was just trying to break up our marriage, but after last night I think it is far more sinister."

"What happened last night?"

"You don't know?"

Carrie shook her head and I could see that she really didn't know what had happened.

"Did you go to see Commissioner Buske last night at 37 Third Street?"

"How did you know that? Did you follow me?"

"No."

"You better not be lying to me," Carrie said.

"Have I ever lied to you about anything important?"

Carrie looked directly into my eyes and then said, "No... So how did you know I went to see Commissioner Buske last night?"

"The same person that sent me the pictures told me that you would be there at 8:00 last night."

"So did you go there to spy on me?"

"No. I was at Dominic's all evening," I said. "So why were you meeting Commissioner Buske last night?"

"It was just business. Why is this so important?"

"It's important because fifteen minutes after you left your meeting with the Commissioner someone killed him."

"Oh, my God. Are you serious?" Carrie asked but then when she saw the look on my face she knew."

Carrie looked like she might get sick. "Why would someone want to kill him?" she asked.

"I don't know why he was killed but I believe I know why it happened last night right after you left the house."

Carrie said, "I don't understand."

"Pictures of you sitting in the park with Commissioner Buske appear on my desk and I get a call telling me that you will be at 37 Third Street at 8:00 PM last night. Shortly after your meeting with Commissioner Buske someone killed him."

Carrie just looked at me in bewilderment.

"At four o'clock this morning I was hauled down to the police station and questioned. It seems that Captain Ross had a witness that saw you enter the house at eight o'clock and leave just before nine o'clock. That same witness claimed that they saw me enter the house shortly after you left and then heard a gunshot. The witness claimed that he saw me running away from the house after he heard the shot. Captain Ross was trying to pin the murder on me."

"You were able to prove that you didn't do it?"

"What do you think?"

"I know you wouldn't do that but were you able to convince Captain Ross?"

"The fact that I am standing here should answer that," I said. "Now, can you tell me why you met Commissioner Buske at that house last night?"

"It was a real estate deal he was working on. I had to get him to sign a contract for an option to buy some land."

"Was this land out on the River Road?"

"Yes. How did you know that?"

"I'm a detective."

Carrie smiled at that.

"When did you find out that you had to meet Commissioner Buske at that house last night?"

"Mr. Mitchell handed me the papers last evening at six o'clock. He apologized for the inconvenience but said that we had to have the papers signed that evening. Then he gave me the address."

I had a sudden sick feeling come over me.

"What happens now?" Carrie asked.

"Hanratty is going to come in and take your statement. He'll just ask you about why you were at the house, when you got there and when you left. Don't worry about it," I told her then opened the door and invited Hanratty in to ask his questions.

As I listened to Carrie answering Hanratty's questions I reviewed everything I knew, thought I knew or suspected about the Commissioner, and his relationship to the other members of the Thursday Night Club.

When Hanratty finished his questions we got up to leave Carrie's office.

Carrie reached out and took my hand. "Brian."

I turned to look at Carrie to see what she wanted.

"I never lied to you about anything important either," she said.

"I know."

Carrie smiled at me.

As I turned to go out the door I saw Mr. Mitchell staring at me. The way he was looking at me made the hair on the back of my neck bristle. From behind me I heard Carrie say, "Would you like to come over for dinner tonight?"

"Yes... Ah, no," I said. I turned and looked at Carrie. "What do you think would happen if Fred ever found out that Barney was tapping Wilma?"

Carrie laughed and said, "Fred would probably kill Barney."

I nodded my head in the direction of Mr. Mitchell and said, "What would Fred do to Wilma?"

Carrie's whole demeanor changed as she began to understand. "Fred wouldn't do anything to Wilma because he would never find her."

"Are you sure about that?"

"Wilma is smarter than Fred. He would never find her."

I said nothing more to Carrie as I left her office. I saw Mr. Mitchell going into Carrie's office as Hanratty and I got on the elevator.

"Were you and Carrie talking about the Flintstones?" Hanratty asked as the elevator started down.

"Yeah. It's an old joke between us. I told her once that Barney Rubble was banging Wilma behind Fred's back. It's been a private joke between us ever since."

Hanratty just shook his head and laughed.

"Why don't you drop me back at the station and then you can carry on with your investigation?" I suggested to Hanratty.

"What are you going to do?"

"Don't worry, I won't do anything that would compromise your investigation."

"I know you wouldn't. I just wondered what you are planning to do," Hanratty said.

"I don't have a plan yet. I need to think things through and try to make sense out of all this."

"I wish I could be of more help but until you can tell me what is going on there isn't much I can do."

"Sorry I have had to keep you in the dark but it won't be for much longer," I said.

*****

CARRIE GOES MISSING

*****

Back at my desk I couldn't get the image of Mr. Mitchell staring at me when I was in Carrie's office out of my head. He was a part of the Thursday Night Club and that worried me. My investigation was putting Carrie in danger.

I felt like I had figured out what was going on but I didn't have everything I needed to prove it. I was going to need help with the rest of this investigation but first I was going to have to make sure that Carrie was safe.

Just before noon I saw Hanratty walk through the squad room and into the communications room. When he came out of the com room I asked him if he wanted to go get lunch.

"Can't now," he said. "I got to go check on something. I'll be back later to fill you in."

He was gone before I could ask him what he was up to.

At three o'clock Captain Ross came into the squad room and headed toward my cubical followed by Hanratty.

"Where is your wife?" Ross asked.

I looked at my watch and said, "Should still be at work."

"She's not there and I want to talk to her," Ross said, raising his voice to make sure I knew he was serious. "She went out to lunch and didn't return to the office. No one seems to know where she is.

"Why do you think I would know where she is," I said. "We are separated and she doesn't tell me what she is doing."

"Doesn't it concern you that she is missing?"

"Missing? She didn't return from lunch, that doesn't mean she is missing," I said.

"Why do you want to talk to Mrs. Hobbs?" Hanratty asked Ross.

Ross turned to look at Hanratty and said, "I don't have to answer to you."

"The shooting of Commissioner Buske is my case," Hanratty said. "It was assigned to me by the chief. Mrs. Hobbs is part of my investigation so I want to know what you want to talk to her about."
Chelsea asked what rumors and he said he would say in a minute but that he had something else to show her. He played the part with the girl impaling herself on the cock of one of the strippers. Chelsea raised her eyebrows.

"Who is that? Brittany claims it isn't her, but that she doesn't know who it is because she doesn't remember that part of the party."

"I can't say who it is either, but I do know that Brittany is right.

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Keywords: Pt., 03, Brodricksburg,