CHAPTER THREE
THE INVESTIGATION
When Mac left the Cuda Shack, she decided to take a short walk on the pier. She wanted a few minutes to digest Shingo’s report. Mac stopped at the end of the pier and rested her arms on the railing. She looked out over the ocean and saw several gulls circling around something floating on the surface. “Oh, Billy, what happened to you?” she sighed. She was saddened by the news of Billy and Katherine. She didn’t feel a deep pain because they weren’t real to her. Especially Katherine. It was like watching a tragedy on the evening news. You might get upset hearing about it, but since you didn’t know the victims the incident soon becomes a distant memory. Their relationship had ended many years before and she never knew him as a man. The only thing that was real to her was the memory and she’d have that for as long as lived.
Mac looked at her wristwatch and decided to head back to the cottage. Halfway down the pier was a man dressed in blue overalls and wearing a black garrison cap. A subtle breeze blowing in Mac’s direction carried the distinct smell of tobacco smoke. The man was leaving a trail of smoke clouds like a steam engine struggling to get up a hill. It smelled exactly like the tobacco her father used to smoke in his pipe.
Mac smiled as she thought of her dad and all the wonderful nights they spent on the pier fishing and listening to the magical sounds of the nighttime ocean.
When Mac reached the bottom of the concrete steps, she headed for the cottage and extended her right hand to a father that was only there in thought.
“Take my hand, Daddy. Let’s go home. Mom’s waiting,” said Mac as she smiled warmly. For a split second, Mac thought she felt someone take her hand. It was only for a split second though.
When Mac got back to the cottage, she made a fresh pot of coffee and checked her voice mail. Two and one half cups and an hour later, she had taken care of all the messages pertaining to her job. The two remaining messages came from Marcia Labonte, with Bresons and Carrie, her apartment manager.
She called Carrie first. “Hey, Carrie, it’s Mac. How’s the weather back in Atlanta?”
“Hi, Mac. You just caught me. I was about to leave. My husband and I are driving to his brother’s house in Tennessee. The weather here is wonderful, if you happen to love rain!”
Mac could hear Carrie smiling, as usual. “So, what’s up?”
“I wanted to call and let you know that a man wearing a policeman’s uniform was in here asking about you. Unfortunately, I wasn’t in the office at the time and my assistant handled it.”
“It was probably the officer who responded to my 911 call after the assault.”
“It couldn’t be, Mac. My assistant, Karl, said he was asking where you were because he had a warrant for your arrest. He told Karl that if he withheld the location of your whereabouts, he’d be arrested as an accomplice.”
“What was the warrant for?” asked a concerned Mac.
“The cop told Karl you had been arrested, charged and released for shoplifting. He said a court date was scheduled and you failed to show up, so the cop was there to take you into custody.”
“Must be a real old warrant. That last time I was guilty of shoplifting, I was nine and stole some bubble gum. My dad figured out where I got it and made me take it back,” said Mac as she attempted to quell her apprehension.
“I didn’t think it was legitimate, that’s why I called you. I’m sorry I wasn’t there to handle it, Mac.”
“It’s okay, Carrie. You can’t be there all the time. Besides, it’s not your responsibility to handle it for me,” stated Mac as she reached for her notepad and pen. “Give the details so I can pass the information along to my private detective.”
“He came in Friday afternoon at about three o’clock. I had just left to show some people an apartment. He walked straight to Karl and started badgering him. You know Karl. Authority really rattles his tree.” Carrie paused briefly. “Hold on a second, Mac. My security guy is waving for me.”
“Okay,” said Mac. She felt a growing anxiety over the situation. So much for the relaxation part of the vacation. Maybe it’s time for medical intervention. Maybe she should get some tranquilizers.
“I’m back. Sorry about that, Mac. My security chief just told me that your front door was found unlocked. Someone really knew what they were doing. The lock was picked and your computer was on. It doesn’t look like anything obvious is missing and the place seems in good order. My security chief guarantees me that your apartment was locked when they checked it last night. I am so sorry, Mac. This looks very bad.”
“Can you give me a description of the cop?”
Carrie provided a physical description of the guy and added that they had him on video surveillance tape.
“I’ve pulled the tape, Mac and have it in a very safe place. No one else here knows where I’ve hidden it. Let me know what you want me to do with it.”
“I’ll tell my private detective when she gets here. How long are you going to be at your brother-in-law’s?”
“We won’t be back until Tuesday morning.”
Mac thought for a minute and said, “Would you do me favor, Carrie?”
“I’ll try.”
“Since you’re not going to be back until Tuesday, would you mind dropping the video off at the Breson Detective Agency?”
“I don’t mind at all Mac. Just give me directions and I’ll go straight there as soon as I walk out the door.”
“Thanks, Carrie. I really appreciate it.” Mac provided the necessary directions, wished Carrie a safe trip and hung up. Then she dialed Marcia.
“Hello, is this Marcia Labonte?”
“Speaking.”
“This is Mackenzie Mason. I’m returning your call.”
“Hi, Mac. I called earlier to let you know that I should be arriving at your cottage between five and six tonight. I have room reservations and a car rental all lined up, so there’s nothing for you to do. I had wanted to be there earlier, but my original flight was overbooked and then delayed because of bad weather.”
“I’m looking forward to seeing you,” stated Mac.
“Anything new to report since you’ve been there?”
Mac explained the incident that played out at her apartment and told her that Carrie would be dropping off the video.
“I’ll relay the information to Donna. Anything else?”
“Not yet. I do have an unexpected neighbor, but we can discuss that when you get here.”
“Okay,“ she replied. “Donna did some preliminary research, which I’ll pass along when I get there. And Robert’s out in the field tracking down leads.”
“You guys sound like you’re on top of things. I’ll see you when you get here.”
The two exchanged farewells and hung up. Mac turned her attention to the jigsaw puzzle sitting on her coffee table. When she first laid the puzzle on the table, the bow of the boat was pointing toward her front door. The box had somehow been turned and the bow was facing in the opposite direction toward the window. She was tired and certainly could have moved it or bumped it without knowing.
She squatted down and pulled the box closer to her. The edge of the box where the ocean was depicted was slightly damp. She wiped her fingers off on the edge of the couch and looked closer at the box. The man who was sitting on the beach had also changed positions. Instead of having just his head facing the boat, his whole body had turned to face the boat.
Her heart started racing. “Mac, it’s stress and fatigue. Remember, stress and fatigue. Medical intervention is looking better and better every day.”
She removed the cover and dumped the contents on the table. She started turning all the pieces over so she would be able to work the puzzle. As she was turning them, she felt the room getting warmer.
All of the pieces felt gritty and damp. She wiped her fingers once again and began to feel lightheaded. The air got even warmer and it was getting difficult to breath. The room became enveloped in darkness and she thought she had been trapped unde
r a coal black storm cloud. She heard the sound of gulls coming from her hallway as the room grew even darker. So dark in fact that she could no longer see her hand just two inches away from her eyes. The heat became so intense, that she began to sweat. She felt dizzy and nauseous.
She stood and tried to feel her way to the door but lost her balance and fell back against the couch. That was the last thing she remembered before passing out.
The sound of someone knocking on the door pierced the dead silence of the room and woke her up. She sat upright and rubbed her eyes. The antique clock on the mantle indicated that it was six o’clock. Oh my God, I’ve been asleep for six hours, she thought.
It took her a couple of minutes to get her bearings. She tried to remember what had happened, all the while the knocking continued with more intensity.
“Just a minute,” said a still confused Mac.
“Mac, are you okay?” shouted a female voice outside the door.
“I’m fine. I’ll be right there.”
Mac glanced down at the puzzle pieces on the table and then walked quickly to the door.
She looked through the peephole and saw Marcia standing impatiently.
Mac opened the door and said, “Hi, Marcia. Sorry to keep you waiting.”
Marcia had a briefcase in one hand and rested the other on her holstered revolver. As soon as Mac opened the door, Marcia unbuttoned the strap securing the revolver and looked sharply to the right and then to the left. “Are you sure everything’s all right?” she whispered.
“I’m positive. I dozed off on the couch and had a bad nightmare. I’d probably still be sleeping if you hadn’t knocked.”
Marcia fastened the button, set her briefcase on the floor and surveyed the room.
“How was the trip?” asked Mac.
“It was all right. Most people were getting pretty bored just sitting around waiting, but that’s my job, so it didn’t bother me much.”
“Would you like something to drink?”
“A cup of coffee would be great. I understand you’re a big coffee drinker,” stated Marcia.
Mac smiled and said, “Some days I drink about ten cups of coffee and still sleep as sound as a rock.”
Mac went into the kitchen and rinsed out the coffeepot, while Marcia looked for a place to set her briefcase. She saw a table somewhat behind the couch and said, “Mind if I use this table in here to set my briefcase on?”
Mac peeked her head around the kitchen door, looked and said, “That’s fine. Believe it or not, that’s our dining room! Although I can’t ever remember eating a meal there.”
In fact, it wasn’t a room at all. It was a little seven-foot by seven-foot area, separated from the living room by an old buffet.
She started the coffee brewing while Marcia removed several folders and placed them neatly on the table.
Marcia came to kitchen and said, “I have to make a couple of calls and I’ll be ready to go over our results.” She looked in the kitchen, then added, “I appreciate a couple of spoons of sugar.”
“Okay,” replied Mac.
The coffee was ready and Marcia had completed her calls. The two sat at the table and maintained a semiformal atmosphere.
“I have some equipment in my car, and some more that should be arriving by special shipping any minute. I’ll be installing most of it once we’re done here. I’ll be setting up infrared cameras and motion sensors around the perimeter of the cottage and surveillance and infrared cameras inside the cottage. Donna will be here Monday afternoon with our company van. All surveillance and equipment monitoring will be done in that van.”
“As agreed upon by all parties, we will conduct a dust to dawn human surveillance. Donna and I will be doing the surveillance. We will take two hour shifts during the prescribed time frame. If it becomes necessary to extend the surveillance, we will each take four hours.”
“Regular, non-monitored electronic surveillance will be maintained 24 hours a day. So, regardless if we’re watching or not, the cameras will be. Any extra utility expenses incurred by the operation of our equipment will be your responsibility.”
“Any questions so far?” asked Marcia.
Mac shook her head no. How much electricity could the cameras use? With her luck, the bill will be hundreds more. Why not? It keeps getting better.
“If you have no questions, I need you to sign here,” said Marcia as she pointed to a line on a legal waiver form.
Marcia filed the form in her briefcase and slid a manila folder in its place. She opened the folder and said, “As far as the secret admirer goes, we see no immediate danger. He doesn’t use any threatening words, so we will focus our attention on the other incidents first.”
Marcia threw that file in her briefcase and brought over another.
“We did some preliminary searches on our prime suspects and your manager, Chad Nuxhall, has made it to the top of the list. This guy is a real gem. He has been treated successfully for sexually transmitted diseases eight times in the last eleven years. He was arrested for assault with a deadly weapon in Denver, Colorado eleven years ago. He thought his wife was having an affair, so he followed her one night and ended up breaking some guy’s legs in a restaurant parking lot. Turns out she was just arranging a surprise birthday party for him at the restaurant and was saying goodbye to the assistant manager. He served nine months for that offense.”
“That’s all he served?” said Mac.
“We don’t know the specifics of the case, but to answer your question…yes.”
Marcia took a sip of coffee and continued. “One year later he was arrested again for assault and battery. He was standing in line waiting to enter a movie theatre and he thought some woman was cutting in. They exchanged words and he punched her, breaking her nose. He served thirty days for that offense. When he was released, his divorce was finalized and he moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania where he began working at a restaurant. From that time until about eight months ago, he has been arrested an additional seven times. He has served a total of five more years in prison and thirteen cumulative months in various jails along the eastern seaboard. Charges have been mainly assault and battery. He did have one assault with intent to kill, which was downgraded to simple assault. He was also arrested twice for DUI, indecent exposure, shoplifting and credit card fraud. In summary, Chad Nuxhall has spent over seven of the last eleven years incarcerated for one reason or another. Until he started working for you, he hasn’t held a position with any company longer than nine months. His position as your manager is a new record for him. Doesn’t your company have screening methods to avoid hiring someone like that?”
“I didn’t hire him and I have no idea how he got hired. Job references don’t always tell you everything you need to know about someone. You have to be careful that you don’t violate their rights,” replied Mac defensively.
Marcia slipped that folder into her briefcase and retrieved another. “As far as the letters to your home office go, we suspect strongly that Chad is behind them. Obviously, proving it will be the hard part. The documents were typed, so there’s no handwriting to analyze, however, we are having them examined by a personality profiler next week.”
Marcia adjusted her position in her chair and opened the final folder. “As far as the attack in your parking lot goes, we’re drawing a complete blank. A person in your position meets hundreds of people and has an equal number of chances to garner their wrath. We are going to operate on the assumption that Chad had something to do with it. We want to bring in another investigator to tail him.”
Cha-ching, thought Mac. More dollars. “You guys are the pros. I guess you know what you’re doing.”
“We’re only going to do what we think is necessary for your situation. Money is not the driving force here, but it does take money to do the job thoroughly.”
“I understand. I just wish it was someone else’s money!”
“Robert is going to interview Chad and follow-up on some leads.
I spoke to him while you were making coffee and he plans to review the apartment cop video first thing Monday morning. He’ll also do a follow-up interview with the office staff. If he discovers any news of value, he’ll give us a call.”
“Now, tell me about your neighbor,” said Marcia as she got her notepad out.
“The cottage next door is owned by friends of my family, Bob and Millie Ferguson. I’ve known them for over twenty years. They’re a retired couple who enjoy living here during the summer months and travel home to Tempe, Arizona during the winter. They are wonderful people who cherish their cottage and treat it with the same kind of attention and love that some people give to a favorite car or other personal item. They pay a caretaker twice the going rate to make sure the cottage is always in perfect order when they’re not here. In all the years I have known them, they have never allowed anyone other than themselves to live there. Yet someone moved in there the same day I arrived. There is something wrong about that.”
“Do you know the caretaker?” asked Marcia.
“Yes. His name is Floyd Robbins. I have his phone number in my day planner if you want to give him a call.”
“Yes, I would. If the Fergusons decided to lease their place, surely they would have notified him.”
“It’s possible, but not necessarily. They have been getting more and more forgetful in the latter years and Floyd knows that. Floyd may just assume they forgot to tell him.”
“I’ll call Robert and have him check it out. Anything else?”
“Not right now,” Mac replied.
“There are a couple of basic ground rules I need to cover with you before I start setting up the equipment. During our dusk to dawn surveillance, we will need to know when you plan on leaving the perimeter so we can prepare to move with you. We have devised hand signals to facilitate the notification process. When you plan to exit the building, simply look at a camera and wave,” said Marcia as she demonstrated. “When you’re ready to go to bed, hold up one finger from either hand and count to three before turning off the lights. That will give us sufficient time to switch our inside cameras to infrared.”
“If you feel that you’re in danger at any time, simply pull on either ear lobe with your thumb and index finger like this, (Marcia demonstrated with both ears), and we’ll respond within ninety seconds. We ask that you not wear earrings while under human surveillance to avoid any confusion. It would be embarrassing to come bursting in just to save you from an earring you were removing. Additionally, if someone is watching you when we make an unwarranted entry, it will blow our cover. Any questions?”
“No, I think I have it,” said Mac trying not to sound like a smart ass.
“I’ll be setting up two forms of surveillance equipment. The first installation will be overt. It will be a set of cameras easily detectable by anyone looking for them. It’s kind of like locks. People use locks to keep honest people honest. If an intruder is just a nuisance, it is more than likely that the cameras will dissuade any further interaction with you.”
“The second installation will be covertly placed inside the first one. The covert installation is utilized to detect the intruder who is hell-bent on getting to you. We will aggressively pursue anyone who reaches that point.”
“Like the thief who arrives at the lock with bolt cutters,” said Mac.
“Exactly. Our internal camera surveillance will cover about ninety-five percent of the house interior, including bathrooms.” Marcia reached into her briefcase and removed a small, black device with a red button. “Whenever you need privacy, for any reason, aim this device at the camera you wish to disable and press the red button once. That will turn the camera off. If you wish to disable camera and sound, press the red button twice. When you’re ready to reactivate the system, press the white button one time.”
Mac looked at the device and thought, wave for bed…no, wave for leaving, one finger for bed, tug on ear is danger, one press to pee…good grief!!
“Do you have all of that?” asked Marcia.
“I think so. Let’s see, one if by land, two if by sea…” replied Mac with a half smile.
“I’ll review all of the procedures with you as many times as you think necessary, however, I ask that you not write them down. If you can read them, anyone can read them,” stated Marcia flatly. She ignored Mac’s remark as if it were never spoken.
“Thanks, Marcia, I’ve got it.”
“All right then. It’s going to take awhile to set everything up. I’ll start with your bedroom and work my way out so I won’t interfere with any planned nighttime activities.”
“The only nighttime activities I have planned is a little sleep and a little haunting,” said Mac with a smile.
“Haunting?” asked Marcia with a puzzled look.
“I seem to have a ghostly friend. Maybe your cameras will pick it up and give my sanity a pat on the back!”
Marcia turned to Mac and said matter-of-factly, “We’ll find and apprehend or cause the apprehension of anyone or anything that’s here without due authorization. And that’s our guarantee.”
“Or double my money back?” said Mac with an impish grin.
“Refunds are only granted under the provisions specified in the contractual agreements signed and agreed upon by all parties.”
“Just kidding again, Marcia!” These guys really take their job seriously. But I guess they have to. Actually that’s great for me. Hard on the checkbook, but great for me, she thought as she watched Marcia go out the front door.
Mac walked over to the jigsaw puzzle and stared at the puzzle pieces. She bit her lower lip and squatted down gingerly. She was almost afraid to touch them. She raised her hand and very, very gently pushed a piece with her fingertip Then jerked it away like she had just set off a mousetrap. The piece moved but nothing else happened.
She summoned forth her reserve of courage and gathered a handful of pieces in her hand. That wasn’t so bad, she thought. She brought them to her nose and instantly smelled saltwater. She expected them to smell moldy and was pleasantly surprised that they didn’t stink.
Mac turned all of the pieces face up and looked at the scene depicted on the box cover. “That’s odd. This is the third time I’ve looked at you, (referring to the box cover), and I know that pier wasn’t there before.”
She looked more closely and could see a pier jutting into the ocean. There was a truck crane with a telescopic boom positioned near the pier. It had a log dangling from a chain and appeared to be affecting repairs.
Marcia entered with a box of equipment and said, “Saturday deliveries are expensive, but it’s so much easier than trying to haul all this stuff here by ourselves.”
“Would you do me a favor, Marcia?” asked Mac.
“If it’s within my parameters to comply.”
“Each time I look at this box cover, the scene is different. Since I’ve opened it, the man’s head has turned, the boat has shifted in the sand and now there’s a pier. I want a witness, especially a trained observer like you, so the next time the scene changes I’ll have some verification that it’s not just me.”
Marcia took the box from Mac and studied it for a couple of minutes, then handed it back to Mac. She thought she’d have a little fun with Marcia, so she said, “Is the man wearing sunglasses or regular glasses?”
“No glasses of any kind,” she snapped.
“Where is the crane?”
Marcia sighed and said, “At the beginning of a pier, holding a pylon perpendicular to the water.”
“Wow, you are good!” said Mac. She looked at the box again trying to pick something obscure to nail Marcia with.
“Shit!” exclaimed Mac. “Was that house there when you looked at the box?”
“It appears to be a small cottage, with two side windows and a brick chimney. Yes, it was there. You know, Mac, this may be fun for you, but I do have a lot of work to do.”
“Sure, I understand. I won’t hinder you anymore,” said a bewildered
Mac as she walked back to the coffee table.
Marcia proceeded to install the bedroom cameras while Mac studied the puzzle. She sat and watched the picture on the box for thirty minutes and nothing changed. Maybe if I leave and come back…maybe that’s when it will change again, she thought.
Mac walked down the hallway and said, “Just checking to see if you need any help.”
Marcia was standing on a small stepladder, holding a screwdriver in her mouth and turning some wires. “No thanks,” she mumbled.
“Okay,” said Mac. She watched Marcia wind some bare wires together and then went back into the living room. She approached the puzzle box like a tiger stalking its prey.
“What’s new this time!?!” she said nervously as she pounced on the cover.
Mac looked it over and saw no changes, so she walked briskly to Marcia and asked her to look at it.
“Well, do you see any changes?”
Marcia inspected the evidence and said, “No.”
“Neither did I,” said Mac.
Marcia went back to work as Mac returned to the living room. She probably thinks I’m a nut case. I wonder if Doc Belcher is still practicing medicine here? Wouldn’t hurt to call him tomorrow. Wait a minute, tomorrow is Sunday. I keep forgetting. I’ll call Monday…first thing.
Mac proceeded to lay the edges of the puzzle in place. She had two borders completed when Marcia entered the room.
“Do you have an extra house key?” asked Marcia.
“Yes, I do,” replied Mac as she went into the kitchen. She opened a small drawer, removed the key and said, “Here you go.”
“Thanks. I’ve completed the bedroom and bathroom set up. I want to get started on the outside installation while it’s dark. I need the key so I can come and go through the night without disturbing you.”
“If you need anything, don’t feel like you have to ask. Make yourself at home and help yourself to anything you want. I don’t have that much in here right now, but you’re welcome to it. I’m going shopping tomorrow, so if there’s anything you want me to pick up for you, let me know.”
“I appreciate the offer. I might snag some more coffee but other than that, I’ll be fine.”
“You know, I don’t think I’ve seen you smile once yet!” said Mac with a friendly smile.
“No, you haven’t,” replied Marcia as she collected her coffee and went outside.
“She reminds me of my former boss in a lot of ways,” said Mac as she resumed work on the puzzle.
Mac completed the border of the puzzle and decided to yield to her growing hunger and acquire some food. She snacked on a little of this and a little of that. Once her needs had been satisfied, it was shower time. She tracked down the small camera remote and clicked the red button twice. When she was done in the bathroom, she clicked the white button once, just as she had been told. What she didn’t realize is that there was no power to any of the cameras yet. Still, it was good practice.
She cleaned up the kitchen and made a fresh pot of coffee for Marcia. She looked out her window toward the Ferguson place and noted that her neighbor had all the lights off. There was only a dim glow coming from one room, as if lit by a television or computer monitor.
“Good boy. Make sure you keep it nice and quiet,” said Mac as she dried her wet hands on a decorative kitchen towel.
She threw the towel on the drying dishes in the dish rack and returned to the living room. She had enough of the puzzle for one night and opted to sit on the couch and read. She picked up the novel she had started the night before and read uneventfully until she dozed off hours later.
Sometime during the night, Marcia covered Mac with a blanket, but let her sleep. She slept soundly while things were happening. Things like the stealthy installation of video cameras and microphones. Things like the midnight ocean massaging cool grains of sand. And silent, mysterious things in the dark, that we don’t understand, can’t comprehend or explain.