Shadows of Deceit (A Series of Shadows) Read online

  Vinny couldn’t help but notice that Dillon was not looking at the paper as he wrote. It made him a little jealous. That talent could come in real handy when his wife, Vera, was dictating orders. He had reviewed Dillon’s file briefly the day before and vaguely remembered that he had recently moved to Los Angeles from Washington State where he worked in some small town station for several years. Cole seemed a little young for having been there that long and first impressions made him more of a military man to Vinny than a tree-hugger cop. Dillon’s precise movements and respectful demeanor just didn’t jive with country lawman.

  The newcomer wore a tailored navy blue suit and crisp white shirt with a simple gray and navy striped tie. His shoes were high-end lug-soled lace ups, not the standard cop shoe to be sure, which Vinny found to be a smart move. Dressing to impress and not sparing expense when it came to taking care of your feet were two things Vinny appreciated. It was also probably impossible to buy a decent suit off the rack given the man’s hulking build.

  “OK sport, let’s take a look, shall we?” Vinny turned and started to head back into the house when Dillon gently pulled him by the shoulder.

  “Sir?” Perhaps it would be wise to re-boot.” Dillon grabbed two sets of blue booties from the box and handed one pair to Vinny. “Those two detectives tracked a lot of dirt up here. Better safe than sorry, don’t you think?” Vinny looked down at his own feet and realized he still had the old ones on.

  “Ah geez! I need coffee.” He ripped off the soiled foot covers, took the new pair from Dillon and pulled them on. “Nice catch sport. I appreciate it.”

  “No problem Sir. I realize it’s very early and you are spread thin. I am fully briefed on the situation with Detective Donovan and am looking forward to meeting her. I am also aware that you are expecting you’re first child so I’m certain sleep is a rare commodity for you these days. Congratulations by the way, Sir.” Dillon’s sincerity made Vinny pause.

  “Thanks. Thanks a lot sport.” So far Vinny was liking candidate number eight. Only time would tell if he would be completely sold on having him as his replacement as Lou’s partner. He really hoped so. Vinny was running out of options.

  They started inside, going through each room meticulously but finding absolutely nothing. Aside from the hardware and fixtures, each room was barren and sparkling clean. Aside from the small holes in the walls where they assumed art and pictures once hung, the house itself looked as though no one had ever moved in.. It was a hollow shell that smelled of decomp and cleaning solvent. When the two finally headed outside, Vinny set their path from the far left of the property and they began a spiral sweep of the grounds. Scanning with their flashlights, Vinny couldn’t help but notice that Dillon was lagging a bit, fondling, sniffing and sometimes even tasting leaves and branches. When he saw Dillon get down on all fours, sniff the grass then actually pluck a blade and eat it, Vinny simply couldn’t take it any longer.

  “Are you some sort of freaky raw food vegan or something?” It was all Vinny could think of given Dillon had just come from up north, a notoriously earthy region often known for its extreme environmentalism and beyond organic eating habits.

  Dillon looked up at him, slightly confused. “What?” When it occurred to him how his behavior appeared, Dillon flustered and got up quickly, dusting himself off. “Oh! No! Sorry, I was just...”

  “You realize you’ve been grazing through this place?” Vinny cocked his head, baffled. “You got a theory or you just hungry?”

  “No sir, I’m a normal carnivore.” Dillon suddenly felt ridiculous. “I’ve just been noticing a few things and was checking them out. A theory, but I’m not sure how far fetched it is just yet.”

  “You gonna share any time soon or do I just keep thinkin you’re some special kind of fruit cup?” Vinny asked with a smirk.

  Dillon snorted despite his mortification. “I’d rather wait until we are finished and I have more data before I give you just wild speculation. If you don’t mind, sir?”

  Vinny shook his head as he turned to continue their sweep. He could only imagine what Lou would be saying if she was there to witness Dillon’s bizarre behavior. “Just don’t start eatin’ bugs. I dunno if I could handle that.”

  Dillon chided himself silently for his lack of composure. He had been trained better than that. First impressions were critical and he had planned to conduct himself in a far different manner. The problem was that he had not expected to spot evidence of what looked to be quite an elaborate operation at his first crime scene with Vinny. Dillon’s gut was screaming at him but too much was riding on this case. How he handled himself would dictate his fate and the stakes were too high for him to rely solely on his gut. He was going to need hard data to back it up before he uttered one word out loud.

  The two men continued to search the grounds and despite the odd exchange earlier, things seemed to fall into a solid rhythm. As they worked their way through the grounds and were given short briefings from the various investigators and techs they met up with as they went. When they finally finished their full spiral and were about to head back out to the front of the property, Caroline appeared out of nowhere holding a tray with three large paper mugs baring the colorful logo of a local coffee joint Vinny loved.

  “Hey there fellas. Thought you could use a little juice to keep ya going. I had one of my interns make a run.” Caroline beamed a smile so bright at Dillon that Vinny almost had to squint. “And who might you be?” Her southern drawl sounded thicker then usual.

  This time it was Vinny who rolled his eyes. “Caroline, this is Detective Dillon Cole, contestant number eight. Dillon, this is Deputy Medical Examiner, Caroline Devereux.”

  “Ohhh! Well hello!” Caroline was not exactly subtle when it came to the male persuasion and this was absolutely no exception. She offered him her hand in true debutant fashion.

  “Candidate number eight?” Dillon looked at Vinny with confusion then caught himself. “Ma’am, forgive me.” His West Point training kicked in immediately. He took her hand and bowed slightly at the waist. “It’s a pleasure.”

  “It certainly will be.” She hadn’t meant to say it aloud but she wasn’t about to apologize.

  “Aw geez Caroline! The kid just got here!” Vinny yanked the tray of coffee from Caroline’s other hand. “Which one is mine?”

  “The one with the giant red “V” on it, Sherlock.” Caroline slowly retracted her hand and gathered her composure. Candidate number eight definitely had her vote and she was going to call Lou and tell her so as soon as it was a respectable hour. “Here, let me.” She pulled Vinny’s coffee from the tray and handed it off to him then passed one to Dillon. “Cream and two sugars. Light and sweet, just like me.” She smirked as she sipped from her cup. “I hope that’s OK.”

  “Oh for cripe’s sake.” Vinny yanked the tray out of Caroline’s hand and swatted her over the head with it. “Hey Doc, mind putting that engine in neutral and getting back to the case a minute? I mean I appreciate the coffee and all but, seriously? The words ‘sexual harassment’ mean anything to you?”

  “You are such a killjoy. I hope that kid of yours doesn’t turn out to be a girl or her life is gonna suck.” Caroline stuck her tongue out at him.

  “Hey!” Vinny took a step toward her. “That’s hittin’ below the belt!”

  “If the shoe fits!” She took a step towards him and stuck out her chin in an act of defiance.

  “Uh, excuse me...” Dillon stepped between them. “Can someone clarify the ‘candidate number eight’ thing for me? I wasn’t briefed on that.”

  Caroline and Vinny looked at him then looked at each other with obvious embarrassment.

  “It’s nothing, sport.” Vinny composed himself quickly. “Just a little humor between pals is all.”

  “Right, sorry. Just a little joke.” Caroline smoothed her hair back and sipped her coffee. “I apologize for my behavior. Sleep deprivation I guess. Getting a little slap happy.”

  “Nothing to
apologize for ma’am.” Dillon smiled at her and took a sip of his own coffee.

  “Thank you for the coffee ma’am. It’s perfect, thank you again.”

  “Call me Caroline, please. Ma’am is my mother.” She grunted. “And you’re welcome.”

  The sound of morning birdsongs was growing along with the light of day and the majesty of the estate’s grounds were coming into full view. They were standing at the far side of the yard, on a sprawling patio area that butted up to a massive rectangular pool. On the furthest side of the pool was an infinity fall that made the water look like it spilled out into the sky.

  “So there is absolutely no way anyone could have hauled all the contents of the house out this side.” Vinny pulled his focus back on the case and walked around to the infinity edge of the pool to take a good look in the growing light.

  “No way that I saw when I was snooping.” Caroline said as she followed him and Dillon, to the far edge.

  The yard dropped down a mild slope and then into a steep hillside that eventually lead to the massive canyon behind the estate. A dozen steps lead down to where the falls of the pool fell into a trough which rested on another patio below. The far end of the patio dropped off in a steep grade that was swallowed up by the canyon. On the patio were several chaise lounges and a substantial firepit. It was a secluded area set off from the rest of the manicured grounds.

  Once you hit the property line, there were hundreds of acres of nature between where they stood and anything else. The nearest road was miles away and the terrain was thick with sumac, old oaks, boulders and chaparral. There would most certainly be a trail had anyone tried dragging anything through the canyon this way. Driving any sort of vehicle through the dense vegetation was simply impossible without leaving a visible trail.

  “No one came this way.” Vinny was certain. “If no trucks came to haul the stuff away, it was either air-lifted or vanished into thin air.” He turned to head back towards the house. “I’ll make Barnes and Rochelle go over the security footage for this whole community for the past month.”

  Caroline snorted. “That’s gonna score you major love from those two.”

  “You say that like I care.” Vinny tried to hide a grin.

  “I can go over it if you prefer, Sir.” Dillon volunteered.

  “Hell no.” Vinny waved him off. “We got more important things to do. I’ll let those two have the fun stuff.”

  Dillon seamed confused for a moment but Caroline took the liberty of informing him that they didn’t much care for the two detectives and that the detectives surely didn’t care much for them. He nodded in understanding and quietly grinned, making Caroline even more certain that she liked the guy.

  As the three walked along the east side of the property towards the front yard, Vinny was stopped by a uniformed deputy who quietly relayed something to him as he handed him a slip of paper.

  “Crap.” Vinny dragged his fingers through his hair and blew out a breath.

  “What’s wrong?” Caroline looked at him with concern.

  “The neighbor across the street.” Vinny turned and looked at Caroline, clearly not happy. “Jane and Matt Michaels. Jane is demanding to speak to me, and only me. She’s giving the deputies a hard time with the canvas.”

  “Shevaun’s Jane?” Caroline blinked several times as recognition kicked in.

  “The one and only. I got it Lopez, thanks.” Vinny handed the paper back to the deputy and continued on to the front yard.

  “These people are significant, I take it?” Dillon asked, following after Vinny, taking notes as he walked.

  “Lou, Detective Donovan, you know?” Caroline asked to make sure he knew who she was talking about.

  “Of course, ma’am...” Dillon caught himself. “I mean, Caroline.”

  “Right, well, Jane Michaels is her mother’s BFF” She watched his face carefully to make sure he understood. “If you know even a tiny bit of Lou’s reputation, you need to bare in mind that apples do not fall far from trees. Shevaun and her posse fancy themselves as detectives and are no pushovers. Once they get their teeth into something, they don’t let go until they have what they want.”

  “They aren’t that bad! Lou is much worse.” Vinny insisted. “But she’s right, Jane isn’t going to just sit by and watch. Want to start a pool right now on what time I get a call from Lou and Shevaun?”

  “Oh!” Caroline swatted Dillon’s arm. “Take this down! I got a hundred on Shevaun calling at eight. No later then that. I’ll put another hundred on Lou calling by no later than nine.” Dillon was not sure if she was joking or not.

  “Write it down, sport. I got a hundred on Shevaun at eight-thirty and Lou at ten.” Vinny retrieved his wallet from his pocket, pulled out a hundred dollar bill and handed it to Dillon. “You hold the cash. I’ll hit the ATM on my way out for the other hundred.” He looked pointedly at Caroline. “Cough it up Doc.”

  Caroline feigned a look of insult that lasted about two seconds. “Oh fine! Be right back. My wallet is in the truck.” She split off from them and ran down the street.

  “Sir?” Dillon paused when they hit the curb.

  “Yeah?” Vinny stopped and turned towards him.

  “Are we seriously starting a pool on when your partner and her mother call about this case?” Dillon was still unsure if he was seriously supposed to be writing this down.

  “Hell yes we are. I suggest you get in on it too. I’ll initial you’re bet for you.” Vinny turned and continued to cross the street. Dillon shrugged and decided to split the difference, taking eight-fifteen and nine-thirty.

  Jane Michaels was an extremely stylish and savvy woman who obviously took her yoga seriously as evidenced by the shape she was in. She met Vinny and Dillon at the door, not giving them the opportunity to knock. It was barely past 7 a.m. but Jane was perfectly polished in a pricey looking cream colored sweater dress and her sunny blond hair pulled back into a ponytail. The clear giveaway to her down to earth attitude were the enormously fluffy scrunched socks she wore in a screaming bright pink. Vinny had known Jane for as long as she had known Lou’s family. Jane and Lou’s mother had gone to high school together and been the best of friends since. He often considered her more Shevaun’s sister with how close the two women were.

  “Vinny!” Jane gushed as she give him a huge hug. “How are you? How is Vera? I cannot wait until the baby shower!” She turned her sights on Dillon with a clear note of suspicion. “Who are you?”

  “Good to see you Jane. This is Detective Dillon Cole...” Before he could finish she sidled up to the poor, unwitting newbie and gave him a not so subtle once over.

  “A candidate for your replacement?” She squinted as she looked him dead in the eyes.

  “Yeah, this is his first day so...” She cut Vinny off again.

  “You have some serious shoes to fill mister.” She was not being mean or malicious in any way, just matter of fact and it made Vinny smile. “What makes you think you can handle it?”

  “Ma’am, it’s an honor to meet you. I don’t think anyone could fill Detective DeLuca’s shoes, ma’am.” Dillon swallowed hard and stood tall, scoring another point in Vinny’s book. “I only hope I have the opportunity to try.”

  Jane squinted a bit harder at him, contemplating for several moments. “Good answer cutie. Nice to meet ya! Now let’s get you boys some coffee and we can get to all the juicy stuff across the street.” She turned on her heals and headed into the house, waving for the men to follow. “Close the door for me! I don’t want the dogs to wander out if they decide to wake up.”

  Dillon looked at Vinny for some sign that he had done alright but only caught Vinny shaking his head and chuckling before he walked inside.

  The Michaels’ home was plush and opulent but warm and homey at the same time. Despite it being at least ten times the size of Vinny’s, there was nothing stuffy or pretentious about it. When they reached the kitchen, Vinny figured he could park both his sedan and Vera’s new minivan in th
e space the island alone occupied. When he finally spotted Jane in the corner of the kitchen, he almost fainted when he saw what she was working with. Vinny was a coffee snob and coveted Lou’s parent’s Belle Époque espresso machine. He had been known to disappear during family gatherings just to polish the thing. Here, however, was a new obsession of his and he had a half a dozen brochures at home for that “one day” when he would splurge.

  “Is that a La Pavoni?” Vinny almost couldn’t get the name out.

  “It sure is!” She looked over her shoulder and grinned at him. “Oh I forgot! You are a barista at heart, isn’t that right?”

  “I have a picture of that very machine taped to my fridge at home.” He walked toward it, slowly, reverently.

  “Well here, you make the coffee then. Get some training in.” She smiled and moved out of the way to let Vinny play and leaned against the counter watching his childlike enthusiasm. “The company is on of my husband’s clients. The V.P. gave me that as a thank you for babysitting his Pomeranian while he went on vacation. I should see if Matthew can snatch one up for you.”

  Vinny’s head spun around so fast it was amazing he didn’t give himself whiplash. “Seriously?”

  “Couldn’t hurt to try! You’re going to need all the good coffee you can get once the baby arrives. I bet Mathew has three of those sitting around at the office somewhere.” She grinned as Vinny began humming a cheery tune as he proceeded to steam some milk. Turning her attention to Dillon she realized he was a little lost in the conversation. “My husband is an international corporate lawyer. His firm has clients all over the world and they are always giving him nice things, like the espresso machine. We are very lucky.” She walked to the far side of the kitchen island and pulled out two stools. “Here, have a seat!”

  “Thank you ma’am.” Dillon perched himself on the stool and continued to observe Vinny with fascination. It was like watching a kid with a brand new toy. “Lucky perhaps, but he is obviously very good at what he does for his clients to give him such gifts.”