Derek shared his thoughts that Straus may be the accomplice and told Ken why he suspected Straus. He also told Ken that while he thought it was careless and suspicious that Ken never got on the plane and admitted that he learned the truth about Alexander Black, he still didn’t suspect Ken O’Connell had anything to do with the murders.
“You are my client, and I take my client relationships very seriously,” Derek said. “As soon as our last call ended, I knew I had to call you and let you know that the conversation was not a private one.”
“Derek,” Ken finally spoke, “I don’t blame you at all. I should have expected something when I noticed that you were speaking to me on your speaker phone. Doesn’t matter, though, I guess. I didn’t have anything to do with any murders or helping Alexander escape. As far as I’m concerned, I won’t do anything differently than what I was planning on doing, even though I will have to keep an eye out for police. I still need you to find Mix, Lucietta, and Straus, and I still want you to call me twice a day.
“Cole, I do appreciate you letting me know about our first call. And don’t worry about pissing me off. The fact that you called and let me know says more to me than you can imagine. Listen, I have a call scheduled in one hour with some of my other hired resources. If they have come up with anything, I’ll call you right away. In the meantime, what are your plans?”
“Honestly, I don’t know which way to head. I could drive out to Rochester and start trying to track down the Mixes, or I could head down to Manhattan and try to locate Lucietta. As far as Straus and Alexander goes, I have to believe they are in the Chicago area. If they are together or if Alexander is acting alone somehow, that means that they or he will be looking for you and your son.”
“Thomas is on a boat in the middle of Lake Michigan, along with three of my ‘special forces’ team members. I’m not worried about him,” Ken calmly said.
“Special Forces?” Derek asked.
“Cole, I have been fortunate in my business dealings. I started with a used car lot on the south side of Chicago when I was nineteen years old. I turned fifty last year and opened my eighteenth car dealership the day after my birthday. I’ve also branched out to a few other endeavors, all of which are profitable. I will tell you this, Cole, everything I do is above board. Nothing illegal. At the same time, my success in business has made me a target on more than one occasion. I told you that I have many resources, including some ex-military professionals who handle personal security for me and my family. Nature of the game, I suppose, but considering what’s happening now, I am damn glad I have my special forces team on payroll.”
“If Thomas is out on Lake Michigan, how is that I’ve been able to contact whenever I needed to?”
“Each morning and evening, the boat moves close enough to shore to pick up a cell signal. My team knows exactly what they are doing, when to do it, and how to do it.”
“Wish I had a team like that sometimes,” Derek joked.
“As long as you are working for me on this case, my resources are at your disposal. In fact, I have two private investigators assisting in your efforts. One is getting close to finding Stanley and Michelle Mix, and the other is busy locating Straus. I don’t have anyone looking for Alexander, however. I figured that he’d either show up or the police would be focusing their efforts on finding him.
“Listen, Cole, I do appreciate you being honest with me, and I need you to know that I am being honest with you. If you think that I am somehow behind these murders, you need to tell me right now. I can’t trust someone that doesn’t trust me.”
“I think we are on the same page,” Derek said.
“I need you to know, not to just think.”
“I can’t tell you that I am without my suspicions yet. There’s too many variables and coincidences to rule out anyone. Hell, I even wonder if I had somehow had something to do with these murders.”
“I guess that’s fair enough. I have to run. That call is coming in soon, and I have some other matters to attend to. I’ll call you if my resources come up with anything important. If you don’t hear from me, call me at 8:00 tonight. Agreed?”
“Agreed. Stay safe, Mr. O’Connell,” Derek added.
“Call me Ken, and you stay safe as well.”
It was no more than five minutes after his call with Ken ended that his cell phone rang again. This time, the caller ID told Derek the caller was from the Piseco Lake area.
“You left so damn fast that I didn’t even get your cell number. Had to do some research to find it,” Ralph Fox slurred.
Though Derek had left Ralph just a few minutes ago, it sounded like Ralph was at least an hour into a happy hour.
“Miss me already, Ralph?” Derek said.
“Not entirely, but I do think it wise that you and I maintain a certain level of ongoing communications regarding our shared case. And since I believe I made you a member of my team, I do believe the chain-of-command position that I have affords me the ability to expect an open line of information sharing with you.”
“I told Ken O’Connell that he was on speaker phone and that you and Smith heard everything he said,” Derek said.
“I figured you would,” Ralph said, his voice now sounding clear and solid “I noticed a change in your face when O’Connell said that he was in Chicago. Bet you no longer like him for these crimes?”
“I’m still not sure, but his reasons for not getting on that plane make sense to me. To me, he’s someone who had a horrible injustice happen to him and someone who wants to deliver his own type of justice to the doctors.”
“Honestly,” Ralph said, “I don’t blame him at all. Now since we are sharing like a couple of school girls here, I do feel compelled to let you know that Captain Smith is going to keep an eye on your movements. He ain’t got the resources he’d like to have you trailed, but part of the reason he took your cell phone was to allow his smart people to trace your whereabouts. Ain’t sure if he can tap your calls, but he is going to know where you are at, most of the time.”
“That’s good to know. Thanks Ralph.”
While he was still talking with Ralph, Derek heard the familiar “beep” of his cell phone, alerting him to an incoming call.
“Ralph, I have another call coming in. I’ll get back to you later.”
He ended the call with Ralph and answered the incoming call.
“Derek Cole,” he said.
“Derek, it’s Thomas. Did you speak with my father yet?” The sound of wind and rain could be heard in the background.