King went back into the interview room as Hank went to his desk. Asher had confirmed what Michael Norton admitted during his phone call to Annie—Norton was one of the three men who committed the heist.
Asher also seemed convinced Michael Norton wasn’t a killer. Hank wasn’t so sure.
Chapter 40
Thursday, 12:51 p.m.
WHEN ANNIE ARRIVED home, Jake was lounging in the living room. She sat down and filled him in on her interview with Sharon Stipple. There wasn’t much to tell, and soon the conversation turned to Jake’s encounter with Stanley Asher. She was concerned Jake might be injured, perhaps a cracked rib, or worse.
“It’s honestly just a bruise,” Jake told her, sitting up to prove his point. “Shaft is the one who got the good beating. They took him to Richmond General, bandaged him up, and released him. He’s got a cracked rib, and he’ll be sore for a while.”
“It’s a good thing you were there,” Annie said. “He might’ve been killed.”
“Perhaps,” Jake said. “But if I didn’t rile Shaft up, he might never have left the warehouse, and might never have been beaten.”
Annie shook her head. “You can’t blame yourself. Asher was out to get Shaft and he would’ve waited as long as he needed. Shaft should be thanking you.”
“He did,” Jake said. “And he sounded sincere.”
“His life might still be in danger.”
“From whom?”
“I don’t know. If he’s not the killer we’re looking for, then he could be next.”
“And if he is the killer?”
“Then we have to prove it,” Annie said. “One thing I know for sure, he’s involved in all this.”
“I’d still love to find out where the money is,” Jake said. “That’s the key to it all.”
“We’ll find it. Somebody knows, and they’re not going to leave it alone forever.”
Jake shrugged. “I haven’t ruled out Maria Shaft. If her husband knew where the money is, he might’ve told her. It might even be hidden in their house somewhere.”
“The same goes for Tammy Norton,” Annie said. “Although Norton claimed on the phone his wife knew nothing about it.”
Jake glanced at his watch. “Let’s see what’s on the news.”
Annie reached for the remote control and turned on the television. Channel 7 Action News was coming on and Lisa Krunk’s face took up most of the screen.
“I’ve just received some breaking news,” Lisa was saying. “Rocky Shaft, the chief suspect in the slaying of Werner Shaft and Michael Norton, was attacked this morning by an unknown assailant. I’ve been unable to obtain the name of his attacker, but Shaft received some injuries before the attack subsided.”
“How did she hear about that so fast?” Jake asked.
“She has eyes and ears everywhere,” Annie said.
A picture of Rocky Shaft appeared on the screen and Lisa continued, “Rocky Shaft was questioned by police earlier and released. Apparently, they didn’t have enough evidence to hold him, but I’m told the case against Shaft is mounting, and it’s just a matter of time until he’s arrested and charged.”
“Where did she get that?” Jake asked. “That’s not even true.”
Annie turned off the TV and laid the remote control on the stand beside her. “If Lisa can’t dig up any sensational news, she makes it up.” She stood. “I’ll be in the office if you need me.”
She sat at her desk, turned on her computer, and spread out her notes. She scrutinized every detail in an attempt to make some sense of what they knew. Finally, she replayed the phone conversation with Michael Norton.
No matter how she connected the dots, it all pointed to Rocky Shaft. But something didn’t sit right with her. Something disturbed her about the obvious conclusion and she couldn’t put a finger on it.
If she had a way of knowing where Michael Norton was when he called her, it might give her a lead.
She had an idea. She knew someone who might be able to help.
Better known by his friends as Geekly, Jeremiah Everest was a long-time friend of the Lincolns, and helped them on occasion when they needed his expertise. When it came to anything technical or computer related, Geekly was the absolute best.
She duplicated the folder of recent phone recordings onto a flash drive, and wrote a note asking Geekly to analyze the recording labeled, “Michael Norton”, for any background sounds or other information that might shed some light on the location of the caller.
She dropped the drive and the note into a padded envelope, addressed it to Jeremiah Everest, and called a local courier. She asked for same day delivery and twenty minutes later the package was on its way.
~~*~~
HANK TURNED as Captain Diego poked his head from his office and motioned him over. “And bring King with you,” he called.
Hank found his partner in the break room. “Diego wants to see us.”
King tossed a half-eaten sandwich into a paper bag, balled it up, and made an expert shot into the wastebasket. He stood without a word and followed Hank to Diego’s office.
Hank sat and leaned back while King took his usual spot, holding up the filing cabinet, his arms crossed.
“Fill me in on the Shaft case,” Diego said, looking at Hank and smoothing down his black mustache.
“I’m afraid we haven’t made a lot of headway,” Hank said. “But we’ve confirmed the drug money heist was perpetrated by three gunmen. We’re no closer to finding the killer or killers, but we’re pretty sure it wasn’t a revenge killing by the drug lords.”
King added, “And the best motive we can find is the money from the heist.”
“And that points to Rocky Shaft, does it not?” Diego asked.
“I’d say yes,” Hank said. “But we don’t have enough for a search warrant or an arrest warrant.”
Diego steepled his fingers under his chin. “What about that character who beat up Shaft?”
Hank shook his head. “Stanley Asher. He’s just a fool looking for revenge. I don’t think he’s involved in any other way. And he has solid alibis for both killings.”
“But he also confirmed Norton was in on the robbery,” King said.
Diego took his cap off, ran his fingers through his dark hair, and replaced his hat, adjusting it in place. “Any luck in finding the money?”
“No luck,” Hank said.
“It seems to me,” King said. “If Rocky Shaft killed his brother as well as Norton, he would make sure he knew where the money was hidden first. So whether or not he knew before that, you can bet he knows now.”
“I agree,” Hank said. “But with all this heat around him, I doubt if he’ll go near it.”
“He would if he thought it was in danger,” Diego said.
“That’s what Jake tried to do,” Hank said. “Jake told Shaft he knew where the money was. Jake told me he was pretty sure Shaft was headed to check on it when he got waylaid by Asher.”
“We’ve got a tail on him,” King said. “Ever since he was released from the hospital, he’s been watched. If he goes near the money, we’ll get him.”
Diego leaned forward. “That’s all well and good, but I’m more interested in getting him for murder.”
“So are we, Captain,” Hank said. “But we have to find something on him before we can get a warrant to search his rooms. Everything we have is circumstantial.”
Diego sat back, dropped his arms on the armrests, and blew out a long breath. “All right, guys. Get out there and find something. And keep me informed.”
“We’ll get him,” King said, as he straightened his back. “It’s just a matter of time.”
Diego waved them out and went back to his paperwork.
Hank returned to his desk, dropped into his chair and sighed wearily. He wanted to get this case cleaned up before somebody else turned up dead.