Chapter 5
When Steve arrived at the squad room the next morning, he found Linda working at her desk. She had reported in an hour early and had already checked on some valuable leads. She had been on the phone with officials of American Airlines based in Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. She wanted to confirm Jonathan Smith-Hughes’ flight out of Chicago to Washington on Tuesday, the day after the murder.
“Something’s fishy here, Steve,” she commented as she sat on the edge of his desk. “American Airlines in Chicago confirms that a reservation for a Jonathan Smith-Hughes on Flight 512 to Washington was made by someone in Smith-Hughes’ corporate office and was picked up by a messenger an hour later. They can’t prove whether our boy was on that flight or not, but the seat was used. They gave me the name of the flight attendant, and she’s here in Washington today on a layover from the Chicago flight last night.”
“Do you think our boy, Jonathan, might be the Mr. Petersen who returned on the corporate jet?” questioned Steve as he turned in his chair to face her.
“I called Mr. Smith-Hughes’ office in Chicago yesterday, and his secretary can’t remember calling the jet crew to tell them to expect a passenger named Mr. Petersen. She isn’t even sure that a Petersen works for the firm in that office, but she’s checking it out,” replied Linda.
Steve rose from his chair and poured two cups of coffee from the pot that was steaming on the coffee-maker. As he finished adding cream and sugar to them, he returned to his desk and handed one to his partner. He sat next to Linda and softly stated what was on his mind. “We need a break in this case, for as of now, we have to accept the words of two people who may be our killer. The only suspect we can pressure at this time is Jonathan Smith-Hughes. But I have a feeling that he’s not our man.” He then took a few sips of coffee and looked at Linda.
“Our VP has a lot of explaining to do if the DNA results match him,” whispered Linda in return. “If we thought the meeting yesterday was too difficult, just think of asking for a sample of blood and skin tissue.”
“Right on, partner,” remarked Steve as he settled back into his chair. “What we need now is to finalize Laura Smith- Hughes’ movements last Monday. All we have so far is that the cook and maid were excused early, around two in the afternoon. Our girl was expecting someone who she didn’t want seen or identified, but who was the mystery guest?”
Detective Hannigan looked at her partner and nodded her agreement to his statement as she walked back to her own desk. She picked up the phone, made a call to the American Airline flight attendant, and arranged a meeting with her that morning. She was residing at the Arlington Holiday Inn, and she was preparing to work an afternoon flight back to Chicago.
“Steve, I’m going to Arlington and check our girl out to see if she can identify Smith-Hughes as one of her passengers on that flight last Tuesday.”
“Fine, partner,” replied Steve, “and if you don’t mind, I’ll check Ms. MacGyver out if she's home.”
“I trust you, Steve,” Linda chuckled as she passed his desk to leave. “I trust you with anyone, my boy. Just keep your pants on while you’re with her,” she jokingly stated.
“You’re the only one who can make me cheat on Maureen, Linda,” returned Steve with a broad smile on his face. The two laughed as Linda left the squad room to hunt down her witness. Steve checked out a few items in his file and proceeded to lock it up and head for his car. The ride over to the Watergate Complex was a little slow this morning, but the sky was blue and the weather was just great. As he approached the MacGyver yacht, he noticed that Vanessa was on board. He slowly walked on board and gently knocked on the hatch door.
“Hello, handsome. Long time no see,” was Vanessa’s greeting. “Come on in and make yourself comfortable.” As Steve entered the cabin, he noticed that Vanessa was wearing a two-piece bathing suit with a thin lace beach coat over it. She was lying on the sofa next to the bar and phone. Upon seeing that Steve was alone, she settled down into a seductive posture. As Steve entered the cabin, she rose from her seat and draped herself on him, pressing her near nude body against his.
“Did you miss me, lover?”
“Not really, Vanessa, but a woman with your talents must be appreciated,” Steve coolly stated as Vanessa was planting kisses on his face. She then pushed Steve down on the sofa and then stood in front of him. She slowly took her beach coat off and unsnapped her bathing suit bra. She then straddled Steve and leaned over him to kiss his wanting lips. Her large breasts pressed hard against Steve. His hands soon found them and he sexually played with them. Vanessa started to undress Steve and he calmly complied with her actions. Vanessa quickly slid down his body, unzipped his pants, and proceeded to have a serious oral sexual session. Steve enjoyed this very much, and he placed his hand on her head, holding it down until she had caused a climax to occur for him. After this sexual-session, Vanessa tried to grab Steve and kiss him, but he pushed her off him.
“You lousy bastard,” she declared, as she straightened up and placed her beach robe on. “All you men are bastards. You use me, but you aren’t serious.”
“Hey, lady, you pushed your charms on me,” Steve softly interjected, “but you are one terrific whore, lady. You’re just great.” Steve reached out and planted a soft kiss on her cheek.
“What do you want, Detective?” Vanessa sadly stated.
“Again, did you know the late Laura Smith-Hughes in any way?” questioned Steve as he poured himself a glass of soda water.
“Stevie, my love, Laura and I crossed paths a few times, but we were competitors, so we rarely talked to each other. We shared or had similar lovers the last three years. She was a total bitch with them, and when she dropped them, I was there to pick up the pieces. I always had her men on the rebound. I hated that bitch,” remarked an angry Vanessa as she plopped herself back on the sofa. “Did you ever pay her a visit in her apartment?” questioned Steve as he pointed to the building.
“No, I didn’t see her or talk to her last Monday, Steve. All day Monday I was entertaining a male friend of mine,” she replied.
“Who can verify your story, hon?”
“Steve, if I tell you who he is, my social status in this town sinks. Please, don’t ask,” she pleaded.
“I’m not asking, doll, unless you want to be a suspect in this murder?” Steve returned.
“The bastard was Otto Klausburger, Senator Klausburger.Is that all, you bastard?”
“Vanessa, sweetheart, were there any people who would want Laura dead?”
“Do you want a list of Who’s Who in this town? Both men and women had a hate for her. Some high-positioned people, Stevie,” she replied with anger.
“Be nice, my love,” Steve remarked as he leaned down and kissed Vanessa on the lips. He then picked her up, kissed her hard again, and caressed her breasts with his hands.
“You have helped us, and I won’t forget it. I’ll call you if we need to speak again.” She smiled as he placed her back on the sofa.
As Steve drove back to headquarters, he pondered the remark made by Vanessa that many people had a dislike for Laura Smith-Hughes and were glad to see her dead. If she had this type of influence on people’s lives, there must be a list or journal or diary of some type where she recorded this material. Did the investigation team miss it at the murder scene? As he ventured onward toward headquarters, Steve wondered why he succumbed so easily to a tempting woman. He knew inside that he loved only Maureen, but why was he so easy to indulge in a sexual session with a wanting woman? Was it the mannerism of the Italian stallion that his father instilled in him since childhood? It was a hard habit to break and Steve knew it.
• • •
Upon walking into the squad room, Steve found Linda busy on the phone. “How did you make out with the stewardess from Flight 512?” asked Steve as he poured himself a cup of coffee. He politely offered a cup to his partner but she had one on her desk at the time.
“She was unable to identify Jonathan Smith-Hughes as a passenger on that flight, but she was sure that all scheduled passengers were on board. Every ticket for that flight occupied a seat,” she commented as she checked her notes. “We can't say he was or wasn't on that plane. Someone could have taken his place and given him the used ticket, allowing him to be our Mr. Petersen returning on the corporate jet on Monday.”
“Until we locate this Mr. Petersen, our boy Smith-Hughes becomes suspect number one,” declared Steve. “How was your interview with Ms. MacGyver, Stevie?” Linda interjected with a sarcastic tone. “Was she home today?”
“Our lady, Ms. MacGyver, was an associate of Laura Smith Hughes. They covered the same social circles and shared similar bed partners. From her tone of voice, I pictured a hint of anger and hatred toward the late Ms. Smith-Hughes,” related Steve as he relaxed in his chair. “She stated that our victim had many people in this town who wanted her dead. This probably means that Laura had something on these people. Maybe she wrote this stuff down.”
After finishing her coffee, Linda declared, “Maybe the apartment has a hidden place where our girl hid such a book.”
“I think we'll go to lunch and then check that apartment again. This time with a fine tooth comb, but before we go, I want to call Maureen and make arrangements about tonight.”
“Sure, Steve, I want to visit the lady's room anyway,” Linda remarked with a wink in her eye.
Steve dialed Maureen's office and politely waited for her to answer her phone. It seemed like an eternity, but seconds later, Maureen answered the phone-. “Steve, I maybe a little late tonight, for I have to cover for our co-anchor on tonight's newscast. Let's eat at Dominico's, say around eight. OK?” she related to him.
“Fine with me honey,” Steve replied briskly, “I'll meet you there at eight. Hey, beautiful, did I tell you I love you today?”
“No, but it sounds great to hear it,” she replied with similar feelings. “See you tonight.”
• • •
The Watergate Complex superintendent was surprised to see the two detectives again o soon. As he opened up the apartment, he informed Steve that a large amount of mail had accumulated for Ms. Smith-Hughes in her mailbox. Steve asked him to retrieve it immediately. The detectives entered the apartment and were greeted by a gentile smell of lilacs.
“Smells nice, Steve, but was this smell around last week?” questioned Linda as she sniffed the air. “Now, if you were our lady, where would you hide something you don't want found by nosey people?”
Steve looked around the great room and there just wasn't a hiding place in sight. The fireplace looked like a viable place, but Steve checked it out methodically. Linda ventured into the kitchen and started to check out possible hiding places there, even in the freezer compartment of the refrigerator. In the closet, Steve started to open all the boxes that were on the top shelf, but nothing but hats and shoes were found. The two detectives checked everywhere, from possible loose tiles on the fireplace to under the lid of the toilet water closet. Nothing.
Steve plopped into the sofa and had an exasperated look on his face.
“If she had such a book, she sure hid it like an expert,” remarked Steve. At this time the super came in with a large paper bag filled with Laura's mail for the last week. Most of it was junk mail and several bills from local Washington establishments. “You were right, Linda. Our girl sure received plenty of mail, but this apartment contained nothing when we were here last Monday.”
Before they called it a day, after two hours of checking every nook and cranny in that apartment, they collected everything that was needed to be checked at Police Headquarters. They emptied everything in the desk, including Laura's checkbook and boxes of stationery.
“I don't believe our girl was the type to build or make a hiding place by remodeling this place. A man would but not our genteel lady. It's not her style,” remarked Steve as they were ready to leave.
“I think we had better retrace our steps, partner,” commented Linda, “we need to re-question Jonathan Smith-Hughes again. We need more answers to new questions.”
“Let's set it up soon. He may be on the west coast or he may be back for the funeral that's scheduled for tomorrow,” Steve replied. And with that thought, they headed back to Headquarters. On the drive back .to Headquarters, Steve noticed something strange. A navy colored auto was following behind them and Steve noticed the Virginia plate number as the same as an auto that was behind them when they left Headquarters earlier.
“Partner, I think we have a tail wagging behind us, and it's either a ‘Bureau’ man or a ‘company’ man. The license number is Virginia 2575AZ. Got it?”
“Right on, Steve. I have this joker in my make-up mirror and it sure looks like a tail to me. He's wearing those dark glasses and drives like a ‘Bureau boy’ to me,” replied Linda as she pretended to powder her nose.
“Why are they following us? This looks fishy to me Linda and I think maybe we're getting too close to something. I'll bet you that agent Anders has something to do with this,” remarked Steve as he tried to Shake his tail off by turning left and then right. “He's still with us. Linda, sometime today, try to reach your brother Vinnie and squeeze some info out of him.” Several minutes later, Steve parked his car in the parking lot at Headquarters and the auto following him continued up the street. Steve glared at it as it drove off, and he wondered why the ‘tail’ was done so sloppy, as if they were sending a message to the two detectives.
“This pisses me off Linda,” Steve remarked angrily as they entered the Captain's office for a conference on the case. “These bastards are trying to cover someone's ass, but who's?” Steve closed the door and then related the tale of surveillance that the government had on them. The Captain sat down in his chair and chewed on a new cigar.
“What do you expect when some of our suspects are the Vice President and the First Lady. Maybe President Patterson may be involved in this. Who knows?” The Captain then placed his cigar down and looked straight at his two detectives. “I don't like people kicking my ass.”
“When can we question Nancy Patterson on this case, boss?”
Linda blurted out. “We need to know when she was at the Smith- Hughes apartment and why she was there.”
“Anders informed me that a White House staffer would contact me soon, but as of now, nothing. I'll keep the heat on it,” replied the Captain. “Let's put the heat on Mr. Smith- Hughes and see if his story cracks. Do it, Steve.”
, Steve nodded in agreement and as he closed the case folder, he looked up and started to ponder on several outside leads. “We need to establish a strong motive for her death, besides this ‘love triangle ‘ shit we have been working on it.”
“The murder was done by an amateur, not a professional. A pro would have whacked her once and that would have done the job. Our lady was hacked by someone who was full of hate for her,” Linda commented.
Steve agreed as he walked over to the water bottle for some water. After drinking a few cups, he turned to Linda and stated, “What was going through his mind. “It is hard to believe that our friend, Jonathan Smith-Hughes, iced his wife. Why? What did he have to gain? All he had to do was what he had been doing for four years. Nothing.”
“We need a new motive, people,” chimed in the Captain. “This is starting to resemble an Oliver Stone movie, with government agencies involved in committing crime.”
The two detectives looked at him and agreed that high level pressure was being applied to this case. Just then, the phone on the Captain's desk started to ring and the Captain reached over and answered it. The call was from someone of importance as the Captain was completely involved in his conversation.
“No way,” he blared, “Set up some type of meeting for our detectives to see her, n her special time and place.” After a few minutes, he politely said good-bye and hung up the phone.
“That was Sara McFadden, White House staffer to the First Lady. She wanted to give us a written statement but I convinced her that a personal meeting was most important to all parties involved. She's setting up a meeting with Nancy Patterson as soon as possible. Handle this with care, please.”
“Sara McFadden is the legal aide to the President,” commented Linda as she rose from her chair.
“Start putting the pieces of this puzzle together,” blared the Captain as he picked up his cigar and proceeded to chew on it. Steve and Linda picked up their files and headed for their desks.
“Linda, I'm calling Jonathan Smith-Hughes down as soon as possible. I'm tired of traveling to these people. He comes here now,” remarked Steve. Steve picked up the phone and dialed the Smith-Hughes estate number. Jonathan Smith-Hughes was out of town, but a message was left that he was to report to Room 320, Police Headquarters tomorrow upon his arrival. with the phone placed in its cradle, Steve jotted the time and place for this meeting to remind the Captain of their progress.