Cat and Mouse
By Terri D. Thomas
Part 13
Tom had just started to drift off to sleep when the irritating digital ringing of his cell phone startled him awake. He fumbled on the nightstand for the small device which was recharging in its case.
"Ryan," he answered, voice gruff.
"You were supposed to call." Cassy's tone revealed her irritation.
"Hey, Cass," Tom responded.
"Don't 'hey Cass' me, Tom. You were supposed to update me. What happened today?"
Tom closed his eyes and stifled a yawn. "Nothing. Well, almost nothing."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Harry and I went to Riviera Beach and talked with the detective who handled Sara McCarthy's disappearance. According to the file, Jason McCarthy has lots of bad debt. And guess what?"
"Thomas, spit it out," Cassy answered.
"He's teaches computer science at the University."
"So?"
"Oh yeah, I guess you don't know."
"Know what?" The irritation was turning to anger.
"That Ollie Murdock's computer file was accessed several times over the past few months by several police departments in the area."
"Why?" the voice lost its anger and changed to confusion.
"We don't know. Harry is having Jeremy check into that. However, one of the departments which accessed the file was Riviera Beach."
"Okay, so how does that connect Jason McCarthy to the case?"
"Jason McCarthy was hired by the police department to do some computer programming for them which means. . ."
"He had access to Ollie Murdock's file," Cassy completed.
"Right. Meaning he could have read your account of what happened with Murdock. So Harry and I are going back to Riviera Beach to talk to him tomorrow."
"So you think he killed Sara for her money?"
Tom was silent for a moment. "Well, that's the problem. She didn't have much money. . .certainly not enough to make money the motive."
"So why aren't you here?" Cassy's change of subject caught Tom off guard.
"What do you mean?"
"After Murdock's attack on you I figured you'd be spending the night with me and my babysitters."
Tom felt the heat of guilt move up his face. "Oh, uh, Harry invited me to stay with him and Frannie. I couldn't really say that I'd rather stay at a hotel, could I?"
"Why didn't I get that invitation?" Cassy was clearly offended.
"I think the threat against you is just a little more dangerous," Tom reasoned.
"Humph," Cassy commented. "Whatever."
"I'll call you tomorrow after we talk with McCarthy."
"You'd better."
"Night, Cass."
"Goodnight," Cassy responded. "And Thomas?"
"Yeah?"
"Be careful."
"Will do." Tom smiled to himself as he disconnected the call.
He set the phone back in its charger and settled back against the pillow. He had no sooner started to drift off when the phone rang a second time. "Oh come on, Cass," he muttered as he fumbled for the phone again. He pushed the 'on' button and growled, "Cass, I told you I'd call. . ."
"Good evening, Sgt. Ryan," the low voice said.
Tom instantly recognized it as Ollie Murdock's. He sat upright and turned on the lamp on the nightstand. "Murdock."
"I'm glad to see that you took my advice. It pleases me when people respect me."
"What do you want?" Tom moved to his bedroom door with the intent of waking Harry.
"You are on the right track, you know."
"What do you mean?"
"Jason McCarthy. The police in Riviera Beach have not done their job. I have found something that I am certain you will find quite interesting."
"What?"
"No, not over the phone. . .in person."
Tom halted his movement towards Harry and Frannie's bedroom. "Where?"
"Now. Just come outside. . .alone."
The phone disconnected. Tom stared at the device blankly for a moment. He took another step towards Harry's room and then stopped. If Harry knew of the call there would be no way the Captain would allow Tom to meet Murdock without backup.
Tom returned to the bedroom and pulled his shirt and pants back on. He slid his sockless feet into his shoes and slipped his gun into the waistband of his trousers.
Silently, he made his way down the stairs and to the foyer of the house. He peeked out the window and saw that Harry had left the front porch light on. Tom turned it off and within seconds he was outside on the front porch, squinting into the darkness. He removed the gun from his waistband.
There was no sign of Murdock. Tom descended the stairs of the porch to the driveway. His senses were on alert for any movement, but there was only silence.
Tom frowned, confused and frustrated and standing outside in the dark alone. Perhaps something had happened to scare Murdock off. Perhaps the man was just playing mind games. Lord knew he was certainly an expert at those.
Tom sighed and turned, deciding to retreat to the safety of the house. He tucked the gun away. But before he could take a step, a beefy arm encircled his throat, holding him securely in place. Tom instinctively reached for his side arm, but his movement was frozen when his attacker's hand reached the gun first and removed it from his waistband. He felt the cold barrel of his weapon pressed against his temple.
"You should learn to be more careful, Sergeant," Murdock's voice whispered in his ear. "That's twice I've gotten the drop on you."
Tom didn't respond to the comment. What could he say? The man was right. "You wanted to meet?" He forced the words past the pressure on his throat.
Murdock's gun hand left Tom's temple. Tom debated on trying to get free, but decided that it was still too dangerous to make a move. A file folder was dropped at his feet. The gun then returned to his temple.
"I think you'll find that to be interesting reading."
"What is it?"
"Oh, come on Sergeant. I can't be doing all of your work for you."
Before Tom could inquire further, the front porch light suddenly came on and the door opened.
The grip around Tom's already bruised neck became tighter, cutting off his air. "Damn it, I told you to come outside alone," Murdock growled.
"Thomas? What's going on out here?" A robed Harry Lipschitz said as he stepped out on the front porch, squinting into the darkness.
"Harry, don't!" Tom shouted. Before Tom could give any other warning, he felt the gun move from his temple and saw it aimed at Harry. "No!" Tom yelled as he pushed his body backwards into Murdock. The gun discharged at the same time, the deafening sound breaking into the silence of the night.
End Part 13
To Part 14