Cat and Mouse
By Terri D. Thomas
Part 6
Tom deposited Cassy at the Royal Palms Hotel. She was now under the watchful eye of Officers Mitchell and Gordon. She was furious at being left behind, but, frankly, she would just have to deal with it. Tom agreed that, presuming Harry would go to Miami with him, he would return with a change of clothes and a report on what they had discovered.
Tom called Harry during his return to the station and filled him in on Cassy's request. To his surprise, his boss authorized the trip. Harry was a pragmatic investigator who was not known to join in on what could only now be considered a wild goose chase. However, Harry's concern that Ollie Murdock was behind the killing seemed to override his need for a logical approach to the investigation.
The younger man had no sooner entered the building when he found Harry standing in the main lobby waiting for him, a look of impatience on his face. Tom knew that the stress of the situation was behind it. Without a word, Harry led Tom to a department issue vehicle. It wasn't until he had settled into the driver's seat that the older man finally spoke. "So, how's Cassy?"
Tom couldn't help the soft chuckle which escaped his lips. "Well, you removed her from a case and put her into protective custody. How do you think she is?"
"That bad?"
"That bad. I kept worrying that she would hop out of the car and try to escape on foot every time I had to stop."
"But she's at the hotel?"
"She's safe. I told her we'd get her some clothes when we got back to town."
"You know this trip is a long shot at best. There's nothing other than that picture and the note to tie Murdock to this."
"Everything about this case is a long shot," Tom countered. "But I think Cassy's right. If we are going to get any lead on Murdock's whereabouts we should start with his father."
Harry shook his head. "They weren't close."
"No, but they're still father and son. Parents have a way of keeping track of their kids. . .even when they wish they could ignore them."
"I suppose."
The drive went by quickly. Burt Murdock lived on the northern edge of the Miami area. Harry turned onto the street where the residence was located. Tom watched the house numbers.
"It should be on the next block," he muttered.
Suddenly the car came to a stop. Tom, whose attention had been on the addresses of the homes aligning the street, turned to his boss. "Why'd you stop. It's on the next block."
He then noticed that Harry's attention was focused in front. Tom turned the same direction and saw what had caused Harry to stop the car.
Two fire trucks and several police cars were blocking the road, emergency lights flashing. "I don't like the look of this," Harry commented.
Tom nodded his agreement.
Harry opened his door and climbed out of the car. "Let's check it out."
Tom followed his captain. They approached the first police car and the officer standing next to it. The man turned his attention to the new arrivals and raised a hand to stop them.
"I'm sorry, but you'll have to stay back until the fire department has given the all clear."
Harry reached into his breast pocket and pulled out his badge. "Captain Harry Lipschitz, Palm Beach P.D. This is Sgt. Tom Ryan.
The officer straightened slightly. "Oh, sorry, Captain. What can we do for you?"
"What happened?" Tom asked, ignoring the question.
"House blew early this morning. . .looks like a gas leak. The fire's out, but they're still soaking it down."
Harry looked at the charred shell of a house half a block away. Tom counted house numbers and nodded to Harry.
"What was the address?" Harry asked the officer.
The man flipped open his note pad. "2320. Owned by a Murdock. . .Burt Murdock."
Harry closed his eyes and shook his head. "Any survivors?"
The officer shrugged his shoulders. "Doesn't look like it. The fire department removed one body. Haven't seen anyone else come out."
Tom glanced around the area and pointed to the coroner's van in front of the smoldering house. "We need to talk to your ME."
The cop nodded. "Be my guest. Just stay away from the house."
Harry and Tom left the officer. "Damn it. . .," Harry muttered.
"He killed his own dad?" Tom asked rhetorically.
"We don't know that for sure. Let's not jump to conclusions."
Tom shook his head. "Sorry, Harry. But I don’t like coincidences. Two people involved with Murdock's life are dead. That's not just by accident."
They found the coroner writing notes on a pad near a body bag which was already loaded in the truck. The burly man looked up at the new arrivals. "Yeah?"
Harry once again removed his badge and introduced himself and Tom. "Do you have an ID on the DB?"
The man shook his head. "It's not a positive ID, but we have no reason to believe it's not the homeowner."
"Can we see the body?"
The man frowned. "Don't think you'll be wanting to do that. There's not much left. It looks like the guy was in the hottest part of the blaze."
Tom grimaced. He wasn't sure that he was up to seeing two mangled and deteriorated bodies in the same day. Hadn't it just been a few hours ago that he was comparing drowning victims to those dying in fire? Hadn't he just said to himself that fire had to be the worst? Fate was definitely conspiring against him. He swallowed deeply and watched Harry definitively climb into the truck. The Captain was going to see the body no matter the warning.
Tom reluctantly followed, taking a deep breath and holding it in the same manner he had earlier in the day. He watched as Harry unzipped the body bag.
"Oh. . ." he started to exclaim, but Harry's reaction interrupted him.
"My God," the Captain muttered. The younger man watched as Harry covered his mouth and averted his eyes.
Tom turned away as well, feeling his stomach roll at the combination of the horrific vision and the odor of charred flesh which was released upon the bag being opened. What little he saw of the victim told him enough. There wasn't enough left to make a positive identification. There was no way the cops or ME could know the body lying before them was that of Burt Murdock's.
"Would Ollie Murdock murder his own father?" Tom asked Harry as they drove back to Palm Beach. "Was he really that crazy?"
"From what little I've read of the man, yes, I believe he's that crazy," Harry answered. "The reports from Tallahassee indicate that the man had a lot of problems with his father. And we know he had absolutely no qualms about murdering an innocent man just to fulfill his own need for vengeance. . .over a parking space, for God's sake."
Tom closed his eyes. "Why kill these other people? It doesn't make sense. Why wouldn't he. . .?" Tom started to ask and then realized he couldn't finish the question.
Harry allowed his eyes to leave the road as he glanced at the man sitting next to him. "Why wouldn't he just kill Cassy?" Harry guessed. Tom nodded silently, still unable to voice the words. Harry shook his head. "His mind doesn't work like that. I think he wants her to suffer. Remember the note? It said that she must remember the consequences of her behavior. She's being punished with these deaths, just like he punished her before with Kersey's."
Tom shook his head. "It still doesn't make sense. Why these people? They had no ties to Cassy. Why not someone she's close to?"
"Like you?" Harry asked, raising an eyebrow at his detective.
Tom shrugged his shoulders. "Well, yeah."
Harry thought about his answer for a long time. "You would be approaching this logically. Remember, nothing about this man made that kind of sense."
The two men rode in silence until Tom finally asked, "How long until he goes after Cassy?"
Harry shook his head. "I don't know. But this time when. . .if he does, we'll be ready."
End Part 6
To Part 7