Cat and Mouse
Part 7
Cassy paced the hotel bedroom like a caged tiger. She could hear Ingred Mitchell and Paul Gordon in the living room. The two officers were talking softly so as not to disturb the detective.
Cassy had left the two of them on the premise of taking a nap. She had retreated to the confines of the bedroom, needing the time alone.
The nightmare visions struck as soon as she flopped down on the bed. Each time she closed her eyes, pictures of Brad lying dead at his dining room table flashed in her mind. She could see the blood and the partially missing face which was torn away by the bullet as clearly now as she had on the day he died. Of course, upon remembering this terrifying memory, her mind flashed upon the corroded body of Sara McCarthy.
Finally, after having enough of these images, she pushed herself out of bed and went to the bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face and patted it dry with the nearby hand towel. Looking in the mirror, she saw her tired eyes staring back at her. The blue orbs were slightly red, surrounded by dark skin. She looked like hell.
"Damn it," she muttered as she threw the towel at the mirror. She shook her head and left the bathroom, having no desire to fix her appearance.
She went to the bedroom window and stared out over the ocean. The eastern sky was getting dark as the sun set in the west. She glanced at her watch. Tom and Harry would be back from Miami soon and she could only hope and pray that they had found a viable lead in Ollie Murdock's father.
And then she started to pace. Glancing at her watch once again, she realized that time had barely passed. It was only a few minutes since she had originally entered the restroom.
Her mind weighed the possibility of abandoning the safety of the hotel. She knew that she could walk out at any time. Harry had no basis for holding her here against her will. However, if she chose to leave, refuse the protection her Captain was offering, she had no doubt she would be booted from the force before she knew what hit her. She and Harry both knew that this was the Captain's ace in the hole. Cassy loved her job. It would take a lot to make her throw away her career.
She thought about those words for a moment. Would this turn of events be worth it? Could the possibility of hunting down Ollie Murdock be enough of an incentive to make her give up everything? She could feel her doubt growing. Maybe it was enough. Maybe. . .just maybe it was worth it.
Before she could complete the thought she heard knocking at the front door of the room and then voices. She immediately recognized that they belonged to Tom and Harry.
Opening the bedroom door, she stepped out into the living room watching as the other four turned towards her. "Hey Cass," Tom said as he moved to the woman, his eyes examining her appearance. "You doing okay?"
Cassy nodded. "I'm ready to get out of here."
Tom and the others chuckled at her words. "It's only been a few hours, Partner. You certainly are the poster child for patience, aren't you?"
"What did you find out from Murdock's father?" Cassy ignored the jibe.
Tom glanced at Harry. The Captain stepped forward, a serious look shadowing his face. "It looks like Burt Murdock may have died last night."
Cassy's eyes widened in shock. "What? How?"
"His house caught on fire. It appears he died in the blaze."
"Murdock?" the petite blond whispered.
Harry shook his head. "We don't know that. We don't know for sure that it was him they pulled out of the fire. And even if it was, it could have been an accident."
Cassy glared at the older man. "Yeah, just like Sara McCarthy's death was a suicide, right?"
"Cassy, we don't have enough facts to make any determinations at this point," Tom tried to reason.
Cassy shook her head and turned away. "Of course we don't. You want me to believe this is all just a horrible coincidence?"
Tom shrugged his shoulders, but didn't respond. He couldn't help but feel every emotion that Cassy was voicing.
"The Miami P.D. and Fire Department are going to call me when they find out something about the fire and who was caught inside," Harry stated, ignoring Cassy's outburst. "Until then, nothing changes. You stay here."
"But Harry. . .," Cassy protested.
"No 'buts', Sergeant. You stay here if you want to keep your badge."
"I'll watch her," Tom offered, glancing at Mitchell and Gordon standing behind them silently observing.
Cassy let a small laugh escape. "No. . .I think I'd rather have Mitchell and Gordon stay."
"Cassy, really, it's no problem," Tom grinned. "Remember, we were married. I know how to handle you."
Cassy grunted. "Oh yeah, you know exactly how to take care of me. That's why our marriage lasted all of, what, seven months, right?"
Tom started to retaliate, but Harry beat him to it. "That's enough." He turned away from the two detectives and muttered, "It's like raising children."
The officers standing behind the three chuckled at the comment until Harry's glare silenced them. "You two stay here. Officers will be assigned to relieve you, I'll see to it." He then turned back to Cassy. Lowering his head so that he was looking over the rim of his glasses he gave the woman a hard look. "You will stay put."
Cassy pressed her lips together, thinking about her options. Sighing, she finally nodded her agreement.
The corners of Tom's mouth turned up in a grin. He started to make another snide comment, but Harry's upraised hand stopped him. "Don't!" he ordered. Turning to the door, he motioned to his detective. "Come, Thomas," he ordered. Tom gave his partner one final smirk and followed the Captain out of the hotel room.
Tom climbed into the passenger seat of the Taurus and waited for Harry to get settled as well. "So what's next?"
Harry turned the ignition and backed the sedan out of the parking stall. "We go back to the station. I want to call Miami and see what they've found."
Within a half-hour, Harry and Tom had returned to the precinct. Harry made a beeline for his office and settled in at his desk. Tom followed and took a seat in the visitor's chair. Within seconds, Harry was on the phone to the Miami Police Department. The call was short.
As he hung up the phone, Harry sighed. "Well, there's still no positive ID on the DB, but all indications are that it was Burt Murdock. However, it also appears to be an accident. The explosion was in the kitchen, probably a leak from the gas stove. The body was found nearby."
Tom nodded. "I still don't like the coincidence."
"Neither do I, but it happens sometimes. There certainly isn't any reason to believe it was homicide."
Tom pushed himself out of the chair and made his way to the door. "So what do we do?"
"Our jobs. We investigate Sara McCarthy's death and the note that Cassy received."
Tom left the office and returned to his desk. Another stack of files and mail were piled on top. A similar stack was on Cassy's. Remembering the appearance of the earlier message, Tom ignored his pile and began to rummage through the Cassy's stack. His eyes widened when he found it. A small white envelope with her name written on the front. Just like the last one, there was no postmark.
Tom dropped the envelope on the desk and called out to Harry. "We have another one."
Harry heard his detective's words and rushed out of the office. With one glance at the envelope, he picked up Tom's phone and called Morton's lab. A lab assistant answered and agreed to send a unit up immediately. Tom slipped on gloves and reached for the letter. Sliding the letter opener into it he had it opened quickly. He shook his head as he pulled out a photograph and small sheet of paper.
The photo was of a man slumped over, head resting on a table, eyes closed, mouth slack. He was either unconscious or dead. He appeared to be in a small kitchen or dining room. The note held the same scrawled message as its predecessor. "You must accept the consequences of your behavior."
Tom sighed and sat in Cassy's chair, slumping against the backrest. "I guess that answers the question about whether Burt Murdock's death was an accident or not."
Harry nodded in agreement. "I'll call Miami and let them know. It looks like Murdock strikes again."
End Part 7
To Part 8