"Down boy" Angela said and Tom blinked away from Robin.
"What?"
"I can see what you're thinking"
"Oh? The psychopathic forensics specialist has done an assessment?"
She giggled "Yes, you figured there might be this Alison, Oscar's girl and someone as strong as Robin involved?"
His smile lowered "My goodness, spot on!"
"Whilst you did your backyard mechanic lone wolf nonsense that night with Moe's death, I also do things in my own time to insure we leave no stone unturned, and the night Oscar was murdered Robin was on duty, far side of town, his dashcam footage caught him pulling over a woman in a fancy car" she said proudly.
"Oh..." He said, damn impressed "I must say Warren was right, maybe I did need you to crack this case MacMillan, well done"
She smiled with a blush and continued on the phone.
"Say, you didn't see what fancy car he pulled over right?"
"Oh yeah that I won't forget, maroon Bentley, damn fine car"
"A maroon Bentley?"
She looked up again "Yeah"
"Do you have the plates?"
She grabbed her handbag over the table and drew out her own notebook, then held it to him, it was only the last three letters he remembers, but...
"It was Adele"
Angela's head bucked.
"Could you hear what they spoke about?"
"Dammit! No lemme check it again!" She yelled grabbing her own laptop and yanking it open.
He felt sorry for that piece of equipment now, Angela was cussing at it for booting slowly.
"You drive a brand new Charger but didn't think to get a new laptop?" He mocked her.
"Oh quiet! That's next on my list!" She said opening the footage again.
They saw the blue and red flickers behind the Bentley and it pulled over, no sirens were needed.
Robin walked over in a pace, not bothering with a torch on the driver.
"He didn't even follow car approach protocol, no torch, no hand on his weapon, that was a clear indication he knew the person inside, and that didn't bother you?" He asked.
"I wanted the damn footage for an alibi, I didn't think to watch it!" Angela bit at him.
Robin leaned into the car and there were mumbles of voices, he was a little too close to her for comfort according to the two detectives, maybe he knew in that position the dash microphone won't catch his speaking.
"Bastard!" Angela said bashing the table.
"Relax, this is something else to work with, Robin isn't a suspect with Oscar's case, he was too far from the scene, let me take your laptop down to the labs and see if Fred can get us some better sound on that conversation" he said taking the laptop from her.
As he walked out he glanced at her, her arms folded and face furiously on the screen of his computer.
"Hey!"
She looked up.
"Don't sweat it, this might not lead us to Oscar's killer, but it might lead to clues, if you didn't think of getting this footage we would not have had it, okay?"
She nodded.
"Good work detective, first round's on me tonight" he said which brought her smile back as he left.
Down the steps again he passed Tammy's lab to enter the next room, where 'Fred the freak' as they called him flew out of his chair.
"Snyders!"
"Sit down! I'm not here to terrorize you" Tom said, he did in fact taze the poor man once for being too slow in his job, recently Tom noticed people being poor at the workspace was kind of his back draw.
"I have this sound from a police dashcam that needs enhancement, can you do it?"
Fred's trembling hands took the open laptop from him then he quickly stood back.
"Mumu– must I to it so quick the thing explodes!? I'm not doing anyth-thing if I get razed again!" He said with his stutter.
The rat like squeamishness, and the stutter, along with the big front teeth and thick framed glasses is why Fred was called the freak, but his salary was monstrous compared to anyone in the office, Fred might be a freak, but he was freakishly good with computers.
"No Fred, this is a side lead, take your time but don't take days"
"I don't take days Thomas!"
"Oh? Mind I remind you why I tazed you?"
"That was an exception! Keep your phone close, I'll call you" he said waving a hand "Now scram!"
Tom chuckled and left him, as he walked the path back to the office he wondered why Angela would insist taking the phone? Fred would have that screen lock off in seconds, it would have saved time.
Maybe she wanted to be more useful, not like she needed to, Angela unknowingly might have got the cam footage that will bust Monroe wide open.
In the office she held the phone up "Got it"
"Nice, anything?"
She was already in the phone records shaking her head "He phones a load of numbers on a daily basis, it might take a while to find the right one"
"He didn't save the number?"
She shook her hair again "Here's one called Alley, but I think its too early for him to give nicknames"
"Then there's only one thing left to do" he said picking up his landline.
"That is?"
"Piss Warren off with a massive phone bill" he said dialling the first number on Ruben's phone.
Angela giggled getting up to stretch "Coffee?"
"Yes please... Hi! Is this Alison?"
"No?" The voice answered.
"Oh, sorry wrong number" Tom said placing it down.
Angela twisted his chair and patted it "Rather you than me, take a seat, I'll be right back"
He nodded sitting, as she left he phoned the second number but it was a man so he placed the phone down without talking.
The third number he phoned was killed.
He frowned and dialled it again, but this time the line was busy.
Tom checked the time Ruben made that call, and it seems it was right after he visited Adele's building to get the footage.
He found it strange but it might be her, he phoned Robin again.
"Detective?"
"Sorry I just saw you but can you ping a cellphone number for me?"
"Sure"
Tom gave him that number "If you find a location let me know and head there so long, I won't be far behind"
"This is possibly Alison right?"
"Yes"
"I'll let you know" Robin said and ended the call.
Tom sat back tapping his fingers, all the corners they could sweep were swept, he could use a drink right about now.
As Angela entered Robin phoned back.
"Sorry Snyders, it seems that ping went dead, no tower picked it's signal up"
"She must have destroyed the phone then, thanks for the help" he said ending the call again and standing up.
"You found her already?" Angela asked.
"It was the third number I presume, and Ruben dialled that number up just after we left Monroe's building, so it might be she gave him instructions to dart" Tom said getting his coat.
"Where are you going?" She asked.
"Have you seen the time? Its past six already, we done all we can for today Angela, let's head to the bar"
She shrugged and placed the two cups of coffee down "I'm all for that"
Tom first went to the coffee machine and got the double cream latte and took it to Tammy, she was still busy with her work so she only thanked him and continued.
For the sake of both their lives Tom and Angela agreed to go in his car, the much weaker Victoria wouldn't cost a life should they make an accident after the night got too long.
"I'm curious to know where Ruben bailed to" Angela asked as they entered the bar.
"Me too, but let's come to an agreement" Tom said ordering their drinks, as he handed her the glass he clinked his to hers first "No business talk in the bar"
"Why? I find it nice to relax and recuperate, here things we miss might come to mind?" She asked.
"We need to relax Angela, tomorrow is another day and I feel we'll have some brand new things to pursue thanks to Tammy"
She nodded "Very well"
Forgetting it for now the two went on to socialise into the night, a few pool rounds and drinking games later they staggered back to the car.
Angela guided a slow driving Tom to her house where she invited him in for a coffee first.
He had to chuckle at her closing one eye and aiming for her keyhole, she shoved but missed the first try.
"If Warren sees us now we're so fired" Tom said laughing.
She tilted her head back over her shoulder to give him a sarcastic scoff "He has no jurisdiction here, this house belongs to the West Virginian police department"
"Oh, that so hey?"
"Yep" she said getting the key in and pushing the door open with her head "I'm starving, you want some pork jerky?"
"You have pork jerky?" Tom asked following her to the kitchen.
"Lamb, beef, chicken, turkey, I had them all, but only have pork left"
"I'm fine thanks" he said.
She flipped the kettle on and leaned against the counter "So?"
"So what?" He asked and leaned on the opposite side.
"Are we going to have this coffee and split? Or will you be spending the night?"
"To tell you the truth the safest option is to spend the night, but..." He looked at her closely "I'll sleep on the couch"
"Why? The bed is a double you know?"
"Will we just sleep Angela?" He asked and scanned from her eyes down her body "Because I feel a little brave and might find my hands exploring that body?"
She stood upright and slowly walked over the small square floor "You not curious where that one kiss might have lead under different circumstances?"
Tom felt the heat rise as she came closer, almost against him, he saw the confidence in her but felt his confidence was out the back door after he lost Leya.
Her hand came up to touch his chest but he took it and drew it away slowly "You're a sexy woman Angela"
"Thanks for clearing that up" she said freeing her hand away and grabbing his shirt but he stopped her again.
"Not now"
"Why?"
"I feel, I can't give you what you deserve, not yet"
She stepped back "Making love is easy Tom, you'd know right..." She gasped when he frowned "I, I'm sorry" she said and turned away.
Tom decided to let that slip, her movement to the kettle was staggered so sometimes one says unnecessary things when drunk.
"Just give it some time Angela" he said.
"Yes, I'm sorry I didn't..."
"Its okay, don't worry about it"
She sighed and looked at him again "Then at least sleep in the bed next to me, the couches in this slum are crap, trust me"
He smiled "Fine then"
***
Ruben was a little on edge, he looked over his shoulder every ten seconds, his panic worked overtime.
The last phone call was from a number he never saved but to his surprise it was Alison "Hey I'm in the mood for some naughty stuff tonight, meet me at the docks by the large blue shipping containers"
Ruben was checking his back due to the surge of suspicion over him after he appointed a possible killer, hopefully this Alison could clear things up, he hoped, she seemed sweet, was darn pretty, Ruben had money he could give her, lots of it.
As he came in between the two shipping containers and bumped into Charlie.
"Wh– what the Hell are you doing here?"
"Sh... She..." The man was equally as bewildered "She told me to be here"
"Who!?"
"The boss"
"The boss!? Monroe!?"
"No! She said I should call her boss!"
"Shut up! The both of you!" Her voice came from the darkened container tunnel.
Both Men jumped and turned, but it was too dark to see.
"B–b– boss! I did everything you wanted! We turned a blind eye! I promise!"
"Yes, but not well enough, the detective came snooping around in the building, and he noticed obvious things you could have prevented!"
"N-n-o! We couldn't!"
"Deleting the damn camera footage! That was the first thing! Then you could have given him false footage! You even gave him the name Alison!"
"That's obviously not her real name!" Charlie pleaded.
"Enough, you two are of no use to me anymore"
Ruben took a step back "Wait! What does this mean for me!?"
"Where's your phone idiot!?"
Ruben slapped his pockets "I, must have left it at the office!"
"Too bad" the voice said but he saw Alison come to them into the feint light that managed to reach that part of if he dockside.
She didn't speak though, a different woman spoke somewhere in the darkness behind her.
"Kill them"
†††
Author's note:
Dun dun duuun!!!
So Alison is a suspect, sorry if I made that too easy, but y'all agree you have new questions now right?
Heheee,,, thanks for the read peeps