Chapter 22

 

The arrest of Bob Marshall was the topic of dinner conversation that night. Eddie, Leeanne, Beth, and Jeff all joined Harvey and Jennifer.

“Why did he keep Joey’s gun in his locker?” Jeff asked. Why not just dump it somewhere?”

“We might have found it,” Eddie replied. “He thought we’d never look at the police station.”

“And it wasn’t the murder weapon,” Harvey added. “He thought he’d covered all the bases by switching the murder weapon for it before Brad got a good look at the handguns in the collection. Once his own gun was in the cabinet and Joey’s was in his holster, he figured no one would ever know about the switch.” Harvey’s eyes were sorrowful. “When I asked for a warrant to search his house, Bob figured he’d better get it out of his locker, so he put it in his holster. No one would think it was odd that he was wearing a gun, and if nobody looked closely at it, he’d be home free. He was planning to carry it out of the police station and ditch it as soon as he could get away.”

“But why did he kill his friend?” Leeanne asked. “That’s what I don’t understand. Weren’t he and Joey best friends?”

Harvey sighed. “Bob and Joey were on a drug case together in August, and they found a lot of money. Drug money. Bob pocketed almost five thousand dollars, and Joey knew it. He kept after Bob about it, but Bob insisted he needed it for his kids’ college expenses, and it wasn’t hurting anyone for him to lift a little of the drug dealers’ cash. But Joey couldn’t live with it, and he finally told Bob he either turned himself in or he’d tell the sergeant.”

“They had Labor Day off,” Eddie said. “Bob knew Joey was working on the game setup, and he went over there just before lunch. He saw Emily Rood, one of our other detectives, go out, and he went in and up the stairs and found Joey.”

“That’s right,” Harvey said. “Emily was on the game setup committee, and she left City Hall to get lunch.”

“Most everybody else had left, too,” Eddie said. “There were just a couple of civilians inside to keep an eye on things, and Joey was still up in the comptroller’s office. Bob knew if he shot Joey with his .45, we could trace it, so he used his .357. Then he made a big mistake. He didn’t get rid of the gun right away.”

“I’m guessing he was nearly caught while he moved the dummy,” Harvey said.

Eddie nodded. “Or when he was sneaking out of City Hall. Anyway, Ron called all the detectives in to work on the case, so Bob came to the police station and stashed the murder weapon in his locker. It stayed there, reasonably safe, until after the funeral.”

Harvey said, “After the funeral, Bob saw the chance to leave the gun in Joey’s gun cabinet with nobody the wiser. He jumped at it. Instead of going home to change, he went to the police station. Most guys keep a change of clothes there. And he picked up the murder weapon.”

“So, he swapped the two guns, and then he put Joey’s in his locker,” Leeanne said.

“Right. And he told Joey’s brother to write down the serial numbers, so everyone would be sure that particular gun was one of Joey’s.”

“Even though it wasn’t the same kind of gun?” Beth asked.

Harvey shrugged. “Same type, different manufacturer. It was close enough for Bob. Brad would have noticed, if he’d seen it up close before the switch, but Bob managed to do it early, before Brad handled the revolvers. And the sketchy description Joey had written compounded the confusion.”

Jennifer shook her head. “I really steered you wrong on that payoff idea.”

“It’s okay, gorgeous.” Harvey grinned at her. “It got me thinking about the drug money, and it made me consider other possibilities.”

An hour later, Beth and Jeff went home. Jennifer went to put Connor to bed, and Eddie and Leeanne sat down together in the living room. Harvey was headed into the study when the doorbell rang. He detoured out to the entry and opened the door.

“Sarah.”

“Hi.” Sarah Benoit stood in the breezeway shivering in her uniform.

“Come in,” Harvey said.

She stepped inside. “Captain, I’d like to speak to you for a moment, please.”

“Certainly.” Harvey couldn’t read her expression, but he thought she would call him by his first name if this was a social call. “Is it personal, or business?”

“Business.”

“Let’s step into the study.” Harvey led her directly into the room and closed the doors to both the entry and the living room. “Have a seat.” He sat down at his desk and waved her to Jennifer’s swivel chair. “How can I help you?”

“I—I need to tell you something, sir.”

He nearly told her amiably she didn’t need to call him sir, but her words stopped him cold.

“What is it, Sarah?”

She twisted her hands together and looked down at the floor. “Back when you asked me about Deborah, right after Joey was murdered, and I mentioned Deidre Cleridge to you—” She glanced up at him.

Harvey nodded. “Deborah and Deidre have both corroborated what you said.”

“Yes, but there was something else I should have told you. I mean, that’s what started you asking everyone about sexual harassment, wasn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“But you never asked me.”

“Didn’t we? Cheryl and I had a list—you were on it.”

“But I gave you that one statement. I told you about Debbie and Deidre. But you didn’t ask me about myself.”

Harvey caught his breath. “Sarah, I’m sorry. I assumed Cheryl would interview you again.”

She shook her head. “I didn’t want to talk to her. She knows me too well. So I told her you had interviewed me at length, and she let it go.”

“There was something, then?” he asked gently.

She nodded miserably. “I figured if I clued you in on the others, it would be enough. And I guess it was. You busted him. But he’s not going to do all that much time, is he?”

Harvey shrugged. “Four to six years actual time, maybe, but that’s purely guesswork. There are so many variables.”

“And then he’ll get out.”

Harvey wasn’t sure what to say. “Sarah, Brad Lyons … harassed you?”

She began to nod, looking at him, then moved her gaze away, toward the far wall. “That’s why I came down so hard on Debbie. I knew what would happen if she let him intimidate her.” Tears trickled down her cheeks. “I couldn’t tell anyone, Harvey. You’ve got to understand, all my life it’s been drilled into me, don’t tell. And my mother, if she found out—twenty years ago, she didn’t want me to testify. She’ll freak out for sure this time.”

“Sarah, I—” Harvey stopped, feeling sick and protective at the same time. His impulse was to put his arms around her. Instead he said, “I’m going to ask someone else to come in here. Is that okay?”

“Not Eddie. Please not Eddie. I saw his truck outside.”

“No, I was thinking Jennifer. Do you mind?”

Sarah shook her head and sniffed. Harvey grabbed a box of tissues off Jennifer’s desk and put them in Sarah’s hand. He could hear voices in the kitchen, and went to that door. Jennifer, Leeanne, and Eddie were all out there, eating cookies and laughing.

“Jenny, can you come here a minute, please?”

She looked up in surprise. “Sure.” She came to his side, her face full of concern. “What is it? I thought I heard the doorbell a few minutes ago.”

Harvey realized his agitation must be showing. He whispered, “Sarah’s here. She’s been telling me she was harassed at work by Brad Lyons. She didn’t tell us before. I need you to be here for her. She’s quite upset.”

“Of course.”

Jennifer went into the study with him, and Harvey softly closed the door.

“Sarah!” Jennifer walked quickly to her and folded her arms around her. “It’s okay, honey, it’s okay.”

Sarah began to sob in bitter, wracking gasps. “I’m sorry.”

“No, hush, it’s all right,” Jennifer said soothingly.

Harvey pushed his chair over for Jennifer and sat on the corner of his desk, feeling helpless as he waited for the storm to subside.

At last Sarah raised her head and blew her nose. “I know I’ll have to testify,” she choked.

“Would you like to tape a statement with Cheryl?” Harvey asked.

“Maybe that would be best. She’ll find out, anyway. I should have just told her when it happened, but I was so scared.” She wiped fresh tears away.

“I’ll call her now and set it up for morning,” Harvey said. “I’m sure she’ll come in early for this. Unless—” he hesitated. “Unless you’d like to do it tonight.”

“I’d really like to get it over with,” she admitted.

Harvey sent a silent appeal to Jennifer.

“I’ll go with you,” Jennifer said immediately.

“Thank you.” Sarah took another tissue and wiped at her eyes. “Deidre quit. But I was determined, I was not going to let him make me quit.”

Harvey stepped closer to her. “That’s why he panicked when we went to pick him up, and took the hostage. He thought you had turned him in. Sarah, I’m so sorry. I thought it was because of Joey. We didn’t know.” He remembered Eddie barreling out of the stairway in Brad’s apartment building, his pistol leveled at the sergeant. Hostage or no hostage, Eddie would have dropped him if he’d known, he thought. By the grace of God, we didn’t know.

Jennifer tightened her arm about Sarah’s shoulders. Sarah’s dark eyes were wide as she looked at Jennifer.

“That stuff you told me, when we talked before—I’ve been thinking about it and what you believe. I need to know, Jennifer—Would God really forgive someone like me?”

“Absolutely,” Jennifer said.

 

*****

Eddie entered the diner at noon Friday and quickly scanned the tables. He walked to where Deborah and Sarah were sitting, and they looked up at him.

“Sarah, I need to talk to you.”

“I’m done,” Debbie said immediately.

“Wait for me in the duty room,” Sarah said, watching her go.

Eddie sat down in Debbie’s chair and leaned toward Sarah.

“You heard about my statement,” she said dully, swirling the ice in her glass.

“I saw the tape. I’m sorry, Sarah. I’m working on the case, you know.”

She nodded.

“Harvey figured I ought to know, not be surprised by it later.” He pushed Deborah’s dishes aside and folded his hands on the table. “I’m so sorry. About all of it. Brad, your father … If I’d known—”

“If you’d known, things wouldn’t be any different between us now.”

He considered that. “Maybe. But maybe I could have done something. You know, a year or so ago.”

She shook her head. “I couldn’t do this then.”

“Why could you now?”

“I’m not sure. I saw all these other women coming forward and admitting what they let Brad do to them. I took your advice and called Jennifer a couple weeks ago. She told me about God’s forgiveness and his holiness, and she showed me where to find it in the Bible. And somehow I felt like, if that was true, I could live through one more ordeal. So I went to their house last night, and I told Harvey.”

“Sarah!” He reached for her hand, but she pulled it away.

“Don’t do that. People wouldn’t understand.”

He winced. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were even there last night until you and Jennifer were getting ready to leave. Is there anything I can do now?”

She pursed her lips. “If it wasn’t for you—”

“I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“Whatever you were going to say.”

She smiled. “I was going to say, if it wasn’t for you, I might never have believed there were decent guys in this world.”

He lowered his gaze. “Well, thanks. And I mean it, if there’s anything I can do, you tell me.”

She sighed. “I don’t suppose you want to talk to my mother?”

“Sure, I’ll talk to her.” He hesitated. “What about?”

“I tried to tell her last night, after I got home, but she didn’t want to hear it. That I’m going public with this, I mean. She didn’t want to know when I was a kid, and she doesn’t want to know now.”

“Are they pressing charges against your father?”

Sarah shrugged. “I don’t know. Cheryl asked me what I thought, but … he’s sick, Eddie.”

“Mentally, you mean?”

“Well, that, too, but he has cancer. It’s bad.”

“I didn’t know. When your sister was beaten—”

“Yeah, he defended her from that creep. But that doesn’t make him a poster child. He did plenty to me and my mom both. I don’t know about Nicole. She said when she was staying with us last spring, after she got out of the hospital, that Dad never hurt her. I just don’t know. Maybe it’s true, and she thought I was lying.”

“When was he diagnosed with cancer?” Eddie asked.

“Not long after that. In May, I think.”

“Have you seen him?”

“No. I don’t want to.” Sarah met his gaze. “I’ll never see my father again. And I really don’t see the point of prosecuting now. I’m told he doesn’t have long to live.”

Eddie nodded, thinking of his own troubled relationship with his father. It was looking pretty good next to Sarah’s nightmare. “Look, whatever happens, Leeanne and I will support you. And I’ll go around and see your mom tonight if you want.”

“Thanks. If you can just explain to her why I need to testify against Brad. The thought of him being released in a few years … I know this is awful, but I really hoped he’d killed Joey, because then maybe he’d never get out. I never would have thought it was Bob.”

“We were all shocked,” Eddie said. “Mike even thought Harvey was losing it when he started looking at Bob.”

“Was it just … the money?”

“He thought Joey didn’t see him take it. When Joey told him he knew and gave him a chance to put it back, Bob wouldn’t. I think it must have been awfully hard for Joey. But he couldn’t let it go on. Maybe there were other times. We’ll never know. But Bob’s admitted they had a fight about it, and Joey gave him an ultimatum. Either Bob went to the chief, or he would. He had an appointment with Mike the next day. We thought it was to tell Mike about how Brad intimidated Deborah. Maybe he was going to tell him that, too, but now we think it was mostly about Bob and the money.”

Sarah sighed. “I think I’ll take some time off. I have a couple of weeks coming.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

She glanced up at him, then back down at her hands. “Mark Johnson asked me to go with him to your wedding.”

Eddie smiled. “You like him?”

She shrugged. “Kind of. I don’t know as I’m ready, though.” She met his gaze directly then. “Cheryl is setting up some sessions for me with the psychologist. The department is paying for them.”

He nodded. “Good. It ought to help you see things the way they really are, not … the way they seem sometimes.”

“I hope so. Maybe he can help me get rid of some of the old baggage, too. But I don’t know about Mark. I feel as if it wouldn’t be fair to go out with a man without telling him some of this stuff. I wasn’t fair to you.” She shook her head. “I know God has forgiven me, but...”

Eddie raised his eyebrows.

“Jennifer and I talked a long time after I gave my statement.” Sarah smiled and gave a little sob. “She was terrific. I’ll always be thankful to her for helping me the way she did.”

“You talked about God?”

“Yes, and how to know I’m forgiven. That’s still hard to take in. And if I tell Mark about Brad—and my father—well, sometimes people have a hard time getting past things like that.”

“That’s up to you,” Eddie said. “I think Mark would understand.”

“I don’t want him to pity me.”

Eddie smiled. “Pity is not the emotion you inspire, Sarah. I admire you for having the courage to face all of this.”

“I’m scared to death.”

“I know. But you’re going through with it. And listen, if it makes any difference, when Harvey and I ran with Jeff this morning, he told us that he and Mark have been talking a lot about God lately. Mark’s going to come to our church with him and Beth on Sunday.”

Sarah smiled. “Jennifer says that when you give your life over to Christ, you start with a totally clean heart.”

Eddie nodded. “Whiter than snow, the Bible says.”

“I felt that way last night,” she admitted. “This morning, it was really hard. Trying to talk to my mom, and coming in to work and facing people. Even though most of them don’t know I’m testifying, I felt like all the guys were staring at me.”

“The feelings don’t really matter. But remember, you’re not alone now.”

“Thanks. And Jennifer told me I can call her anytime.”

“She means that. I know Jennifer, and you can trust her with anything.”

Sarah nodded. “Would it bother you if I showed up at your church?”

He smiled. “Not a bit.”

They got up and walked to the checkout. Sarah paid her bill, and they stepped out into the chilly October air.

“It’s funny,” she said. “I felt so alone before. Like I had to take care of myself, because nobody else would. And you—” She smiled at him regretfully. “I thought you turned into some kind of adversary last year. The one person I had started trusting betrayed me.”

“That was never my intention.”

“I know.” They walked slowly toward the police station. “I felt like you deserted me when you started talking about God. But now I understand, and I feel like I’m in a very special place. You, Harvey, the chief, and some of the other guys, too, you’re all Christians. That was threatening before. Now it’s very comforting.” She shot him a sideways glance and laughed. “I think I’ll say yes to Mark. About the wedding, I mean.”

“Great. Leeanne and I would both like to see you there, if you feel up to it.”

Sarah threw him a sideways glance. “You’re getting married in just a few weeks. I can’t believe it.”

“Me either.”

She smiled. “What color are the bridesmaids wearing? I don’t want to clash.”