Chapter 16: Investigations

October 16, 1995, Chicago, Illinois

Sensei Jim called a few minutes later to let me know there were no signs of trouble at the dojo, causing me to breathe out a sigh of relief. A few minutes after that, Eve called to say she was at the house and nothing seemed amiss. I’d just hung up with her when Jessica called. I explained the situation and let her know about Eve.

“What’s really going on, Tiger?” she asked, concerned.

“I have no idea just yet,” I said, “Katya Sergeyevna is going to be here around 1:00pm to take charge of things from our side. The police are doing their thing. I sent Eve to the house only from an abundance of caution. It’s the same reason I called Sensei Jim and had him check the dojo.”

“The dojo? Why?”

“Because of Lisa Glass,” I said.

“You think this could be about her?”

“If the dojo had been broken into, I’d say it’s possible. Right now? I don’t think so. But I’m not going to rule anything out.”

“Do you think it maybe had to do with the lawyer who was killed?”

“Which one? Littleton or Lentz? Maybe. But let’s let the police do their job and see what they and Katya turn up. I’m going to ask Eve to stay at the house so you can sleep, OK?”

“Sure. I’m beat; it’s been a hellacious shift.”

“How many?”

“I lost count around 3:00am, but we saved every single one of them, Tiger!”

“That’s good to hear. I’ll see you when I get home later. Don’t worry, we have plenty of police here and Eve is at the house. I’m sure Katya will recommend some additional things.”

“Call me if anything comes up.”

“I will.”

I’d just hung up with her when Jamie called. He said he’d drop everything and come right over. A few minutes after THAT call, Sam and Zeke arrived. I explained that they needed to assist the police, but also keep an eye on them. If they had ANY concerns, they should find me, Jamie, Ted, or when she arrived, Katya. Once they were settled, I called Mario and Barbara, both of whom expressed concern, and promised to pick up any slack from Chicago. I got permission from the detectives to forward the main line to Colorado Springs, then went to talk to Elyse who had returned from the coffee shop.

“Everyone will come in after lunch,” she said quietly. “Do you think you should call Joyce?”

“Let’s see what the detectives turn up,” I said. “I bet it’s nothing. Honestly, if they could bypass the alarm, there’s no reason to expect they didn’t wear gloves. The crime scene guys will find thousands of our fingerprints, and you know they’re going to want to fingerprint everyone for elimination.”

“Oh, THAT is going to go over SO well with our libertarian crowd,” Elyse said, shaking her head.

“I’m not thrilled with the idea either, but what do you propose? Telling the police to leave and refusing to file a police report? That won’t look suspicious AT ALL!”

“Do you care if they’re suspicious? I mean really? Don’t you think this is Anthony and Connie?”

I took a deep breath and let it out, “I suspect it is. But we obviously can’t say anything like that to the cops without opening a giant can of worms. If the police come back with nothing, then I’m going to have to confront them. My last threat appears not to have worked.”

“You won’t go through with it?”

I smiled, “I might tell ‘Little Tony’ directly, but that would probably require taking along some ‘hired muscle’ and THAT would mean explaining to Eve what’s going on, and that’s just not going to happen.”

“You two really click,” Elyse said. “If you were ever going to waive the rules, she’s the one, not Kimmy or Penny.”

“Not happening,” I grinned. “As much as I like the thought. And you know I have a VERY vivid imagination!”

Elyse laughed, “Oh, I know you do! Anyway, so then what?”

“I think we have to have a sit down. I don’t see any choice in the matter.”

“You? Alone?”

“It would have to be someplace neutral, and at this point, with all the big names in Chicago in federal custody, I’m not sure how I’d arrange that. And I’m not sure Anthony would trust anyone in Chicago. Maybe Donna Grossi’s house. Well, it’s Joyce’s now, but given Donna Grossi still lives there, I can’t imagine ‘Little Tony’ trying to use muscle there.”

“That does make sense; but as you say, we need to see if the police find anything.”

Jamie arrived a few minutes later and I filled him in. He was concerned, as Elyse and I were, about the reaction of the staff to the likely demand for fingerprinting and questioning, but none of us could figure out a way around that. When the detectives and crime scene unit had completed collecting evidence, the two detectives came to talk to us.

“Have there been any problems with any of your staff recently?” Detective O’Day asked.

I shook my head, “No. Our team is extremely loyal and professional. I can’t imagine any of them doing this.”

“Perhaps someone was looking for payroll records? Or financial records?”

“Not a chance,” I said. “Our pay scales and financial reports are made public. Everyone knows what everyone else makes.”

“That’s a new one on me,” Detective Poplawski said. “What about other confidential information?”

“Most everything is stored on the server, and as soon as you allow, I’ll check the logs to ensure it wasn’t accessed overnight.”

“Can you find out who was signed on?”

“Sure. I can print complete access logs.”

“Does anyone share their access codes for the computers?”

“That’s strictly against policy,” I said. “And I’m not aware of any violations of that policy in the ten years we’ve been in business. We’ve had one incident, about four years ago, where an employee accessed things he wasn’t permitted to, but he no longer works for us, and we took steps at that point to prevent such things. I can check that, too.”

“I think you can do that now. Detective O’Day will come with you, and I’ll stay and speak with Ms. Clarke, if that’s OK.”

“Sure,” I agreed.

I went with the detective and checked the access logs. Nobody had logged on during the night, but there were seventeen failed login attempts from my workstation. I suppressed a laugh because after the incident with my journals, I used an extremely complex password, one I used nowhere else. I made a printout of the logs and handed them to the detective.

“Is there any more you can tell me about this?”

I shook my head, “Not really. It was done at my workstation, but they didn’t get in. And I’ll wager whoever it was wore gloves, so dusting my keyboard would only turn up my fingerprints.”

“Our cursory scan says there were two sets of prints on your keyboard.”

“Either Penny O’Neil or Kimmy Bradford,” I said. “Nobody else would touch my workstation.”

“You sound awfully confident,” Detective O’Day said.

“Because I am. I think you’re going to find out just how fiercely loyal my team is. I will warn you, you’re going to get serious pushback when you question people, and it’s not because they’re feeling guilty. It’s because they’re going to be supremely offended by the mere inference that they might have had something to do with this.”

“Which would make them ALL suspects.”

“I’m sure in other instances it might. In this one, all you’re going to do is piss them off. If you want cooperation, I’d suggest simply asking if anyone has information and taking them at their word. You’ll get a ton of grief about fingerprints, I’m sure, and I suspect some outright refusals. And, to be honest, I agree.”

“Do you want us to solve this crime?”

“Yes, but not at the expense of company morale.”

“This will make our job ten times harder,” he protested.

“Of that I have no doubt, but I also suspect you won’t find any fingerprints from whoever did this.”

“I saw a video camera out front. I’d like to get the tapes.”

I nodded, “I completely forgot about that!”

We went to the secure room where the VCR was, and I ejected the two tapes and put fresh ones into the machine. I offered to play them on the VCR in the conference room and Detective O’Day agreed. After fast-forwarding through the front security camera and finding nothing, I put in the tape for the side-door camera. I fast-forwarded to the approximate time and we watched two masked, gloved figures jimmy the door with a crowbar. One of them was holding what appeared to be a key card for the alarm panel, but I couldn’t tell for sure. Once they were inside, we no longer had sight of them. A bit of fast-forwarding showed them leaving about forty-five minutes later.

“Not much to go on,” Detective O’Day said. “But I’d say two young Caucasian males. We can’t see their faces, but the way they walk and act says they’re young, as does the lack of significant hair on their arms. Do you know of any other security cameras in the area?”

I shook my head, “No.”

“OK. We’ll have uniformed officers check with all the neighboring buildings. Maybe we can see a car or see them before they put on their masks. It’s a long shot, but you never know.”

We headed back to the conference room where Elyse had a sour look on her face and Jamie looked bemused. I was sure what the line of questioning had been, and Elyse was simply the first of many to object to it. I checked my watch and then called Kimmy, and, as I expected, she was waiting at the coffee shop. I asked her to bring lunch for Elyse, Jamie, Michelle, and me. I offered the detectives lunch, but they declined.

Kimmy, Elyse, Michelle, Jamie, Ted, and I all went to the Gretzky room to eat, leaving the ‘Lemieux’ room for the detectives to assemble the staff as they filtered in after lunch.

“This is NOT going to go well,” I said quietly.

“I agree,” Jamie said. “Elyse was restrained. Some of your folks are going to be downright nasty if they get even a whiff of the police suspecting them.”

“So what’s your advice?”

“I’ll talk to them before the police do, and try to explain why they should cooperate, and why they shouldn’t think they’re suspects just because the police think they are.”

“That’s not going to help very much. And honestly, once I saw the security camera footage of two masked men wearing gloves, I’m positive the police will find no real evidence here, AND they’ll find no fingerprints. I’m considering just having them take the report for the insurance company to fix the doors and replace the filing cabinets and calling it a day.”

“I’d advise against that,” Jamie said. “Next time something more might happen and if you don’t cooperate, they won’t put a lot of effort into solving the crime.”

“Next time?” I asked.

“Next time,” Ted confirmed. “I’d say they didn’t find what they were looking for, so whatever it is, they’ll be back. Next time, they’ll likely steal computers. They may not have been prepared for needing to do that.”

“What about the code?” Michelle asked.

“That’s an interesting question, and probably the only real lead the police will have,” Ted said. “Somebody leaked the code. And somebody gave them the special key card that only licensed installers such as Alarm Detection have.”

“What are you thinking?” I asked.

“Well, it could be a range of things, including someone being bribed. Alarm Detection will have logs for their safe, but at least one person would know the code - the technician who programmed the system. The police already know that; Detective Poplawski got all the information from me.”

“Stepa?” I heard from behind me.

I jumped up and greeted Katya Sergeyevna.

“How are you?” I asked.

“Good. Everything is well? Except for this break-in?”

“Yes.”

The detectives came into the room just then and I introduced Katya in my usual way.

“Detectives O’Day and Poplawski, this is Katya Sergeyevna Anisimova, Colonel in the KGB, retired.”

“KGB?” Detective O’Day asked, recoiling a bit.

“Please ignore Mr. Adams,” Katya laughed. “He likes to dredge up ancient history!”

“But you were KGB?”

“Yes; I was a protective officer for diplomats. A job not unlike that of your Secret Service, though I wore a uniform instead of business clothes as I do now.”

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Anisimova. Mr. Adams, your staff is mostly gathered, and we’d like to get started.”

“Jamie? Do you want to talk?”

“You should say something first, then I will. Let’s see if we can get cooperation. Detectives, given the gloves, I’d strongly suggest not trying to fingerprint anyone.”

“For now, we’ll let that go,” Detective Poplawski said. “But we may revisit it.”

We all went to the next room and I quickly recapped for the team what had happened, asked for their cooperation, then turned things over to Jamie. He explained that nobody was required to speak to the police, but he strongly encouraged them to do so. When he finished, I made a gentle plea for cooperation, and made it clear I didn’t believe any of them had anything to do with the break-in.

For the rest of the afternoon, the two detectives spoke to each person, verifying their whereabouts the previous evening, and probing gently for any issues or any concerns about their fellow employees. There were quite a few indignant responses, including from Penny, but I’d expected those. By the end of the day the police had everything they needed, and two men from Brown Construction had arrived to make repairs, and the insurance adjustor had taken the necessary photos.

“Who was missing today?” Detective O’Day asked.

“Eve Falvey, who I sent to my house to watch it, and Cindi Spanos, our VP of Marketing, Sales, and Support who had the day off.”

“Why is Ms. Falvey at your house?”

“Because, like me, she has her CCL and Chicago Handgun permit. I had no idea what this was about, and wanted someone watching my house. We have a similar alarm at home, and if this one could be disabled, so could that one.”

“We’ll need to talk to her.”

“I’ll have her call you tomorrow morning. Cindi will be in tomorrow, and I’ll have her call you as well.”

He left, and Michelle, Elyse, Chris, Keri, Kimmy, and I spent about an hour cleaning up the office. By the time we had all the papers put away, the doors had been fixed and Katya and Ted had come up with some changes they wanted us to make to the system.

“I want to add interior cameras which are motion activated,” Katya said. “And also have you get a dedicated circuit to the alarm company. We’ll put a rule in place that if anyone is going to be in after hours, they have to call and give a code, or else the alarm company will call one of your senior people for confirmation.”

“Very few people work late at night,” I said. “So that will work.”

“We’ll also arrange so that if the circuit were to go down, someone would be called as well. Alarm Detection can also call the police directly, if you wish.”

“Go ahead and write up the proposal, Katya. I’ll sign it.”

“You should also have your doors replaced with stronger security doors,” Ted said. “It won’t stop a determined person, but it’ll slow them down.”

“Get me the specifications and I’ll talk with Gerald Brown about them.”

“Will do. You recently upgraded things at your house, right?”

“Yes. Patrick recommended additional cameras after one of my kids decided to pull a disappearing act!”

Ted laughed, “Teenager?”

“No. Albert is six. He decided to go to a friend’s house without telling anyone.”

“OK. I take it the new system at your karate studio is working OK?”

“Yes, though I think I’d like you to arrange for a camera there as well.”

He nodded, “I’ll make sure we make a separate proposal for it.”

“Stepa, have you had any more run-ins with the hooligan who came to your business?”

“No,” I laughed, “And I almost expected you to say ‘brigand’!”

“He wasn’t burning or breaking anything!” she smiled. “And I know this movie you refer to! It was TERRIBLE!”

“Which one?” Kimmy asked.

“Red Heat with Arnold Schwarzenegger,” I replied with a smirk. “My dear friend, the retired KGB colonel, did not appreciate it!”

“Because it was stupid, Stepa!” Katya protested.

“But it was fun!” I retorted. “Katya, before I forget, did Lyudmila Alekseyevna tell you she was coming to visit in about three weeks?”

“She did. She also said you talked to her about starting a business in Moscow similar to yours!”

I nodded, “With investments from Vanya Konstantinovich and his friends, including Dima Sergeyevich.”

“I was shocked to hear she is actually considering it!”

I laughed, “Money talks. If she makes even the same amount she does now, she can live like a queen in Moscow!”

“She certainly thinks she is a Princess! Princess Lucy Alexa!”

I laughed, “OK, Katy!”

She shook her head, and after exchanging Russian farewells, she and Ted left, and my remaining staff and I locked up, and then Elyse, Michelle, and I headed home.

When we arrived, I thanked Eve, filled her in, and extended an invitation for dinner which she accepted.

“Do NOT say it!” I said firmly to Elyse as we finished preparing dinner.

“What? I was simply going to suggest a sauna!”

“I KNOW!” I laughed. “Don’t. Please.”

“What does Penny say? You’re just no fun!”

“I am, but you know I’m sticking to my rules, and may I be frank with you?”

“Of course!”

“It’s time to stop babysitting me and just be my friend and confidante. And household manager, of course.”

“I guess I’m just so used to babysitting you, as you call it, that I forget just how much you’ve changed.”

“We’re both trying to figure out the new relationship,” I said. “I’ve changed. You’ve changed. The boys are growing up. And Eduardo is in the mix now.”

“True,” she sighed.

“I love you, Elyse, and there is still so much we can do for each other, and we have our boys to raise. But neither of us is eighteen or even twenty-five. The thirty-two-year-old Steve and Elyse are both older and wiser. You know I value your counsel, even when I don’t take it. But, the babysitting has to end.”

Elyse nodded, and I held out my arms. She melted into them for a tight hug.

“You have grown up,” she smiled.

“Finally, with a lot of thanks to you.”

“You’re welcome. Shall we get everything to the table?”

“Yes, but I do have one VERY important question before we serve dinner,” I said evenly.

“What?”

“Where, exactly, did you find that gray hair?!” I laughed.

Elyse slugged me in the arm, but she was laughing so hard it was only a light ‘love tap’.

October 19, 1995, Chicago, Illinois

“How was Pittsburgh?” Kimmy asked when I came into the office on Thursday morning.

“Just fine. I had my usual meetings and you know why I didn’t stay the night.”

She smiled, “The Penguins are out of town all week! I checked when I saw you were only going for the day!”

“Anything exciting happen here while I was gone?”

“No! And nothing exciting happens when you’re here!”

“Ain’t THAT the truth!” Penny teased as she came into the office.

“Go to your desk, Penelope! I’ll deal with YOU later!”

“Would you?” she asked breathlessly. “Please?”

“No!” I grinned.

The phone on Kimmy’s desk rang and she answered it.

“Ted Farley for you,” she said.

I went to my desk to take the call.

“Hi, Ted! What’s up?”

“According to my contacts at CPD, everything checks out, including the controls on the safe at Alarm Detection. That means it HAD to be the installer. He’s denied everything, and the police have sworn out a warrant for his bank records, but unless he’s a complete idiot, that’s a dry hole.”

“So, then what?”

“It’s up to you - if you push the issue, they’ll have to fire him. My recommendation is you do that. There is no other possibility.”