Chapter 218: Cop Games

I awoke in the tiny studio apartment over Jen's Garage. It was more comfortable than a motel would have been, but of course it still wasn't home. I had brought my very small laptop computer, so I marked the day off the calendar as if I were a prisoner in some dungeon. I even hummed 'Nobody knows the trouble I seen' as I brushed my teeth.

After I showered and dressed, I slipped down the back stairs and out of my best friend's house, I had no idea whether Jen would have cooked for her husband or not, but I knew she would't be cooking for me.

I managed to make it to Helen's without coffee. I didn't run into any pedestrians while sleeping behind the wheel and I didn't lose my cool and run into any cars belonging to rude drivers either. Without my morning coffee they had no idea how dangerous their actions were that particular morning.

I was totally into the experience of morning coffee and pretty much ignoring the world, when Lucas walked up to me. "I wanted to make sure that you and I were alright," he said quietly.

"Why wouldn't we be?" I asked

"Well, I did snap at you the other day," he said.

"Oh I just marked that down to PMS and ignored it," I said coolly.

"Okay, well take care," he said as he turned to the door. I almost told him that he needed to watch Marge, but decided not to get involved."

From the Sit Down, I went to the mall. I got there before Tiny Dancer, so it was me and a bunch of old men. That was okay as well. Some of them were kind of cute. I could keep up with most of them, but there was one ramrod straight older man who could out walk me. He could have even before I lost a chunk of my leg. I didn't even try to keep up that mornin. I made myself content with smiling each time he passed me.

After the third time he passed me from the opposite direction he stopped and said, "Good morning I haven't seen you here before. They call me Danny or Chief," he said.

"I usually come in a little later. I'm having some renovations done on my house and I had to get out early." It was the abbreviated version of the story. "My name is Maxine, but most folks call me Max."

"Nice to meet you Max. Do you work?" he asked.

"Just a little, I'm sort of trouble shooter," I said.

"Sounds interesting, I'm retired Navy. Still looking for something interesting to occupy my time." he informed me.

"So what was your job in the navy?" I asked.

"Master Machinist, for the last few years I ran the machine shop on a destroyer." He seemed to be rightly proud of that accomplishment.

"Very nice, you could always find a job doing that. I know there are way too few qualified machinist in the world." I said.

"Well something will come along I'm sure." he replied.

"I am as well. Chief, it was nice to have met you, but unfortunately I have a meeting this morning." I said. With that I walked away and felt stupid for it. He was definitely my kind of man, but I had learned not to rush into things.

Jennifer had arranged the first meeting with Mike the older of the two cops. Along with Jen. I was going to be a participant in the interview. It was my formal introduction to Mike and it took place on his home turf. I drove to Jen's office where we got into her car and then drove to the Tryon Police Department.

After the hellos were all passed back and forth we got down to business. "Do I need a lawyer?" Mike asked.

"Everyone needs a lawyer," Jennifer said. "If you like we can reschedule this for a time you have your lawyer present.

"Tell you what, let's see where this is going, then I might invoke my need for council," he said

"So, when you entered the house did you see the pile of money on the coffee table?" I asked. Figured I would just start with a shock and get it going.

"Don't you believe in foreplay?" he was speaking to Jen, but it was for me.

"This is Maxine Stone, she is my investigator," Jennifer informed him.

"I heard you were involved in this mess. Let me tell you what I told the investigators at the time. When we broke in, there was a pile of cash on the table. When we got ready to take it into evidence it had disappeared. I have no idea who took it, but I can tell you that we were all busy and never out of each other's sight."

"So let me get this straight. You are telling me the money somehow disappeared, but the only people in the house at the time had nothing to do with it?" I asked smiling.

"That's exactly what I'm telling you." he said.

"Could someone else have come into the house and taken the money. A gang member or a cop?" I asked.

"I don't see how we were scattered all over the house. One of us would have seen something," he said.

"I agree, one of you should have seen something. Can you give me a list of all the people on the scene that night?" I asked.

"All or just those before the money turned up missing," he asked.

"Those on site before the money turned up missing," I suggested.

"Me, Roy, and that new officer Jamie for the good guys, and the two drug dealers we took down." he said.

"How about the lab people? Were they there before the money went missing?" I asked.

"No we went back right after we cuffed the two dealers to secure the money, but it was gone. Roy and I searched the house to be sure there weren't any other dopers there. We didn't find any more dealer or junkies in the house."

"So you are telling me, the money just flew away by itself," I suggested.