The Defenseless (6 page)

Chapter 9

The Buckhorn Exchange was Denver’s original steakhouse. They specialized in menu items not common elsewhere such as buffalo, elk, rattlesnake, and alligator. Taxidermy lined the walls, and, according to our waitress, were hunted by the founders of the restaurant. Management continued to work hard to stake claim to the place being a landmark, not simply a place to eat.

We had already placed our food orders and, of all the meat offered, Paige went with salmon. I wasn’t even that adventurous and stuck with beef. I had an eight-ounce tenderloin, and Jack went with a T-bone steak. Zachery ventured and ordered elk. We all declined alcohol and went with coffee or soda.

Jack lifted his mug of coffee.
“All right, where are we? Brandon, start us off.”

My hand was wrapped around my soda glass, but I didn
’t lift it for a sip. “We spoke with Simpson’s widow and—”

“Was she as hot as McClellan said?” Zachery asked.

Paige
’s eyes narrowed. “Haven’t we beaten that subject to death?”

Zachery defended his position.
“How can you talk about a beautiful woman too much?”

“Zach, the case.” Jack’s voice was all business.

I continued.
“As I was going to say, Simpson’s widow, Jenna, didn’t give the impression of being too consumed with grief, at least at first. When we pushed the matter, her sorrow became more obvious.”

“Interesting. Do you think she’s hiding something?”

“I’m not sure, but when we visited the bar she directed us to—”

“Smitty’s?”

“Yeah. She said her husband had a new friend he hung out with lately and they’d go there to play pool. Only thing is, when we showed up, the manager didn’t know anything about a new
male
friend in Simpson’s life.”

“Oh.” Paige’s single-word expression held air time.

“Yeah, you’re on the right track. It seems the man was cheating on his wife.”

“You mean the hot woman?” Zachery warranted a crossway glare from Paige. He shrugged his shoulders and mouthed,
What?

“What the kid hasn’t mentioned yet is, when we asked the manager for names, he sealed up.”

“So, what’s he holding back?” Paige asked.

“Exactly. Brandon’s ordered a warrant to secure the receipts from the bar.” Jack sat back in the booth.

The gesture prompted Paige and Zachery to fill us in on what they found.

“Well, you know that Lyons held onto the hate mail and that she’s working to dig them up. What you don’t know is, Lila Buxton, Darren’s wife at the time he was charged, also said that they were recipients of hate mail,” Paige said.

“Were you able to get them from her?”

“Unfortunately, no. She threw them out a long time ago, so there’s no way that we can compare them to the letters we get from Lyons.”

“However, she mentioned that her husband beat the animal abuse charges because ‘he knew someone who knew someone.’” Zachery took his napkin off the table and spread it across his lap.

“Hmm.”

“Exactly what I thought, Jack.” Paige took a sip of her pop. “I want to dig into the history of Denver and see if any names stand out among the politicians.”

“Referring to a person as ‘someone’ could also imply wealth, not just power, but it doesn’t hurt to look into it.”

“Glad you agree. I called Nadia about it already.”

“But that’s not all we got from the lovely former Mrs. Simpson,” Zachery began.

“Zach, you’re using the term
lovely
rather loosely.” Paige laughed.

It was the deep, throaty one that extended her neck and made her eyes sparkle. It made me smile. She caught my eye and glanced away.

Jack lowered his coffee mug and leveled his gaze on Zachery
.

He continued.
“She mentioned one letter that she received.”

“After all these years? What was special about it?”

“She said she called the company who issued it.”

Jack and I both sat up straighter.

“They received hate mail from a company?” I asked.

“Yeah. The company is an animal activist group.” Zachery gestured toward Paige. “She searched the Internet on her smartphone on the way here. They’re still around.”

 
“You have the name of the person who sent the letter?” I asked.

Paige answered, “No, but we have the name of the manager she spoke to. According to the website, he still runs the place and you’re not going to believe who it is.”

“I dislike guessing games,” Jack said.

“Craig Bowen.”

“Bowen? That’s the garbage man who found Simpson’s body,” I said.

“I’m sure they’d prefer the term waste management technician,” Zachery chirped in.

“Zach.”

“Sorry, Boss. Anyway, the group is made up of volunteers, but Bowen’s the leader. Now, while that’s interesting, there’s more. He’s the stepbrother of Kent Fields, the journalist who reported on the animal abuse charges.”

I leaned forward on the table and pushed my glass toward the middle. “The man who is a multi-millionaire, winner of Pulitzers?”

“That’s him. Bowen would have had access to intimate knowledge of these cases too.”

“Possibly hands-on experience with helping the injured animals. Once we get Lyons’s mail, we’ll have to see if Lyons received a letter from Bowen as well,” Jack added.

“I’ve also been thinking about how far the charges go back. Why go after these people now?” I began. “Does the killer think he’ll get away with it? That no one would be paying attention?”

“I agree, Pending.”

“Would you stop calling me that?”

Zachery smiled.
“Well, it’s true.”

“I’m a
pending
agent, that isn
’t my name.”

“Cut it out, both of you.” Jack shot us a glare. “You’re acting like damn children.”

I drew my gaze from Zachery. “Our unsub probably figures there will be a lot of suspects to throw us off his track. He might be the least prospective candidate.”

“Quite possible, Brandon, or he could be right in front of us.” Paige’s eyes lit, but she didn’t form a smile.

“It makes sense, Boss,” Zachery said. “One other thing that strikes me is the bodies of Ball and Garner were never found. Simpson’s was. Either the killer has decided to send a message or he wants to be stopped.”

“It could be a combination of both,” I added.

Our waitress, a petite redhead, came back and set our meals in front of us.
“Enjoy. And if there’s anything you need, call for me,” she said as she’d backed away from table.

Chapter 10

Morning came too fast, which left me hurrying around the room, gathering an outfit from my suitcase—thank God for wrinkle-free fabric—and running out the door. I was determined to do so before Jack came knocking.

I found the three of them standing in the lobby and figured I had gotten there just in time.

“He did decide to join us.” Zachery raised his voice loud enough that I was certain the people working the front desk would have heard him.

In fact, a female employee was smiling at me.

“Now that you’re here, I’ll lay out the day’s agenda,” Jack said.

I tried to focus on Jack, but my attention kept going to Paige. She was beautiful—kissed by a good night
’s sleep, her lips a natural pink, her green eyes shaded in a sultry brown, and soft curls framed her face.
She loved mornings, and they loved her back.

If there was a way for us to truly be together, without either of us forfeiting our careers, I would give the relationship an honest try. The best we could expect were random and secret rendezvous, and even those, we should probably put an end to.

I dropped into one of the sofa chairs and Jack passed me a corrective glance.

I stood, reluctantly.

“Paige and Zach, I want you to go to the animal shelter where Simpson’s dog was brought in twenty-six years ago.”

“Makes sense. It’s also where Lyons’s dog was brought,” Paige said.

“Correct. Now, it’s the only shelter in the area, but there are a few veterinary clinics. While the injured animals could have been brought to any of these locations, the charges were arranged for through the shelter.”

“We’ll find out how all of that works, Boss. See if we can find any names that line up.”

“Good, and while you’re doing that, Brandon and I will be speaking with Craig Bowen.”

I was impressed he referred to me by name, and not by Kid or Slingshot. Maybe my standing up to Zachery last night had actually made a difference?

“What about the reporter?” Zachery asked.

“We’ll get to him in due time.”

“Are you sure he’s someone you want to keep putting off?” Paige came back into the conversation. “He had a connection to these cases. He would have seen the people at the time, the animals after they were brought in. He would have seen them fighting for life.”

“Once Nadia has his full background, we’ll talk to him,” Jack replied.

“His stepbrother found the body.”

“And that could be completely
unrelated
.” Zachery made a play on words and waited for us to acknowledge, but his efforts were lost on Paige,
who crossed her arms.

“I’m not dismissing it that easily.”

Jack went into his jacket pocket and moved toward the front door, signaling an end to the conversation. The debate was squashed before it gained flame.

Stepping outside, the cold morning air bit my ears and stung my face. It was still dark and the wind howled, kicking up snow from the ground. But, thank God, nothing fresh was falling.

Jack lit his cigarette and hopped into our SUV. I got in the passenger side and watched Paige and Zachery load into theirs.

She had a point, and I wasn
’t sure why Jack wasn’t listening to her. Kent Fields could be working with his stepbrother to exact revenge on these men. The time that had passed would sever the connection and relieve them of suspicion. Maybe that’s what the man was counting on. What’s that term?—hiding in plain sight.

*****

Craig Bowen was of average height. He had dark hair, brown eyes, and wore silver-framed glasses. We caught up with him at the city yard when he was getting ready to head out.

His orange snowsuit would be visible in the dark, so it wasn’t hard to find him. We walked in his direction, holding up our credentials.

I took the lead.
“We’d like to talk to you about—”

“The body I found? It’s making me a celebrity around these parts.”

“Hey, hey!”
Another garbage man called out and pointed at him.
“You are the man!”

Bowen dismissed the compliment with a wave of his hand and moved toward his truck. “Now, I
’m sure you spoke with my boss to get back here, but I’ve got a schedule to keep.”

“You have ten minutes before you have to head out.”

Bowen’s face cracked into a smile. “That sly bastard.” His arms dropped to his sides and he tucked his hands into the pockets of his snowsuit. “Have at it then.” His shoulders hiked upward and didn’t return to a relaxed state,
giving the saying
shoulders at the height of one’s ears
a literal manifestation.

“Had you seen Darren Simpson before that day?” Jack asked.

“No, why would—”

“Think about your answer.”

Jack was at it again. The searing eye contact, the locked jawline. His entire aura challenging the man to lie.

“Okay, fine. I saw the man previously, but the whole city did.”

“Why?”

“Seriously?” Bowen glanced at me. “You don’t know this?” He pointed a finger between us. “You’re testing me, aren’t you? This is a test.”

“We’re trying to find out who killed a man, Mr. Bowen.”
Jack
’s dry tone propelled Bowen’s energy into a regressive landslide.

He held up both hands.
“I’ll play along. He was in the paper years ago.”

Jack and I remained silent.

“For poisoning a dog,” Bowen added.

We still didn
’t say a thing.

“Listen, I don’t know what you two—the FBI—want from me, but I didn’t kill the guy.”

“You found the body.”

“Trust me when I say I wish I hadn’t.”

“Most people would vomit if they stumbled across a body. The only trace recovered from the surrounding area belonged to the victim.”

“Sounds like you’ll have a tough killer to catch.” His eyes skimmed over us to a clock on the wall.

“Surplus of five minutes left. You’re still good,” I said.

Bowen
’s eyes shot to me. “I don’t know what to say. I can’t help you.”

Jacked asked what he was doing around the estimated time of Simpson’s death.

“What, are you serious?”

“Completely.” Jack’s face remained indifferent.

“You think I killed the man and staged the find?”

“It would be a good thing to fall back on, and you would have a good reason to want the man dead. You are the leader of Humanity Against Animal Abuse, are you not?”

“Ah, that’s what this is about? Yeah, I’m guilty of giving a shit. People abuse animals all the time thinking they can get away with it. You know what the sad part is? They can. They do. All the time.”

“Sounds like you have passion.”

“I absolutely have a passion when it comes to this. Someone has to stand strong for those animals. God created the earth and put man in charge of caring for them, not in charge of abusing them. Good men strive to make a difference.”

“Your records show you’re the stepbrother of Kent Fields.”

Bowen laughed.
“Yeah, good for me, eh? A lot of good it does me. The arrogant son of a bitch hasn’t been a part of the family for years. It’s almost Christmas and I doubt he’s given us a thought. I can’t remember the last time we had dinner as a family. He’s too big for us now.”

I glanced at Jack
and worked through my assessment of Bowen. He had motive. He hated animal abusers and made his opinion public. On top of which, he found the body, had a stepbrother who reported on the original cases, and may have had a hand in helping the animals to recovery. If this wasn’t enough, his background check made me question his judgment.

“You spent some time behind bars,” I said. “Maybe you miss them and want to go back.”

“If you had anything against me—proof—we wouldn’t be standing around talking.” He passed another glance at the clock. “Time’s up. Good day, gentlemen. I’d wish you luck in finding your killer, but if he’s targeting animal abusers,” another shoulder shrug, “I’d say they are getting what they deserve.” He reached for the door handle on the truck’s cab.

I put my hand on his forearm.
“Not so quick.”

His eyes went to my hand.

I kept it there a few seconds longer just to prove I was removing it out of my own accord. “You sent hate mail to Simpson when the charges were dropped. We have testimony to that.”

Bowen dropped his arm and laughed hard enough that tears seeped from the corners of his eyes.

“Something amusing about that?” Jack asked.

The laughter stopped instantly, as if it were on a soundtrack and someone hit pause.

“Yeah. The fact she, I assume it’s the woman Simpson was married to, remembers. That tells me I made a difference.”

“She said when she called you, you couldn’t have cared less about the death threat you had made on behalf of the organization.”

“It was just talk.”

“Threatening people’s lives isn’t
just talk
.”

“You must believe me. I didn’t kill that man, or no man for that matter. I can’t say that I’ve never thought of taking revenge on these people, but I’ve never acted on it. The letters, the threats, they were as far as I went.”

“So you’re confessing to threatening a man’s life?” I asked.

“Please don’t arrest me.” He backed against the truck. “It was a long time ago.”

“Any other time I’d take the pleasure, but right now there are bigger things we need to deal with.”

Jack gave me a look and I wasn
’t sure what he was trying to communicate. Maybe I was taking the machismo too far? Oh well, it had to be let out for fresh air sometimes.

“One more thing, if you didn’t kill Simpson, maybe your stepbrother did?”