Maniacal: A Detective Jade Monroe Crime Thriller Book 1 Read online

  “Yes, I’ve taken up scrapbooking and knitting.”

  “Cool. Anyway, we’re going to check out a few more condos on Saturday. I’m definitely ready for a mental health break. Maybe looking at a few potential places to live will be a fun distraction.”

  “Do you want to talk about it, honey?”

  “Sorry, Mom, it’s work related. Read the paper. You’ll get some idea of what I’ve been doing lately. Right now I just want to veg out and drink my wine.”

  “You know, your birthday is Saturday. Let’s all go out to dinner after you girls look at the condos and Amber moves her things in.”

  “Okay, I can do that as long as no shit hits the fan before Saturday night. You make the plans, and Amber and I will meet you wherever you decide.”

  “Promise me you’ll work on your cursing, honey.”

  “Sure thing, Mom. Good night.”

  I looked through my closet for something appropriate to wear to Morris King’s funeral. Terrance told me during a phone call earlier that the funeral was scheduled for Friday at eleven a.m. with a luncheon to follow. As far as I knew, Detective Lindstrom and Lieutenant Colgate would be there too.

  I slid the wooden hangers from right to left along the pole and found a navy-blue pantsuit that would work fine. A floral scarf wrapped around the collar of a simple white blouse would accent it nicely.

  My thoughts returned to what had been on my mind before the phone call from my mom. I knew the flowers I received yesterday hadn’t come from Amber. The florist said she couldn’t remember what the person looked like that bought them, but they paid in cash. According to her, it had been a hectic day with a huge wedding flower order.

  I didn’t pursue it. Lance always told me I was good at that—avoidance. I was a great cop—according to him—but even better at avoiding life issues, like the lack of communication between us. The only issue I was aware of was that my husband was having an affair with another salesperson at the Toyota dealership where he worked. I was pretty sure he didn’t want to communicate with me about that. Fast forward ten months—she was in and I was out. I’d been replaced, and life went on.

  After the ten o’clock news, I went to bed, hoping for a decent night’s sleep but not expecting it.

  The alarm sounded at six a.m. I was awake anyway and waiting for its loud beep to go off. I got up, stumbled to the window, and turned the wand on the blinds. The sun poured in—it felt good. I started the coffeepot, said good morning to Polly and Porky, fed them, and hit the shower. I appreciated the fact that my hair was normally my friend. If the weather was dry and the humidity was low, my thick, straight hair behaved with very little effort on my part. A quick comb-through, a touch of mascara, and a little blush were all I needed to look presentable on most workdays.

  I ate a piece of toast with raspberry preserves, drank a cup of coffee, filled my travel mug, and headed to the station. Within minutes, I had arrived.

  “Morning, Jade.”

  I looked up from my desk and nodded. “Billings.”

  “You’re in early. Need help with anything?” Billings plunked down in one of my guest chairs and set his coffee cup on a sheet of paper. He looked at his watch. “It’s seven o’clock.”

  “Yeah, I know, but I couldn’t sleep anymore. Thought I’d clean up my desk and file away some of these closed cases from last month. We also have a few criminals being transferred to Waupun today. I want to talk to them before they leave our jurisdiction. Maybe they’ll do a little singing before their lives get a whole lot worse.” I took a sip of coffee from my travel mug. “Once Jack gets in, I want to pay a visit to some of our local informants too. There has to be word on the street about our murder cases. Somebody has to know something. We’ve got to get out and pound the pavement. Sitting here doing busywork will drive me nuts.”

  “I hear you, Sergeant. Just say the word. Clayton and I will pitch in wherever you need us. The more sets of eyes, the better. We can go through all of the interview logs again, hit the streets, go back out to the crime scenes, and scour the areas one more time—whatever you need.”

  “Thanks, Billings. I’ll let you know.”

  Jack walked in at eight o’clock alongside the lieutenant. They parted ways at the bull pen, Jack to his desk, the lieutenant to his office.

  “Well, partner, what’s on the agenda for today?”

  “We should hit the streets, see if there’s any new chatter. The local lowlifes should have heard something by now.”

  “You’d think. I’m up for it. Anything else?” Jack filled two coffee cups from the fresh pot Billings made when he got there.

  “Thanks. Yeah, I’ve got to go upstairs and talk to a few of our guests before they leave our five-star accommodations.” I smiled.

  Jack laughed. “You mean the local pharmacists?”

  “The very ones. They’re being transferred to Waupun today. Guess their attorneys couldn’t get the charges reduced. They’re each looking at substantial time for intent to sell, not just possession.”

  “More than three grams each?”

  “That’s right. See ya—wouldn’t want to be ya. I thought they might want to make a final goodwill gesture before they leave town. Maybe I can set them up with nicer roommates or something if they give me a few names.”

  “Okay. Well, whenever you want to hit the streets, let me know. Hand me those folders. I’ll file them away.”

  “Thanks, I appreciate it. Billings, call a florist in Milwaukee and order an arrangement to be delivered to Phillips Funeral Home for Morris King’s funeral on Friday.”

  “Got it, boss.”

  I guzzled the coffee left in my cup and checked the time—eight thirty. “Billings, hold down the fort. I’m going upstairs.” I signed in at the reception counter and took the stairs to our jail. “Hey, John, I’d like to have a chat with Manny Gomez and Frank Luis before they head out. I’ll only need thirty minutes of their time.”

  “You got it, Sergeant Monroe. Would you like them linked up?”

  “Yeah, if you don’t mind.”

  “Give me ten minutes.”

  “No problem. I see one of my favorite magazines.” I took a seat and waited.

  John returned a few minutes later and told me the inmates were ready for me. I nodded and walked into the cafeteria. At this time of day, nobody had visitors, and meals weren’t being served. The two men sat at the table nearest the door. A deputy watched through the window separating the cafeteria from the guard station.

  “Gentlemen,” I said as I sat down across from them, “I hear you’re moving into the big house today. It must be an exciting time for both of you. Something different, right? New faces, new friends, new enemies.” I looked at their sheets in front of me. “Hmm… you’re both getting ten years? That sucks. Guess your state-appointed attorney doesn’t care much for meth pushers.”

  “What do you want, lady? We’ve got packing to do,” Manny said, spewing the words at me.

  I laughed. “Cute. Everything you need for the next ten years will be provided for you by us—the taxpayers. As far as I know, a couple of orange jumpsuits and a pair of rubber sandals should do it.” I gave them both the once-over. “Pink looks more like your color, though. Anyway, I might be able to help you out with your accommodations. You know, maybe a down feather pillow, something of that nature.” I grinned at both of them and cocked my head to the right.

  They huffed.

  “No? Not appealing enough? What would you boys think of bunking together? That in itself is like winning the lottery. You’ll sleep better at night not worrying that your roommate has a shiv under his mattress, or worse. You could be bunked with a three-hundred-pound guy named Bubba. All you have to do is give me some names. I want big names, not the punks you run with.” I looked at the analog clock above the door. “See the time?”

  They both turned around and looked at the wall.

  “Man, I’d hate to be you right now. Your lives are going to change substantially in a fe
w short hours. It’s nine o’clock, and your transport bus leaves at noon. If I don’t hear anything from you by eleven, the offer is off the table. Have a nice life, boys.”

  I got up and walked out. A thought popped into my head as I took the stairs down to the bull pen.

  “Jack, Clayton, Billings, come with me.”

  They looked up from their desks, pushed their chairs back, and followed. I rapped on the lieutenant’s door. He waved us in.

  “What’s with the expression, Jade? You look like you just had an epiphany.” The lieutenant set his paperwork down and gave me the floor.

  “I might have. What if we’re looking at this murderer the wrong way?”

  Jack spoke up. “Meaning?”

  “Maybe the name Dime doesn’t have anything to do with drugs. What if his nickname means he did a ten year stint in prison?”

  “You could be on to something, but even that would be tough to track down. We don’t have a real name, age, or description,” Clayton said.

  “True, but it gives us a little more to work with. We could start with state correctional institutions and the inmates that served ten-year sentences. Maybe even the guards would know if someone had that nickname. We could ask on the street too. We have to do something, Lieutenant. Wishful thinking isn’t going to catch this monster.”

  “You’re right, Jade. Okay, divide up the thirty or so facilities in the state and get the lists of all inmates that served ten years and have been released within the last year. We have to start small. This task could eat up all of our time otherwise. Talk to people on the street. Tell the North Bend PD what we’re doing. We don’t want to step on any toes. I’ll give you a few weeks to pursue this avenue and see if it goes anywhere. We’ll reconvene before the end of the month and see what we have. If nothing shakes out, we’ll try something else. Let’s move. Nice work, Jade.”

  “Thanks, boss. Okay, Clayton, print out a list of all the state prisons and meet us in the lunchroom in ten minutes. I’ll start a new pot of coffee. Billings, did you take care of the flowers for the funeral?”

  “Yep, all done.”

  “Jack, could you get Todd and Billy up here?”

  “Sure thing.”

  Chapter 22

  Six of us sat in the lunchroom, going over the list of thirty-five state correctional facilities in Wisconsin. Billy and Todd brought along their laptops from the tech department and worked their magic. With the software they had access to and the parameters we told them to use, they were able to pull up all the criminals in the state who’d served ten-year sentences and been released in the last year.

  “Okay, Todd, you take half of them and Billy the other half. Now narrow those names down to people who served their sentences for violent crimes. I’m not interested in white-collar criminals.” I looked at their screens. “Only forty names? Maybe we should go back further. See how many names fit that criteria going back five years.”

  Billy hit a few keys and pulled up almost one hundred fifty names.

  “That’s doable. Is there any way to get their photos and descriptions too? How about by age? I don’t think we’re looking for anyone over seventy, do you, Jack?”

  “Doubt it. Let’s go by age first, then description.”

  I nodded. “Yeah, sure.”

  We waited while Billy punched that information into the search parameters.

  “Okay, that dropped it down to one hundred fifteen inmates under seventy. What’s next?” Billy asked.

  Jack spoke up. “Let’s go with everyone five foot ten and taller. Weight can vary too much. After that, let’s see if any of them are from southeast Wisconsin, preferably Washburn County. Maybe even if they have family in the area too.”

  “Sure, hold on.” Todd pulled up a list of sixty-two inmates that had been released in the last five years that were five foot ten or taller and less that seventy years old.

  “That’s it—sixty-two? That’s a good start and not at all overwhelming. Print out all of their names, photos, addresses, and parole officers’ contact info. We’ll start making calls after lunch. I’ve got to run upstairs and see if my boys have anything they want to discuss before they leave our fair county in an hour. Everyone be back here at one o’clock.”

  I was hopeful and felt as though we were doing something that might give us leads. I took the stairs two at a time. I asked John if Manny and Frank had any information they wanted to share with me before they were sent up the river.

  “They only said your name and a few choice curse words in Spanish. They’re being processed out of the county right now into the state system. Do you want to give them one more opportunity to talk to you?”

  “Nah—they had their chance. They can enjoy the next ten years in a real prison. Tell them I said to enjoy their new digs.”

  “Yes, ma’am, with pleasure.”

  I headed back downstairs. Those two punks weren’t going to upset me. I was sure we’d find the main players in their meth-making organization soon enough. For now, it felt good to get two of them off the street.

  “Wanna go out for lunch?” Jack asked. “My treat.”

  “Why are you offering to pay?” I gave him a suspicious grin.

  “You deserve it, that’s all. I know this case is keeping you awake at night. Hell, it’s definitely wearing me down. You need a little break, Jade, plus your birthday is Saturday. I haven’t heard mention of a party, so this is the least I can do. Come on. Let’s go to the Washington House. It will be a nice change from vending machine sandwiches.”

  “Okay, you got a deal. It will be nice to relax over lunch for once. No talk of work until we get back to the station, though.”

  Jack pulled the invisible zipper across his lips. “No talk of work. I promise.”

  We grabbed an unmarked cruiser from the lot, and within five minutes, we were parked on Main Street. Seven brick steps led up to the entrance of the Washington House restaurant. The three-story building stood taller than the rest in the historic center of Main Street. A brass plaque was bolted on the outer wall next to the front door. The limestone building had been erected in 1861 as an upscale hotel in the heart of North Bend. Over the years, it had gone through many changes, but the building currently housed apartments on the upper levels and a nice restaurant and bar on the first floor. Live music played every Wednesday and Saturday night.

  The hostess stand was just beyond the foyer, and a long, ornate oak bar was beyond that. Our eyes had to adjust from bright sunshine to the dimly lit bar area in front of us. Beautiful stained glass pendant lights hung every five feet above the bar.

  Gabi was written across the hostess’s plastic name badge pinned to her burgundy long-sleeved blouse. The name itself made me grin.

  “A table for lunch or just a drink at the bar?” she asked, wearing a wide smile.

  Jack spoke up. “A table for two, please.”

  “Certainly, right this way.”

  Gabi seated us next to the fireplace. Since it was close to summer, a fire wasn’t lit, but it was a pretty place to sit anyway. White linen tablecloths covered the tables, and a rose in a bud vase sat in the center of each one. I had a sudden flashback to the vase of flowers on my desk. I quickly dismissed it as Gabi went over today’s lunch specials with us.

  “May I get you started with something to drink?”

  “Sure, I’ll have a raspberry iced tea,” I said.

  Jack placed the napkin on his lap. “I’ll take the same.”

  I looked around the dining room. As many years as I’d lived in North Bend, I had never been in the Washington House. “This is kind of fancy for lunch.”

  “Yeah, so what? You’re worth it as long as the bill stays under ten bucks.” Jack chuckled.

  I pinched his arm. “You’re terrible.”

  He winced and rubbed the red mark harder than necessary. “So is Amber excited about moving this weekend?”

  “Absolutely. I’ll admit, I wasn’t too keen on the idea at first, but now I’m ki
nd of looking forward to it too.”

  “That’s great for both of you, and I get it. Look how close I am to my brothers, and we’re closer in age than you and Amber are. You’ll really get to know each other a lot better this way.”

  “Yeah, and getting her away from Bruce, the perv, isn’t such a bad idea either.”

  Jack laughed. “You know, my offer is still on the table. Just say the word.”

  I grinned and opened my menu. “Everything looks good. I think I’ll have the caprese sandwich on toasted ciabatta bread. That sounds delicious.”

  “It does, but you’re over ten bucks already with your iced tea.”

  “Jerk.”

  The waitress appeared with our beverages. “Have you decided yet?”

  “Sure have. The lady will have the caprese sandwich, and I’ll have the sirloin burger with home fries. Jade, do you want something on the side?”

  “Um… okay, I’ll have a fruit cup with my sandwich.”

  The waitress took our orders and our menus, thanked us, and left.

  “So what did Amber think of the condos she looked at last weekend?”

  “There were a few she really liked that I want to take a look at myself. We have an appointment set up for Saturday with Melissa Mately again to look at three-bedroom units. I hope the house doesn’t take too long to sell.”

  “You’ve got a nice place, Jade. It should go quickly, especially with summer coming. Kids will be out of school in a few weeks, and families will be moving.”

  “Yeah, I’m kind of looking forward to living somewhere that doesn’t have Lance memories.”

  Jack nodded. “It looks like our lunch is coming.”

  The waitress carried a tray to our table. It held the best looking lunch I had seen in a long time, and nothing was wrapped in cellophane.

  Chapter 23

  We reconvened in the lunchroom just after one o’clock. Billy had a fresh pot of coffee brewing already. I thanked him for thinking of it.

  Sixty-two photos and profiles of recently released inmates lay spread out across the long lunch table.