Murder on the Mainline: another Mike Claymore Mystery Chapter 04 by davebccanada

2ND TUESDAYThe phone wakes him at seven thirty and he grabs it at his bedside before it wakes Marlene but as he glances her way he notices she is already up and gone. He says, “Good morning.”

“Mike, is that Mike?”

He hears a female voice on the phone and tries to think who it might be. It almost sounds like Trudy and he can’t fathom why she would call him at home. “It’s Mike. What’s up?”

“It’s Nina. I have that list of suspects for you but I didn’t see you home Monday night. I see your car in the drive this morning so I’m calling on the way out to work. Where do you want to meet?”

“Just give me a minute and I’ll be right out.”

“No. Someone might see us. Meet me in the Seven Oaks Shopping Mall parking lot in ten minutes. Can you do that?”

“I’m on my way.” He hangs up and bounds out of bed.

He dons jogging pants and a pullover sweatshirt. In the kitchen Marlene is getting the kids fed and ready for school. “Going to get in a little jogging this morning dear; for the old waist line. See you in a bit.” He kisses her on his way out the door.

“Who was on the phone?” He’s already gone and she doesn’t get a reply.

He jumps into the Mustang and tosses his wallet into his briefcase. His bag and briefcase are still in the car from his last trip. He backs out and heads for the mall.

He spots Nina’s Pinto near the back of the lot by the park in an area under some overhanging trees. He pulls in beside her. He rolls down his window but by now she has gotten out and runs around to his passenger side door. He opens it for her and she slides in beside him. She giggles like she’s giddy and says, “I could get fired for this.” She slips him a photocopy of a list of suspects and some facts on each.

“This is great, Nina. I could kiss you!” He glances down the list before looking up and reaching over the seat for his briefcase.

“I’m waiting.” She sits watching him expectantly.

“Huh.” It dawns on him what he has said and he hastens to add, “Sorry, it was a figure of speech. You know what I mean. I really appreciate you getting the list for me.”

She looks down and he says to himself, “What the hell!” He lifts her chin and places his lips over hers. Her response is instantaneous as her arms encircle his upper body and she presses herself closer, he’s caught completely off guard. He pulls his head back and says, “Hey, wrong place and wrong time. We need to get back to business here. I hate to ask but there are other items you may be able to help me with. I need details of the crime scene. Would you be able to get them for me?”

She pulls her arms back and looks at him. “You want me to really get into trouble, don’t you? If I ever gave you documents like that and anyone found out it could be classed as theft and they could send me to jail. It’s bad enough I copied their suspects list.”

“Come on. You must have seen the crime scene reports. You don’t have to give them to me, just tell me what they have. Your description will help me in my investigation and you will be helping to solve the case.”

“I saw all the reports. In fact I copied them for the investigations team, but I can’t remember everything.”

Mike looks her in the eye and shrewdly guesses, “You made an extra copy of all the reports for yourself, didn’t you? You’re really turned on by this case!”

“Oh Mike. I can’t let you see them. What if someone finds out.”

“Have you got them with you?”

“Of course. I don’t know where I can safely leave them. I was going to burn them.” She is really acting scared now.

“Leave them with me. I’ll destroy them if anyone gets suspicious. Don’t you trust me, pretty Nina?” He searches her eyes imploringly.

She bites her lip and says, “I have to get to work. I’ll think about it.” She turns in the seat to open the door.

“What if someone comes across them in the meantime? Like Jeff or a friend you give a ride to, or maybe a suspicious officer your working with?”

She turns back and throws herself against him. “Oh Mike. I never should have copied them. I don’t know what to do.”

Mike holds her for a moment and she stops trembling.

“Don’t let anyone see them.” She whispers this last statement and goes to her car. She quickly passes him a folder through his window then turns to leave.

Mike catches her hand and says, “Thanks, Nina. No one will ever see them.”

“I’ve got to go.”

Mike watches her car leave the lot before he opens the folder. Quickly he goes through the file to see what all is there. There are crime scene photos in color, early forensic lab reports (more to follow), and officers’ statements, statements of witnesses, a preliminary summary report of findings and other papers pertaining to the case. Mike studies a situational map drawn by one of the officers on the scene.

As he studies it he realizes he has stood in that spot before. A year ago one of the Commissionaires had spotted a car acting suspiciously in the vacant industrial lot next to the yard and on checking had located a small grow operation in that very hollow. No one had been caught for that but Mike had walked over out of curiosity and viewed the site. He knew the spot was out of sight until you stumbled into it and it was right beside the mainline tracks coming out of the railway yards in POCO. It should be easy to find but almost impossible to visit without being seen in the daytime. They probably have combed it pretty thoroughly anyway, he thinks.

He turns back to the list of suspects. Number one is Ray Chauffe. Listed as thirty years old, a driver for CP Express and Transport, unmarried, known to frequent the company of prostitutes. He was listed as shy and introverted. Under search of his home was listed a number of prohibited pornographic video titles that had been banned in Canada because of their violent graphical portrayal of the brutalization of women. Also a few of them were banned because they crossed the line and came under incest and kiddy porn. Someone had written in pen by his name that Ray had sought the company of Flo through a cab driver, Jay Scanlon. It is uncertain if he was successful.

Mike grunts and says to himself, “I guess they’ve decided he was.”

Second on the list was Robert Hanson, twenty-six years of age and his address was given in Surrey. That speeds up my investigation, thinks Mike. Ex husband of the deceased, he’s living with Marie Mathers of no fixed address who states she comes from Summerside, in the Maritimes. No confirmation on that point of origin. His arrest record indicates a lot of alcohol abuse, spousal beatings, D.U.I. (Driving Under the Influence) abuses, and assault charges against women and /or men in taverns, bars and restaurants.

Number three on the list is Ron Harrison, a thirty four year old Realtor of Port Coquitlam, married with no children; is listed as being uncooperative and without an alibi for the night of the crime and, interestingly enough, his name is in Flo’s little black address book.

Others listed in her book include Jay Scanlon and Anton Vanuetche. The former is listed as suspect number four. Jay Scanlon is believed to have cohabited with the deceased, at least some of the time, and was her contact person for some of her call girl activities. Jay is listed as twenty-eight years of age, a cab driver for Pitt River Taxi for three years, single and believed to be Flo’s pimp.

Last on the list is Anton (Tony) Vanuetche, twenty seven years old, lives by himself in his mother’s (deceased) home in Port Coquitlam, drives truck for CPX, is personable, affable and considered by his co-workers to be a jokester. Says he dated Flo a few times but nothing serious. In pen again a small notation that he might be involved with local drug trade. It says a tip from a fellow driver, and Mike curses his big mouth. It’s only rumor, he thinks.

He puts the list into the file and scans for a workup on the victim. He finds it and notices a car driving slowly through the lot behind him. He puts the file in his briefcase and starts the Mustang. Time to get out of here.

He pulls out onto South Fraser Way and drives out to the airport. He locks the car and goes for a jog along a trail that runs out near the runway. He keeps the car in sight and comes back winded. He thinks he needs to get out and do this more often as he drives around by the hangers. He locates the parking lot from which the car was stolen in the insurance fraud case he is supposed to be working on and asks a technician in coveralls if he knows the boy who’s car was stolen. The employee indicates it was one of the painters and he doesn’t know him. The painter is apparently a new employee.

He looks around the lot and decides he has to come back at night to get a better idea of the lighting and such. He also looks around the layout of the lot and surrounding roads where a thief might wait before striking. He checks the file and decides to drive the route from here to the gravel pit a few miles away where the vehicle was found burned out.

He calls Marlene on his cell phone but there’s no answer at the house so he drives the route. Sitting in his car he studies the layout of the gravel pit. It’s a perfect place to take a stolen auto, strip it and then burn it. High walls would shelter them from observation and hide the glow of the fire. He gets out and studies the black soot where he figures the vehicle was burned. A glint catches his eye and he picks up a small penknife partially buried in the gravel. Without handling it much he slips it into a zip lock bag from his briefcase. Then he studies it through the plastic. Not a criminal’s knife, that’s for sure. More like a kid’s knife. Hmmmm.