The questioning had ended and they were arresting Jared. Once the new suspect was assigned a cell, Chief Hayes, Officer Stanton and I returned to the Chief's office. I wanted to get caught up. While I was on the phone with Daniel something important must have been uncovered.
"I can't believe he didn't lawyer up," said Officer Stanton. "He sure got himself in deeper than he wanted to."
"He's probably asking for one now," said Donald. "It doesn't matter because he gave us plenty to go on."
"Let me guess," I said. "Jared double-crossed Frank somehow and so Frank started the blackmailing tactic."
The Chief nodded. "You heard it all, Laila, so it doesn't surprise me that you know all of that. Jared refused to explain in detail what was actually going on between the two."
"I left for a few minutes to call Daniel,” I said. “I knew he would want to know Steven is off the hook."
"We have a lot of work to do. No one is completely off the hook yet," said Officer Stanton.
"There must have been some blackmailing going on," I said. The Chief nodded his head. There was more to do along that line.
When I left the precinct I decided to go back down to Tommy's Bar. I hoped to meet up with Joe again. Maybe he would tell me more as long as he remembered the five dollar bill I gave him. When I arrived, there were three cars and two trucks parked at the place. Business had picked up since my last visit. I stood inside and paused to adjust my eyesight. My first observation was that no one had cleaned the place up yet. At second glance it looked like the floor had been swept so I figured the odors were permanent ones. I spotted Joe hanging precariously on the edge of a bar stool. The bartender, Billy, looked up at me and turned to a customer who ordered a cold drink.
I reintroduced myself to Joe. His toothy grin spread across his dulled face. There were four empty bar stools on the other side of Joe. I sat in the second one. Billy leaned over the counter and said in a low tone, "Don't make trouble for me in here. If you want to come in and drink, that's another matter."
"I won't cause trouble. Pour me a coke." Joe looked at me and then recognition finally set in. "I want to ask you where Frank had been before he came in here that night," I asked him.
His speech slurred but not as badly as the first visit. I hoped his mind was clearer this time. "He was at the mall, I guess. You know he played Santa there. Like I said, he came in here looking like the real thing."
I knew Frank played Santa at the mall only on weekends. He was murdered on a Thursday night. It didn't really matter where he had been playing Santa. The fact was it was the only explanation for him being in the Santa garb.
"I hear he was knocked out in that freezer," said Joe. Lackluster eyes looked squarely at me. I didn't need for him to get any closer. "I remembered the man he met here that night. He's a bigwig at the bank. He ran me off once when I begged for a handout outside that bank. I was homeless then." Joe started to tell me how he had come up in the world now and had a small apartment.
I asked myself why I was back here talking to Joe anyway. If he knew the man Frank talked to at the bar, he took his time telling me. I started to leave and remembered the five dollar bill and handed it to him. If Joe didn't reveal the name by the time I got to the door, I would go back and get it out of him. I made it almost to the door when I heard Joe's voice.
"Wait." He staggered, trying to catch up with me. I waited. "You know, I used to be a bigwig," he said at the door. "That man was Jared Freedman. I was on the inside with him when he made a lot of money. I wasn't the only one paying him for information about mergers and acquisitions."
For the first time, I recognized an educated man. So Jared was a crook. "What happened to you?" I asked.
"When the law started getting close, he sold me out. I ended up in prison. His lawyer convinced the jury Jared was innocent. When I came out, I had nothing, and now here I am." He wiped his mouth with the back of his chapped hand. "I think Jared had something to do with that murder. That's my opinion."
"He's in a jail cell as we speak. Of course, this is only the beginning of what will be a long investigation. Then there will have to be the trial. I don't know how it will all end up."
"He'll get off," said Joe. When he turned around, he stumbled. Once he got his footing again, he made his way to the bar stool. My coke sat there untouched.
Chapter Twenty Four
It was getting late. I made a mental note to talk with Chief Hayes again the next day. We now had a witness who named Jared as the man who met Frank at the bar. That was something that would pad the case. Besides that, I wanted to discuss exactly what caused Frank's death. I wanted details. I didn't have to worry this time that I would be accosted outside Tommy's Bar. That perpetrator sat in West River's jail.
On my way home, I stopped by Steven's Steakhouse. A few customers were finishing dinners when I came in. More were approaching the door to the restaurant.
"Hey, Laila," called the familiar voice. The ha
ndsome man waved from behind the counter. "You're out late. Do you want something to eat?"
"I have to get home to take care of my dog, Steven. I’ll come back. I want to talk to you again. I knew I could be inviting trouble, but I needed a few more answers. He smiled, causing his good looks to stand out even more than usual.
“I’ll be here,” said Steven.
A quick sandwich would have to do for tonight. I studied my cork board. Flipping through my desk, I pulled an index card out and wrote Jared Freedman's name on it, then pinned it just under Franks' name in the center. I listed everything known about the man in the jail cell. Everything came together better when written down.
I hurried my time with Thor and left for the Steakhouse again.
“Come on back to my office. I’ll get us some coffee,” said Steven. I watched as he handed me the cup of steaming liquid with ease.