Chapter 11: A Night to Forget
16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLKL4V8zZG
That Monday night, Cassidy spent more than three hours inside The Cavern Nightclub. She watched as David filtered through a stack of credit card receipts. He found only seven names that he could match up to a face in his surveillance video. That number included the six regulars that Cassidy already knew about. The nightclub staff was excluded from his search as he was able to gather their names and addresses from his employee file cabinet and give them to Cassidy. Together, they counted the faces of thirty-seven patrons that had to be in the club at the time of the call. Thirty of those names were unknown to David. He advised Cassidy that she would have to return Thursday evening when the staff was there to help put names to the other thirty faces.
"They'll be able to put names to some of these faces, and they should be able to tell me at what table they were sitting. Once I have that I can connect faces to credit card receipts."
Cassidy accepted that that was the best she could get for now and set off for home. She went to work the next day with the names and addresses of The Cavern employees, the name of one patron and the images of thirty faces that were in the club at the time of the call from Haynes. The employees, and the one patron, were people she planned to run background checks on. And the images of the thirty patrons were destined to be uploaded into a facial recognition program.
To Cassidy, neither of those efforts had much of a chance for producing a suspect. She knew that most of the employees of The Cavern did not have the age or employment years to be a good fit for the crimes. And experience told her that the images of the patrons were too vague, and the angles too acute for a good match to anyone in the State's motor vehicle and criminal databases. Despite that, she believed she had to follow up for the sake of thoroughness. The six regulars to booth three were excluded from her side project. She had already run the backgrounds on them. Without evidence that connected them to Albert Haynes or the victims, she believed the only way forward here was through face-to-face interrogations.
Cassidy's hope was attached to the list of names she expected to get from David Burrell Thursday evening. She knew that if she could connect one of those names to a business or residence in the vicinity where the call originated then she would have a solid suspect. If none of them had a connection, then the booth three regulars would look even more suspicious. But she was two days away from making that assessment. She was advised by David that he would not be able to gather the names until his whole staff was back inside the club. He expected that to occur on Thursday, the first day of the club’s weekend run. In the meantime, Cassidy planned to research what she could whenever possible at work, but because of her new duties as the squad room ready-secretary, she anticipated little time for her side project.
By Thursday evening, Cassidy had completed as much of her side project as she could. The employees of The Cavern proved to be improbable participants in the Greenbelt Nine murders, and the facial recognition program did not produce one solid match to the facial images from the night club’s surveillance videos. However, those failures had no effect on Cassidy’s spirit. She had high hopes that her meeting with David Burrell later that evening would give her something significant to investigate. When her workday was finished, she hurried home to prepare for her meeting.
For the second time that week, Cassidy took her children to her parents’ home to spend the night. She went back home to dress for her meeting and then immediately set off for The Cavern. Cassidy walked into the club shortly past seven-thirty that evening. To make herself look like a patron, she dressed herself in a black crepe midi skater’s dress with a plunging neckline and spaghetti straps, and black ankle strap stiletto heels. She wore a modest amount of makeup: blush and eyeshadow with eyeliner accenting her eyes and bold red lipstick to punctuate her face. Her usual short, soft wavy hair was brushed away from her face, and a thin pair of silver and crystal drop-earrings dangled beneath the waves of her hair. A small black purse connected to a silver chain strap completed her ensemble.
Cassidy had no fixed plan when she dressed herself, but she did have an option in mind that she wanted to keep open. David first noticed the embellishment to her face and hair with a smile. When Cassidy removed her overcoat, he acknowledged the rest of her attire with a slight bow in unison with his greeting.
"Good evening, Mrs. Tremaine."
David inferred from Cassidy’s ensemble that the title Detective would not be appropriate for the night, and in that he was not wrong. Cassidy was amenable to his formal address but for one correction.
"It's Ms., not Mrs.,” Cassidy advised. “Tremaine is my maiden name.”
David took Cassidy’s coat and checked it into the cloakroom. He then led her into the main room of the nightclub. As they made their way through the room, Cassidy took note of the band performing at the front of the room, the sparsely filled room of patrons and the absence of any of the booth three regulars.
“Is it always this empty on Thursdays?” Cassidy asked as she followed David’s lead.
“It should pick up a little later,” David explained. “Fridays and Saturdays are our busiest nights.”
Cassidy accepted his report without remark as she followed him to his office.
“As soon as my staff came in, I had them identify what patrons they could from the night that the call was made,” David explained while leading Cassidy to his chair behind the desk.
David opened a Word program on his computer as Cassidy sat in the chair. Images of the patrons, data about their identities, the tables where they sat, and the people seated with them were all listed.
“I wasn’t able to get all of the names,” David continued. “But we were able to identify more than half and at least one from every table.”
Cassidy took a moment to examine the list. Five of the faces were listed with first names only. Nearly half had first and last names listed.
“This is good for a start. I can do the rest.”
Cassidy retrieved a memory stick from her purse, and after inserting it into David’s computer, she directed the computer to start downloading the data he had compiled.
“Do you have plans for tonight or is this new look for me?” David asked while the computer worked.
“I wanted to look like a patron, just in case,” Cassidy explained.
“Just in case of what?” David questioned, slightly confused.
“Just in case someone got it into their mind that I’m out of place here,” Cassidy answered.
David gave her answer a smile.
“There is definitely no chance of that tonight.”
Cassidy ignored his comment as she followed the progress of the download. It took several seconds before the load to her memory stick was complete.
“So, am I correct in assuming our collaboration is completed?” David asked as she placed the memory stick back in her purse.
“Yes, you are,” Cassidy confirmed without pause as she got up from her chair and started for the door.
David intercepted her there and opened it.
“Thank you for your help, Mr. Burrell,” Cassidy softly offered as she lingered at the door.
“You’re welcome, Detective Tremaine,” David returned.
After exchanging a look and a nod, Cassidy stepped through the open doorway with David following. They reached the hallway exit and moved through the main room of the club with David steering a path toward the front door of the club. Halfway across the floor, Cassidy came to a stop and focused her attention deep into the room. David moved in beside her and traced her stare to booth three where all six of the regulars were sitting.
“At least one or two of them are usually here on a Thursday night,” David informed her. “It’s unusual to see all six but not surprising.”
Cassidy continued to study the six regulars to booth three. She watched as they listened to the music of the band while intermittently whispering to each other. She studied their faces and mannerisms. She examined the four individuals that were with them, two men and two women. Two of them were seated in the booth, and the other two were in chairs.
“Who are the others?” Cassidy asked while holding her stare.
“I don’t know,” David answered. “But the young lady in beige is familiar. I believe she’s been here several times in the past.”
“Is she always with them?” Cassidy queried with a glance at David.
“I couldn’t say,” David returned “But I doubt it.”
“Why?”
“I believe I would have noticed if that was true,” David explained.
Cassidy squared her gaze back onto the six regulars. Shortly, she noticed the female with the long wavy, light brown hair looking back at her. Cassidy knew her to be Alexandra Hays. She returned Cassidy’s look for a few seconds then leaned over and whispered in Ryan Sandoval’s ear. A moment later, he turned to look at Cassidy as well.
“Uh oh,” David began. “You’ve been noticed.”
“Do they know who I am?” Cassidy asked, turning fully toward David and away from the six regulars.
“If they do, it didn’t come from me or my staff?” David answered.
“How do you know that?” Cassidy asked while holding her attention fully on David.
David’s response was quick and with practiced proficiency.
“My employees are under strict instructions to maintain the trust of our guests. Gossiping about the affairs of others is grounds for termination.”
David gave Cassidy a smile after his answer.
“I also told them not to say anything about you and your partner. You’re not good for business, remember?”
“Yes, I do,” Cassidy returned with a smile.
Cassidy turned back to looked at booth three and the six regulars for several seconds. And they, intermittently, glanced at her.
“I think they find you interesting because you’re standing with me,” David softly explained.
Cassidy wasted no time to ask the question she had been considering for the past several seconds.
“Can you introduce me?”
“You want to meet them?” David asked back with surprise.
“Yes, I want to meet them,” Cassidy replied.
David waited a moment to see if Cassidy would reconsider her answer. When it became clear that she was not, he expressed a thought.
“Okay, but I warn you, they’re conversation can be a little—lewd.”
“I can deal with lewd,” Cassidy returned confidently.
“How should I reference you?” David asked.
“Tell them I’m a friend,” Cassidy returned as though speaking the obvious. “We met three years ago, when I vacationed in England.”
“Were we romantically involved?” David asked with a smile.
Cassidy returned his look with a squint.
“A summer fling—we separated as friends, and we’re renewing our friendship.”
“Our friendship?”
“We’re taking it slow,” Cassidy replied with annoyance. “Can we do this?”
David took the hint and promptly agreed. With a gesture, he encouraged Cassidy to follow him. As he led the way, they saw the six regulars, one after the other, take note of their approach.
“David,” Alexandra spoke up when he got within earshot. “Have you come to join us?”
“Hi,” David greeted the group as he stopped next to the booth. “I’m just here to make sure that you’re enjoying yourselves.”
“We are,” Ryan Sandoval assured. “Who’s your friend?” He asked.
“This is Cassidy Tremaine,” David introduced her as he stepped aside. “She’s an acquaintance from my past.”
“Hello,” Cassidy greeted modestly.
The women at the tables were quick to return Cassidy’s greeting with hellos and large smiles.
“A past love?” Evan Pritchard asked.
Giggles erupted from the men and women in the booth. David responded with a smile of his own.
“Our first meeting was too brief for that, but I have hope for the future.”
“Oh, I have no doubt of that,” Evan returned with a wide smile.
More giggles and laughter erupted from the group. Ryan Sandoval gave Cassidy a quizzical look.
“I think Ms. Tremaine may have been in here a couple of weeks ago.”
Alexandra nodded excitedly to his observation.
“Yes, I was,” Cassidy confirmed quickly. “I dropped in to say hello to David.”
“I told you,” Alexandra bragged with delight.
Sandoval acknowledge Alexandra’s boast with a smile. Then he greeted Cassidy personally.
“It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ms. Tremaine. Won’t you join us?”
Cassidy feigned a look of reluctance.
“Oh, I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
The six regulars, with the help of the additional four, quickly assured her that it would be no intrusion.
“Okay then, I think I will,” Cassidy accepted with a smile.
Cassidy sat down in the open seat created when the regulars scooted to the left in the booth.
“What are you drinking?” Ronald Hollis inquired after Cassidy settled in her seat.
“A white wine would be nice,” Cassidy politely responded.
David promptly agreed to take care of it and set off to do so. No sooner had David turned away did the group begin to introduce themselves to Cassidy. She was fully aware of the names of the six regulars, but she pretended as though she did not. One-by-one she greeted Ryan Sandoval, Alexandra Hays, Brooke Chapman, Ronald Hollis, Christine Meyer and Evan Pritchard with a pleasant smile, and they, in turn, were exuberant in their greetings to her. The additional four people, seated in chairs outside of the booth, were Barbara Markowitz, Elliot Copeland, Cora Peterson and Kenneth Dunn. They were pleasant but less enthusiastic. Cassidy had seen Ryan Sandoval, Alexandra Hays, Brooke Chapman and Ronald Hollis in the club the first time she was there. But Christine Meyer and Evan Pritchard were new to her.
“So, Ms. Tremaine, what do you do?” Ryan asked pleasantly.
Ryan Sandoval was a moderately tall man with handsome features. He was well groomed and conservatively dressed. He wore no tie, his colors were black and gray, and his expressions appeared to vacillate between simply pleasant or a modest grin.
“Cassidy, please,” she offered Ryan.
Ryan tipped his head and smiled at Cassidy’s correction and waited for her answer to his question. Cassidy wasted no time providing a fictitious answer. She used her mother’s occupation because it was so familiar to her.
“I’m a schoolteacher, fourth graders.”
“Really?” Brooke questioned with surprise. “I always think of schoolteachers as staid, proper and unattractive for the most part. Obviously, I’ve gotten it all wrong.”
A few giggles spread throughout the booth in response to Brooke’s observation.
“Well, I’m happy to disappoint you,” Cassidy returned with a smile.
“Oh, you’re no disappointment,” Brooke returned.
Again, giggles and laughs broke out. Brooke smiled broadly.
Brooke Chapman was an average looking young woman. Her face was pleasant to look at and her shoulder length brunette hair hung down in long soft waves. She wore a red minidress with a cool and mischievous demeanor.
“This is a late night for a schoolteacher, isn’t it?” Ronald queried with a confused look.
Ronald Hollis was a thin, well-groomed man of average height with substantially less than handsome features. His blond hair was cut short along the sides and back and was noticeably longer on top. He wore a dark suit with a colorful handkerchief protruding from his breast pocket all paired with a dark pattern shirt and tie.
“Very late,” Cassidy answered in response to Ronald’s question. “But I’m taking Friday off, and I understand Thursdays are slow nights. So, this is a good time to visit with David.”
“Thursdays are slow,” Alexandra agreed dismally. “This is my least favorite night. I like it when the place is full of people and excitement.”
Alexandra’s long single braid was gone. Cassidy recalled seeing it the first time she saw her. Tonight, her long blond hair was unbound and hung loose about her head in soft curls. She was youthfully pretty with a bubbly demeanor. She wore a colorful minidress that matched her personality.
“Somebody is playing hooky from school,” Evan playfully announced.
Again, there were laughs and giggles from around the table. Christine Meyer waited for the mirth to die down then leaned in to add her comment.
“Someone needs to spend time in detention.”
Christine Meyer was visibly above average in height for a woman and unquestionably attractive. Her long blond hair hung straight down about a half foot below her shoulders. Her facial features were undistinctive but elegantly proportioned and balanced. Her partner, Evan Pritchard, was equal to her height. He was an attractive man with a modest mustache and goatee adorning his face. Crowning his look was a well coifed thick mane of dark hair. He dressed to accentuate his attributes, wearing a three-piece, dark gray pinstriped suit with a light gray vest tied together with a bright white shirt and a bold red tie and matching breast pocket handkerchief. A diamond stud sparkled from his left ear.
“You’re right, I should,” Cassidy agreed with the detention joke. “I’m planning to call in sick so that I can turn this into a three-day weekend.”
There were more giggles, but they quickly subsided.
“We won’t tell anyone.” Ryan moderately whispered with a conspiratorial glance about the table.
“No, we won’t tell,” Alexandra gleefully agreed.
Laughter and agreements came from all around the table. Ronald interrupted the tail end of this mirth to address Cassidy.
“So, how late do you plan to stay out, Cassidy?”
“I don’t know,” Cassidy answered with a shrug. “I haven’t thought about it.”
“You should join us,” Ronald suggested with a smile. “We always have a little get-together when we leave here.”
“Oh yes, you must come,” Alexandra urged with excitement.
Cassidy paused to consider the invite. As she did, Christine, Brooke, Ryan and Evan spoke up in near unison encouraging her to come.
“Our get-togethers are great fun,” Christine added when all the others were done. “Aren’t they, Barbara?”
“Yes, they’re the best,” Barbara Markowitz agreed with a suggestive smile.
“Okay,” Cassidy responded after a moment of thought. “I will.”
“Yippee!” Alexandra exclaimed with a light, brief clap of her hands.
“What are we celebrating?” David asked as he set a white wine down in front of Cassidy.
“Cassidy is joining us for one of our late-night get-togethers,” Alexandra answered with enthusiasm.
“Are you sure you want to do that?” David questioned Cassidy with a dubious look. “I’ve heard rumors that their get-togethers tend to lean toward the—risqué.”
“David! You make me blush,” Christine complained with feigned modesty.
Brief laughter erupted around the table.
“We like to give our friends the freedom to enjoy themselves. But their pleasure is always of their own making. We simply provide the—ambiance,” Ryan informed Cassidy.
“Ambiance, I like that,” Brooke said approvingly.
“Well said, Ryan.” Evan agreed.
Again, laughter and giggles spilled out from around the table. Ronald looked to Cassidy and added his support for Ryan’s assessment.
“We’re very good at providing ambiance.”
Cassidy pretended to study Ronald and Ryan for a moment. She had already made up her mind. But before she voiced her decision, David leaned over to Cassidy and cut in with his opinion.
“It’s the ambiance that worries me.”
Cassidy thought a little more and decided that she was not worried.
“I’ll be fine, David.”
“Yes, Burrell,” Ryan supported. “She’ll be fine. Don’t be so protective.”
Laughter resounded around the table. David acquiesced with a shrug.
“Okay then. Try not to have too much fun,” David sighed.
“Is that possible?” Christine challenged with a grin.
Brooke and Evan were quick to agree with Christine’s inquiry.
“But you must come with, David.” Alexandra eagerly tossed out.
Everyone at the table immediate supported the idea of David’s attendance—the ladies more so than the men.
“Yes, David, do come,” Brooke urge suggestively.
“No, I think not,” David responded, shaking his head.
“Cassidy, you must convince him,” Christine urged. “David never comes to our get-togethers.”
Cassidy noticed everyone’s entreaties to get David to come, but she was not surprised to see it happening. By her estimation, David was the most attractive man in the room, and she had little doubt that the ladies agreed with her assessment. She considered the idea of having a partner by her side, but she loathed the idea of bringing a civilian along with her.
“I’m sure I can’t convince David to do anything he doesn’t want to do,” Cassidy deflected.
“I think you underestimate yourself,” Ryan countered slyly.
“I agree,” Christine seconded. “I think David would be willing do anything to please you.”
“I prefer not to play with David’s affections like that,” Cassidy replied, looking at Christine.
With a smile on her face, Christine returned Cassidy’s gaze for a moment and then turned her attention to David.
“Are you really going to leave your fair lady alone to our wicked designs?”
“Cassidy can make her own decisions,” David responded nonchalantly. “Besides, I have a business to manage.”
“Excuses, excuses,” Brooke challenged with a scowl. “I think you’re afraid of us. We won’t bite, unless you’re into that sort of thing.”
The last part of that remark produced laughter from around the table. Even David chuckled.
“The truth is I prefer not to mingle with my patrons. I wouldn’t want to start having feelings of guilt about gouging them.”
“Oh, you shouldn’t feel guilty about that, David,” Alexandra teased suggestively. “I would be happy to pay more—much more.”
Their conversation produced more laughter.
“I think he’s embarrassed. Did we embarrass you, David?” Christine teasingly chimed in.
David gave the question a slight grin.
“I think I have work to do.”
David then looked at Cassidy before bidding her farewell.
“Call me.”
“Okay,” Cassidy agreed.
David gave her a slight bow and walked away.
LINE BREAK
At just past 3 a.m., Cassidy parked her car in the driveway outside of her home. The street was quiet. The lights inside the homes lining either side of the street were all off. For some reason, it all felt unnatural to Cassidy. After taking a moment to figure out why it felt wrong, she realized that she did not remember the drive home. She knew that it happened, but the details were missing. The more she tried to clear the fog from her mind, the greater her fugue state became. She decided to focus her thoughts back to The Cavern: she remembered her meeting with David and the details of it; she remembered the list of names she got from him, and the memory stick in her purse. To verify that memory, she quickly twisted in her seat and reached for her purse which brought a strange sensation to her attention. She was wet. It was a feeling that she likened to how she felt after having sex with someone. The shock caused her to quickly put her hands on her hips, checking if her panties were still on. Confirming that her clothes were still intact did not dispel her wonder about how and when she became aroused or if it happened at all.
After some thought, Cassidy began to wonder about the state of her mind. It seemed abnormal for her to not remember the drive home. The fact that she was home and behind the wheel confirmed the sensation that she drove home. She decided to put the thought aside for later. She hoped that sleep and a new day would return her mind to its usual sharpness. The simple process of getting out of her car and closing the door behind her added to her feeling that something was amiss. She felt that it was too quiet. The streets seemed too still for that time of the night. She walked toward the front of her house with all her senses attuned to her surroundings. She was a step away from turning up her walkway when she noticed a shadow of movement across her bay window. That was the first indication to her that a light was on somewhere in her house. That was something she knew should not be. She remembered very clearly turning off the lights before she left.
Cassidy stopped in her tracks when she saw the movement. She slowly brought her gun out from her purse and slowly began to approach the house. She silently collected input from all sectors of her field of vision. No movement was too small or sound too faint to ignore. It took her several seconds longer than usual to reach the front door. She stopped there to listen for sounds from inside.
From the beginning, Cassidy weighed the possibility that a member of her extended family could be inside. She examined the street for her parents’ or brothers’ cars but saw nothing that looked familiar. She still was not convinced that someone she knew was not inside. The street was lined with cars. She entertained the possibility that their car was parked further down the street. Despite that idea, it did not make sense for anyone to be inside her house while she and her children were not home.
Cassidy tried the front door and found it unlocked. She pushed it slightly open and went through the narrow gap with her gun leading the way. She was just on the other side of the doorway when she figured out the light was coming from the second-floor hall and possibly a room. She moved slowly and quietly across the family room and up to the foot of the stairs. She heard movement in Cynthia’s room and began to quietly ascend the stairs. She was three steps away from the second-floor landing when a man walked out of her daughter’s room. Cassidy aimed her gun at the center of the torso that suddenly appeared in front of her.
“There you are,” James scolded after stepping into the hall. “Where the hell have you been?”
James Petrucci came to a stop down the hall from Cassidy. He was holding a thin hardcover book in his left hand with a scowl fixed across his face.
“What are you doing in here,” Cassidy shouted back before James could finish speaking. “I could have shot you.”
“Cynthia, our daughter,” James spat back. “Remember her? She called me from your parents’ house and said she needed some story book for school tomorrow. Why are the kids with your parents’? And where the hell have you been?”
“You shouldn’t be in here,” Cassidy yelled back. “How did you get in?”
“I used my key.”
“You don’t have a key,” Cassidy insisted. “I changed the locks.”
“I’m not going to be locked out of a house where my children are living,” James countered forcefully.
“You son of a bitch.”
James ignored Cassidy’s insult and steered their talk back to the subject that interested him.
“Where have you been? What are you doing?”
“That’s none of your business,” Cassidy answered defiantly.
“When you’re abandoning our children to be raised by your parents, it is my business,” James argued back.
Cassidy took strong objection to his accusation.
“I’m not abandoning the kids. It was one night.”
“It was a weeknight—a school night,” James raged back. “Cynthia said that you were working. What the hell kind of work are you doing at three o’clock at night?”
“Three?” Cassidy questioned with a start.
Cassidy quickly raised her arm to look at her watch. She noted the time with surprise. By her reckoning, it should be no later than eleven.
“Yes, three,” James confirmed angrily.
Cassidy took a moment to absorb the information about the time, then she responded to James’ inquiry.
“I was researching a case.”
“What case?” James challenged.
“That’s none of your business,” Cassidy shot back defensively.
“Bullshit!” James roared. “What kind of case requires you to dress like that.”
“I didn’t want to look like a cop,” Cassidy explained with frustration.
“So, you were working undercover?” James questioned with a look of incredulity.
“I was doing research,” she responded defensively.
James did not hesitate to challenge her defense.
“That’s a load of crap, Cassidy. You’re on light duty. You don’t have any cases.”
“My cases are mine,” Cassidy yelled back. “And don’t question me about what I do on my time.”
“And the lipstick,” James challenged with a smug look.
“What about it?” Cassidy challenged with a so-what look.
“It’s smeared,” James answered with disdain. “Was that part of your effort to not look like a cop.”
Cassidy quickly moved to a nearby mirror hanging on the wall and noticed that her lipstick was slightly smeared. She thought for a moment and then responded with a lie.
“That’s nothing. It’s an accident.”
“Right, an accident,” James responded in disbelief. “Damn it, Cassidy, isn’t it a little late to be turning into a slut?”
Cassidy wasted no time responding to his query with a sharp and venomous counter.
“You made the transition without any problem.”
James took a moment to fume over her response. He then changed his line of attack with vindictiveness.
“If you can’t take care of our kids, then maybe they should be with me.”
Cassidy almost laughed. She knew that James was happy with his return to bachelorhood.
“Oh, don’t you even go there. That’s an empty threat. You don’t have time for our kids in your busy social schedule. Don’t even think about challenging me for custody, because I just might give them to you. And that’s what you don’t want. So, don’t play the dutiful father with me.”
James was visibly flustered with Cassidy. He paused to fume as he stared back at his ex-wife.
“Don’t be so sure you know me.” He grumbled.
Cassidy held his stare before delivering her final declaration.
“Get out!”
James could see that the argument had gone as far as it was going to go. Experience told him that Cassidy was not going to engage with him on this or any other subject now. He took a moment to hold her stare and then he brushed by Cassidy speaking his final words.
“You need to get your head on straight.”
ns216.73.216.13da2
and then Add to home screen.