Murder on the Mainline: another Mike Claymore Mystery Chapter 14

CHAPTER FOURTEEN
4TH TUESDAY

“What time did you get in last night? CPX has been calling and wants to know where the bills are.”

Sleepily Mike mumbles, “They’re in my tractor above the visor. I forgot to put them in their pouch.”

“They said they looked there.”

“Marlene, what time is it?”

“It’s after nine. Here, you talk to them.” She hands him the portable phone.

“Hi. It’s Mike. Those bills have to be there under the visor. Did you look on the console?”

“Hang on, Mike, I’ll check with Hugh.” He hears the crackle of the radio as Jerry calls the spotter in the yard.

“He says he’s found them. They were in the sleeper. Why would you ever have them back there on a one day run?”

“Don’t ask.”

“Oh. Seems I did hear rumors this morning from a Calgary driver that you had a swamper with you. Better watch it, Mike. Company policy could get you in trouble. Anyway, we have the paperwork. You want another run today?”

“Where to and when?”

“Now to Sicamous again.”

“God, no!”

“Okay. I haven’t anything else at this time. You may not get another run this week. Sure you don’t want this one?”

“No thanks, Jerry. Later in the week would be alright but I never got in till three.”

“Right. Well, I made the offer. That’ll satisfy the union. Go back to bed, you bum.”

“You take care, Jerry. See ya.”

Marlene has been standing at the door listening and she flops across the bed to take the phone from him. “They want you to go back out today? What’s the matter with their heads?”

Mike shrugs and says, “It’s part of our union contract. They have to offer this run to me first. Now he’ll go down the list and offer it to the next eligible driver, Ernie. If I don’t get another run this week I could complain to the union that I didn’t get this run, if they hadn’t offered it to me. It’s politics, dear. Don’t sweat it.”

“You’re not going then?”

“No way. But I do have work to do. Guess I might as well get up.”

She runs the phone’s aerial along his chin and up his neck to his ear. “You don’t have to, right away.”

“I suppose not. What did you have in mind?”

“Let me check on Janet. I’ll be right back.”

In a moment he hears the phone ring again. He hears her chatting then she calls upstairs. “Mike, it’s for you. It’s Nina. Can you pick it up there?”

He picks up the bedside phone and hears Nina’s voice, “…and he was so happy to get such a fast response.”

“So when do you leave?” It’s Marlene’s voice.

“We have lots of time. They have to make room for him in their offices and such. This is a new position. We are putting the house on the market right away and as soon as it sells, we’ll live in a hotel until all is settled. Is Mike coming?”

“I’m here, Nina. So, Jeff got his transfer, eh? And a promotion to boot? That’s great news. Was there something you wanted to talk to me about?”

“Yes. It’s my boss. He’d like to see you. When can you come in?”

“I guess I could come over this morning. Did he say what he wanted?”

“He said to call before you come over. He’s not in his office right now, but I think he’ll be back in a few minutes. I don’t think he left the building. At least he hasn’t moved his indicator on the board to say he has. He’s usually pretty good about moving it if he has to go out.”

“I’ll call back in a bit then. Maybe we can have lunch?”

“I don’t think that’d be a good idea. With the way things are around here and the way things are around home, I think we better not.”

“Oh. You’re right. I’ll call later then.”

Mike gets up and is shaving when Marlene comes into the bathroom. “She calls and you forget what we were doing, don’t you?”

She wheels around and is gone when he steps to the door. He calls, “Marlene, I was just shaving for you, honey.”

He hears her voice from downstairs, “Yeah, tell me another one. I’m going out with Janet. You can get your own breakfast.” He listens and in a minute hears the door slam. He goes back and finishes shaving then pulls on jogging pants, socks and slippers. He carries a sweatshirt with him as he goes downstairs.

He looks out the window and sees the station wagon is gone. He picks up the phone and dials the POCO Detachment. It rings then Nina’s voice says, “Port Coquitlam Detachment, may I help you?”

“It’s Mike. Is Lindross in?”

“Yes, but hold on. Where’s Marlene?”

“She left in a huff with Janet. Life is back to normal around here. She wanted to go back to bed when you called and I forgot. I was shaving when she came back up and she said the minute I talked to you, I forgot what we were supposed to be doing. She stormed out of here.”

Nina chuckles, “You did forget.”

“Yeah, I guess I did.”

“Lunkhead. No wonder she’s mad.”

“Okay, what did you want to tell me that she’s not supposed to hear?”

“I think I’m pregnant!” Mike says nothing. “Mike, are you there? Did you hear me? Mike, say something.”

“How could you know so soon? It’s only been just over two weeks.”

“My period was due before the weekend and it hasn’t started. I’ve got my fingers crossed. I think you just caught me in time that day we were supposed to go for lunch and we ended up out by the river. Oh Mike, I’m so happy! I hope it’s not a false alarm. Please wish me luck.”

“I’m happy for you if that’s what you want. But it’s awfully early to tell for sure. Wow! It’s just getting to me! Pregnant! Ain’t that something? You guys roll along for all those years then I come along and bang, your it.”

“You wanted to speak with the boss. Just hang on for a moment.”

He hears canned music for a minute then, “Mike, it’s Staff Sgt. Lindross. Can you come around to my office sometime today?”

“Well, I don’t know. I think I can work it in. What’s come up?”

“I suggest you bring whatever you picked up at Flo’s apartment with you.”

“What make you think I found anything?”

“Don’t play games with me, Mike. That was a clever ploy with your girl friend and her ankle, but the officer was smart enough to report what happened and take the consequences.”

“Let’s say I know someone stayed at Flo’s the week before she was murdered. Lets say I wanted some information you have on the case. If that were the case, do you suppose a trade might be arranged?”

“What’re you fishing for, Mike?”

“One of the pieces to my puzzle is why aren’t you treating Scanlon’s possibility as a murder suspect more seriously?”

“That’s easy. He didn’t do it.”

“See now, there, you have information I would find valuable in my quest. How do you know he didn’t do it? Surely you don’t believe his alibi.”

“His alibi is bullshit. We know where he was.”

“You have the advantage on me. So where was he?”

“Bring in your evidence and we’ll talk. By the way, what did you find?”

“I’ll be right over.”

Mike leaves a note for Marlene, picks up his briefcase and heads out the door. By eleven he’s pulling up in front of the detachment. He walks up to the door and opens it. Nina smiles as she sees him come in. She hurries over. Mike studies her as she approaches and says, “I’d like to kiss you but I’ll have to make do with congratulations. Sure you won’t have lunch with me?”

“I’m sure. The Staff is waiting in his office. Let me check and see if he’s busy.”

She comes right back and says, “Come on in.” She presses a hidden button and the gate opens. Mike steps through and proceeds to the office she has indicated. He’s greeted by a hearty handshake and the door is closed.

“So, what did you get?”

“I think before we discuss that, I would like to know the lowdown on Scanlon.”

“I’ll humor you. I’ll go first. None of this leaves this office, unless you want to tell my secretary, of course. So she couldn’t find out this bit of info for you, eh?”

“I’m sorry. Nina and I had an affair but I assure you…”

“Never mind. I didn’t expect you to admit she brought you anything. Scanlon?” He picks up a rather thick file and turns to some pages near the back. “Scanlon was identified as being at the border crossing in Sumas after midnight on the night in question. He was positively identified in person as well as his vehicle was also identified. He was in the area with two known teenage prostitutes, one from Port Moody and the other from Vancouver. Coincidentally they were picked up in a round up the next night in Seattle. It is believed he took into possession two teen-age prostitutes from LA that night. We’ve been watching him so we know he was not near Port Coquitlam the night Florence Hanson was murdered. Satisfied?”

“So he’s not even a suspect. Why’d you have him on your list?”

“He’s so obviously a suspect, we couldn’t omit him without raising embarrassing questions. So Mike, your turn.”

“I have a couple more questions I’d like answered.”

“I can’t do that. Play the game. Give me something.”

“Alright, I believe whoever killed Flo may have stayed at her place during the week before she was murdered. Stay with me on this. She was taken into a dangerous area and she allowed herself to be tied up. Reason? Fantasy sex. But the game of Fantasy sex can only safely be carried out with someone you explicitly trust. If you have viewed her living quarters I think you’ll agree she very likely never took her tricks to that address. Ergo, anyone she did allow to stay with her there she trusted. I found evidence of a second person, a male, who I believe stayed there sometime recently. But I don’t have the funds or access to the labs, like you guys, so this evidence was coming to you anyway, …or to Ray’s lawyer. You win the toss.”

Mike opens his brief case and places the two Baggies with the hair and bristle samples on the desk along with an Evidence Report form all filled out. The Staff Sgt. reads the report, looking at each sample as he reads then studies the samples some more. “By jingles, you may have something here to help us in the case. Where’d you learn to collect evidence?”

“The Penitentiary Service of Canada”

“Well, I suppose you have more?”

“You suppose correct. What do you have on Ray Chauffe?”

“No alibi, to start with, and clothing of his taken from his locker have blood and urine on them which has just been proven to be the victim’s. What else would I need?”

“What else have you got? You said the fluids on his clothes have just been proven to be Flo’s, but you arrested him a long time before you had that proof.