Alex walked into the guards’ break room and melted into Ben’s extended arms. She rested her head on his chest and breathed in the scent of him. It felt good to be held by him, and she listened to the steady beat of his heart. She tried to just appreciate the moment, but the constant fear and uncertainty was too strong. Ben’s arrest in Danville had left her rattled. She knew Ben was out there taking chances, trying to find a way to get her out of this mess, but she also knew that when her husband got riled up, he had a reckless side. Anything could happen. Up to this point, Ben had managed to stay on top of things, but what would she do if one day he didn’t come back? If something happened to him? Or what if he just gave up? Stopped trying? Alex knew the truth. Ben was the only thing standing between her and a life in prison. He guided her to the couch and sat holding her hands in his lap. Was it excitement or anxiety that had him practically quivering?
“Darnell told me McKenzie was here yesterday. Said he stayed a while. Did you talk to him?”
“No. Of course not,” she answered, perturbed and even disappointed by the question. “But come on, Ben. I’ve been locked in here for almost two weeks. I haven’t seen Jake or my dad. A good friend has been murdered and everyone thinks I did it. The last thing I need right now is for you to come in here and start talking about that … that … asshole McKenzie.”
“Alex, it’s important.” Ben’s voice was patient and loving. He squeezed her hands. “You’re represented by counsel. Darnell knows that. He knows no one, no cop, at least, is supposed to be talking to you.”
Alex took a deep breath and told herself to calm down. The ordeal was starting to overwhelm her. She had overreacted and tried to recover. “That’s nice of you both, but there’s nothing to worry about. He tried to get me to talk. Still working that self-defense crap. I sent him on his way.”
“Are you sure?” Ben asked. “Believe it or not, he can be cagey.”
“I told him you and Dad are working the case, that you had some leads.”
Ben looked pained. “Did you tell McKenzie what your dad said? Did you mention the name Harley?”
A sinking feeling came over Alex, and she lowered her voice and bowed her head, unwilling to meet Ben’s eyes. “I might have.”
“It’s not Harley we’re looking for, Alex. It’s Harlan, Harlan Lee.”
“Who is Harlan Lee?” Alex asked.
“You remember your dad’s old logbooks? The ones in the basement? Jake and I went through them. Seventeen years ago your dad arrested a guy named Harlan Lee for possession of stolen property.”
Alex, a cop’s daughter and wife for her entire life, laughed. “Come on, Ben. A guy reaches out after seventeen years to settle a beef over getting hooked for stolen property? You do sixty days in county for that.”
“But here’s the thing, Alex,” he said, speaking urgently. “I went to the warehouse to pull the report your dad would have filed for the arrest. It’s gone.”
Alex sat upright, pulling her hands out of Ben’s grasp. “McKenzie?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. But all the other reports from that time period are right where they should be. Just that one seems to have disappeared.”
“Oh, Ben,” Alex said now, realizing she had blown their best lead. “I’m sorry. How could I have … I was stupid.” She buried her face in her hands.
“Don’t beat yourself up,” Ben said, putting an arm around her comfortingly. “Like I said, there’s a cagey side to him.”
“I should have seen it,” Alex said. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry. We’ll deal with McKenzie. He ain’t that smart.” He drew a five-by-eight file card out of his pocket.
“What’s this?” Alex asked, taking it and looking at the faded writing on one side.
“After I couldn’t find the report, I started digging around for something else. I found thousands of these old booking cards. We had the same sort of thing out in Oakland, back before we started putting everything on computers. Officers filled out a card like this every time they arrested someone. I knew a case as old as this one must have a booking card, so I dug through a bunch of boxes. Took a while but, here it is.”
Alex read the card as Ben explained it to her. She felt a sense of nostalgia as she looked at her father’s neat handwriting from almost twenty years ago. She pictured him, a tough no-nonsense cop, booking a prisoner, filling out this very card.
“That shows your dad booked Harlan Lee into this jail seventeen years ago on a charge of possession of stolen property. Three days later this Lee guy was transferred to Florence County.” Ben leaned in and pointed to the bottom of the card. “See right here? The sheriff, a man by the name of Henry Lipinski, signed for custody. Harlan never came back to Newberg.”
Ben looked at his wife. “The transfer charge was for murder.”
“Murder?” Alex was shocked. “Who did he kill and what did Dad have to do with it?”
“I don’t know yet, but there’s more.” Ben paused and Alex waited, wondering what could possibly come next. “I ran an Internet search on Henry Lipinski.”
“And?”
“He was arrested last month for distribution of child pornography. It was all over the newspapers up in Chippewa Falls. His case was going to be transferred to federal court.”
Alex, still scanning the card, looked up. “Was going to be?”
“He’s dead. Hanged himself in jail.”
Alex took it all in, trying to get her head around it. She thought it through out loud.
“My dad arrested Harlan Lee and I’m in jail. And the other cop involved in Lee’s arrest is dead?”
Ben’s expression was grim. “Yeah. That’s what I’m telling you.”
Alex sat back on the couch, trying to take it all in.
“We’re headed in the right direction,” Ben said. “But now we’ve got to be very careful. This is serious, serious shit.”
“Ben, you said it was suicide, right? This guy Lipinski. He killed himself?” Alex was scared.
“No, I didn’t say that.” His voice was grim. “That’s what the news reports said.”
Alex stared at the card. The signature of a man named Lipinski. A dead man named Lipinski. She felt her heart begin to race. Her thoughts went wild with possibilities until Ben’s voice brought her back.
“Don’t worry. You’re in protective custody. Darnell and plenty of the rest of the security team are on our side. You’ll be okay.”
Alex tried to sound confident. “If McKenzie comes back, I’ll keep my mouth shut,” she said firmly, promising herself that she would not be scared anymore.
“He won’t be back. Darnell will see to that. And I’m going to make sure McKenzie doesn’t bother your dad either.”
“But how do we find out about this Harlan Lee? That must be the answer, Ben, but what do we really know?” Alex leaned in “We need more, Ben. I’m going to court in three days. This is good, but it isn’t enough to get me out from under a murder charge.”
“I’ll confront McKenzie,” Ben said. “Force his hand. He can’t just ignore all of this. If need be, I’ll get Plate Boyd involved. We’ve got to compare your case to whatever they had on this Lipinski guy. Then there’s the case in Danville. I don’t know what the connection is, but before they shut down my interview, the suspect said something about growing up in Florence.”
Alex tried to keep the desperation out of her voice. “Will they listen? Will they do anything?”
“If Plate and McKenzie won’t listen, I’ll go to the DA. We’re on to something. We could make them delay the trial. We could get a shot at a bail reduction. That way we can get you home while everything is sorted out.”
Alex hugged him. “Oh, God, Ben. I can’t even imagine what it would feel like to walk out of here. Can you really make that happen?”
“I’m going to make it happen. Just stay safe. Watch yourself and sit tight, you hear me?”
“Don’t worry about me. You be careful. Don’t take any more chances.”
Ben squeezed her even more tightly and kissed her on the mouth. Before he left, he said, “I’ll be back, Alex. And then you and I are walking out of here together. I promise.”