The Oaths We Keep

Chapter 5

Taylor sat in his office reviewing reports on the latest information about the stolen cars mentioned in the morning meeting. So far, nothing stuck out to him, and there was not much to go on with the case. About five cars were reported stolen over the last month from around the Stoneman and Loxley neighborhoods. The thieves used a similar pattern and concentrated on the eastern side of town neighborhoods. He started thinking of a plan to draw out the thieves using a bait car. It's just a car with a GPS tracker hidden inside or attached to the vehicle, but it would work. Of course, he was unsure if the thieves would take the bait car.

While Taylor sat at his desk, his mind wandered to his cell phone. Picking it up, he checked his messages and discovered he had yet to receive a single text. Roger started typing a message to Amber, telling her he had a wonderful time last night and would like to see her again. Roger erased it after he read the message he typed. Frustrated, he typed the message again and read it to himself in just over a whisper. Okay, he thought as he began to hit the send button. Then he stopped himself. Quickly, he erased the message again. Taylor cursed to himself under his breath and began to retype the message, changing a word here and there. He followed Barnes' advice and asked if she would like to meet for dinner later.

"Typing a message?" Barnes teased him as she stood in the doorway to his office.

Taylor looked up in surprise, nearly dropping his phone on his desk. "Barnes, don't you ever knock?" As Barnes looked down upon him from the door, he quickly deleted the message again. He put the phone away and glared at Barnes as she stood there with a satisfied look. "You need me for something?"

"I do," she said. McClendon called a few minutes ago and said he was chasing down a lead on one of the stolen cars. He thinks it sounds promising," Barnes walked into the office and sat across from him at his desk.

"Great, maybe we can get at least something to go on," Taylor said as he relaxed in his chair. "How's his studying coming for the detective's exam? Are you prepping him up? Giving some pointers and all?" he asked her. Taylor knew that McClendon wanted to be a detective. Over the last couple of months, he assigned McClendon some small cases to help him gain experience and also help the two overworked detectives.

The department was still reeling from the effects of the corruptive influence of Leonard Pierson. Several officers were arrested or fired for being on the take. The department was getting by on Taylor and Barnes and adding a handful of experienced officers to assist in investigations when needed. McClendon was at the top of that list, but others showed promise. Of course, hiring and promotions could have been faster, except for the budget cuts and many other factors. Fortunately, it was a slow period in the crime rate around town; of course, that could always change.

"McClendon will do fine. It's been a goal of his to become a detective. Officially, that is since he's done a lot of investigating for us recently," Barnes confidently replied. Since she returned from her vacation, Barnes took McClendon under her wing and demonstrated many of the procedures and responsibilities involved in being a detective. It gave her a purpose and took her mind off the events before she left. Taylor thought that she was finally getting back to being herself. She was happier and more energetic than before.

Before he could respond, a uniformed officer knocked on the door. "You see Barnes, knocking on the door," he said, then told the officer outside to enter. "What can I do for you?" he asked. The officer had an aggravated look on his face, as if something or maybe someone was stressing him out.

"Yeah, look, Detective Taylor, I got this lady that got brought into the lock-up downstairs, and she's about to drive me insane asking for her cell phone."

"Well, rules say she can't have it, so tell her no and stop asking."

"That's just it, I have, but she insists it's a matter of life and death. So, she started begging me to see someone in charge. I told her she'd get to talk to you guys when you had free time."

Barnes asked the man, "What's her name?"

"Erin Harper. She got picked up just outside of town on a weapons charge. She was also carrying a large sum of money. We got the money and all her other stuff down in evidence," the officer told her. "Ordinarily, it wouldn't bother me, but she sounds desperate."

"Yeah, I got the paperwork on her this morning. I glanced over it right before McClendon called," Barnes said. "I'll run down to evidence and look at her possessions."

"Tell you what; I'll come with you. Might be worth going downstairs to hear what she has to say." Taylor thanked the officer, and together, he and Barnes walked to the evidence locker. He couldn't help but wonder what was so important to this lady that she would say getting a phone was life or death. Of course, it was not the first time someone had used that phrase; most of the time, it's something trivial and not life-threatening. Still, he reasoned he could keep sitting at his desk trying to decide whether to send the text to Amber or do some investigation. He opted for the latter choice.

Together they looked through the belongings of Erin Harper. "Why in the world would someone have $200,000 in a bag hidden in a backseat?" Barnes asked as she looked at the stacks of cash. "No drugs were found in the car, scales, paraphernalia, or anything to suggest narcotics or trafficking." She looked puzzled as she picked up Harper's purse.

"Yeah, this 9 mm is no joke," Taylor responded. "According to the report, it was fully loaded with one in the chamber with the safety off. She's not exactly a gun safety expert, is she? According to the paperwork, she's an investment manager, so what's she doing with a fully loaded gun?"

"Not to mention the files we found," Barnes noted. "Just looking at them, they look like financial records and some big names are listed inside," Barnes observed. She continued to flip through the files taken from Harper's bag. "It has to be some kind of financial crime, but what was she trying to accomplish?"

"Good question. Like this here," Taylor said as he held up two cell phones. "Why would she have two phones? This one looks brand new, while this one looks about as basic as you can get. Why does she have two phones, and which one is she asking for?"

"Well, there's one way to find out. Let's go ask her," Barnes said as she turned to go downstairs to the lock-up. With his curiosity now peaked, Taylor followed her downstairs.