Deadly Deception Read online

  “Investors can buy gold and silver without using futures contracts. However, buyers use those contracts to fix the price of the commodity they are purchasing. That reduces the risk of prices going up. Conversely, sellers of commodities use futures to guarantee they will receive the agreed-upon price, removing the risk of prices dropping.”

  “Like the price drop I experienced.” Marge managed a weak smile. “I learned the hard way investing in commodities is not a good idea for an inexperienced investor.”

  “I advise you to tell your story to the proper person at the Commission,” Warren said.

  “What does the Commission do?”

  “It regulates commodity futures and options markets by promoting competitive, efficient pricing and protecting investors against manipulation, abusive trade practices, and fraud. They may be able to help with your situation.”

  Marge hung her head. “I’m not good at talking to people in authority, especially government agencies.”

  Warren patted her hand. “You’re talking with me and I used to be a chief of police.”

  She giggled. “But you’re so nice. Not the least bit intimidating.”

  Barbara laughed. “He won’t admit his gruff exterior doesn’t fool people.”

  Marge’s attempt to sound confident fell short of the mark. “I suppose I can try.”

  All three women stared at Warren.

  He sighed and pulled out a pen. “Give me the names of the people you dealt with. I’ll see what I can find out.”

  • • •

  After the visitors left, Warren and Barbara carried the dishes to the kitchen.

  “Will you be able to help Marge?” she asked, rinsing plates.

  “A guy I know at the Commission asked assistance from my precinct to bust a local scam. I assigned some of my officers and they brought down a whole network. I’ll start by contacting him.”

  “I feel badly for Marge. She blames herself, but it seems to me she’s an innocent victim.”

  “I saw too many of these cases when I was on the force. Scumbags who take advantage of the elderly, especially those on their own with no one to help with financial decisions. Lonely people, too ready to lean on someone for guidance. Trusting victims who end up losing their life savings.”

  “What is it that makes older people vulnerable?”

  “For one thing, we grew up in an era of openness and trust. At the same time, we fear economic instability and gravitate easily toward the assumed safety of certain investments. It’s a combination which makes easy prey for unscrupulous dealers. Frankly, it makes my blood boil.”

  “Will the Commission recover her money?”

  “Investment frauds are hard to prove and harder to prosecute. The Commission’s hands will be tied unless someone brings proof of Toby’s wrongdoing.”

  “Poor Marge,” Barbara groaned.

  A smile spread across her husband’s face.

  “Happily, I’m not as encumbered as a government agency. I’ll speak with our daughters. We’ll see what we can do to trick the tricksters.”

  CHAPTER THREE

  After placing her order for the lunch special, Pat gazed down from the outdoor patio of the Pier Restaurant.

  On the beach below, children laughed as they raced toward the swings. A dog swam joyfully through the waves, chasing a stick thrown by a man standing on shore. Screeching seagulls dive-bombed into the water catching fish.

  The waiter finished taking orders and retreated to the kitchen.

  She looked at Lea and Maddy. “This is a real treat from the usual greasy spoon Tom and I frequent for lunch. Thanks for inviting me.”

  “I hope your boss didn’t give you a hard time about taking a long lunch break,” Maddy said. “He can be a stickler for following rules.”

  Pat grinned. “You should know. He’s your fiancé.”

  Maddy blushed.

  “I explained the reason for our celebration,” Pat said. “He agreed on the condition I bring back an order of crab cakes.”

  Maddy nodded. “That’s his favorite.”

  “So are you,” Lea said, nudging her sister’s shoulder.

  Maddy looked at the ring on her finger. “I better be, if we’re going to get hitched.”

  Facing the guest of honor, she raised her coffee mug. “Here’s to your speedy response on our last case, Pat, which saved me from a dangerous situation.”

  The other women raised their cups in unison.

  “Just doing my job to serve and protect,” Pat said.

  “You’ve done that on more than one occasion for us,” Lea said. “I appreciate the fact that you respond quickly and never think we’re calling wolf.”

  “In case you forgot, Sis, you sent Tom on a wild goose chase during our last investigation,” Maddy said.

  “On Dad’s instructions,” Lea protested. “And we had reason to be concerned for your safety.”

  Maddy pursed her lips. “You and I don’t agree on when my safety is in question.”

  “Okay, you two.” Pat held up her hands. “I’m happy to help, but you shouldn’t make a habit of getting in trouble. Tom or I may not always be available.”

  “It’s never our intent, I assure you,” Lea said. “Speaking of getting in trouble, how is the case against Cheryl proceeding? I hope they lock her up and throw away the key.”

  “The prosecution has a strong case. They should have no problem obtaining a conviction.”

  Pat’s phone buzzed. “Sorry. Let me see what this is.”

  “No problem. Go ahead.”

  Reading the text, Pat frowned.

  “I hope you aren’t being summoned to the office,” Maddy said.

  Pat shook her head and laid the phone on the table. “It’s nothing.”

  “You don’t look like it was nothing,” Lea observed. “You look upset.”

  Pat waved a hand dismissively. “I mean it’s nothing which requires my attention. A telemarketer selling services I don’t need.”

  For a moment, she stared at the phone. “I wonder how they got my number.”

  “Telemarketing contacts to wireless numbers are illegal. You could file a complaint,” Lea suggested.

  “The caller’s identification is hidden.”

  The waiter brought their food and the incident was forgotten until they lingered over dessert.

  Lea took a bite of cheesecake. “This indulgence will require me to run tonight.”

  Maddy leaned toward Pat. “My sister watches her calorie intake religiously. She maintains her weight within a pound or two. Me, I never worry. I figure if this dessert goes to my hips, there’s more of me to love.”

  Pat laughed as she reached for her buzzing phone.

  She read another message.

  Again, she dropped the phone on the table without responding.

  “If that was work calling, you’d answer,” Lea remarked. “Something is clearly bothering you. What’s going on?”

  Pat leaned back and crossed her arms. “I’ve been receiving threatening messages the past week.”

  Maddy choked. “You have a stalker?”

  “Probably a kid playing a prank.”

  “Mind if I see?” Lea asked.

  After a moment’s hesitation, Pat slid her phone across the table.

  Lea read the message. “That’s not my idea of a joke.”

  She passed the phone to her sister.

  Maddy read the message aloud. Be warned. What goes around comes around.

  “I agree with Lea,” she said, returning the phone to Pat. “That sounds serious.”

  “Have the other messages been the same?” Lea asked.

  “The words aren’t identical, but the meaning is the same. Here’s a similar one.” She read the text of another message. As you sow, so shall you reap.

  “Have you shown these texts to Jack?”

  Maddy referred to Jack Elliot, Pat’s current beau who happened to be Tom’s brother.

  “My relationship with Jack is in the
beginning stages. I don’t want him to think our dating means he has to put up with crazies.”

  “What makes you think the sender is crazy? These could be viable threats. What does Tom think?”

  “I haven’t told Tom.”

  Lea raised her eyebrows. “Why not?”

  Pat’s finger traced the rim of her mug. “Not long ago, I was a rookie Tom took under his wing. Among other things, he taught me I shouldn’t let people get under my skin. I refuse to run to him with nuisance calls which amount to a hill of beans.”

  Lea sensed more behind the objection. “Do you think you have something to prove because you’re the only woman in the Major Crimes Division?”

  “I just don’t want Tom to afford me special consideration. Any of the guys in the squad would laugh this off.”

  “Only to preserve their macho image. But they would want to know what’s behind this. Who do you think would do such a thing?”

  “In my job, we run into plenty of angry people. Not only criminals, but the public we protect.”

  Maddy looked surprised. “Are you saying some of the people you help turn against you?”

  Pat nodded. “In one instance, Tom and I tried to protect a woman from her abusive spouse. For our efforts, Tom received a physical blow from the man and I got a verbal scolding from the wife for interfering and threatening to lock up her husband. We offered her a safe place to stay, but she demanded we leave without a word of thanks.”

  Maddy shook her head. “Expressing gratitude is becoming a lost art.”

  “A few days later, concerned neighbors called the station. By the time we returned to the couple’s lodgings, the husband had trashed the apartment and kicked in the door to the bedroom. We found the wife huddled in the closet with her eye blackened and her face swollen. Unbelievably, she still refused to press charges.”

  “What did you do?”

  “We hauled him to jail anyway for domestic violence and property damage. When he got out, he left her.” Pat raised her arms in frustration. “Instead of being thankful he was gone, she blamed us for driving away her only means of support. From what I heard, she couldn’t pay the rent and ended up on the streets.”

  “You have nothing to regret,” Lea said. “Being homeless is better than being beaten to death and finding a home at the morgue.”

  Pat shrugged. “There’s that, I guess.”

  “Have you seen her since?”

  “Only once. She came clawing at me like an alley cat. I got in my patrol car and drove away. She probably needs professional help, but she’ll never seek it out.”

  “Are you suggesting she’s off her rocker?” Maddy asked.

  “Temporarily unhinged is a better description. Hopefully, she’ll forget the brute and come to her senses.”

  After the server removed their plates, Lea continued her questions. “Who else might wish you harm?”

  Pat stared out the window. “There’s what happened during the undercover assignment when I earned my stripes as a detective.”

  Maddy leaned forward. “I remember the case. It was the campaign to jail the Kingpin and put his gambling ring out of business. Tom lost sleep for weeks over that investigation and was as cranky as a bear. I was relieved when he arrested the crook.”

  Pat nodded. “Besides arresting the Kingpin, we uncovered the Kingpin’s mole at the precinct. The only unsuccessful part of the operation was the bookie’s escape. Flynn is still in the wind. It could be Mickey after me now.”

  “What reason would he have?” Lea asked.

  “Tom planted me undercover as a cocktail waitress at Mickey Flynn’s Card Club. I copied documents from his computer which proved that in addition to legalized card games, he ran the Kingpin’s illegal gambling operation. Unfortunately, I was caught and Mickey ordered his bodyguards to kill me. I overcame my captors, but Mickey disappeared. By the time Tom and I returned to the club, the place was deserted.”

  “What was the outcome?”

  “With Mickey in the wind, we couldn’t go ahead with the case against him. But one of the files I copied contains names and numbers of customers engaged in illegal betting. The information is on a flash drive in the evidence room. Tom intends to convince those people to testify.”

  “Will they be willing?”

  “They can’t be prosecuted for placing bets, but our promise to keep their gambling habits from becoming public knowledge in exchange for their testimony will give them a chance to save their jobs, their marriages, or their reputations.”

  “You think Mickey is sending the threats to coerce you into destroying the flash drive?”

  “Either that, or he wants revenge for putting him out of business.”

  A chill ran up Maddy’s spine. “Having that hang over your head can’t be pleasant.”

  Pat shrugged. “It comes with the territory. You get used to it. Let’s forget this. It won’t be long until the sender tires of me not responding and moves on to ruffle someone else’s feathers.”

  “Don’t you want to learn their identity so you can confront them?” Maddy asked.

  “I can’t do it with Tom knowing my every move.”

  “If there’s any way we can help, let us know,” Lea told her.

  “I wouldn’t ask you to spend time on something I can’t pay you for.”

  “It’s the least we can do after all the times you’ve helped us.”

  Pat looked cautiously at Lea. “You couldn’t let Paul know you’re helping. He’s bound to tell Tom or your father.”

  Lea grinned. “Don’t worry. It won’t be the first time I’ve kept my husband out of the loop.”

  Pat’s buzzer sounded.

  All three of them stared at her phone.

  Reading the message, Pat smiled with relief. “It’s Tom. I’m needed back at the precinct.”

  “Call us if you decide you want help.”

  Maddy waited until Pat left the restaurant. “I didn’t want to say anything in front of her, but lying to Jack doesn’t seem like a good way to start a relationship.”

  She put some money on the bill tray and removed the peppermints. “Have you ever lied to Paul?”

  Lea sounded offended. “Of course not.”

  “Not even about cases we work on?”

  “That’s different. On those occasions, I fudge the truth for Paul’s own good to keep him from worrying.” She added her share of cash to the tray. “Have you ever lied to Tom?”

  “Never!” Maddy proclaimed.

  After a second, she raised her crossed fingers. “Unless it’s for his own good.”

  The sisters burst out laughing.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  It was almost noon when Warren parked behind the Conley Austin Detective Agency. The office was in a commercial area of renovated Victorian houses, a stone’s throw away from the ocean.

  The converted building provided a comfortable work environment. A welcome change from the sterile atmosphere of the large city police department where he spent an illustrious career culminating in the position of police chief until a stroke caused early retirement.

  Finding himself alone, he welcomed the chance to call his friend at the Commodities Commission.

  A computer-generated voice informed him the agency was experiencing heavy call volume and asked that he be patient.

  He waited.

  After several moments, another voice rattled off a list of buttons to press. He sighed as he listened through the end of the spiel. As expected, there was no option for what he needed.

  He listened to the recording again and chose one closest to connecting him to the person he wished to speak with.

  Again, he waited.

  The impersonal communication made him wonder what the world was coming to. He had a fair idea and he didn’t much approve.

  When he finally got through to a live person, he gave the name of Don Ellis, the officer he worked with during his tenure as chief of police.

  The operator transferred him to the Of
fice of Customer Education and he finally heard the familiar voice.

  “Hey, Warren. It’s been a while since I’ve heard from you.”

  “Last time I saw you, I sent my officers to help with your arrest of a fraud ring operating in my neck of the woods.”

  “I heard you took early retirement. How is a life of leisure treating you?”

  “Hard to say. I haven’t enjoyed much leisure since my daughters talked me into opening a detective agency with them. I’m still up to my neck in bad guys.” He heard Don chuckle. “From the department I reached, it sounds like you made a change as well.”

  “I saw so many people go through the heartache of being swindled, I took a proactive approach. My department educates the public in ways to prevent fraudsters from robbing them of their savings.”

  “A worthy cause. I wish my client had received professional advice before investing in gold and silver.”

  “I hope she didn’t suffer heavy losses.”

  “I’m afraid she did. She’s a retiree whose husband recently passed. She lost the bulk of their savings.”

  “Swindlers zero in on seniors because they’re likely to pick up a phone or respond to an email and are eager to supplement their retirement savings. Many lost money in the recession and reach out to gold with the illusion of safety. Unsophisticated investors with fears are easily victimized by sales pitches.”

  “Has the industry done much to tighten regulations?”

  “Those efforts have been resisted by honest dealers who claim tighter regulation hurts their business.”

  “I suppose it hardly matters,” Warren observed. “To people not on the up and up, it doesn’t matter how much legislation or regulation is enacted. They will wiggle their way around it.”

  “Their success rate is staggering. Over ten thousand Americans are victims of precious metals cons alone, with losses of around three hundred million dollars.”

  “Those numbers are disheartening.”

  “I’m sorry to hear your client was a victim. Is there anything I can do to help?”

  “What can you tell me about these people?” He recited Toby’s name and the name of the company he worked for.

  “Let’s see what I’ve got.”

  Warren heard the clicking of computer keys.