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CHAPTER48
Gabe received Danni’s text about Moore just as he reached his office. He responded and was about to add to it when the prosecutor’s admin called.
“DA Madden wants to see you in her office immediately.”
Gabe knew the request was coming sooner or later, so he was calm and collected when he entered his boss’s office.
Madden was tense and angry.
“You were specifically instructed to stay away from the Ramos investigation.”
“I was not at Barton Plaza to help with the Ramos investigation. I took a day off—”
“You took a day off thinking you could circumvent my orders. As of now, you’re suspended, pending an internal affairs review. Leave me your ID and weapon.”
Gabe bit back his anger. Madden was not going to listen to anything he said. All he could hope for was more fairness from the IA investigators.
Gabe handed over his things and left the office. He gathered up the Curtis file. He put everything in his car and was about to head home when Lettie called.
“I can meet you this morning,” she said. “Just say when.”
Gabe’s anger dissipated. Maybe this was for the best. The Curtis accident had nothing to do with his caseload; now he could continue his investigation guilt free and deal with IA when he had a cool head.
“How about now?”
“I’ll see you there.”
Lettie was waiting for him when he parked his car at the bank.
“Thanks for doing this, Lettie.”
“Oh, thank you. I told my father you found the key and he calmed right down. He didn’t say what was in the box, but it’s the first time in a couple of days he was calm without me increasing his medication. Besides, I needed some time away, so thank you.”
Together they walked into the bank. After Lettie produced the power of attorney, there was some paperwork to fill out, and then they were led back to the box area and a private room where they opened the box.
Inside was a legal-size envelope addressed to law enforcement and several documents, one Gabe recognized as an original accident investigation report from twenty-seven years ago. The new forms looked a lot different, so he knew this was the original. It was from the Pope/Curtis crash. There were other documents he wasn’t familiar with. There was also a cassette tape. Gabe put it to one side, thinking to himself that he would have to scrounge around for a tape player in order to hear what was on the tape.
Returning to the papers, he read one resembling an old vehicle report form, for a 1987 Chevy sedan. He was halfway through when he realized he was reading the forensic examination of a vehicle involved in a traffic accident.
“You’re frowning,” Lettie said.
“What? Yeah, I’m trying to figure out exactly what this is.” He held up the unfamiliar report.
“As far as I’m concerned, you can have everything in this box. The payment for it comes out of my dad’s account. I’m happy to close it down, get rid of the box.”
“Thank you, Lettie. I’ll need to sit down and study this paperwork and figure out what it all means. And—” he held up the cassette—“I’ll have to figure out how to listen to this.” Gabe put the paperwork into his briefcase, waited while Lettie closed the box out, and then left the bank with her.
“Lettie, if your dad gets lucid about all of this, please let me know.”
“I will.”
Gabe almost went back to the office and then remembered his suspension. He returned home and spread the paperwork out over his desk. Focusing first on the forensic examination form, he read through it twice. The tale it told made Gabe go cold. The vehicle was examined for mechanical defects, and defects were found. The brake line had been severed, and there was a minimal amount of steering wheel fluid in the steering system. Back then, emptying out vital fluids like this would render the vehicle uncontrollable.
Next he read the accident form. The car belonging to Gerald Curtis was described as a 1989 Ford pickup. The car belonging to the Popes was a 1987 Chevy sedan.
Gabe put the papers down and sat back at his desk. The conclusion he drew sickened him. The Popes’ vehicle had been tampered with. This was no accident; it was murder.
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