Raven: A political thriller (5 page)

Chapter 7

Don was digesting what he learned from Ms. Winslow, which wasn’t much.
He still didn’t have an insight into what kind of person Raven VanBuren was.

As a Human Resource manager, he didn’t like Ms. Winslow much, given
the threats that were made on Raven’s life. He felt something more should have
been done. It might have prevented what happened last night, but that was
neither here nor there. His job now was to find out who did the deed and put
them behind bars. He didn’t have to like it. He just had to do his job.

Don was determined to get Ms. Winslow more training in how to handle
situations like the ones that arose with Raven VanBuren’s threatening phone
calls. It was a long ride to Falls Church again, which gave him plenty of time
to think of the different ways he could make Ms. Winslow’s job a living hell
for her indifference in the situation.

Don hadn’t really given much thought to Fred during his drive. His one
thought was that he only hoped Fred had enough money with him to pay for the
taxicab.

As Don pulled onto Hillier Street, he was more impressed by what he
saw than last night. In the daylight the well-maintained yards were more
noticeable than last evening and far larger than the small city lot his mother
lived on. It was clear there were the haves in this world and the have-nots.
Don had the distinct impression
he
was from the class of have-nots. He parked the squad in the driveway and walked
up to the front door. To his surprise the door was slightly ajar. He quickly
unholstered his gun and walked in.

Once inside the living room, he was surprised by what he saw. Unlike
last evening the room was in total disarray and reeked of spilt cinnamon oil
from the reed diffusers around the room. The glass in the breakfront was
smashed out, with shards of glass scattered around the room. The cups and
saucers were broken into pieces, along with other items from the breakfront.
The cushions from the couch were shredded, and stuffing lay all over the floor.
The bureau drawers were tossed about with papers strewed around the room, along
with the table linens that were stored there. Lamps were smashed, while the
plants had been pulled out of their pots and the dirt scattered onto the floor and
ground in. It was clear someone was looking for something. He quickly glanced
over at the portrait and was relieved that it was untouched. Why it should have
mattered, he didn’t know, but he gave a sigh of relief when he saw it intact.
It was basically the only thing untouched in the bedlam that he saw in front of
him.

Don slowly walked down the hall to the kitchen. It, too, was trashed.
The floor was covered with broken dishes, shards of glass, and food was all
mixed together. Don was unclear if this was related to their case or just
vandals trashing the house at random. Suddenly, there was the rustling of
something falling upstairs. Don stopped in his tracks and listened. It sounded
like the noise came from Raven’s bedroom upstairs. He then retreated back into
the living room quickly and then slowly climbed the stairs, careful to stay
close to the wall as he made his way up. Once he reached the top of the stairs
he turned to the right to Raven’s room. Don didn’t hear the movement behind him
until it was too late, and he was sent sprawling onto the hallway floor out
cold.

* * *

Fred walked out of the upstairs bathroom with a
washcloth in his hand. He handed it to Don, who was leaning up against the wall
near the stairs. Don took the washcloth and rubbed the back of his head.
Granted, he had been tired, but this was not the kind of rest he needed. He
didn’t know what he had been hit with—whatever it was was hard and had left a
large gash on the back of his head, along with a goose-egg. Don had a hard time
focusing as his head throbbed.

“Did you see who hit you?” Fred asked.

Don shook his head. “He must have been in the bathroom. When I got up
here he hit me from behind.”

Fred just shrugged. “Did you find anything at her office?”

Don looked up at Fred, having a hard time understanding what he meant,
and then he understood.

“Thanks for caring,” he said. The sarcasm in his voice was clearly
noted.

“You okay?”

“It doesn’t count now,” Don snapped and then glanced around.

“Our girl got a threatening call at work.”

“That’s interesting,” Fred said.

“Other than that I didn’t learn much. It was basically a dead end,”
Don said as he wiped the back of his head. And then he looked up at Fred. “What
time is it?”

Fred glanced at his watch “Ten twenty-two.”

Don just shook his head. “I’ve been out for twenty minutes.”

“What happened?”

Don rubbed the back of his head and then winced in pain. “Don’t know.
Heard something up here. It sounded like it came from her bedroom, so I guess I
got caught off-guard. Then the next thing I know you were standing over me.

“I should take you in to be checked out.”

“There’s no time for that.”

Fred walked over to the side bedroom. “The whole place looks like it’s
been gone through.”

“I wonder if they found what they were looking for?”

“I called it in. Our boys will be here soon.”

Don leaned forward. He shook his head and then tried to get up. He
stumbled as Fred quickly grabbed his arm until Don steadied himself. It took a
few minutes, but once he got his bearings he turned to Fred.

“Maybe we’ll get some prints,” he said in a way that clearly indicated
he doubted that any would be found.

Don was still a little dazed. Once he got his bearings he quickly
added, “We could use a break in this case,” he said and then, as if remembering
something, he looked at Fred. ”What did our guy at the Hilton have to say for
himself?”

Don quickly stooped down as a pain shot through his head. Once he
recovered he stood up and tried desperately to focus on what Fred was about to
say.

Fred just shrugged. “It was a wasted trip. He never heard back from
Ms. Van Buren.”

“What’s his connection with her.”

“Claims he’s an old college friend.”

“Maybe his wife thinks differently,” Don added, still somewhat in a
daze.

Don was feeling a little cynical about Raven at the moment. He feared
he at first had this ideal picture of her as being the sweet, innocent person
caught up in things beyond her control. But, after listening to the phone
messages, he feared Raven wasn’t so innocent after all. She clearly was messing
with the wrong guy. Don was curious about the female’s voice on the threatening
messages that were left. He wondered now if it was possibly Senator Maxfield’s
wife. And his disappearance a week ago might just be like the senator a few
years back hiking on the Appalachian Trail, when in fact he was bedding down
with his mistress in some foreign country. Don couldn’t be sure until he talked
to the senator’s wife and heard her speak. But if it wasn’t her, then who else
possibly could it be?

Don came to the realization that Raven could have been sleeping
around. As much as he didn’t want to believe it, the reality of the situation
was hitting home. It would explain a lot of what was happening around her and
the torching of her car. The vandalism of her house might just be connected
with all of this.

Fred watched Don for the longest time before answering. “Not married,”
was all he said.

“Girlfriend?” Don asked, looking at Fred for a clue as to the game he
was playing.

Fred laughed. “He’s a priest,” he said and then took in Don’s reaction
before continuing. “Seemed pretty shook up about the news. He was going to head
over to the VanBuren’s house to see if he could be of assistance to them.”

“So we’re back at square one,” Don said.

The car pulling up out front caused both to turn and look at one
another. Fred glanced at his watch.

“Might be our guys, finally.

Don was about to descend the stairs but almost lost his balance.
Luckily Fred was nearby, and he quickly grabbed hold of Don to steady him. Don
shook the sensation while rubbing his head.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Do I look okay?” Don said as he leaned up against the side of the
stairs.

“Maybe you should have that checked.” Fred pointed to the cut on the
back of Don’s head.

“No time,” Don snapped.

Don walked into the bathroom. What he needed to do was splash some
cold water on his face to snap himself out of the hazy feeling he had.

Fred in the meantime quickly walked down the stairs to the front door
to let the team into Raven’s house. As he glanced outside, neighbors were taking
notice of the commotion at the house.

Once Don felt halfway alive again, he slowly descended the stairs.
Fred was busy talking to the forensics team dusting the place for prints, while
others checked for clues. Don walked into the living room and stood in front of
the portrait and just stared at it for the longest time. For some unknown
reason he couldn’t take his eyes off of Raven VanBuren. It was like she was
trying to tell him something. He had never felt this way about a victim, always
trying to keep his distance and have an open mind about the investigation. No
matter how she lived her life, she did not deserve to have it end the way it
did.

Fred walked up behind him. He poked Don to get his attention. Don
slowly turned. His head still hurt, and he was starting a migraine that began
at the base of his neck and fanned out to encompass his temples. He felt like
his head was in a vise.

Fred looked at Don’s bloodshot eyes. “Do you want ice for your head?”

“No, I’m fine.” Don lied.

“You don’t look so fine,” Fred said.

Don turned to Fred. “What part of fine don’t you understand,” Don
snapped. He was tired of trying to reassure his partner that he was okay.

There was no time to seek medical attention, and he had been hit
enough times in the head to know the pain would soon subside. It may take an
hour or two, but he would endure. He just didn’t need to keep telling Fred he
was okay.

“What’s gotten into you? You can’t stop looking at that,” Fred said
pointing to the portrait. “Remember, she’s our victim, so what’s your problem?”

“I don’t know. Maybe in another life I knew her.” Don laughed while
shaking his head. He almost wanted to cry, he ached so much thinking about
Raven lying on the coroner’s slab at the morgue.

Fred laughed. “You had another life?” he said.

Don was trying to shake the headache from grabbing hold. He turned to
a tech. “Do you have any aspirin with you?”

The tech reached in his case and tossed the bottle to Don, who quickly
opened it and took three. He popped them in his mouth and swallowed them
without water. Don then turned back to Fred.

“Haven’t you ever felt a connection with someone?” Don asked and then
paused a moment before continuing. “I don’t know, there’s just something about
her.”

“You’re forgetting, she’s also dead.”

“I haven’t forgotten,” Don snapped. “God, I haven’t forgotten.”

Don regretted answering the phone last evening at the bar. He
regretted ever setting eyes on the vision of Raven VanBuren. Because now that
he had gotten to know who she was, she was embedded in his head and he couldn’t
stop thinking about her. On the one hand, he had this idealistic vision of her
and on the other hand, he had to come to terms that the fine upstanding person
he would have liked to believe she was, was a myth clouding his judgment. Even
in his sleep she came to him. He didn’t know how long this would last or if
he’d ever stop thinking about her. All he knew was, Raven VanBuren was having
an adverse affect on his mental state.

Before leaving, Don bent down and picked up the doily that was lying
on the living room floor. It reeked of cinnamon oil but he didn’t care. He just
wanted a piece of her to remember her by.

Fred just shook his head, not believing what Don had just done. It was
against company policy but then who was going to miss a little doily from a
crime scene?

Chapter 8

 
As Don walked out of Raven’s
house the sun hit him like a ton of bricks, making his head feel like it would
explode. He slowly tried to focus and hung onto the railing while he took in
the neighborhood. He tried to be careful as he descended the porch steps for
fear he was one misstep away from going to the hospital for an overnight
observation.

Fred had only worked with Don a little longer than a month, but in
that time Fred knew Don’s behavior in the past twelve hours was not normal. A
part of him figured it had a lot to do with his girlfriend kicking him out of
their apartment. Moving back into his mother’s place couldn’t have helped
matters either. But for Don to be so wrapped up in the victim in this case was incomprehensible
even for him.

The drive to Raven’s parents took long enough for Fred to get caught
up on what Don found out at the Hart Senate Office building where Raven worked.

As they pulled onto the street that Raven’s parents lived on, Fred
waved an acknowledgement to a car that passed by.

Don turned to him. “Who was that?” he asked.

“The priest friend.”

“That was nice of him to pay his respects.”

“That is what priests do,” Fred said, looking over at Don.

Arlington City was more impressive than Falls Church in that it was
more historic in nature. The houses were older. They all had their own sense of
character and were each meticulously maintained not by their owners, but by a
lawn service that the owners paid dearly for.

The VanBurens lived in a classic Colonial two-story brick home with a
wrought-iron fence that separated it from the neighbors’ property. The fence
was in a style no longer available, and Don figured this type of fencing had
been expensive to install even by today’s standards. Don pulled up to the
three-car garage and parked the squad. Raven definitely came from a well-to-do
family. He wondered now why she even chose to work for a living when it was
clear there was no need to. Usually young socialites, once they had their
coming out party, married some young up-and-coming yuppie. Their goal in life
was to produce offspring to put credence on the myth that they were a loving
family.

Don turned to Fred. “Did you have time to check out the father?” he
asked.

“Just that he was chief of surgery at Inova Fairfax in Falls Church,
but I think he’s retired now.”

Don quickly got out of the squad and hurried up the path to the front
door before Fred could say more. He rubbed his temple as he rang the doorbell.
He half expected a butler to answer, but instead the lady of the house opened
the door. Don knew now where Raven got the deep, intense eyes and olive
complexion. Mrs. VanBuren was an older version of her daughter and every bit as
beautiful. Don just stood there with his mouth open, and for the longest time
he was unable to speak.

Don could tell the woman had been crying, and his heart went out to
her and the pain she must be enduring with losing her only child in such a
violent act. Once the introductions were made, Don and Fred were led into the
study, where they waited for Dr. VanBuren, who was busy upstairs talking on the
phone they were told. Don assumed he was making arrangements for their
daughter’s funeral, but then it hadn’t been officially confirmed yet.

Mrs. VanBuren sat on the sofa and then glanced up, as if remembering
her manners.

“Could I get you something to drink? A coffee, tea, or soda?” she
asked politely.

Don would have loved to have said yes but knew that would only prolong
their time there. Being there was a formality. He had a few questions for
Raven’s parents before going to the coroner’s lab to get the official report on
cause of death.

“No, thank you,” Don said as he walked over to the mantel and stared
at the pictures that were displayed. He didn’t care what was on her answering
machine. Deep down he wanted to believe that Raven was not the type of person
to sleep around with another woman’s husband.

There were a couple pictures of Dr. VanBuren with a stethoscope around
his neck and Raven at his side. As with the portrait at Raven’s house, Don was
mesmerized by the vision of her. Even as a young girl in her teens, she was
strikingly beautiful. Don wondered why she never married, because she had to be
almost in her early thirties by now. It was a question he would have liked to
ask Raven’s mother but didn’t dare.

Fred continued to watch Don. He didn’t know what to make of this new
development in his investigation skills.

Don turned to Mrs. VanBuren. “Your husband’s a doctor?”

Fred appeared puzzled, as this was a fact that he already knew.

“Yes.”

Fred stepped forward between Don and Mrs. VanBuren, more as a way to
sidetrack Don and what he was doing. Fred turned to Mrs. VanBuren and quickly
asked.

“Did you know she had been getting threatening calls?”

All she did was shrug her shoulders. “She may have mentioned it.”

Don turned suddenly and stared at Raven’s mother for the longest time.
“Let me get this straight,” Don said, looking at her as if not believing what
the woman had just said. “Your daughter tells you someone was threatening her
and you don’t advise her to report it to the police?”

Fred glanced over at Don, surprised at his sudden outburst. He no
longer was engrossed with the pictures on the mantel.

“Raven said it was a misunderstanding. That the person had her
confused with someone else.”

“Did she say who?” Don asked.

“No. But she wasn’t concerned about it. Otherwise, I would have
advised her to contact the police.”

Don accepted her answer and then looked over at the mantel again. He
turned back to Mrs. VanBuren and then asked, “What was she like?”

Fred just stared at Don. Mrs. VanBuren was taken aback by the
question. All Fred could do was clear his throat so as to get Mrs. VanBuren’s
attention just as Dr. VanBuren walked into the room.

Mrs. VanBuren didn’t answer Don’s question. She just turned to her
husband. “These detectives are here to talk to us about what happened to
Raven,” she said with raised eyebrows that puzzled Don for a moment.

It was as if it were a signal between the two, but what it meant,
neither detective knew.

Fred cleared his throat. “Let’s get this straight, she hasn’t been
positively identified yet.”

“But it was her car,” Mrs. VanBuren started to say but then was cut
off by her husband.

“Yeah, who else could it possibly be,” Dr. VanBuren said almost like
he dared them to believe otherwise.

“I’m sure DNA will prove who it is. Until then we have to assume it’s
your daughter,” Fred said.

Don turned to the doctor. “How could your daughter afford the place
she lived in?” he asked. “It’s pretty ritzy for a single woman.”

The doctor shook his head and just stared at Don as if not believing
he’d asked such a question.

“What does that have to do with what happened to my daughter?” he
snapped.

Mrs. VanBuren quickly scolded Don with a look that could have killed.
“She had a good job.”

Fred stared at her for the longest time and then frowned. “How could
she possibly keep up the payments?”

Both parents seemed a little perturbed by this line of questioning. It
was Dr. VanBuren who motioned to his wife not to say more.

“My wife’s parents left Raven a large trust. Anything else you want to
know, I think we should have our attorney present.”

Mrs. VanBuren held up her hand as if to stop her husband. “Harry, that
won’t be necessary,” she said as she turned to Don, while Dr. VanBuren just
glared at Fred.

“I will not have you imply my daughter was kept,” he snapped and then
took a deep breath while trying to regain control of his demeanor. “She was a
good person. Raven worked long hours for the Senator.”

Don glanced at the pictures on the mantel and then at Mrs. VanBuren.

“What do you know about Senator Maxfield?”

“She was not sleeping with him, if that’s what you’re asking!” Dr.
VanBuren snapped.

Don was surprised at Dr. VanBuren’s bluntness about his daughter’s
personal life. He would have liked to believe what he said about his daughter.

Mrs. VanBuren laughed and then quickly cut in. “I think to understand
their relationship, you have to know that Willie was married to Raven’s best
friend.”

“Point being?” Fred asked, with a mocking laugh that didn’t sit well
with Raven’s parents.

“I raised a good, moral daughter,” Mrs. VanBuren snapped while looking
sternly at Fred. “She didn’t sleep around. Senator Maxfield and Raven were
working on,” she suddenly stopped when she saw the look on her husbands face.

Dr. VanBuren turned to his wife quickly and looked sternly at her.
“Beatrice!”

Mrs. VanBuren stopped and said no more. Don turned and stared at the
two for the longest time without saying a word. His face flushed as he took a
quick step forward.

“If you’re holding back on a murder investigation. We’ll have you both
charged with obstruction of…”

Fred stepped between Don and Dr. VanBuren. “We may need to talk to you
again,” was all he said and then turned to Don in a way that told him not to
speak.

Dr. VanBuren reached in his pocket for a business card. He handed it
to Fred, who in turn gave it to Don.

“Then I suggest you give my attorney a call. He’ll set up the
appointment. Beatrice shouldn’t have said what she did.”

“If you know what they were working on, why not tell us? It may be
pertinent to this investigation.”

Dr. VanBuren just shook his head while his jaw muscles tensed up.

“Dr. VanBuren,” Don started to say, when Fred
quickly got his attention and then motioned to Mrs. VanBuren, who was clearly
angry with Don. Don cleared his throat and had a look of sincerity on his face
when he turned to Mrs. VanBuren. “I’m truly sorry for your loss,” he said.

Fred stared at Don and then at Raven’s parents. Don seemed clearly
upset, while Raven’s parents appeared somewhat indifferent about them being
there. He couldn’t put his finger on it. Dr. VanBuren? appeared upset, but not
as upset as he would have thought, given the circumstances.

Don abruptly turned and walked out of the house, followed closely by
Fred.

Once outside the house Don pulled out a cigarette and lit up. Fred
shut the door behind him and then turned to Don and stared at him, shaking his
head.

“What was that all about?” he asked.

“Didn’t you find it a little strange that they weren’t broken up about
their daughter’s murder?”

Fred thought a while and then added, “He sure was prepared, with his
attorney’s business card in his pocket.”

“Yeah, I wondered about that too.”

“The mother appeared to have been crying.”

“Remember how frantic the old girl sounded on the answering machine
when she couldn’t reach her daughter,” Don said. He took a long drag on the
cigarette and then quickly exhaled.

 
“Yeah, you’d think she’d be a
little more upset by her daughter’s death?”

“Now that you mention it, I guess you’re right.”

Don tossed the cigarette on the sidewalk, stepped on it, and then
walked over to the squad.