VIC SENTIRON ANDAlex with Mitch to the office while we staked out Andy Keener’s house the next morning. Andy appeared to live above his means in a large home in a very nice neighborhood, which was a huge red flag for me. I paid a ridiculous amount of money to rent a house half the size of Andy’s and not nearly in as good of shape. I wasn’t an expert in California real estate, but I was certain that Andy’s house was worth close to two million dollars. How did a middle management guy afford a home like that one?
“Maybe the wife has money,” Vic said, reading my mind. He dialed Hammer from the passenger seat as he continued to watch the Keener house. “Hey, babe,” he said into the phone. “Could you find out everything there is to know about Andy Keener; I’m talking everything on his wife and their financials. Something’s not adding up right. Thanks,” Vic said then disconnected.
We didn’t have to wait much longer for the Keeners to make an appearance. Mrs. Keener was dressed in casual clothes with kids in tow. It looked like they were heading for a day trip someplace like a zoo. Andy kissed his family goodbye and then waved at them as they drove off.
As soon as the wife drove out of view we got out of the car and ran across the street. We were on Andy before he could get the sunroom door closed in the rear of the house. His eyes bugged out of his head when he saw two hulking men looming over him. He shook so bad I thought he was going to piss down his leg.
“Tell me what you know about Timothy Nicholson,” Vic growled dangerously.
“I don’t know who you’re talking about,” Andy said. He tried to close the door, but he couldn’t with my big boot in the way. He tried to slam the door hard enough to make me want to remove it, but that wasn’t going to happen.
I pulled my fist back and let it fly, popping Andy square in the mouth. I hit him hard enough to bust his lip, but not enough to cause serious damage.
“Fuck!” His scream sounded mumbled from behind his hands. “I’m going to call the cops.”
“Please do,’ I replied. “Ask for Detective Harmon with LAPD. Make sure you tell him how you assisted Timothy Nicholson by getting his cousin hired on at your company. Make it clear it was the same cousin who lied the night a client’s alarm went off and it wasn’t reported to the police.” I could see my words were having the necessary effect so I went for the kill. “The same incident that led to two men getting injured and an arson fire being set by Timothy.”
“I-I-I,” he began stuttering and I wanted the shake the truth out of him. “I didn’t know anything about shootings and fires.” His voice was raised in a panic. “I only hired that miscreant, Ray Adams. I had no idea…”
“Your company monitors the safety of some of California’s wealthiest people, Andy,” Vic said, in a tone that said he was clearly losing his patience. “You mean it didn’t occur to you that something really bad was brewing with Timothy when he approached you with this scheme? At the very least, it should’ve made you think you were aiding and abetting a burglary attempt. What did Timothy have over you that would make you risk everything to help him?”
“He doesn’t haveanythingon me,” Andy countered. “I knew him back in school before he went in to the military and lost his fucking mind.” He shook his head and then looked me in the eyes. “He offered me a lot of cash to hire his cousin and turn a blind eye. He promised me that no one was going to get hurt.”
“You believed him?” I asked. “You just said he’d lost his fucking mind, but you went along with it? Why? What did you need the money for? You look like you’re doing okay.” I gestured to his lovely home and in ground pool.
“Look, Timothy seemed better than he was before he went to prison. His eyes were focused and he talked coherently. I figured he got the mental help he needed while being locked up.” Andy ran a hand over his goatee and looked back at me. “I just wanted to do something nice for my wife that didn’t come from my father-in-law. I have nothing in this house that I can truly call my own.”
“How much money?” Vic asked.
“Twenty-five thousand dollars,” Andy said softly, earning a low whistle from Vic. “I used it to give my wife a dream kitchen. I convinced her I’d been saving my bonuses for years and she didn’t ask too many questions.” Andy’s shoulder’s drooped like the entire weight of the world was upon them. “I can’t lose her and my kids. They’re all I’ve got.”
“You should’ve thought about that before you got in bed with the devil,” Vic said, pulling no punches. “We can’t promise you anything, but it would help you out in a big way if you could tell us who Timothy’s sugar daddy is.”
“I honestly don’t know,” Andy said. It was the first time I thought he was telling the truth. “All he said to me was that he was seeing a man who appreciated him and knew how to treat a guy. His name was never used.”
I grabbed Andy by the collar of his shirt and hauled him up on his tiptoes. “Does this scheme go any higher than you in the company? Was anyone in upper management privy to what happened?”
“No one, sir. Mr. Lockwood-Basterson takes great pride in the services that our company offers. In fact, this was the only breach we’ve had in the twenty years we’ve been doing business.”
Vic and I both picked up on the name at the same time, but kept our mouths shut. I lowered Andy back down until his feet were flat on the ground and then I straightened up his wrinkled shirt. He was a weasel of a man with no backbone. I was angry at him for the role he played in Mitch’s threats, but I felt pity more than anything. He would never know what it was like to be his own man, to make his own decisions, and to live freely. He was under the constant thumb of his wife and father-in-law. His existence was punishment enough for him.
“I’m going to give you my card and you will call me if you hear from Timothy again.” I wasn’t asking him, I was telling him. “You will tell no one about our conversation today and will go on like nothing happened.”
“What about my lip?” he asked stupidly.
“Tell your wife you bumped into a door,” Vic replied sarcastically.
We left Andy to get a stiff drink or clean up after nearly soiling and himself and decided to head back to Mitch’s house to meet up with Hammer to go over the new piece of the puzzle. We set up a situation room in the dining room making sure to write down every piece of evidence we had.
Edna served us a hot lunch while we strategized all afternoon long. There was no doubt in my mind that one of the Bastersons were involved. It would’ve been too much of a coincidence that the alarm company that was breached was owned and operated by Garrett Lockwood-Basterson, husband to Tobias Basterson and son-in-law to Todd.
By the time Mitch got home, we had already formulated another plan – one he wasn’t going to like at all.
“You’re going to be in the doghouse tonight, Deac,” Vic said as we once again found ourselves doing recon outside another home. The only difference was we were dressed from head to toe in combat black.
“This is a risky move,” Hammer said through my earpiece.
“Fucked-up idea,” Mitch contributed.
