partner,” Jenny said. “Perhaps this will help you make the right decision.” With the gun still in her right hand, she pulled out the leather case containing her badge and held the badge forward so that he could see it. “I am Lieutenant Jennifer Halloran, a detective with the St. Louis Police Department. And the gentleman in front of you is Lieutenant Charles Valentine.”
“Oh.” Marcus made his decision and lowered his gun.
“Drop it,” Jenny ordered, and he did so.
Charlie Valentine turned around, picked up Marcus’s gun from the ground, and placed the gun into his pocket. He took a pair of handcuffs out of his jacket and started to place the handcuffs on Marcus.
“No, wait!” Dennis Sandhaven implored. “Please don’t arrest him. This man did not know that you were a police detective. He thought that you were a hit man hired by my wife to kill me. We have been communicating by cell phones. He was keeping an eye on me in order to protect me. When he spotted you following me, he told me to walk over near the river so that he could trap you. We both thought that you were a hit man.”
“That was a reasonable assumption,” Charlie acknowledged, placing the handcuffs back into his jacket. “Elaine Sandhaven did hire me to kill you. Lieutenant Halloran and I have been on an undercover assignment for several weeks.”
“We will need to see some identification,” Jenny said to Marcus.
“Here is my driver’s license and my private investigator’s license,” Marcus said, taking the two cards out of his wallet and handing them to her.
She examined them for a few seconds, then gave both cards to Charlie.
After looking at the two licenses, Charlie returned them to Marcus. “I have heard of you previously,” Charlie said.
“I have heard of you, too.” Jenny looked at Marcus intently. “You have been questioned about a couple of murders, but you’ve never been arrested. There was never been enough evidence to arrest you.”
“I’m as innocent as a lamb, of course,” Marcus asserted.
“Undoubtedly,” Charlie said. “How did you get involved in this situation?”
“A few days ago I returned from a Caribbean cruise, and there was a voice mail message from Elaine Sandhaven. I went to meet her at a small park overlooking the Mississippi --- Sister Marie Charles Park. She told me that her husband had been physically abusive. She said that she feared for her life …”
“That was a lie that she told you!” Dennis interrupted. “I have never hit her or threatened her. In fact, until a few weeks ago, we got along very well.”
“What happened to change things?” Jenny asked.
“One evening Elaine got a phone call. I was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper. While she was on the phone, I noticed that she said very little, and she became very pale. After she hung up, I asked Elaine about to whom she was speaking. She said that it was a call that she hoped that she would never receive. She refused to tell me anything else. The next day she became very cold and remote toward me.”
“That’s very strange,” Charlie said. “Marcus, let’s get back to your involvement. You were telling us about your conversation with Mrs. Sandhaven in the park.”
“Well, to make a long story short, she hired me, and the next day I followed Mr. Sandhaven. I suspected that his wife had been lying to me. Then, yesterday I went to Sandhaven Software in order to try to find out what was really going on. I parked in the back lot because I wanted to slip into a side door. I did not want to have to pass by the receptionist in the front lobby because I had no legitimate reason to be there.
“As I walked across the parking lot, I noticed several employees gathered near a door as they smoked cigarettes. I pretended to make a cell phone call and casually walked toward them. When I was close enough to hear, I noticed that they
“Oh.” Marcus made his decision and lowered his gun.
“Drop it,” Jenny ordered, and he did so.
Charlie Valentine turned around, picked up Marcus’s gun from the ground, and placed the gun into his pocket. He took a pair of handcuffs out of his jacket and started to place the handcuffs on Marcus.
“No, wait!” Dennis Sandhaven implored. “Please don’t arrest him. This man did not know that you were a police detective. He thought that you were a hit man hired by my wife to kill me. We have been communicating by cell phones. He was keeping an eye on me in order to protect me. When he spotted you following me, he told me to walk over near the river so that he could trap you. We both thought that you were a hit man.”
“That was a reasonable assumption,” Charlie acknowledged, placing the handcuffs back into his jacket. “Elaine Sandhaven did hire me to kill you. Lieutenant Halloran and I have been on an undercover assignment for several weeks.”
“We will need to see some identification,” Jenny said to Marcus.
“Here is my driver’s license and my private investigator’s license,” Marcus said, taking the two cards out of his wallet and handing them to her.
She examined them for a few seconds, then gave both cards to Charlie.
After looking at the two licenses, Charlie returned them to Marcus. “I have heard of you previously,” Charlie said.
“I have heard of you, too.” Jenny looked at Marcus intently. “You have been questioned about a couple of murders, but you’ve never been arrested. There was never been enough evidence to arrest you.”
“I’m as innocent as a lamb, of course,” Marcus asserted.
“Undoubtedly,” Charlie said. “How did you get involved in this situation?”
“A few days ago I returned from a Caribbean cruise, and there was a voice mail message from Elaine Sandhaven. I went to meet her at a small park overlooking the Mississippi --- Sister Marie Charles Park. She told me that her husband had been physically abusive. She said that she feared for her life …”
“That was a lie that she told you!” Dennis interrupted. “I have never hit her or threatened her. In fact, until a few weeks ago, we got along very well.”
“What happened to change things?” Jenny asked.
“One evening Elaine got a phone call. I was sitting on the couch reading the newspaper. While she was on the phone, I noticed that she said very little, and she became very pale. After she hung up, I asked Elaine about to whom she was speaking. She said that it was a call that she hoped that she would never receive. She refused to tell me anything else. The next day she became very cold and remote toward me.”
“That’s very strange,” Charlie said. “Marcus, let’s get back to your involvement. You were telling us about your conversation with Mrs. Sandhaven in the park.”
“Well, to make a long story short, she hired me, and the next day I followed Mr. Sandhaven. I suspected that his wife had been lying to me. Then, yesterday I went to Sandhaven Software in order to try to find out what was really going on. I parked in the back lot because I wanted to slip into a side door. I did not want to have to pass by the receptionist in the front lobby because I had no legitimate reason to be there.
“As I walked across the parking lot, I noticed several employees gathered near a door as they smoked cigarettes. I pretended to make a cell phone call and casually walked toward them. When I was close enough to hear, I noticed that they
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