Murder On The Mainline - S01 E17

Story 3 days ago

Murder On The Mainline - S01 E17

Read Story: SEASON 1 EPISODE 17

They sit back with their back against a stump and Mike relates to her his visit with Ray and with Marie Mathers. He also draws the autopsy report and the full forensic report out of his brief case for her. She studies them without comment. As she hands them back she says, "You haven't told me how you came across these papers. They didn't give them to you so somebody copied them for you. Buddies only go so far and police buddies don't go that far. So it has to be a woman who works for them, a secretary or a female officer. More likely the former and she would only do it if she were getting payment. So, am I right? Don't bother to deny it. Who is she?"

"Whoa, I can't tell you that. She could go to jail forever if her name came out. I'll destroy these papers before I'll let her take the rap."

"You trusted me with them? Do you think that was wise?"

"Sure, I trust you. We work together on cases."

"Right! So, who is she?"

"I can't say."

"Can't be more than a couple of secretaries in the POCO Detachment with clearance to handle this stuff. I'll find out who she is."

"Her name is Nina and she lives near us in Abbotsford. Now are you happy?"

"Your boinking her for this stuff?"

"Yeah."

"She any good in the sack?"

"Very good."

"Better than me?"

"Oh God, no! I never met anyone better than you."

"You better say that!"

She sits looking thoughtful for a while and Mike says, "Let's go get a bite to eat. Are you hungry?"

"Yep, but not for food. We're not going to waste this beautiful spot by leaving already, are we?"

"We can come back."

"Sure; a hundred times. But we're here now."

She flops on the blanket and spreads her legs. "I'll do the demonstration for you again if you like. Lie on top of me and screw me. Come on. I'll do that for you. That's it. Open the fly. Wow! We don't have to figure out how to make it hard this time. Now, lay here on top of me and put it in here.” She caresses her vulva and spreads the lips. “Not like that!” She complains.

“Oh!” She catches her breath, “Oh, I see what your doing,” she sighs, “Yes, just rub it right there. No, a little higher. THERE!” She shudders, “That's the spot! Right there for a bit. Oh! OH! Oh yes, OH MY GOD, YES!!!"

Later they drive into Hope for supper and Mike calls Marlene. "Any messages?"

"There was a cop around looking for you this afternoon."

"Same one as last time."

"No, it was Ken. Were you expecting him?"

"No, he said he'd call. Did he leave a message?"

"He asked you to call when you came in."

"Okay, anything else?"

"CPX called and said to be ready for a run on Tuesday morning early. They didn't say where to, other than Calgary."

"Right. That's it?"

"I got a message for you. I'm sorry I blew up at you this morning and said the things I did. Will you soon be home?"

"Not before nine, I don't think. I'll try to make it sooner. Love ya."

"Okay, I love you too. I'll be waiting for you."

Trudy rolls her eyes at him as he clicks off the cell phone. "What a piece of work you are, you old softy."

He drives her home and they have sex again in her driveway in the car with the top down in the dark. "I'm just making sure you don't have any left for Marlene... or that Nina either."

He drives to his home by eight thirty. When he comes in Marlene hovers over him with coffee and kisses. He calls Ken and gets the okay to send off the paperwork to ICBC. Seems the boys were busy again last night stealing a car and got caught in the act. Chalk one up for the good guys. Tonight everything is tops in Mike's world.

2ND SUNDAY

"Daddy, daddy. Wake up" Mike feels a weight on his chest and sleepily tries to get an exuberant daughter to ease up her jumping on his torso.

"I'm awake, Jan. What's all this excitement about?"

"Come on for breakfast."

"Did your mother send you up here to get me up?"

"Mommy says breakfast is ready. Come on."

"Tell your mother I'm coming right down. Okay?"

"I'll tell her."

Janet dashes out of the room and Mike looks at the clock. He groans. It’s only eight thirty and it’s Sunday morning. What ever happened to sleeping in on the weekends, he wonders. He gets a hot shower and feels better. He dons a robe and joins the family in the kitchen.

Marlene is feeding the kids and getting them around for Sunday School. "It's nice of you to join us for breakfast one day of the week, dear." She sounds sarcastic but smiles as he kisses her then pats her rump on the way to the table.

After breakfast Marlene gets the children around and by ten she loads them into the station wagon and leaves. Mike comes upstairs from his office to get coffee and notices Jeff working in his yard. He takes his coffee and wanders over.

"Morning neighbor." He greets Jeff.

"Hi Mike. Hang on, I'll get a cup and join you."

He goes into the house and soon reappears with coffee. They sit on the porch steps talking.

"Marlene take the children to church?"

"Yeah. Don't know why they had to wake me up to do it."

"She snarly this morning?"

"No, just edgy. My work takes me a long way from home a lot and she gets jealous, I guess."

"Uh, I've heard her tirade about you sleeping with half the waitresses at every truck stop."

Mike grins and says, "I guess you have!"

"You’re taking this awfully calmly... or are you boiling inside? Do you want to take a poke at me?"

Mike grins again. "I prefer my way of getting even. How is she this morning?"

A dark look comes over Jeff's face but he controls his emotions and says, "She's not too friendly with me right now."

Mike chuckles.

"You can laugh. You don't have to live with her. Don't get me wrong, I love that girl, but she can put a man through hell when she wants to. Right now I'm in the pot and she's keeping the fire burning under me."

Nina steps out on the porch in her robe and says with a big smile, "Good morning, Mike." She steps by Jeff and kisses him then turns to Jeff and says, "I thought you were working out here? Go ahead, I can keep Mike company for a while."

Mike stands and says, "Don't get me in the middle. I got enough troubles of my own. I was just leaving anyway."

Nina pouts and goes back into the house.

He looks at Jeff and says, "I see what you mean. Have fun. You know you brought this on yourself. Why did you ever start that affair with Marlene?"

"I don't know. It was a day last fall, a Friday. I was raking leaves, for some reason I was home all day. Anyway she wandered over here with a cup of coffee, just like you did this morning, and we chatted about how we never seemed to chum around together any more. She mentioned you were always away on the road and we went into the house to get her a refill and me a cup. Somehow we ended up in bed. I felt really guilty about it for a week or so, but she called me at the office and said she was lonely. I came to her and it became a habit. She's quite a woman, you know. I guess you know."

"Nina's quite a woman, too. She proves the old adage, that good things come in small packages."

"I know she is but beside her Marlene is like an Amazon. She's tough and always challenging. Nina is gentle and loving. It has been fun, I guess that's the word, maybe interesting would be a better way to describe the last month's."

“Do you plan to continue? After all, I'll be on the road again Tuesday. Nina will be working. What's to stop you if she calls?"

He looks Mike in the eyes and says, "Honestly, I don't know. With Nina giving me hell at home it will be a strong temptation. Are you planning to start something with Nina?"

"I might. I've always liked her and one taste has set me on fire, I'll admit it. With me too, I'm tempted because of the rough time I'm getting at home."

"You must have dozens of women just waiting for you on the road. Why Nina?"

"Don't believe that rumor that truck drivers have women waiting for them all over the country. I haven't found them yet. Besides, we're too busy trying to make a buck and keep the boss happy."

Just then a Matsqui Police cruiser pulls up into Mike's drive. He says to Jeff, "I'll be right back. I have to get something for Ken. Do you know Ken Dryden?"

"I don't think so."

Mike goes over and greets Ken. They go in the side door together and Mike leaves him in the kitchen while he gets the packaged jack knife he had found in the gravel pit from his office. He brings it back to Ken.

"I hope they can lift some prints off this. If they can prove one of your arsonists was on the scene where the car was burned, it'll help your case. Good luck with this one."

"Thanks, Mike. This might work. I'll let you know."

They walk back out to the cruiser together. Then Ken leaves and Mike walks back over to Jeff’s.

"Some insurance fraud business. We're trying to catch them, not do it ourselves." He grins and Jeff breaks out laughing.

Mike studies the other man for a moment then says, "I been thinking. Why don't we make the women happy and swap wives tonight. You could come over after the kids have gone to bed. I could then go to your place. If we set the alarms for about five AM, the kids won't ever know and the neighbors won't be up yet when we both go home. We won't get much sleep but the women should be easier to live with. Am I crazy? What do you think?"

"That might not be a bad idea. Let's see what Nina thinks. I'll get her."

"Hold on. Why don't we surprise them? We could set up a signal to indicate when everyone has gone to bed then get up to supposedly go to the bathroom, rush over to the other house and go back to bed. They won't even know until the fun begins. Now, how can we signal each other."

"The porch lights. We'll turn them off just as we're going to bed so when the lights are both off we can change any time. I can see your light from our bedroom. If we both strive to go to bed about the same time, it should work."

"What time do you and Nina normally go to bed?"

"Oh, around eleven."

"Yeah, I guess Marlene goes to bed around twelve. I'm not sure because I often work late in the office or I'm not home when she goes to bed. I could try to get her to bed by eleven but she may decide to stay up reading till midnight."

"Hmmmm, I could try to get Nina to stay up till eleven thirty or so then watch for your light to go out. After you turn your light out I will give you twenty minutes then I'll come over and meet you at your side door. How's that?"

"Do you know your way to our bedroom in the dark?"

"Oh yes."

"Of course you do. Marlene sleeps on the right hand side of the bed when you’re standing at the foot of it. How about Nina?"

"She sleeps on the same side. She may be asleep when you get here. Will you wake her?"

"Won't know that until I get here, will I?"

"I really don't want to know what you two will be doing. Are we doing something idiotic? What if Nina calls the cops? Shit, she works with them. Maybe it’s not such a hot idea. Do you want to call it off? Maybe we should discuss it with her first."

"Do you think Marlene will call the cops?"

"Of course not. She'll be delighted. Oops, sorry."

"You let me worry about how Nina will react. It'll be all right. You'll see. There's Marlene now. I'll see you later."

Mike goes over to where Marlene is getting out of the car. She says, "I see you talking to Jeff. You guys aren't fighting, are you?"

"No dear, just chatting about work. Want me to pick the kids up after Sunday School?"

"Can if you want." She goes into the house and Mike follows her. She busies herself putting together food for lunch. Mike goes to his office and pulls out the list of suspects in the murder case. He studies it and tentatively crosses Robert Hanson's name off. He calls Trudy with his cell phone.

"Feel like doing some leg work for me today?"

"I can think of other parts of my anatomy I would rather work for you today. What you got?"

"I need addresses on these suspects and any additional information you can dig up. Got a pen?"

"Hang on. Okay, go ahead."

"Ron Harrison, POCO Realtor, married. Got it?"

"Yep, who else?"

"Jay Scanlon, POCO cab driver, single. Okay? And Anton Vanuetche, may be under Tony Vanuetche, CPX truck driver, single. Lives in either POCO or Port Moody. Can you get away on Tuesday? I've got a run and it will probably be a two dayer. Calgary for a start."

"It may take some doing but I'll get away. Len going with us?"

"I imagine so."

"Okay. I will let you have what I've got then on your suspects. See ya. Behave."

Mike studies the list and puts it away. He goes to get the children from Sunday school. On the way home he's shadowed by another black car with two men in it. He drives downtown and out through Clearbrook then back on the freeway and back into town. They grow tired of following him and he heads for home. He thinks, "Damn, I shouldn't have used that cell phone to call Trudy. Now they know I have their suspects list." He only used it so Marlene wouldn't see any calls to her on the phone bill.

As they come in Janet is bubbling over to tell her mother something. "Daddy took us for a nice long ride around town and out the freeway."

"You better not be taking those kids to visit your floosies. Come on now, let's get those good clothes changed." She hustles the kids away to their bedrooms. Mike goes to the front window and studies the street. He spots the car about a block away with a single occupant. He goes back to the kitchen and gets a cup of coffee. He takes it to his office. He opens his briefcase and removes the RCMP files. He tips his office chair back and places his hand flat against the underside of the seat. He twists his wrist savagely and the seat bottom panel moves a fraction of an inch. He twists again and finally works it free. As he manipulates the panel of metal and frees it from the cross supports, a cavity is revealed. He places the files in the hole and fit’s the panel back in place. He has to work with it a bit before finally being satisfied that it wouldn’t move any more. He rights the chair and sits down in it.

Next he takes the list of suspects and copies it into his computer. Then he makes a copy and puts it into his briefcase. The copy on RCMP letterhead he burns in the wastebasket as he opens a window. He mixes up the ashes so they never can be put back together then replaces the garbage that was in the can. Out his high window he looks at ground level and sees his neighbors coming home from church. All is peaceful. He closes the window and goes back upstairs with his coffee.

Marlene has lunch on. The family sits down to eat. Marlene comments, "It smells like the neighbors are burning trash. Why do they always do that on Sunday?"

"I don't know, dear. Did you want me to burn some of yours?"

"Heavens, no! That will just add to the pollution. Put it out to the curb in the morning."

After lunch he takes the kids out to the airport to watch the planes coming and going, while he jogs for half an hour. They come home and Marlene is lying down, so he asks them to do something quiet so she can rest. Rick wants to go play with a friend and the girls decide to draw and color. Mike goes back to the front window to check on his shadow. He can't see any vehicles that might be police so he goes back and lies down on the couch. He drops off to sleep.