Electric Dreams

"Not yet. Well, I could try and finish this novel, but I like the idea of finding some guy to fill my days much better."

Bill loved the fact that the very serious, very pregnant, and very unmarried Karin Baker - who literally fell into his arms almost twenty years ago - had found her sense of humor. She gave as good as she got. But Bill knew exactly how to parry Karin's wit. "I have just the man for the job. Tomorrow, I'm going into the office and give my two-weeks' notice. Then, you and I will spend our days in bed."

Karin was still on Bill's lap kissing passionately when Anthony walked into the den with one of his teammates. The two high school juniors instantly wheeled around and went toward the kitchen. Bill and Karin heard Anthony's friend ask Anthony. "Are they always like that? Every time I see your parents, they're hanging all over each other."

Anthony answered, loud enough for his parents to hear. "Yea, always. It's embarrassing!" But Bill and Karin knew he wasn't serious. Anthony often told his parents how happy he was to be part of such a warm, loving family.

$$$$$ -----$$$$$

The next day, Monday, Sal Coppolini was standing at the receptionist desk of the Montgomery & Sons Insurance Agency. It wasn't difficult to find which agency had sold Derek his life insurance policy, the Miller family had been using the same agency for three generations. The elder Mrs. Miller was able to give Sal the name, number, and address within seconds of his asking. Sal did his best to sidestep when Mrs. Miller asked why; Sal said he was following up for Zoe. He hated to lie, but it was better than causing Mrs. Miller concern. And he wasn't about to tell her about the toilet flush.

Sal was shown into Larry Montgomery's office after waiting less than five minutes. After a few short courtesies, Sal came right to the point. "I understand there's a significant policy that will pay out to Derek Miller's widow, Zoe. I have some concerns related to Derek's death and I wonder if the insurance company is interested in my concerns."

"Have you talked to the police?"

"Not yet, everything I have is all conjecture. Nothing to change the police opinion and reopen the investigation. I'm talking to you to ask if the insurance company has any interest."

Larry Montgomery looked at a file on his desk before answering. "Not really; I'm afraid the company isn't willing to spend money investigating this if the police are convinced it was an accidental death. Why, do you believe it wasn't an accident?"

"I don't know. Just a few things don't add up for me. If I paid for the investigation out of my own pocket; do you have someone you can refer me to?"

"I don't know if I've ever heard of something like this before. Why would you spend your own money?"

"Because if Derek was killed, I wouldn't want the killer to be rewarded."

Montgomery was shocked by Sal's statement. The Miller family were long-time clients, going back to when his grandfather started the agency. He looked in the file once again.

"I have a name of a private investigator who does research for us. My understanding is she is very good, had her own detective agency in New York after leaving the NYPD. I'll call her and give her your contact information. If she's interested, I'll let her see the file. If she's concerned after talking to you and reading the file, I'll do my best to hold the payout."

Montgomery sat back in his chair and decided to continue; for some reason he trusted Sal.

"I know you said you'd foot the bill, but there's something else to consider here. If you're right and this wasn't an accident, the insurance company will be saving a bundle and you'll recover ten percent. That would probably offset any of your expenses."

Sal was confused. "Wouldn't the insurance company have to still pay the policy's secondary beneficiary?"

"Yes, but they'd only pay the policy amount, not the double indemnity because right now the police ruling is that an accident caused death."

"You mean Zoe Miller stands to collect two-million, not just one?"

"Yes."

"Please ask your detective to call me." Sal left the office shaking his head.

One hour later, Sal answered his phone. Karin Roland introduced herself and, given the time-sensitive nature of the issue, agreed to meet that afternoon in the lobby of the Benson Hotel, where Sal was staying.

Karin didn't want to get too ahead of herself, but as she drove downtown to meet Coppolini, she couldn't believe her good-fortune. Just yesterday she was complaining that she needed something she could sink her teeth into, and today she gets a phone call.

Karin stopped on the way to get the file from Larry Montgomery, and the insurance company's backing if needed to review the police reports. Now she needed a reason to doubt this was anything but an accident.

Sal and Karin formally introduced themselves in person and after spending a minute of two on pleasantries, immediately got down to the nature of the meeting. Sal told Karin first-hand why he had doubts and Karin asked questions. Answering Karin's questions, Sal understood why it was important to hire professionals. Karin pulled out her phone and dialed a number. Sal heard one side of the conversation.

"Glenn, this is Karin Roland. How have you been?"

Karin laughed at something 'Glenn' said. "The family's good Glenn, thanks for asking. Glenn, I need a huge favor. There was a death recently, a Derek Miller died by electrocution in his hot tub. It looks accidental, but the mother and a close family friend think it's suspicious and the insurance company has asked me to have a quick look into it. Do you think you could introduce me to whomever has the case?"

"Thanks Glenn. I promise not to be a thorn in anybody's side. I can be there tomorrow morning if you're both available."

"See you then. Please tell Helen I said hello and give her my love. Bye"

Karin looked up from her notes. "Captain Hutchins and I were on a national task force together after 9-11. He'll introduce me to the detective that's handling the case. If all goes well, we'll have someone inside that can help us."

Karin produced a contract for Sal to sign. Sal read through it, didn't haggle the price tag, and signed. There would be an additional set of contracts to sign; Sal had convinced Derek's mother to be the official client with Sal paying the bills. Mrs. Miller was reluctant; but agreed to Sal's proposal as well as keeping the entire arrangement confidential for now. It was another testament to the two boys' friendship that Derek's mother trusted Sal more than Zoe.

$$$$$ -----$$$$$

Captain Glenn Hutchins of Portland P.D.'s anti-terror group met Karin in the lobby and brought Karin to meet Detective Jack Turner. Turner already knew why Karin was there.

"In a perfect world, I could spend hundreds of hours working on a case that has every indication of being an accident when I have a hunch it's not as it seems. Unfortunately, I don't live or work in that perfect world."

Karin knew Detective Turner wasn't making excuses, he was just voicing the frustration of every decent cop everywhere. Working within the constraints of time, money, Miranda warnings, etc. meant not every crime is solved and some criminals get away with murder. That's why movies such as 'Death Wish' with avenging vigilantes are so popular with the public.

"I live in a more perfect world, Detective. Thanks to Mr. Coppolini's money, I can spend as much time as needed to concentrate on this one case. If I promise to share anything I turn up with you, can we cooperate?"

"Captain Hutchins says you're good people and were a great cop. If you promise not to break any laws, we have a deal." Turner put out his hand to shake on it.

Karin understood this was a significant breakthrough and would go a long way in helping her work the case. She took his hand before agreeing. "Maybe bend a little, without breaking. All right?"

"Goes without saying. Can I ask, why'd you quit NYPD? You're too young to retire."

Karin lifted her pant leg to show the prosthetic. "Shotgun took off everything below the knee. I had a choice of desk job or disability. Didn't want to spend fifteen years shuffling papers, so I ended up opening an agency. I still get to put away bad guys every now and then."

"Damn - sorry."

"Happened over ten years ago. I've had a lot of time to get over it. Helps I have a great family. On the scale of things, I have a great life."

Turner couldn't help but wonder why he never met anyone like Roland. He was in the middle of negotiating his second divorce. He was looking at years of maintenance and child support payments; but worse of all, becoming a part-time father to his two children and he still loved his wife.

So many men or women think they can handle being married to a police officer, only to find after a few years that it's a tough life and change their minds. He knew his current wife, Anne, loved him; she just couldn't help but worry every day he left the house. It didn't help when, during a recent wedding reception of another officer, one of the other detectives in the squad got drunk and started to relate all the death threats the squad received from local extremist groups. Anne got violently sick that night and a week later, told Turner she couldn't take it any longer. To make matters worse; she was six months pregnant with their second child and he loved her more than anything.

Turner pulled out the Derek Miller file. "Let's go into the conference room, I'd rather do this without anyone overhearing."

Karin was looking through the crime scene photos. "There's a window overlooking the deck from the neighbor's house and it looks as if someone is in the window. Did you talk to the neighbor?"

"We tried. The owner, a Gail Jones, said it's her daughter's room. The daughter is fifteen and Ms. Jones said her daughter didn't see anything and wouldn't let us talk to the daughter without her present. The daughter confirmed what her mom told us."

"OK if I try?"

"Go ahead. Fair warning though; the police are not Ms. Jones favorite people; her brother is downstate doing three years for possession and receiving stolen goods."

Karin jotted down the names of mother and daughter, then started reading Detective Turner's notes. It only took twenty minutes to draw the same conclusion as Turner. "I can see why they closed the case. Nothing here would point to anything but a tragic accident. Yet, it's all too pat, too convenient."

"I agree, but like I said; we're backed up. Half the squad has been reassigned to patrol because the department is having a bear of a time filling in for all the retirements. Recruits are barely dribbling in. Things are going to fall through the cracks. Four or five years ago, I'd have the Department's backing to pursue this. Not now."

"So, you're okay with me doing the legwork?"

As soon as Karin said the word 'leg', she noticed the subtle glance down to her leg by Turner, then his eyes popped up quickly. He tried to recover. "I'd be a fool to stop you. Have at it - with my blessing and support."

Karin looked at Turner. "Do you know how much I miss wearing the badge and being part of it?"

Turner smiled. "Yea, but sometimes I wonder why I'm still banging my head against the wall."

They both laughed. Karin shook his hand and left the conference room. On the way out, she stopped at Captain Hutchins' desk, thanked him and left a good word on how cooperative Detective Turner had been. When she left the building and walked down the steps, she stopped, turned around, and felt a wave of regret.

Karin's next stop was the elder Miller residence. Sal had called ahead and Mrs. Miller was waiting for her. Karin couldn't help but smile as Derek's mother opened the door. The elder Miller widow wasn't an old grey-headed woman in a granny dress, but a fifty-plus brunette wearing a pressed blouse and business-suit styled slacks. Still, there was a look of haunting in her eyes; here was a woman who had lost her husband and son before reaching sixty. Karin thought back to Bill's fight against cancer and how close she came to losing him; once again she understood how she lived a charmed life.

They sat in the living room, a pot of coffee and a small plate of cookies on the table. Mrs. Miller opened up.

"Look, I know I might come off as some bitchy mother-in-law here; but something was wrong in Derek's marriage. Derek and I were close; for almost a half a year he shared how difficult it was living with Zoe. All the nasty things she said to him; how she ignored him. He thought she was having an affair and hired a detective to follow her. About the same time, puff - just like magic - Zoe's the loving wife again. I think she caught on that she was being followed and stopped seeing whoever she was seeing."

Karin took notes and talked to Mrs. Miller before it was time to leave. Mrs. Miller was in tears and Karin did her best to calm her down before she left. Mrs. Miller suddenly remembered something.

"I saved the last message Derek left on my answering machine from that Saturday afternoon." Karin followed Mrs. Miller into the kitchen where the answering machine was sitting on the counter. Mrs. Miller pressed play and Derek's voice came on.

"Hi Mom. Zoe and I are looking forward to having you over for dinner tomorrow. You called earlier while I was out back and asked if you could bring anything. Why not bring a jar of your homemade salsa. Thanks Mom - love you."

Mrs. Miller was in tears as she played the message. "I can't believe I missed his last call. I was in the shower. I'll never erase this."

Listening to the recording gave Karin an idea. "Mrs. Miller, I'd like to make a copy of Derek's message. I promise not to harm it in any way."

Mrs. Miller agreed, but only after getting Karin's repeated assurance that she'd get it back.

Karin discreetly interviewed Derek's friends and co-workers. Everyone shared the same opinion. For approximately six months, Derek Miller was depressed and although he tried to play it down, his marriage seemed to be headed for the shit-can. Then, two months prior to his death, everything was all right in the Miller household.

It took some doing, but Karin was able to interview three of Zoe's co-workers. Lisa Pryce's comments were typical.

"I don't want to sound like a gossip." Lisa said this in a way that Karin understood it was exactly how Lisa would sound, "There was speculation Zoe and Paul Roberts were having an affair. If you gave one-hundred-to-one odds on Zoe and Derek's marriage lasting the year, you wouldn't have gotten any takers. Then, a few months ago, nothing. Everyone figured Roberts dumped her when she didn't leave Derek. Now, it's back to kissy-face between the two. The widow wasn't mourning very long."

So far, nothing but rumor and innuendo. But it was all stacking up against Zoe Miller; painting a vastly different picture from the crying, grieving widow seen at the funeral service. Plus, now Karin had a name of Zoe's supposed lover. Within the hour she had an address for Paul Roberts and was heading over to take a look around.

$$$$$ -----$$$$$

While Karin spent her first week interviewing friends and co-workers, Zoe and Paul spent their evenings in the Miller home, specifically in the bed Zoe once shared with Derek. They were more open in their get-togethers since Detective Turner had confirmed the investigation was over and Derek's death was ruled an accident. Paul was getting impatient; it was one thing to spend lunches and a few hours on Saturday afternoons with Zoe, another to spend every non-waking hour with the bitch. Ever since the funeral, the bitch was needy and clingy. Paul had to keep reminding himself of the pot of gold at the end of this cluster-fuck.

Paul couldn't afford to let Zoe out of his sight. Crap - there were already a flock of vultures hovering around Zoe now that she's getting a million dollar payout. Where did all these assholes come from? It pissed Paul off; he'd done all the set-up and dirty work and now there were two or three guys calling Zoe, asking what they could do to help.

For her part, now that Paul was spending almost every night in her bed, Zoe was starting to wonder why she ever considered Paul's lovemaking better than Derek's. When she had to sneak away to spend a few hours in Paul's bed, it all seemed so naughty and erotic. Paul would do things to her that Derek never dreamed of doing. She was beginning to realize that a major part of the allure, the reason she came so hard with Paul, was the act of putting one over on Derek. After all, wasn't it Derek that wanted that damn house? Wasn't it?

Even though Zoe was having to fake her orgasms more often, Paul wasn't having any troubles in that department. For the first time in years, he was getting laid on a regular basis and he took advantage of it. Too bad he was getting tired of her.

As they lay in bed after another quick doggy fuck, Paul couldn't hold back any longer. "When is the insurance check coming?"

Zoe had been avoiding the subject, but since he asked. "There's some hang up according to the insurance company. They've had someone sniffing around asking questions. Did you know a woman has talked to our co-workers?"

"So what? Didn't the cops close the case and call Derek's death an accident?"

"Yea, that's what the detective said. Maybe we should hire a lawyer to make the insurance company pay."

Paul didn't like the idea of getting more people involved. "That's just going to cost more money. Let's wait another week and see what happens." Paul knew the best way to end any discussion was to keep Zoe's mouth busy. He placed his hand on the back of her head and pushed her down to his lap. Zoe took the hint and opened her mouth; Paul's cock started to harden, but Zoe took little delight in hearing Paul's moans of pleasure.

$$$$$ -----$$$$$

Saturday mid-morning, Karin was knocking on Gail Jones' door. The woman who answered didn't seem too friendly. Karin presented her card and quickly attempted to defuse the situation.

"Mrs. Jones, I'm not with the police. I'm a private investigator hired by the mother of your deceased neighbor. She has concerns related to the death of her son and has asked me to look into it. I would appreciate a few moments of your time to clear up some questions that have been bothering Mrs. Miller."

Sometimes it's all in the way you present it. The woman's face lost its severity and as she looked at the card in her hand, Mrs. Jones made the decision to answer this detective's questions; if only to help another mother ease her pain.

"Come in Ms. Roland. Would you like a cup of coffee or a soft drink?"

"A cup of coffee would be nice. Black, please."

The two women walked toward the kitchen table. On the way, Karin noticed the framed photo on the mantel.

"Does your daughter run track?"

Mrs. Jones picked up the photo of her daughter in her track suit and looked at it with proud eyes. "Yes, Sharone took second in State in the four-forty as a sophomore last Spring." She handed the framed photo to Karin. "We're hoping this will be her ticket to college. The coaches told us there's already some interest by a few schools."

"My daughter Hannah is on the U of Oregon track team. She's a freshman. She runs the eight-eighty and the sixteen-hundred."

Mrs. Jones took the picture from Karin and placed it back on the mantel. "Isn't it wonderful when they find something they're really good at? Sharone's grades have improved ever since she found success running. She's over a three-six grade point average."

"That will help when the schools come offering scholarships. It helped Hannah get into Oregon, her first choice."

The two women sat at the table and established that they should call each other by their first names. Gail poured the coffee and Karin got to it.