At 7:00a.m. the next morning, the
landlord at Damien Tyler’s apartment building let Nik and Dwayne into the
murder victim’s apartment after showing him the warrant. The two cops saw
immediately that Tyler apparently did not spend a lot of time there. It was a
studio, with a small kitchen, and a living room that doubled as a bedroom, with
a couch that looked as though it was also used as the bed. There were no papers
or junk on the floor. There was a 13” television VCR combo on a stand opposite
the couch. A telephone was on the kitchen counter. To round it all off, there
was a dresser with a laptop computer sitting on top of it.
Dwayne took a few minutes to look over the place, then shook his head.
“So much for a lead. There’s nothing here to signify a life.”
Nik shrugged. “Makes sense to me, if he was an assassin.”
“I don’t follow.”
“These people move on a lot, and often have to change their home bases,
such as they are.” Nik turned to the landlord, a short, hunched-over man in at
least his early seventies. “How long had he been here?”
“Less than a month.”
“And how long of a lease did he sign?”
“I go on a month-by-month.”
Nik chuckled. “Not a place where a lot of kids grow up, huh?”
“Not really. I take cash only.”
Nik nodded. “That fits.”
Dwayne shook his head. “I don’t get it.”
“See, back when I was a bounty hunter, I sometimes tracked these kinds
of assholes down. They like to find places to hole up that don’t require credit
checks. Credit checks can be traced, and these people don’t want to be traced.”
The landlord shook his head. “You said he was an assassin?”
Nik grinned. “Yeah.”
“Is he gonna come after me?”
“Not unless you have a contract out on you.”
“I don’t think I do, can’t be sure nowadays.”
“If you did, you’d be dead.”
Dwayne walked around the small apartment some more, then rested his eyes
on the computer. “You think anything’s on there?”
“Turn it on and see.”
While Dwayne played with the laptop for a few minutes, Nik dismissed the
landlord, saying they’d find their way out. He then walked around the apartment
a bit more, but not exactly at the things Dwayne had found. It was true that
Damien Tyler kept the apartment sparsely furnished. Of course, there wasn’t
that much room for furnishings. However, there did seem to be room for
something in the upper corner of the ceiling, near the front door.
A black, slightly shiny orb had been placed there. A camera! Nik looked
at Dwayne, who had finally accessed the computer. “Smile!”
Dwayne looked up. “Why?”
“You’re on Candid Camera.”
Dwayne finally noticed the camera and smiled. “Who’s on the other end?”
Almost on cue, the phone rang. Nik shrugged. “The phone company doesn’t
know he’s dead yet, I’m sure.” He went over and picked it up. “Hello?”
A deep, stern voice replied. “I am on the other end.”
“So there’s a microphone in here, too?”
“Of course.
Nik smiled. The dead end didn’t seem so dead anymore. “You a friend of
Mr. Tyler’s?”
There was a low chuckle. “You learned his real name, very good. Most
would have not looked beyond DeBartolo.”
“You know us Reno police, we’re on top. So, who are you?”
“My name isn’t important.”
“Fine, shitbrain. I’ll just call you whatever comes to mind.”
A pause. “No need for you to be unpleasant, detective.”
“I’m not being unpleasant, fuckbird. I just like to know who I’m talking
to.”
“A friend of Mr. Tyler’s, with a question.”
“And that is?”
“Why are the police searching his apartment?”
“The donut shop is closed, that’s why!”
“Please, I need to know.”
“Why?”
“Because I was…entrusted with his life, so to speak.”
“Speak in English.”
Another pause. “Damien was afraid that someone was after him.”
“Turns out he was right.”
“Yes. Whatever he had that you might want, I have it.”
Nik nodded, knowing that already. “You don’t say. And why would your
buddy entrust all this to you?”
“I was his friend, his only friend. Are you looking to solve his
murder?”
“The thought had struck me and my partner.”
“Why?”
“Because the fucking donut shop is closed, and we’re bored to death!”
The voice cleared itself. “I never thought the police would come there.
I expected the other visitor, though.”
“And who was that?”
“Mr. Ted Clayton.”
Nik turned to look at Dwayne. So the kid was onto something after all!
“The lawyer?”
“Correct.”
“Did he find anything?”
“No, he didn’t. He even pored over that laptop like an idiot for hours,
found nothing, as there is nothing to find.”
Nik said, “Hold on,” then looked at Dwayne. “Put that thing down before
you become an idiot!”
Dwayne’s eyes narrowed. “What?”
“Never mind.” Nik turned back to the phone. “So, you have information
that could help us solve Damien Tyler’s murder?”
“Perhaps.”
“Will you give it to us?”
“It
does me no good to keep it.”
“Are you in town?”
“No, I am in San Francisco.”
“That camera is feeding you our pics from that much of a distance?”
“Technology is three steps ahead of mankind.”
“I see. And why is this place wired for picture and sound?”
“Like I said, he entrusted me with his protection, and now I am looking
after his interests.”
“You don’t say! Let’s get back to what you have.”
“This data I am in possession of is too good to waste. It goes beyond
what you think is a simple murder.”
“Meaning?”
“You will have to see.”
“Bullshit. I know this game.”
A slight pause, then a sigh. “What game would you refer to?”
“The kind where you offer something big, then demand a lot of money, and
the big thing turns out to be horseshit.”
A chuckle. “Money is certainly part of the bargain. I don’t know how big
the information is, but from what I’ve seen of it, there’s a cover-up of more
than one crime.”
Nik looked at the receiver for a moment, not sure whether to continue
this or not. Only the mention of Ted Clayton had kept him on the line this
long. “I need to hear more before I hang up.”
“Very well. Part of the documentation is a curious phrase on a faded
piece of paper.”
“Yeah?”
“Project Stalk.”
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