CHAPTER VII: LT BRANTFORD

Joey, Ryan and I finished dinner and they both helped me clean up as usual, and then we went into the tv room but I couldn't stop fidgeting. This thing with Ryan was getting to me as these things usually do. Grrr. Before too long Ryan went back up to his room and as I watched him go, I felt so bad for him. He was taking all this really hard and I kept wondering if he really understood what all was at stake.

I turned to Joey.
"Honey, I'm gonna call Jonathan."
"Ok," he said and I saw that look of concern he gets when he starts to worry about me. I see that look a LOT. LOL.

Jonathan answered on the first ring.

"Police Dept. Lt. Sanders speaking."
"Hey Jonathan."
"Hey Dylan, what's up?"
"I wanted to see if you were there. I need to talk to you."
"Yeh. Ok, I'm here so c'mon."

I told Joey I was going to the station, and he got up to follow. Works for me.

We arrived at the station and found Jonathan working one of the crossword puzzles he has become so addicted to. It's not exactly a bustling hotbed of crime around here most of the time and actually gets pretty boring I would imagine.

"Hey you two," he smiled as we walked up to his desk.
"Hey you one."
"So what's up?"
I told him about our day and our talk with Jimmy.
"Do you know if Lt. Brantford knows about Lucille Williams son, Doug?"
"Why don't you ask him yourself. He is in his office."
"Ok."

Johnathan got up and led us down a hallway to the detective's office and ushered us in and after introducing us disappeared.

"So, what can I do for you guys?"
"I am wondering if you know about Lucille Williams son, Doug."
"Didn't know she had one."
"She had a daughter too, but she was killed in a car accident several years ago. The son seems to be a miscreant and as far as we know lives out west somewhere."

"He I assume will be the heir then," the Lt said.
"That seems logical," Joey added.
"Between you and me," the Lt. said, "Nobody seems too eager to talk to me. I've been out to that neighborhood but people are pretty closed up. Nice, but...not willing to say much.

I'll be honest with you. I'm not liked around here and I don't know why but I am running into nothing but stone walls. Gotta tell yah. It's frustrating as hell."
"We want to help. Ryan is a friend of ours and we KNOW he could never have done something like this. He just isn't capable of it, if you know what I mean," I said.

"Yeh, my feeling as well. No offense but he seems to be none too bright."
To be honest I felt a twinge of anger at his comment. I KNOW Ryan is a bit slow but it just didn't sound right coming from this guy who doesn't know Ryan. Doesn't know the kind of person he is. How kind and sweet. But I caught myself from saying what I felt like telling him. Instead I just tried to explain.

"He is just a bit naive and a little slow. He gets there, just takes him a bit longer."

Lt. Brantford seemed to accept that. Mellowed my sudden mood from 'toss him over the cliff and be done with him" to "ok, one more chance but don't blow it this time."

I have to admit. I had never met Lt. Brantford (first name Stephen as Jonathan later told me), but from what little I had heard I was expecting a loudmouth asshole jerk. Well, I was suddenly struck that he didn't seem like that at all, but then...the night was young yet.

I went on to tell him about our conversation with Jimmy and he seemed surprised.

"Really. I talked to him too and got NOTHING out of him," which surprised me.

"Any chance I can get you guys to help me out on this one?
I could sure use the assistance."
I considered that for about 2 seconds.
"Sure. No problem."

"I will put out an APB on the son but with a name like Doug Williams and no known address...God only knows what that will do."

I nodded.
"Maybe there will be something at the Williams house to give you more info on his whereabouts. Might wanna check Western Union and Moneygram to see if she transmitted any money to him in recent weeks.

Maybe, just a hunch but...maybe you might check airlines and Amtrac and bus lines to see if a Doug Williams has bought any tickets to here from out west."
"Thanks guys. Good ideas," he said. I will check on all of that."

It was a start. Small but a start.
Now, let me clue you in on what I found out from Jonathan about our Mr. Lt. Stephen Brantford, after I promised him my first born...and we both knew that might take a while. LOL.

He came here from Pennsylvania, and a several year career there in law enforcement...and from what Jonathan knew, there had been some interpersonal relationship problems there. Seems he wasn't well liked where he had been either. Before that he had spent a couple years in Maine in a small city, Lewiston he thought...where he felt underused and under appreciated I gathered so he went to Philadelphia.

Jonathan didn't have any details as to what specifically happened to cause him to leave his last post, or what had made them want to hire him here...but Jonathan said in all honesty he seemed thorough and a good investigator given the tools and latitude to do the job.

At that point I decided I would see how things went and not make any snap judgements which is my usual modus operandi. Better to decide for myself rather than listen to other peoples opinions. They might be wrong and frequently are. It's a matter of interpretation, often. Some people like some circumstances may seem to be the same but can be viewed very differently by different people.

I like to make up my own mind and so I would. Joey always defers to me in this stuff and he was ok to see how it all played out. That left us free to concentrate on the situation at hand, namely the murder of Ryan's landlady Lucille Williams.

We left Jonathan playing solitaire and trying to look busy, which always makes me laugh, and headed home to watch a movie or two and snuggle and...think.

This was going to be a messy before all was said and done I had a feeling...and I would be proved to be right.


                                           CONTINUE VIII - CLICK HERE