36- Schneider's P.I.

"Mazurka!" Hakan shouted as he jogged towards him. "The warrant just came through. We can contact the company who owns the nanny cam and force them to hand over all of the footage."

"That's great news. Now to figure out who owns it."

"I may be able to help with that," Diederik remarked as he approached Mazurka who was standing on the front stoop of the house.

"We'd be grateful for the cooperation," Hakan said with a polite smile.

"Indeed, but regardless of my personal views on any matter, client attorney privilege will always take precedents."

"We understand your position, but you said you may be able to help us, how so?"

"Mrs. Schneider hired a private investigator to find proof of her husband's infidelity. Considering that everything you see came from her substantial inheritance, Mr. Schneider was about to lose everything given the prenuptial agreement. Detectives, Makayla wasn't just a client to me, she was also a dear friend. I urged her to be careful. I only wish she had listened," he explained as he held out a file to Hakan. "She was also the one who paid my retainer."

Hakan took the file and opened it up as Mazurka asked, "Do you know where Mr. Schneider is now?"

"If only I knew. A bit strange he isn't here at the moment, wouldn't you say, Detective?" he replied as he walked away.

"Well, this is certainly helpful," Hakan remarked as he closed up the file. "It's a copy of the prenup and the contract with the private investigator. My bet is on the husband hiring whoever tossed the place."

"I agree, but I have a feeling she was dead before they even arrived."

"We won't know that for certain unless the camera managed to record what happened."

"Care to do the honors?" Mazurka asked as Hakan pulled out his phone. "It's almost three. Here's hoping Toyo Ishida is in his office."

Hakan made the call while Mazurka headed back towards his car to retrieve a bottle of water from the back seat, the last remains of the case Quayleigh had been kind enough to donate to the officers. He quickly shook her out of his mind as he cracked open the bottle and took a long drink. He had barely finished half when he spotted Harlowe pulling up the drive.

"I managed to get through to Mr. Ishida. He said he will have the footage ready for us when we arrived," Hakan remarked as he approached the side of the car.

"Where's his office?"

"In the downtown, corner of 16th and Fordawsen."

"I'll drive if you don't mind waiting a few minutes," he said as he watched Harlowe park the car nearby and get out.

"Is that your partner heading this way?"

"Sure is."

"Mazurka, was it one of ours?" Harlowe said as he approached Mazurka's car.

"Yeah, but there's a complication," he replied motioning to Hakan. "This is Detective Hakan Kavak, he's in charge of the crime scene."

"Detective Kavak, I'm Detective Renford Harlowe, head of the special task force. What exactly is this complication?"

"There seems to have been more going on than just a murder here. I've no problem with sharing everything we learn with your task force, but I would like to request that Detective Mazurka continues to be our primary contact."

"Sure, you can borrow him for a few days, as long as you send him back in the same condition. I've got my hands full enough with the profilers your chief assigned," Harlowe complained as he looked back at his car to make sure she hadn't gotten out and followed him.

"How'd your meeting at the MET go?"

"It went, and now I'm in need of that clerk of yours."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I managed to get special access to the archives, but I need someone that isn't connected to the MET, who will be able to read the books, and that we can keep a close eye on."

"No, absolutely not! I swore I'd protect her identity and now you want to just walk her into the MET? Do you honestly think she's going to trust me if you even try to do that?"

"Don't worry so much Yechi. I promise to tell her I figured it out all on my own. You should give her a call and let her know I'm coming though."

"She's at work by now," he replied as he looked down at the bottle in his hand. "It's a big mistake Harlowe. We shouldn't get her involved any further."

"Perhaps not, but we don't have any other choices that are coming to mind. We need someone we can trust, and she's close to your friend. Close enough that you can keep an eye on her."

"I hate to interrupt, but we need to get going," Hakan interjected as he opened the passenger door of Mazurka's car and leaned against the roof.

"Where are you heading?"

"To a private investigators office in the downtown. We may have more video footage to analyze, and hopefully it's better quality than the last. Now please, I'm asking as your partner, find someone else to throw to those wolves. Quayleigh doesn't deserve it."

Harlowe took a tight grip on Mazurka's upper arm as he went to walk by, "Listen here, I've already paid for this privilege. Need I remind you there's a killer out there we need to stop? If anything, she should be grateful for this opportunity."

Mazurka stiffened; he knew Harlowe was going to drag her into this regardless. He was already certain of Dylan's involvement and had made it clear that he suspected Quayleigh was involved too. Harlowe was planning something, Mazurka could sense it, but he had no idea what it could be.

"Have the footage sent to Skye, then finish up for the evening. I don't want you to be late for your guy's night out." Harlowe smirked as he patted Mazurka on the shoulder and walked away.

"What was that about?" Hakan asked as Mazurka joined him in the car.

"I've no idea. I've never seen him act that way before."

It took nearly a half hour in the cross-city traffic to reach their destination, an older brick faced, low-rise office building on the corner of 16th and Fordawsen street, suite 202. Taking the stairs to the second floor, they made their way to the office of Toyo Ishida, Private Investigator and went inside.

"And how may I help you gentlemen?"

They were greeted by a buxom blonde who had stopped what she was doing the moment they arrived.

"I'm Detective Hakan Kavak, and this is my associate Detective Mazurka, we spoke on the phone not too long ago. Is Mr. Ishida still in?"

"Indeed, he is, right this way," she said as she stood up and moved over to the closed door next to her desk. Knocking once she opened the door and stepped inside, "Ishida, the detectives are here to see you."

"Come in, come in. Can I get you a coffee or water?"

"Coffee sounds good," Mazurka spoke up first.

"Make that two," Hakan added.

"Dolly, bring us some coffees," Ishida said as he motioned to the couch over against the wall across from a coffee table and a set of cushioned chairs. "You mentioned you had a warrant?"

"I did. I emailed a copy about a half hour ago," Hakan replied as he sat down on the opposite end of the couch from Mazurka.

Sitting behind his desk, Mazurka watched Ishida as he moved his mouse and typed at an expedient pace. "Ah, yes, here it is. Which means this," he opened the top drawer of his desk and pulled out a USB flash drive, "is for you."

"Did you watch the footage?" Mazurka asked as Ishida came around his desk and sat down in one of the two cushioned chairs.

"No. I downloaded the files recorded by the cam since it's instillation five weeks ago. I haven't had the chance to go over any of the footage from the last five days, and the previous footage wasn't all that interesting," he explained as he handed the drive to Hakan. "If Mr. Schneider is having an affair, he isn't having it at the house. And I assure you, Makayla is fully aware of the cam's installation. I have a copy of the contract giving me permission to record in her home, including the master bedroom. We also adhere to a strict level of confidentiality. Nothing we record leaves our servers without the proper warrants. So, you can tell Mr. Schneider that trying to take me to court is a giant waste of time. There's nothing illegal about what's happened here, and Makayla is fully within her rights to maintain a copy of the video I've given you."

"Mr. Ishida, we aren't here because of Mr. Schneider. We're here because your client was found dead in her home this morning," Hakan explained as he pocketed the drive just as Dolly returned with a tray of coffee, a bottle of creamer and bowl of sugar, setting onto the coffee table.

"Well shit, I just assumed Mr. Schneider discovered the cam and called the police. It's not the first time it's happened. Dolly, pull Makayla Schneider's file for me."

"Will do," she replied as she left the office and closed the door.

"Dammit," Ishida sighed, "I knew he was starting to unravel, but to go this far? Makayla was no saint, but she deserved better than Dennis. He was good at keeping his affairs secret, but the money doesn't lie." He paused as Dolly returned handing him a hefty looking file. "Bank records, secret accounts and credit cards, and phone records, the most recent being from yesterday. The only thing I couldn't get was photographic evidence. He's smart about how he does things. If he's responsible for her death in any way, I hope this helps."

"We appreciate your cooperation," Hakan said as Ishida set the file onto the table.

"Well, maybe it can serve a larger purpose. Not as if Makayla has any use for it now."

"Mr. Ishida, was there any indication that Dennis had connections with practitioners or the MET?" Mazurka asked as he finished fixing his coffee.

"No, not that I saw any proof of. He spent most of his time at the golf resorts and country clubs in Center Hills and Wahlborn Grove. He was a nobody living off of his wife's fortune, pretending to be a somebody. Almost every credit card he has is maxed out, and his private accounts have almost nothing in them until the end of the month. But what he manages to syphon out of the main account is gone is a matter of days. At least half is taken in cash, and the rest goes to pay for the rentals, rooms, credit card payments, lease payments, and the Yacht he's been hiding for over a year."

"How much are you talking a month?"

"Thirty thousand. Three sperate accounts, three aliases, ten thousand a piece. What he does with the cash is anyone's guess, but I doubt it's going towards magic supplies. He's university educated with a business degree, and despite his bullshit, he was the one who made the vineyard profitable."

"Any idea where he might be now?"

"On his yacht I imagine. Makayla threw him out of the house three days ago. She told me she wanted the camera left on incase he came back."

"Thank you for your time, and the coffee," Mazurka remarked as he set down his empty mug.

"Well, if you need anything else, you know how to contact me," Ishida replied as Hakan downed what was left in his mug.

Picking up the file, Mazurka thanked him once again, and then he and Hakan left the office and made their way back to the car. Once inside, Mazurka handed Hakan the file, and Hakan handed over the flash drive.

"Do you mind dropping me off at my precinct?"

"Isn't your car back at the crime scene?"

"No, I actually got a ride with one of the sergeants. My partner retired about seven months ago. I haven't been reassigned yet."

"You should consider joining the task force for a while, and I can put in a good word with the guy in charge."

Hakan laughed as Mazurka started the car, "Wasn't it you that called this case a mess earlier?"

"I'm not about to deny it either."

"To be perfectly honest, I'm not satisfied where I'm at. Clairemont is an easy place to work, but it squanders good detectives by hiring more than they need. Meanwhile the Downs is drowning in crime and can't even put a handful on their payroll," he said as he looked out the window and watched the world pass by while Mazurka drove back towards his precinct. "What I mean to say is that I'll think about."

"Good. I'd hate to see all your training be squandered away when there's plenty of mess to pass around."