STYLIST: A Psycho-Sexual Thriller Page 9

  The invocation of the right to legal counsel officially ended the interrogation. When that occurred, Terryfield knew he’d get no useful information from Jack Saunders.

  And there was so much more work to do to fill in the missing pieces of this complex jigsaw puzzle.

  With Saunders now sitting in the Roberts County Jail on the thinnest of probable cause threads, Terryfield began to think his way through a major problem in the case. With only the deposit and withdrawals into and out of Saunders’ bank account on which to hang his hat, the detective knew he would need a whole lot more evidence to convict the husband. He’d not been able to figure out how Saunders initially made contact with Tammy Lenkovsky. And where that second bundle of money had gone was still a mystery.

  There was no discernable link to show to a jury, something that would tie Saunders to the woman who had confessed to killing Emma. Saunders had never been into Sophia Lovello’s salon. He couldn’t have met Tammy Lenkovsky there. There had to be something else.

  Or someone else.

  It was a sure bet that Terryfield would get no more information out of Tina Olivares. An attorney had already made his entry of appearance during her initial rights advisal before the Court. She was officially “lawyered up.”

  Then Terryfield thought of another approach. There might yet be a chance to garner some more evidence from Tina Olivares. What he had in mind would require a conference with the Deputy District Attorney who was assigned to prosecute the case – and a conference with Tina Olivares’ lawyer.

  What’ve I got to lose?

  31

  Sonia

  The stylist awoke at three in the morning. She turned her head left and looked at Tim. Covered from his feet to his waist in only a satin bedsheet, her young, strong lover lay beside her, still sleeping on his back. His huge arms were beside his body, above the sheet, the well-defined muscles relaxed in his repose. They had copulated three times over a period of four hours. He’d had three orgasms. She couldn’t have counted how many times he’d teased her before mercifully taking her over the edge. The insides of her thighs were weak. Her voice felt hoarse.

  As carefully and quietly as she could, Sonia Lovello inched her body toward her side of the bed, dropped her lower legs over the mattress and got her bare feet onto the carpeting. Moving ever so slowly, she sat up and arose. She padded over to the chair where Tim had tossed his clothing as they undressed. She picked up his pants and found his cellular phone in the right front pocket. She slid it out, got a firm grip and walked into the bathroom.

  Don’t drop it!

  With the door closed and locked, Sonia sat down on the commode. In darkness she turned the phone on. Using her fingers, she covered the speakers as best she could to muffle the sounds as the device booted up. When the LED display told her it was ready to use, she turned the volume down to the lowest possible level.

  Through the door she heard Tim stirring on the bed. A rush of panic went through her insides and up into her throat. Her pulse rate quickened. She changed her mind about where to do this. She stood up, opened the bathroom door and looked out at him in the darkness. There was enough moonlight shining through her bedroom window that she could see him clearly. He was still asleep, now lying on his left side. She walked across the bedroom and stepped out into the hallway.

  A floorboard creaked. She froze, every muscle in her body tensed.

  Stopping again to listen carefully behind her, she pulled the door closed, turning the knob so the latch wouldn’t click as she did so. When the door silently came to rest against the frame, she slowly, so slowly returned the knob to its original position, securing the latch. She listened for a few moments more and, hearing no movement from the bed, Sonia stepped as softly as she could to the stairway. She worked her way down the carpeted steps to the living room.

  Seated on the couch, she knew immediately that Tim hadn’t locked the phone. She pressed the camera selector, then began to scroll through his photos.

  She found a video segment and pressed the PLAY icon.

  With her eyes wide open, she was looking at images which had been recorded in semi-darkness. The sole illumination in the room came from a small lamp which rested on a nightstand next to a king-sized bed.

  Sonia’s breath caught in her throat. She forced herself to breathe deeply. In the video there were two women lying on the bed – naked. They were making love, their arms and legs wrapped around each other. They kissed deeply. Moaning and whimpering sounds came from their voices. It was impossible to tell which woman produced which sounds.

  Suddenly their embrace turned to something resembling two naked wrestlers, each struggling to subdue and restrain the other. The two nude bodies rolled over each other as their solid, heavily muscled legs intertwined. Their mouths locked together again and the struggling ceased – momentarily. Now there were more urgent sounds from their voices.

  Sonia watched, transfixed by the images. Slowly the camera panned left. Seated in an over-sized cushioned armchair was a man – an older man. It was difficult for Sonia to make out his facial features, because of the subdued lighting. She didn’t recognize him. He was slightly on the heavy side, with a protruding belly. He wore no shirt. His gaze was focused on the action in the bed. The eyes stared, unblinking. He breathed deeply and slowly. His right hand moved from the chair’s arm down onto his lap. Sonia couldn’t see what he was doing, but she could guess.

  The camera panned slowly back to the right, bringing the two lesbian lovers into the center of the vertical rectangular frame. One of the women had moved downward, toward the foot of the bed, her face concealed between the taller woman’s muscular thighs. A few minutes later there was a convulsive thrusting of hips and an orgasmic cry. The woman who was in the throes of her climax rolled her head left and opened her eyes.

  Sonia recognized her face. She was looking at Tammy Lenkovsky.

  Abruptly the recorded segment ended.

  Without hesitation Sonia sent the video to her own cellular phone number. She turned Tim’s phone off and moved quickly to the stairs. She ran up the steps, taking them two at a time, and stopped at the bedroom door. She strained, listening for any movement, her eyes wrinkled at the corners and her mouth partially open as if she were in some pain. The knob turned silently in her hand and she pushed the door open.

  She looked at the bed.

  Tim wasn’t there.

  Quickly she looked toward the bathroom and saw a narrow frame of light outlining the closed door.

  Oh, God!

  She moved as quickly as she could to the armchair, picked up Tim’s pants and tried to shove the phone back into the right front pocket. Bent over at the waist, she couldn’t get the pocket to stay open. Her hands were shaking.

  Jesus Christ! Please!

  Frantically she pushed some more, praying to herself - and somehow managed to slam the cell phone home.

  “Where have you been?”

  She whirled, panic once again coursing through her lower midsection. He was standing in the bathroom doorway, staring at her.

  “I, I couldn’t sleep, so I went downstairs and sat on the couch for a while. I read a little. I’m ready to come back to bed now.”

  “Good. I’m ready for you to come back to bed. I’m not finished with you.”

  Oh, my God.

  “Tim, please. I’m worn out.”

  “No, you’re not. Not until I say you are. Come on, Sonia. We’re just getting started.”

  She couldn’t have protested any more if she’d wanted to. Those familiar tingling sensations were already at work, deep in her soft belly. Wordlessly, submissively, she walked to the bed and lay down on her back. As he approached in the darkness she could see his erection.

  32

  Terryfield

  “Detective Terryfield.”

  “Detective, it’s Sonia Lovello. I need to talk to you, as soon as you’re available. I’ve already cancelled my morning hair appointments. Please. This is important.”
<
br />   “Well, I’ve got a staff meeting in ten minutes. Maybe I can get myself excused. Can you come in now?”

  “Yes. Thank you. I’m on my way.”

  Fifteen minutes later she was sitting in the interview room that was becoming all too familiar. Terryfield brought coffee for both of them and sat down. This time there was no tapping at the window to signal that the recording equipment had been turned on. All of the other detectives were in the staff meeting.

  Terryfield looked at her. She was obviously in a state of agitation, or perhaps it was fear.

  “Okay, Sonia. So, what’s up?”

  She withdrew her cellular phone from her purse and turned it on.

  “You have to see this.”

  “Okay. Go ahead and show me.”

  The phone signaled that it was ready to use. Her fingers trembling, Sonia found her way to the video link she’d sent from Tim’s phone. She pushed the PLAY icon and handed the device to Terryfield.

  He watched in silence. When the footage stopped he looked over at Sonia.

  “Where did you get this?”

  “It was on my boyfriend’s phone. His name is Tim Travisec. I found it last night.”

  “Can you send it to my phone?”

  “Yes. That’s why I called you. I knew you’d want to see it. Give me your mobile phone number.”

  Five minutes later Terryfield was watching the video footage again, this time on his own cellular device, while Sonia sipped her coffee.

  “This is Tammy Lenkovsky and Tina Olivares.”

  “Yes. I know. I recognized Tammy. She was my client. Remember?”

  “Yes. I remember.”

  “I’d never seen Tina.”

  “Did you recognize anyone else here?”

  “No. I’ve never seen that other man, the one in the big chair.”

  “I’ve seen him.”

  “You have?”

  Terryfield put his phone on the table and looked directly at her.

  “Yes. That man is Jack Saunders.”

  “You’re kidding!”

  “No. I’m very serious. I think it’s time for me to call your boyfriend Tim Travisec in for an interview. I assume you have his cell phone number.”

  “Yes. Of course. Oh, my God. Is Tim in trouble?”

  “This changes the game in a big way. I’m going to give you my cell phone and pager numbers, Sonia. I want you to add them to your contact list.”

  “Okay.”

  Later that afternoon, Sonia was back at work, cutting hair in her salon. Her phone beeped at her and she answered.

  “Sonia. It’s Terryfield. I can’t get Tim Travisec to answer his phone. Can you try calling him and ask him to call me?”

  “Yes. I’ll do that when I’m finished here. It’ll be about an hour.”

  An hour and a half later she dialed Tim’s number and got a recording which told her that the number had been taken out of service. Sonia called Terryfield.

  “He’s closed the phone account.”

  “Really.”

  “Yes. I just listened to the phone company’s recorded voice message.”

  “Thanks, Sonia. I’ll be back in touch with you very soon.”

  33

  Tina

  The conference took place in an over-sized visiting room within the Roberts County Jail. The defendant had been brought in from the western slope of Colorado, where she was temporarily housed in a Grand Junction jail. The facility was once again locked down while Tina Olivares walked on the linoleum-tiled floor between her escorting deputies, through the institutional-tan painted hallways to the area where the meeting was to be held.

  Present for the gathering were Roberts County Detective Miles Terryfield, Tina Olivares, her attorney Joseph Mirkos, and Roberts County District Attorney’s Office Investigator Frank Nelson.

  Mirkos, a seasoned defense attorney who had begun his career twenty years prior with the Colorado State Public Defender’s Office, wore a rumpled suit. His tie was loose at the neck and he only shored it up just prior to a Court appearance. His crooked nose had been broken from years he’d spent boxing as an amateur and in Golden Gloves tournaments. He had blue eyes, thinning grey hair and a booming baritone voice. As criminal defense attorneys go, Tina Olivares was in the best of hands.

  Frank Nelson had been with the District Attorney’s office for twenty-five years. He had a reputation as a man who could locate anyone in the world. It was impossible to hide from Frank Nelson, even in the most remote of foreign countries. He had proven many times that the saying “You can run, but you can’t hide” is very true. At two hundred-fifty pounds on a five foot eight inch frame, he carried a large paunch beneath two very broad shoulders. His complexion was ruddy, he had a narrow-lipped mouth, and dark brown eyes that could look straight through a lying defendant. He was a most valued advisory witness during trials.

  Terryfield spoke first.

  “Thank you for agreeing to meet here, Tina. Thank you, Mr. Mirkos. We’re audio recording this conversation. Have the two of you had a chance to read the District Attorney’s letter regarding promises and concessions to be made in exchange for your cooperation and truthful testimony in the Emma Saunders murder case?”

  Mirkos answered, “Yes, we’ve read the agreement. I’m satisfied and so is my client.”

  “Other than what’s in that document, I can’t offer you any promises. Anything further in the way of negotiations would have to result from discussions between your lawyer and the district attorney’s office. Do you understand that, Tina?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then, you’re willing to provide some truthful information to me, none of which can be used against you in your pending case?”

  Tina spoke, “Yes.”

  “You’re willing to provide the name of your offshore bank and give us the account number?”

  “Yes.”

  And you’re willing to sign releases for us to get your bank statements?”

  “Yes.”

  “Mr. Nelson, do you have any comments before I ask the questions?”

  “No. I think everything is pretty well spelled out in that letter. I can’t offer any more promises either.”

  Terryfield began his questioning.

  “Okay. Tina, I need to know exactly how and where you and Tammy Lenkovsky met Jack Saunders.”

  “We met him in a private swingers club in Denver. A couple of miles away from downtown. It’s a lesbian-gay club.”

  “Was that when the discussions began about Tammy killing Emma Saunders?”

  “No. Saunders never mentioned his wife to us. And I never heard any of that kind of discussion.”

  “He didn’t mention Emma? Ever? Around you?”

  “That’s right. He never did. Not when I was present. No.”

  “Tell me about Saunders. Is he bi-sexual?”

  “Yes.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “Tammy and I watched him have sex with other men, in the club.”

  “How many times did you see that?”

  “I don’t know. A lot. I can’t remember how many times.”

  “Who actually hired Tammy to kill Emma Saunders? Was it Jack?”

  “No. I think it was Tim Travisec. Tammy told me that.”

  “Tammy Lenkovsky told you that Tim Travisec hired her to kill Emma Sanders?”

  “Yes.”

  “Where were the two of you when she told you that?”

  “We were in her living room. I wasn’t present when the deal was struck. She just told me about it. And I wasn’t there when the money was exchanged.”

  “How did you and Tammy know Tim Travisec? Where did you meet him?”

  “At the club. He and Jack always came in together.”

  “Are you telling me the two of them are involved sexually? Tim Travisec and Jack Saunders?”

  “Yes.”

  “How do you know that?”

  “They liked to watch Tammy and me in bed. After we finished, we’d
watch them.”

  “What do you mean you’d watch them? Having sex?”

  “Yes. They’re bi-sexual. Watching us have sex turned them on. Tammy and I didn’t care about what they did. It sort of amused us.”

  Terryfield’s mind slammed into overdrive. Moving with great urgency, he got up out of his chair.

  “Excuse me. I have to take a phone call.”

  He found a landline in the adjacent housing unit. He dialed the front desk and asked the records tech who answered the phone to read him Tina Olivares’ visitor list.

  “How far back do you want me to go?”

  “Just give me the past two or three days.”

  “Well, her attorney has been in.”

  “Anyone else?”

  “Only one. Somebody named Tim Travisec. Last night.”

  “Thanks, Sue.”

  Terryfield disconnected the call and hurriedly walked back into the conference room.

  “Tina. I need to know if you’ve talked to Tim recently.”

  “Yes. He came in to visit me last night.”

  “Did you tell him about our meeting today?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you tell him about the deal you’ve been offered?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does he know that you were going to give him and Saunders up to the prosecution?”

  “Yes.”

  “Did you tell him you’re going to testify for the prosecution at Saunders’ trial?”

  “Yes.”

  “Does he know about Sonia Lovello’s part in this case?”

  “Yes. I told him all about her.”

  “How did you know about Sonia?”

  “Tammy told me. She said Sonia was snitching. That was a long time ago. Someone in records told her. Besides, I’ve read all of the transcripts and the reports. I told him all about it. Tim knows she came in and talked to you. He knows everything. There’s nothing but time in here. You know what I mean? So, I read my case file.”

  “I’m sorry. I have to go make another phone call. In fact, I think we’re finished here.”

  34

  Sonia