Moon-Dodger's Story

It was a blustery morning on the Golden Gate Bridge; a common occurrence over the waters of the San Francisco Bay.

Fred Kao had just finished inspecting a steel support beam and was pulling in his gear when gunshots rang out from a passing car; Fred fell from sight. --- Well, at least that was the story that the police heard when they arrived.

The story came from a woman who was jogging on the pedestrian byway and saw the entire incident, or so she said. But the police had no reason to suspect otherwise because she did everything a good citizen should have done. She called 911, waited for the authorities to arrive, then she waved them down when they arrived; most people would have just kept running.

Well, --- as I said, a Bay Area squad car arrived first and it was driven by Officer Banal. Then, eventually, Detective Gillian Davenport arrived from the San Francisco Police Department’s Homicide Division.

(Let’s start there, shall we?)

"What have you got for us today, Bernie?" Asked Detective Davenport.

Uniformed Officer Bernie Banal ran it down, "Well detective, it looks like a drive-by shooter fired on a bridge maintenance worker, one Fred Jefferson Kao.

Then Officer Banal pointed at a woman nearby and said, "That lady over there, Ms. Marie Salazar, took a photo of the shooter's license plate with her cell phone. It wasn’t all that clear but good enough to read. We sent the photo to dispatch.

Well, as luck would have it, a Patrol Officer got the APB and saw the two suspects run a red light on Hill and 7th streets. The Officer was in pursuit when the car they were in collided with a trash truck. Unfortunately, the truck won and the two occupants of the car were both pronounced DOA when they arrived at St. Mary's Hospital."

Detective Davenport smiled, then stated, "Well, it looks like this is going to be an easy one. After the lab does their thing we should be able to close the book on this case," said Detective Davenport.

Officer Banal chuckled, then he stated, "Well, except for the fact that there is no visible victim, but we do have blood at the scene."

"Did the absentee victim fall off the bridge?" Davenport questioned.

Officer Banal surmised, "Don't know for sure, there is a safety line hanging from the railing. The safety line isn't broken so we think that Mr. Kao may have unhooked himself from his harness as soon as he was on the bridge. And if Mr. Kao unhooked himself just before the shooting then a bullet's impact could have knocked him into the bay.

Dispatch called Mr. Kao's supervisor, --- that's her talking to Officer Milliard. --- She stated that Mr. Kao should have had a Floater-vest on, but she said that a bullet could have rendered it useless. However, if it is still inflated then Kao's body should be afloat, somewhere."

Detective Davenport motioned for Officer Milliard to bring the supervisor to him as he thanked Officer Banal.

Hi, I'm Detective Davenport. And you are?"

The woman, escorted by Officer Milliard, replied, "I’m Shelia Brown, and I'm an inspection supervisor for bridge maintenance."

"I understand that you are Mr. Kao's supervisor."

"Yes, like I told the other officers, Fred Kao was one of my best inspectors. He was never late and seldom took off work. A real family man, wife, two kids in college; --- you know, dependable," she replied.

Detective Davenport thumbed his way to taking notes on his phone, he asked, "Was this a regular work assignment for Mr. Kao? In other words, would anyone, other than yourself, know where he was going to be working today?"

"No, I didn't even know he was working this section until the police called this morning.

I gave him this assignment two weeks ago, but more pressing matters got in the way, or so he indicated. He's been postponing this job until he was able to take care of some problems at the north end of the bridge. So the answer to your question would be, no. He must have finished with the north-end cross beams yesterday. --- Why do you ask?"

Detective Davenport replied, "I'm just ruling out the possibility that this was something other than a random shooting.”

Then Detective Davenport handed her his card and stated, “I guess that is all for now. If you think of anything else, just call this number on my card."

(Sometime later, and back at the squad room.)

Detective Davenport smiled as he walked into the office area of the old brick building. Then he said, "Hay Barbra how are the kids?"

"Oh, they're great, Gillian; William's got a Hoverboard last week from his brain-dead father, and now I have to be after him all the time to wear his helmet, --- he keeps running into things."

"And Marty," Gillian questioned.

Barbara replies, "Same-o, same-o, always got his face in those National Geographic and nature science magazines, but his grades don't go up any. --- Go figure."

Gillian fired back with a snicker, "I thinking another Einstein, Barb, you just wait and see."

"I should be so lucky!" Barbra replied.

Then the Detective asked her, "You got anything for me on the Fred Kao Drive-by?"

Barbara looked at a fact sheet and replied, "the report on the blood samples hasn't come in yet.

Oh, and Harbor Patrol called off the search. There was a body found but not a bridge worker, and not very resent; it’s a wonder the sharks hadn’t eaten it.

Did you know that the Bay is home to some of the world’s most shark-infested waters? It sits in the middle of the so-called “red triangle” where around 40% of the country’s great white shark attacks occur. Yes sir, the red triangle starts in Bodega Bay, extends out beyond the Farallon Islands, and down to Monterey Bay.”

Gillian smiled as he said, “No, I didn’t know that. --- And it sounds like Barbara’s son is not the only one who likes reading National Geographic.”

Barbara smiled a coy little smile, then she stated, “Hmm, it says here that the shooter's weapon is being held in the lab for further tests, something about it being a possible weapon used in another shooting.

Oh, and here's your, *First Responding officer's report, *Witness Statement, *Traffic report on the shooter's car, and details of the accident. --- And not only that, you get the names of the two occupants tossed in for free."

Davenport chuckled, then replied, "Oh lucky me, --- thanks Barb."

Once inside the squad-room Detective Davenport made a call to the lab, "Hay Dave, you got a Biretta in there, something about it tied to a previous shooting."

Dave replied, "Yep, that gun was used in a robbery three weeks ago. It was a liquor store on 34th and Rolland, three shots were fired, two bullets were dug out of the woodwork, and both are an 80% match to this Biretta.

The police report states that the store owner got into a shoot-out with the assailant and that the assailant fled when his gun jammed.

I checked the bullets from the liquor store to the ones from this gun, they are a very good match. --- But there's a problem."

"So, what's the problem?" asks Detective Davenport.

"The problem is that this Biretta couldn't have killed your victim today, the firing pin was snapped off! I had to replace it before I could test-fire the weapon," Dave replied.

"How did you get a pin so quickly? It took me weeks to get one for one of my guns."

"It was still in its package, with the receipt from Lu's Guns & Ammo. The receipt is dated yesterday and the pin was ordered two weeks ago. I guess someone in the property department decided that I couldn't fire this gun without the pin, so they took it upon themselves to send the new pin along with the guns," Dave said with a chuckle.

Detective Davenport responded, "How many guns?"

"Dave replied, "The Biretta and an unloved AK-47; it doesn't look like anyone has cleaned it, ever.

"Hmm, thanks, Dave. Send me a report, K?"

"No Pro-blem-O, Amigo," Dave said with a laugh, then hung up.

Detective Davenport went to work on the computer, running down the particulars of the players involved in this case.

Alleged Shooter's Name; Carlos Marcella Rodriguez Sanchez,

aka - Carlos Marcel, aka - Marcel Rodriguez, aka - Rodney Marcel, aka - Mark Marcella, aka Razor.

*Rap Sheet: Juvenile = Petty theft & burglary. ...

Adult = domestic violence, the victim refused to testify. ... Robbery, acquitted. ... Burglary, acquitted. ... Assault, the victim refused to testify. ... Aggravated assault, the victim refused to testify. ...

Drug possession, served 3 months. ... Felony drug possession, served 8 years. ... Felony weapons possession, served 11 years. ... Attempted murder, rival gang member, two witnesses, one disappeared & one would not testify.

**Detective's Note: Carlos is up for a third strike.

The Alleged Driver, (of drive-by); Philip Montoya Sanchez, aka - Hondo.

*Rap Sheet: Juvenile = Petty theft, burglary, alleged driver in the car to car shooting. ... Adult = drug possession, served 6 months. ... Burglary, adult, 7 months & probation. ... Robbery, acquitted. ... Assault, victim refused to testify. ... Weapons charge, given 5 years, served 3 years.

The Alleged Victim, Frederic {Fred} Kao; No felonies, No outstanding warrants. ... Two speeding tickets, none outstanding.

Married, his wife is Francis (McCarty) Kao.

No felonies, no outstanding warrants, No traffic violations.

Two children; Frederic Jr. (22) and Franklin McCarty (20)

Witness; Ms Anna Marie (Castaneda) Salazar, aka - Marie Castaneda, aka - Candy Castaneda, aka - Mrs. Annette Marie Sanchez, aka - Marie Sanchez, aka - Janette Salazar.

No felonies, no outstanding warrants, No outstanding traffic violations.

Rap Sheet: Juvenile = Petty theft, Adult = assault, dropped. ...Drug possession, served 1 month & probation. ... Felony drug possession, dropped, lack of evidence.

**Detective's Note: No arrests in the last 8 years.

"Hay Gillian," was the greeting made by Detective Davenport's partner, Bartholomew Tortoni, aka - Bart.

Gillian looked up from the computer and smiled.

"You got my fifty bucks, Bart?" Gillian said with a chuckle in his voice.

"I'm just going to hang onto it until this weekend's card game, I'm feeling really lucky," Bart replied.

"Oh, no, no, this ain't no charity here, you lose, you pay up. Come on, gimme."

"Alright, alright, here's your money, you tight-wad, you."

"Did you bring Ms. Salazar in for additional questioning, Bart?"

"Yeah, she's in room #3," Bart replied. "Heads up, she is really nervous. What's the deal?"

Gillian motioned for Bart to sit down next to him, and then he filled him in, "Her witness report says that she saw the alleged victim being shot with a gun that didn't have a functioning firing pin. And get this, the shooter might be her ex-husband. --- So we need to shake this woman down ---good.

Hell, as far as we know, she may have killed the victim herself."

"Or maybe she saw the shooting and is trying to pin it on her Ex," Bart said with a laugh.

No matter how we go with this, she must be the key to what seemed to be a straightforward killing; that is if anyone died at all."

A few minutes later, in interrogation room #3.

"Ms Anna Marie Salazar. Or should we call you Mrs. Sanchez?" Bart questioned as they entered the room. "Why didn't you tell officers that the shooter was your husband?"

Anna Marie fired back, "You cops think you know everything, the shooter wasn't my husband, he's my brother-in-law!

I wasn't married to Carlos; I was married to Hondo if you want to call it a marriage. I worked and brought home the money, and he spent it screwing around with other women. That got old, real quick!"

Then Gillian questioned, "Why is it that I can't locate a marriage license or any divorce records?"

Anna Marie blurted out, "We went to Mexico for the marriage and a so-so, honeymoon. I didn't bother with a divorce because I found out later that he never got a marriage license. The whole thing was bullshit, just one lie after another. --- That Pig!"

Bert cut in, "Well now we're getting somewhere! So why don't you tell us what happened on that bridge and save yourself some jail time? I guess you know that you are now our prime suspect in this so-called murder. --- You know that, don't you?"

"Woo --- you’re not pinning this shit on me! This was all Fred's idea. I didn't see any shooting and Fred Kao was alive the last time I saw him."

"Look, just lay it out for us and maybe we can get this sorted out enough so that you can go home," Bert said, using his kind cop voice, "otherwise we're going to have to book you as an accomplice to murder."

Anna Marie's eyes swelled up with tears as she began talking, "I don't know where Fred is, he was supposed to meet me after the bridge thing, but when I got there he never showed.

I called his cell several times but a message keeps saying that the connection is not possible. If you don't believe me, here's my phone, you try calling the number.

Anyway, I went to the bar were we meet, but the owner said that he hasn't seen Fred since we were in there the last time."

"So, Fred's alive?" questioned Bert.

"He was the last time that I saw him, last night at about 11:00," Anna replied.

I think that you'd better tell us everything about this so-called PLAN. --- If Fred is missing, now, then that is a real cause for concern," Bart blurted out.

While still wiping her eyes, Anna stated, "It all started about three months ago. Fred came into the bar where I work, “The Bay-Side”, it's on Cannery Way, just off 33rd.

Anyway, he came in with Nate, one of our regulars, and some guy called Moon-Dodger. It was Nate's birthday and they were have-in a party.

Fred and I hit it off real good. I mean, right from the start there was this connection, like magic or something. I never felt anything like that before, and he said that he felt the same thing; so we started seeing each other whenever we could.

I was see-in Hondo at that time. You know, him and me, that has always been an on-again, off-again, sort of thing; mainly 'cause he runs anyone off that I am interested in, or he hurts them real bad.

Well, I didn't want Hondo to know about Fred. And Fred's wife, well, that was another story.

When I finally told Fred about Hondo, Fred decided to fix it so Hondo didn't bother me anymore. So he came up with this idea so we could be together and have a new start in life. Fred said that we could stage his death so his wife would get the insurance money, you know, so the kids don't have to drop out of college.

All we were trying to do was to frame Carlos and Hondo for the shooting that would put them in jail. Then we could disappear for good.

It sounded like a really good plan, even better after they died in the car crash. Now I don't have to hide from that creep anymore.

But then Fred didn't show up at the meeting place, and I can't find him anywhere!"

Detective Davenport stood up from his chair and started circling the room, "Where did the blood come from that was at the so-called shooting sight?

"Fred cut himself several times and each time he would put the blood in a plastic zip-lock; he kept them in my Frig.

This morning I took the blood out and dumped it on the bridge when I got to the place where I was supposed to say the shooting happened; I put the bags in another bag and put that in a trash can."

Detective Davenport scratched his head, and asked, "Did anyone else know about this plan of yours?"

"No one that I know of, I mean I didn't tell anyone. And I can't think of anyone Fred would have told. You know, ‘cause that might have jeopardized the insurance if they had any reason to investigate the claim," Anna replied.

"I'll see if the tech department can Ping Fred's phone, maybe we can get a ruff location on it," Detective Davenport quietly stated.

"I'm going to be late for work. Can I go now?" Anna sheepishly questioned.

Detective Bertoni blurted out, "Hell no, we still haven't got a body and you made a false report about a shooting that supposedly never happened. So you're not going anywhere until we get this whole thing sorted out. --- You are still a person of interest as far as we are concerned!"

At that moment Detective Davenport took Detective Bertoni aside and they did the whole Good-Cop, Bad-cop, whisper, whisper, thing. Then Detective Bertoni relented some and told Anna that they would book her on the false statement charge, and she would be arraigned right away. Hopefully, she would be released on her own recognizance so she wouldn't have to stay in jail.

Then Detective Davenport told her that he was doing her this favor, so if she heard from Fred, she should tell Fred to come in and see them; otherwise, when they were found, well, they would both be setting in a jail cell for a very long time. --- She agreed.

That afternoon, both detectives visited the wife of Fred Kao to see what she knew, if anything.

"Not a bad place on a bridge inspector's pay," Detective Davenport said as they exited their car.

"No, not bad at all, a lot better than I could afford. I'm wondering if he had a little side job or something," Detective Bertoni replied as he rang the doorbell.

(A knock on the door.)

"Yes, can I help you?"

"Hi, I'm Detective Bertoni and this is my partner Detective Davenport. Are you Mrs. Francis Kao?"

"Yes, I am, and I've been expecting you. Please, come in out of the cold," Mrs. Kao said in a soft and gentle voice.

"May I get you some hot coffee or tea?" She inquired.

Detective Davenport responded, "Oh no, thank you, we won't be here long and we don't want to take up much of your time. We just have a few questions and then we'll be on our way."

"Have you found Fred, you know, in the river?"

"Well, no, it looks like he may not have been shot, after all. Now it seems that he may be missing. We were hoping that he was here, or that he had contacted you."

Mrs. Kao sat down on the couch and motioned for the two officers to take seats in the adjacent armchairs. Then she said, "I told Fred that this was a stupid plan, but everything he has ever planned has not worked out well."

Detective Davenport butted in, "You mean you knew about the fictional shooting?"

Mrs. Kao continued, "Oh sure, just another one of his hair-brained ideas, that is why I have to make all the decisions around here. If I left things up to Fred, well, we would have never been able to afford the things that we have.

Take this house for instance; when my mother passed away she left us a goodly amount of money. Fred wanted to put the money in the stock market, but I put my foot down. The housing market was still in a slump and we were able to buy this house for cash, a short sale you know. We paid well below market price and now it is worth double what we paid for it. No, if I had left it up to Fred, well, we would never have had that kind of return. His planning never works out well.

Are you sure I can't get you something?"

"Maybe some tea, it looks like we are going to be here longer than expected," Detective Bertoni replied.

(Mrs. Kao disappeared into the kitchen, then returned in record time.)

"There we go --- some nice hot herbal tea, it's good for what ails you. Also, there are some lemon slices and honey on the tray."

"Thanks, Mrs. Kao."

"Yes, thanks." Detective Davenport stated, then continued by saying, "Now, about this plan Fred told you about. Actually, why don't you just tell us what you know about this whole thing and then we can ask additional questions if needed."

"OK! --- Oh, and I should clear up some minor details so you two don't get the idea that I did him in or some such nonsense.

"Fred and I fell out of love over our many years of marriage. We don't hate each other, or anything like that; we just don't have that closeness that holds couples together for the long haul.

Fred is blue-collar now. He worked for Forest Lawn for years as a Mortician, but they reorganized right after the financial collapse, I think that was in 2008 or 2009, and they had to let him go.

Fred was off work for quite a while, and that is when I started teaching full-time to make ends meet. After that I was offered a position at the college and jumped at it; now I'm an associate professor at Balladeer College, east village.

Fred's cousin got him this job with the city and he went through some training to be an inspector; he loves it. But my employment, social circles, and friendship preferences just don't blend with the people he likes to associate with.

We discussed our situation at length, and we decided to stay together. So, we live in the same house and attended family functions together, at least, until our sons finish college; it just made sense for financial reasons. After that, we were going to sell the house, divide everything equally, and go our separate ways.

We can both live comfortably on our salaries once the boys are out of college, but until then it has been a tight squeeze.

But that was then and now is now. Fred met this woman and they hit it off. I believe her name is Anna Marie, ah, something or other. After that, his thinking changed.

Fred didn't want to wait another three years, you know, for both boys to finish school, and that is when he came up with this hare-brained idea.

Please keep in mind that I never thought that he would go through with it. I just thought it was one of his off-the-wall romantic notions that would fizzle as the romance started getting old, --- but I guess that I was wrong."

(At that moment Detective Davenport's cell phone rang.)

Hello. What? --- OK, we'll be there as soon as we can. What’s the location?

"I'm sorry Mrs. Kao, given the information you just gave us, it would be advisable for you to retain a lawyer and have the lawyer make arrangements for you to give a formal statement regarding your husband’s activities, voluntarily.

However, we can’t do that now, something has come up and we are going to have to leave; it's an emergency.

Here is my card, and if you think of anything else, anything at all, don't hesitate to call.

Oh, quick questions, how many vehicles do you have, and which one was Mr. Kao Driving?"

Mrs. Kao looked at the detective rather strangely and answered, "Two, I drive the silver SUV parked out front and Fred drives an older pick-up truck, License plate just says GIDDY UP. --- Why do you ask?"

Oh, I am just filling in the blanks, Mrs. Kao, just filling in the blanks, --- thanks."

Back in the squad-car Bert questioned Gillian, "So who was on the phone? I had a ton of questions for Mrs. Kao."

Gillian replied, “That was Sergeant Cavendish from the traffic division, they found Fred Kao's truck in a ravine and it was on fire; there is a body inside."

"Well, shit, how many times is Kao going to die?" Bert replied with a half-grin on his face.

***

It was a gruesome sight, the truck smashed and burnt to the point that it was almost unrecognizable, but the license plate was readable; GIDDY UP.

There was the smell of burnt flesh and rubber still lingering in the air, and from the looks of the first respondents surrounding it, they would have like to be elsewhere.

"You must be Sergeant Cavendish, I'm Detective Davenport and this is my partner, Detective Bertoni."

"A big smelly mess, isn't it?" Sergeant Cavendish said with a rag pressed over his nose.

Everyone agreed on that point, so the Sergeant continued, "It looks as if the driver missed the curve in the road, drove right off the road and plunged into the bolder-lined riverbed.

That's one of those Chevy Pick-ups with the saddle-bag style gas tanks, and it looks like one or both tanks ruptured. After that, what happened is obvious."

Detective Bertoni asked, "Any chance you were able to ID the Driver?"

Sergeant Cavendish replied, "That guy with the bandages on his hands, the one who is standing next to the Paramedics' truck, he was bedded down under the bridge when the accident occurred. His name is Bill Riley and he says he came over to try and help the guy out of the truck, but the flames were too intense.

He doesn't think the guy was alive because he wasn't screaming, or moving around."

Detective Davenport thanked the Sergeant and asked that a copy of their reports be sent to his squad-room fax number.

Then he asked if it was OK to take the homeless guy in for questioning.

(Meanwhile, over at the Paramedics' truck.)

"Hi, I'm Detective Davenport and this is my partner, Detective Bertoni; I'm told that your name is Bill Riley.”

(The man shook his head, “Yes”, in response.)

Then Detective Bertoni asked, “Can you tell me, did you get a good look at the guy that was in the truck?"

"Oh sure, I'm not too good with names but I never forget a face. It was a real shame, if I had gotten to him a minute or two sooner, well, I might have been able to get him out. --- I mean, I was right at the door but the metal was so hot that I couldn't touch it for very long. After that, the flames started rising and I had to back away."

Well, --- Mr. Riley, --- let's gather your things. We need you to go with us for awhile, that is, if you would be willing to help us by looking at some pictures. Maybe you can ID the driver of the truck; "

Riley replied, "And what do I get out of it?"

Detective Davenport replied, "How about a hot shower, a good meal, and an inside bed for the night? There is a YMCA right across the street from the Police Station, and we'll foot the bill for a night’s stay; they even have an indoor swimming pool. --- How's that sound?"

Riley replied, "Not too shabby, not too shabby at all. I could use a shower after all this smoke."

***

Bill Riley picked the photo of Fred Kao out of a group of pictures that the detectives put together; he didn’t hesitate at all.

Then, Detective Davenport, had Riley sign a statement and he took him to the YMCA. --- Mr. Riley headed right for the showers, first thing.

(A year has passed.)

The two detectives have long since turned their reports over to the District Attorney.

And the DA decided that it didn't have enough evidence to charge Mrs. Kao with anything related to her husband's botched plan, after all, she didn't think he would go through with it.

As far as the case against Anna Marie Salazar, filing a false police report and aiding in an attempted fraud against an insurance company, that was dropped too. After all, no claim was presented to the insurance company until Fred Kao was actually dead. And the truck accident had nothing to do with the original plan.

Besides, if it went to trial Anna would have said that Fred Kao forced her do it, then she would have cried, and a jury would have believed her.

Yes, it would’ve been a waist of taxpayer’s money, and it was an election year.

It is kind of ironic in a way. Fred Kao devises a plan to provide his wife with his work insurance proceeds. But the manner in which he died paid her even more.

Yes, she ended up being paid under a (double-indemnity) accidental death clause on the company policy. So, she raked in $200,000! --- But Wait, There’s More! She received another $25,000 from the auto insurance for his death and for his vintage pick-up truck; it was a classic.

Yes Sir, $225,000, and with Fred dead Mrs. Kao was sole owner of all the family's financial assets.

There was something else she got that was even more valuable to Mrs. Kao, --- her kids would never know that she and Fred were about to divorce.

Yes, as far as they would ever know, their wonderful father and their mother’s loving husband died tragically in an auto accident.

Fred’s plan was almost flawless. His wife and kids were taken care of, and Hondo was out of Anna Marie Salazar’s life forever.

However, that’s not all of this story.

Why do I say that? --- Because Fred's Not Dead.

The unidentifiable body that was identified by the homeless guy was actually from the mortuary where Fred once worked; Fred still had keys to the doors and no one bothered to change the locks.

Yes, the Johnson Family's closed casket ceremony was without a body on that sad occasion; just a few well-placed sandbags did the trick.

The Police had what they wanted, a body that was identified by an eyewitness. They also had some personnel items, including a smashed cell phone that belonged to Fred Kao; all of which were found scattered on the ground outside Fred's truck. Yes, that was all they needed to wrap it up.

How do I know?

I know because I am that homeless guy, Bill Riley. Also, I am Fred Kao's half-brother from another mother.

I am the one who planned the whole murder on the bridge thing, and the backup plan for the truck crash just encase the murder didn’t work.

On top of that, I am the narrator of this story.

Yes, thanks to me, Fred and Anna are enjoying the island life on his portion of the life insurance money. You see, Mrs. Kao was in on the plan all along. She and Fred settled on $150,000 for him and Mrs. Kao keeps everything else, money, house, and car.

Fred invested the money from his offshore account wisely, buying a small restaurant and cocktail bar. --- Fish Tacos and Margaritas are all the rage.

Me? --- Oh, I surf during the day if the waves are good, and I tend bar in the evenings. Just ask for Moon-Dodger.

D. Thurmond / JEF

01-31-2016

Rewrite: 10-05-2022