The Paperhanger meets the Raton cops – Part 6

Sundays are busy days for me.

I know. I know. As a Christian we’re supposed to take it off as a Sabbath. That’s the day we usually go to church and then kick back and chill. Maybe watch a ball game or movie.

But a working police officer doesn’t usually have that luxury. Just because you’re doing the job doesn’t mean lawns don’t need mowing, fences don’t need fixing, or trees trimmed. Sometimes you bite the bullet, apologize to God, and start the lawnmower.

And that’s exactly what I was doing when the call came.

Julie yelled for me out the back door. “”Baby! Phone.”

I shut off the lawn mower and went into the house. I was thinking I’d be going in to go in a cover for someone. I couldn’t be more wrong.

“This is Rich,” I said.

“Rich,” Mike the dispatcher at the Sheriff’s office said. “You got a call from a lady in Raton, New Mexico. She said the guy who wrote that bad money order at the Texaco just left her store.”

“Did you get a number?”

He gave it to me and I called the lady right back.

“He just came in a purchased five money orders for two dollars each.” She gave me a description of the truck (green Chevy – older model). She then gave me the license plate. “It was an Iowa plate.”

“One more thing, If you could. Can you give me the number to the police department there in Raton.”

As I expected it was printed on a sheet of paper directly above the phone. I wrote it down and thanked her. I told her I’d probably be calling her back to get all her information.

I dialed the number for the Raton Police Department. “Raton Police Department. May I help you?”

“Hello,” I said. “This is Deputy Richard Muniz from the Conejos County Sheriff’s Department. Can I speak to your on-call detective right away, please.”

“Please hold.” Music. I recognized it as a piece by Chopin. Then the music cut off and a woman’s voice. “Hello, Deputy Muniz. This is Detective Pacheco. What can I do for you.”

“Detective, we’ve a case on a guy who’s been forging Seven-Eleven money orders. This guy has been doing this all across the Midwest. No one has gotten close enough the nab him. We have a John Doe warrant on this guy. Two weeks ago we made a sketch of the guy and got it out through Seven-Eleven security. Long and short is, the guy just left the Seven-Eleven (I gave her the address) there in Raton. He purchased five money orders for two dollars each.”

“Really.”

“I’ve been working with Detective Andy Deshong of the Routt County Sheriff’s Office on this. He’s got reams of information on this guy.” I gave her his phone number.

“I believe you,” she said. “What else can you give me.”

I gave her the license plate number and a description of the truck. “You pick him up, my DA said we’ll extradite him.”

“What’s your number?”

I gave her my number.

“I’ll get back to you.”

I hung up and called Andy at home. It went to his machine. “Andy, it’s Rich Muniz. I Just got a call from a clerk at a Seven-Eleven in Raton, New Mexico. Our buddy Alan Hale just left after buying money orders. I’ve got Raton PD looking for him. And don’t be surprised if you get a call from Detective Lana Pacheco down there.”

I hung up.

“You got him?” Julie asked. She knew all about the case.

“Not yet. Raton PD is out looking for him.”

I sat down.

Then I stood up.

I looked at the phone. Ring, I commanded it.

But of course, the phone didn’t listen to me.

I sat down again.

“Here,” Julie said, opening the fridge and getting a Diet Pepsi out. She put it in front of me. “Are you always this excitable when it comes to making an arrest.”

“No,” I answered, popping the top. “Just when I’m not the guy out trying to make the collar.”

I took a drink of soda, the burn ran down my throat.

“We get this guy,” I said, “and it will close a lot of cases out there.”

“How much has he taken?”

“Somewhere north of three quarters of a million dollars in five years,” I said. “And that’s just what we know about.”

The phone rang and I jumped up to answer it. “Muniz,” I said.

“Rich, it’s Andy. Heard anything?”

“Not yet. I’m hoping and praying.”

“I’m up here sweating bullets!”

“You and me both.”

We both promised to call the other if we heard anything.

After thirty minutes, there was still nothing. I went outside and finished mowing the lawn. As I was putting the lawn mower away, I heard the phone ring inside. I was already headed for the back door when it opened and Julie started to yell for me. My name got caught in her throat. “It’s Raton,” she said.

I picked up the phone. “Muniz,” I said.

It was Detective Pacheco. “Deputy Muniz?”

“Tell me you got him.”

“We got him,” she said. I swore I could hear her smile as she added, “Found him at the Motel 8. He’d already altered two of the money orders and was working on a third when we knocked on the door.”