LIVING ON THE EDGE

CHAPTER: 44

The phone call with Ex-Detective, Archie Thompson, from Maury County Police Department, did not expand any of Sharon's working theories. The gang angle was interesting, but since Chase had hired her, it did not make any sense. Not to mention, there was still no evidence of Adriana having an affair except for Amy Davies' assumptions. There did seem to be some type of gang connection, based on the picture Nicholas Davies had given her. 

Sharon stayed up half the night wondering about a variety of possibilities before falling asleep on the couch. The next morning, she headed out to meet Detective Mike Jackson.

They met at a tiny cafe in Maury County. Jackson had deep bags under his eyes and his striped tie was crooked. He looked untidy.

"Hey. Rough night?" Sharon asked.

"You have no idea. Archie might have had the right idea. Pull up stakes, quit this job, and move west. Speaking of Archie, I heard he called you?" Jackson asked.

"Yeah, he did. I appreciate you passing on the message to him. He had a few secret tips that will probably mean something later," Sharon said.

"Everything means something eventually. No coincidences happen in this world. If this job has taught me anything, it is that. Nothing is a coincidence," Jackson said.

"What can you tell me about Sam DaCosta," Sharon asked. Changing the topic.

"I recommend that you reconsider working on this case. You have stumbled upon a member of one of the most notorious crime families in Maury County," Detective Jackson told her.

"Really? Tell me more," Sharon said.

Jackson shook his head and fished a small envelope out of his back pocket. "I can tell you he is a dirty bastard. Born into a low-grade crime family, but the DaCosta's are cunning. They make money, but they blow it on stupid things, which is why I call them a low-grade crime family. The DaCosta's have been killing and selling dope since the late sixties. None of them have ever been sentenced for either one of those offenses, and only Sam DaCosta has done a hard time. Sam's father was a supplier of h****n at an automotive plant, his brother has served time for identity theft, and his pseudo-brother-in-law allegedly killed his dad. The DaCosta's are Maury County at its worst."

Mike Jackson dumped the contents of the envelope onto the table and spread out pictures of a tall, wiry man with long, smooth braids cascading down his back. He was the same man who was in the pictures Nicholas had given her. In one photo, the man was posing with a shotgun. In another, he was flanked by a man and a woman; his siblings presumably, based on the matching high cheekbones and slanted eyes. The trio held up wads of cash as proof of the family fortune.

"This dude is smart. Almost won his most recent appeal, but he is insane, that is what lost it for him. The prosecutor exposed his psychopathic tendencies; proved that he was just as unstable as we had contemplated. Generally, he had been unable to stick to a job, was a known abuser of women and children, and the jury found him to be very calculative. There was no way he could have been innocent in the jury's eyes. And it was a good thing they felt that way. This guy is an outcast," Jackson said. 

"I think he might be tied to the Adriana Reed case I am working," Sharon said.

"We did not find any evidence of that," Mike Jackson said.

"I believe he had a child with one of the character witnesses-- Melanie Jackson," Sharon said.

"Really? The yoga teacher and fitness instructor? No way! She did not seem to be his type," Mike replied.

"Yes. Apparently, there was a bit of a love triangle. This Sam DaCosta is tied to both Adriana and Melanie. In the nineties, Adriana lived literally around the corner from Melanie, their boyfriends were friends, and Adriana's body was found in the alley between the two streets where they lived," Sharon shared her information. 

"The murder was in 2019. How do you think that fits?" Jackson asked.

"I am not sure. I just think it is too much of a coincidence that Melanie Jackson and Adriana both lived in that neighborhood and that they were involved with the same thug," Adriana said.

"You have a point, but Sam DaCosta has been in jail for a while. He was not free during the time of the murder," Detective Jackson told her.

"Yeah, but I think DaCosta may have known a guy who was dating Adriana at the time."

"And you think the murder in 2019 was a revenge plot?" Jackson asked her.

All of this sounded so far-fetched, but street life and poverty went hand in hand and were fueled by necessity. The dealers never made enough to elevate themselves from the neighborhood, and the hits they carried out were usually determined by desperation. What Sharon could not figure out was why someone would come back and kill Adriana after more than a decade had passed.

"I just want a little info before I drive out to the state prison to talk to Sam DaCosta?" Sharon told Mike.

Mike Jackson shook his head and smirked. "You really think there is something there, don't you?" he asked.

"Yeah. Just have a feeling," Sharon replied.

"Okay. Well, as I told you, this guy, is smart. He knows how to manipulate, but he was abused as a  child. The pain and suffering from his childhood really make him long for normalcy. Underneath all the violence, all he ever wanted was what we all want: love, family, money, a place to belong. He was just too sick to make it all work out," Jackson said.

"If he is a psychopath, he cannot feel compassion."

"No, but he is a high-functioning psychopath. He knows that he is different. He would never admit that the difference is the reason he is not able to function, but he is aware of it. Play his game; that is how you will get info out of him," Jackson advised. 

Coldness. Sharon was not unfamiliar with it, nor was she above using it as a tactic. Some people become savvy criminals; others go into law enforcement. "Anything else?" Sharon asked.

"Yeah. Did you talk to the sister-in-law?" Jackson asked her.

"Yes. I spoke to Amy Davies. She gave me some information. The Reed's are in construction, and the Davies' are in real estate. Adriana was going to be added to her father's will and the brother did not like that."

Mike Jackson's eyes lit up. She watched a nervous hand, grip the edge of his drink. "What?" He swirled his drink in a circular motion. An attempt to further mix his fancy coffee, or a show of nervous energy? Sharon wondered.