Blood Reckoning

by C. M. Sutter

  “Right, and we need that warrant for the mayor’s attorney’s records. How much do you want to bet that the mayor’s personal assistant and personal attorney know each other?”

  “That’s a sucker bet if I ever heard one. Of course they know each other, and we’re going to find out why.”

  Chapter 38

  I leaned against the wall in Maureen’s office. I was too amped up to sit. We needed answers, and we needed them days ago. Killers were roaming the streets, one whose identity we knew for sure, yet they all remained invisible. We had to change that, and hopefully, once the TV news networks began airing their faces, we would get callers telling us where they might be hiding out.

  Maureen began by asking what we’d found out in the last hour. Renz took the lead.

  “We know that Julie Beckett and Douglas Blake aren’t very cooperative, and it makes me wonder why.”

  Taft cocked her head. “Possibly hiding something?”

  I laughed. “I’d say it’s more probable than possible. It seems like their personalities change dramatically when questions are aimed directly at them.”

  “Sure, so what do you need from me?”

  Renz said he would need a warrant for all billing, service, and phone records between Douglas Blake and Michael Kent going back at least a year.

  “Done. What else?”

  I wondered whether cleaning up messes was documented and what kind of records the mayor and Julie Beckett had kept. There had to be work-related documents concerning hours billed so the mayor would know how much the city had to pay her unless she was on retainer. Maureen said she’d get the judge to sign off on that too.

  “You know if word gets out that warrants are being issued that involve Milwaukee’s mayor, all hell is going to break loose with the press.”

  I shrugged. “It won’t be a problem if nothing illegal comes to light. We’re just doing our job by trying to find the maniacs who slaughtered ten innocent people, and as it stands, the people we’ve interviewed are the connections between the mayor and the victims, and now some of them don’t want to talk.”

  That epiphany struck me like a lightning bolt. It was something that we’d discussed earlier. The only people who had a problem talking to us were the attorney, the personal assistant, and the mayor and his wife. The bartender and the owners of Silver Shores didn’t take issue with us because they weren’t personally acquainted with Michael Kent. That gave us even more reason to be suspicious and to expedite the warrants.

  Maureen glanced at the clock. “I’ll get the judge to move on those warrants as fast as humanly possible. The TV stations will start airing the breaking news about Cole, Lucas, and Erik at the top of the hour, so that means I’ll have to alert the crew upstairs to be ready on the tip-line phones. Right now, we’re in a holding pattern while we wait for those warrants, and to be honest, I don’t think speaking to extended family will result in anything that’ll help the case.” Taft picked up the phone’s receiver. “We need one more warrant, and it probably won’t sit well with the judge.”

  I gave Renz a side-eyed glance. “And who is that warrant for?”

  “If we’re going to solve this case before more people die, we need to go to the source himself—the nexus. The warrant will be for the mayor, and all of you will go through his personal and work-related documents, as well as those of his attorney and his assistant, for the entire month of May.” She looked from Renz to me. “Has anyone found anything incriminating that involved the mayor on the fifth of May?”

  “Not to my knowledge, ma’am,” I said.

  Taft rubbed her chin. “That was an evening event with a speech from the mayor about the new firehouse, then dinner, and lastly the silent auction, correct?”

  “That’s what Amanda’s parents said. An hour before and two hours after the fundraiser, people congregated at the bar to be entertained by Paul Lawrence.”

  “Hmm… so maybe there wouldn’t be any news on that particular date. That could be why nobody has found anything involving the mayor on the fifth of May. Start looking at the headlines for the next day or even two days later.”

  “On it.” Renz and I rushed to our office and began searching through the local news archives for all of May. During the hour I searched, I couldn’t find anything damning about the mayor. I slapped the desk in frustration with my open hand. “Seriously, Renz, what are we missing?”

  He rolled his neck until it cracked. “I don’t know, but whatever it is, it’s buried big-time. My gut says the assistant and the attorney are knee-deep in a cover-up with the mayor. They wouldn’t be squeamish about talking to us otherwise.”

  I agreed then propped my chin on my open hand and continued scrolling. “Wow, what a sad headline.”

  Renz gave me his full attention. “Yeah, what’s that?”

  “I didn’t read the article, but it’s something about five siblings who drowned when their van went into a lake just south of Capitol Drive. Sounds like they had been missing for a few days before the van was discovered.”

  Renz frowned. “They drown and the parents survived?”

  “No, the vehicle was driven by the eldest sibling. I guess he was a nineteen-year-old man according to the article. The parents weren’t with them.”

  “Yeah, sad stuff all right and probably a lot of guilt associated with it on the parents’ part. Still nothing on the mayor?”

  I shook my head. “I haven’t found a damn thing. How about you?”

  “Same.”

  Chapter 39

  The group’s morning meeting would be short and to the point. Everyone was skittish. The interruption last night by those FBI agents who were after Erik, Lucas, and Cole had made the entire group scatter before Jacob and Evelyn were able to share their updates.

  Once again at the original gathering place in the abandoned warehouse, the meeting would reveal the people who would die next and the people who would be chosen as helpers. They would go to the final killings with Jacob and Evelyn and assist if necessary. After that, the group would disperse, go their own ways, and probably never see each other again unless a dramatic turn of events occurred.

  Before the reveal, Jacob and Evelyn wanted details of how the agents were able to follow the guys to last night’s location. Jacob jabbed the air as he pointed at Cole and demanded an explanation.

  “I want to know how and why you led the FBI right to our doorstep.”

  Cole stammered as he tried to deflect the blame. It had been a clever setup by the police and FBI agents, and he would use that excuse to the best of his ability. “The cops came looking for Erik again. It was the third time that day that either they or the FBI showed up and pounded on the door. The FBI ransacked the apartment and took a jacket that belonged to Erik.”

  Jacob shot a glare Erik’s way. “You and I will discuss that later.” He jerked his head back at Cole. “Continue.”

  “The cops showed up again last night looking for Erik. It was time to leave for Barclay Street since you said to be there by ten. We watched out the window until the cops drove away, then we headed for the bus stop. Before we left the apartment, we looked up and down the street and didn’t see anything that resembled a squad car or a cruiser, so we left. We had no idea that the bitch FBI agent who had harassed us earlier was waiting down the street. It’s the only way she was able to follow the bus and us without our knowledge once we got off. When we saw headlights following us as we walked to the meeting place, I knew we’d been compromised. We lost them temporarily. I backtracked when I heard her talking on the phone and then clocked her in the face and took off. That’s when we alerted everyone that she and the cops were on our trail. There’s no way any of us can go back to the apartment now.”

  Erik took his turn. “Meaning we’ll need a place to stay.”

  “Cole and Lucas can stay with Micah, and Erik, you can stay with us.”

  Evelyn began to protest. “But—”

  Jacob put his finger to his lips. “Shh… I have
a plan, dear. I always do. Our original plan will have to wait for another day. Right now, I need to find out what I can about the FBI agent. You must have learned her name when she came looking for Erik, right, Lucas?”

  “The other agent called her Jade. There can’t be many local female agents with that name.”

  “And his name?”

  “She called him Renz.”

  “Okay, everyone go home. Erik, you stick with us. I’ll arrange another meeting for Thursday and let everyone know where it’ll take place. Meanwhile, lay low and stay out of sight.” Jacob jerked his head toward the broken-down doorway. “Now go and remain indoors. I’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out.”

  When the rest of the group was out of earshot, Jacob turned to Erik. “Why did the FBI take your jacket?”

  He stared at the floor for a good twenty seconds before responding. “They must have figured out I was wearing it when I shot Brandon.”

  Jacob cocked his head. “And how would they know that?”

  Erik shrugged dismissively, and in a flash, Jacob slapped his face.

  “I see you aren’t taking this mission as seriously as I thought you were. Nobody crosses me or takes needless risks without paying the piper.”

  Erik rubbed his reddened cheek. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “It means they’ve likely had that jacket tested for GSR, and there’s probably a warrant out for your arrest. Somehow, they found you on video Sunday morning. I told you to shoot him where there wasn’t any cameras nearby.”

  “I swear, I didn’t see cameras anywhere.”

  Evelyn huffed. “Obviously, they were there. You just didn’t look hard enough.”

  Jacob continued where Evelyn left off. “Now, because of your carelessness, you’ll end up being the decoy. You’re going to lead them to a location I choose where we’ll be waiting on the sidelines. From that point on, we’ll follow that Jade woman wherever she goes until she goes home, unless I can find out where she lives through an internet search. I’m going to have someone that neither of you know shadow you, so if you don’t do exactly as I say, I’ll have that person take you out. Do you understand me because we didn’t come this far to have everything go to shit.”

  “Yes, I understand.”

  “Good. Now, let’s go back to our house so I can find out the full name of that FBI agent Jade, what she drives, where she lives, who if anyone she lives with, when she works, and how we’re going to draw her in.”

  Chapter 40

  We gathered in the lunchroom since the local TV stations were about to air the breaking news on Erik, Cole, and Lucas. We had two minutes before the news would begin, and the last commercial had just started. I had enough time to grab a coffee and sit down.

  The main focus—and the most detailed information—would be on Erik since the GSR on his jacket had led us to believe he was Brandon’s murderer. Both videos were shown on the news, including the one of him following Brandon and us on Hemmer Street and the one of him walking out of the alley after leaving Brandon dead in the stolen car. His police mug shot and those of Cole Pratt and Lucas Freeman were also aired along with the physical descriptions and information on the crimes committed by each man. Plastering their images on every news channel across Milwaukee and the surrounding counties was all we could do for the time being. Our agents answering the tip-line calls would take the information and pass it on to us, and we’d follow up on each tip that seemed legitimate. We planned to enlist the help of the local police departments, too, whenever necessary.

  After watching the coverage on several stations, we headed to our offices and continued searching the archived files as we waited for the warrants to come in.

  I had already searched through the eighth of May without a single negative article on the mayor. There were plenty of front- and second-page stories involving his activities throughout Milwaukee, the bills he’d signed into law, and the ceremonial events he’d attended. He had more or less the same routine every day.

  Renz’s phone rang, and he spoke for only a second before hanging up.

  “It’s go time. Taft has the warrants, and she said to come to her office immediately.”

  We reached her office at the same time the rest of our team did. She pointed to groups of two as she passed out the warrants. “Jade and Lorenzo, you go to the mayor’s home. Tommy and Fay, you’re in charge of the personal assistant’s office and home. Mike and Carl, you’re taking the attorney’s office and home, and Charlotte and Kyle, you’re working with the tip calls and will follow up on the most promising sightings first. If too many legit-sounding calls come in, I’ll ask for help from that neighborhood’s local precinct. Go on and head upstairs now. Tommy, Fay, Mike, and Carl, hit the attorney’s office and the mayor’s personal assistant’s office first since it’s a workday. They should be there. Their homes can be searched later, but don’t let either of them make any calls in case somebody is at their house who can destroy evidence. The warrants for their phone records should be here this afternoon, and we can check those online when they arrive.”

  Tommy jerked his head toward the door. “Okay, we’re on it.”

  The four agents walked out with the warrants, leaving Renz and me alone with Taft.

  “How are we supposed to handle this with the mayor, Maureen?” Renz asked. “You know we’re going to get plenty of blowback.”

  “Too bad. This is a murder investigation, and we have a job to do. Nobody is above the law, not even the mayor or his minions. If he’s the reason people are being killed, then I want to know why. I don’t care if he or his wife protest, I want you both to search their home from top to bottom. Tomorrow, you can go through his office at city hall. There’s no excuse they can give or any person they can call that can legally block a search warrant, so they’ll either need to leave the premises or stay put and deal with it. I’d suggest the latter since if they did leave, the mayor might go to his office and try to destroy evidence that might be there. If they do leave, they’ll have the PD waiting at city hall for them. You can also remind the mayor that going to city hall would make the media curious.”

  “Got it.” I pocketed the warrant, sucked in a deep breath—since I knew full well that the Kent’s would resist our entry to the home—and we left. Once in the car, I turned to Renz as I buckled my seat belt. “So how bad do you think this is going to be?”

  “Pretty bad. Put on your big-girl pants because I’m sure they’ll try to keep us out the second they hear who we are through the gate intercom.”

  I shook my head as Renz merged onto the freeway and aimed the cruiser north. “Damn it, I sure love my job.”

  We reached the Kent compound twenty minutes later, and Renz pulled alongside the call box at the walled entrance. He pressed the button on the intercom and waited. It took a minute, but a female voice finally answered. I recognized it as Marie Kent’s.

  “Kent residence, how can I help you?”

  Renz leaned out the car window and spoke into the call-box microphone. “Mrs. Kent, it’s Agents DeLeon and Monroe. We have a search warrant for your residence. You need to buzz us through the gate.”

  “I will do no such thing. How dare you come to our private home in our time of grieving. We demand privacy! Leave us alone, or I’ll call the police.”

  “Sorry, ma’am, but it doesn’t work that way. This warrant gives us the legal right to enter your residence. If you resist, I’ll be forced to call the police and have them escort us in. I doubt if you want your gate broken or the publicity that can draw. Do you want the media camped out on your lawn?”

  “Of course not. You may not realize this, Agent DeLeon, but we’re a prominent family in the city and don’t take frivolous accusations lightly. Our lawyer will definitely be in touch with your superior. What grounds do you have to barge in on us like this?”

  “Ma’am, nobody has accused you of anything yet, and your lawyer is also being served a warrant as we speak. For now, I’d suggest you ca
lm down and let us do our job. Everything you need to know is stated in the warrant, which I’ll gladly hand over to you once we enter. It’s your choice—deal with us or deal with the police and the media.”

  The call box went silent, and the gate creaked open. Renz drove through and parked next to the brick sidewalk that led to the front door. I grabbed the warrant, and we exited the cruiser.

  Marie Kent was already at the door, one hand on her hip and the other outstretched and waiting to snatch the warrant away from me.

  “You’ll be sorry you did this.” She spewed threats at us with her eyes darting back and forth between Renz and me.

  “Ma’am, I wouldn’t advise threatening the FBI. It won’t sit well if we do find anything incriminating. Where’s your husband?” I asked.

  She tipped her head reluctantly toward the library. “He’s in there, and just so you know, he isn’t sober.”

  I spoke up. “That seems to be an ongoing problem with the mayor, Mrs. Kent. How do you keep that from leaking out to the press?”

  She huffed. “I’m not telling you anything.”

  I nodded. “Okay, then I’d suggest you take a seat and read through the warrant.”

  The home was massive, and just by the number of rooms on the first floor, I knew it would take all day to go through every nook, cranny, closet, and drawer in the entire house. We weren’t even sure what we were looking for. I imagined finding a slip of paper, perhaps a confession to a wrongdoing that might have pissed someone off enough to commit the horrific murders. I knew we wouldn’t find that, and I was doubtful that we would discover any confession at all. Logic told me that if there were clues that we could track, they would be in the form of bank statements that showed recurring payments to someone, email confessions, repeated calls to the same number, or text messages. A bit overwhelmed about where to start, I approached Renz.

  “What should we do first? This home is enormous.”