The Gilded Sanctum

by Keith Veverka

  “You really think they’re capable of that?”

  “You don’t go to all of these lengths to have this much surveillance unless you have something to hide. Like you said before, those cameras are not meant to keep people out; they’re meant to keep all of you in.”

  Meredith recoiled at the thought. Although Walker knew she had already considered the possibility, when a private investigator told you — especially with all his experience — it became very real. And very frightening.

  Meredith paused for several moments, as though she was trying to process what Walker had just told her. “Why?”

  Walker breathed out forcefully. “No idea. They’re obviously hiding something. I just don’t know what it is yet. That’s why I went to the shed.”

  “What were you hoping to find there?”

  “A link. Something to help me.”

  “I guess you don’t have that problem anymore,” Meredith said, trying to lighten the mood.

  “Yeah, you could say that,” Walker grinned.

  “You didn’t see the person who knocked you over? Started the fire?” she asked.

  “Barely. Not enough for an eyewitness.”

  “So whoever started that fire, were they trying to burn those files or kill you?”

  Walker put the towel over his head again. “Great question.”

  Meredith looked down at the floor, shaking her head in disbelief.

  The cool towel felt refreshing on his warm skin, so Walker rubbed his face with it one last time and placed it on his lap while staring up at the ceiling. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Absolutely.”

  “Do you think Castillo is capable of murder?”

  “Whew.” Meredith winced. “That wasn’t the kind of question I was expecting.”

  “I know,” Walker confessed. “But you know him. You’ve been with him. Is he capable of something like this?”

  Meredith sighed as she settled back into the sofa. “I don’t know. Like I told you before, he was simply too much for me. Maybe it was all his training, perhaps it was his life experience, but he was always overly concerned with secrecy — what he could say, what he couldn’t say. It was unnerving.”

  “Is it all about the security of the school for him, or is it something deeper?”

  “I think it starts there, but then it goes deeper. Almost like he has something to prove. Something to atone for. You know what I mean?”

  Walker huffed, “Unfortunately, I know exactly what you mean.”

  “I’m sure he’s good at what he does, but it’s almost as if it haunts him. So...would he do something like this...to protect the school...to protect the security of the school? I don’t know.”

  “How about protecting someone?”

  “Protecting someone?”

  “Like Amanda’s boyfriend, Josh Easterly, for instance. Would he protect him? Hypothetically?” Walker asked.

  “Well, I know Easterly is from a very well-to-do family. He’s a Congresswoman’s son, I believe ”

  “Really?” Walker faked surprise. “We’re certainly in the halls of power here, aren’t we?”

  “Indeed. And their troubled kids.”

  “Troubled?”

  Meredith laughed. “Yes, you certainly can’t come from all that wealth and privilege and not be a little troubled, right? I think it’s probably their own form of rebellion, revolting against the establishment so to speak. Their parents are all well—connected and very powerful, so the only way these kids can express themselves is a kind of secret organization, somewhere they can be who they are. Sort of break the rules without breaking the rules, you know? Almost like a Dead Poet’s Society kind of thing. Only these guys aren’t reading poetry.”

  “Like a satanic cult?”

  “I wouldn’t go that far, but definitely a secret society. Rituals. Initiations. Codes.”

  Walker leaned closer. “This secret society — the Sons of Liberty — is it real?”

  “I don’t know, but the rumors never seem to die. What do you think that means?”

  “Is Josh a part of this secret society?”

  “I have no idea, but I can only imagine that if it actually existed, Ellis would certainly want to keep it quiet, don’t you think? It’s almost like the boogeyman. Especially at a place like this. I’m sure they would go to great lengths to keep it quiet.”

  “I’m sure,” Walker responded. Then asked, “Enough to abduct a student?”

  The question was rhetorical, but the silence — as the two people mentally considered the possibility — was deafening.

  Chapter 28

  Special Agent Walker peered through his assault rifle scope into the adjacent office at the man with the gun. “Command, I have a clear line of sight on the subject. I am prepared to eliminate the threat,” he whispered into his headpiece.

  “Negative, unit two, stand down. The negotiator wants a little more time.”

  Walker shrugged off the order. The negotiator might be hearing the subject’s voice, but Walker was seeing the assailant first-hand and clearly had the best vantage point. His mannerisms and uncontrollable urges told the seasoned FBI agent there was no longer any amount of reasoning that would be effective with this perpetrator. He was simply too far gone, too irrational, and it would only take seconds to kill both the mother and daughter if he decided that as his best course of action. Right now, Walker was the only one in a position to eliminate the threat.

  “Command, say again, I am prepared to take out the threat. I have a clean shot.”

  Longer silence. “Negative, Walker, give us a few more minutes.”

  The FBI sniper bristled at the command. They used his real name over the radio, which meant quite simply to shut the fuck up. Walker exhaled his frustration, while removing his finger from the trigger guard. His instincts were getting the better of him, and he needed to calm down. As a federal agent in the most elite law enforcement agency in the world, he wasn’t accustomed to taking orders — at least not in this regard — as he was typically in charge of his own investigations and called his own shots. This situation and what had to be done appeared to be crystal clear, yet he was being asked to stand down.

  In the meantime, the increasingly violent subject was becoming more irate, meaning time was rapidly running out. Walker carefully unsnapped the buckle from under his chin and removed his helmet with one hand, while still staring down his rifle’s scope at the gunman, the crosshairs pinned on his adversary. He breathed in deeply and pressed the switch to turn off his weapon’s safety, while placing his finger back inside the trigger guard and pressing it lightly against the trigger.

  Without warning, the subject suddenly lowered his handgun and fired at the telephone on the desk. The telephone exploded as the mother and child instinctively shielded themselves from the flying shards of debris, while the gunman reacted to the disintegration of the phone with a triumphant gesture and blood curdling howl as he raised the gun in the air. The negotiation was over.

  With the assailant’s handgun momentarily pointed away from the hostage, Walker placed the man’s forehead directly in the center of the scope’s crosshairs and his entire focus narrowed onto his lone target.

  His headpiece crackled. “Unit two, weapons free. Take out the subject.”

  Walker did not respond. No response was necessary. He simply let out a slow breath to steady his weapon and pulled the trigger.

  Chapter 29

  Walker startled awake, then calmed. He was sitting on the sofa in his faculty residence living room, his head arched back against the thick upholstery. As he brought his head forward, he noticed Meredith was sitting next to him, sleeping, her head propped on his left shoulder. Her soft body was brushed up against his, and he realized he hadn’t been this close to a woman in a long time. He hadn’t respected himself enough to be with anyone, and nothing about that had changed, but Walker had to admit the warmth of her body felt good.

  He hadn’t meant to fall asleep with her a
nd immediately regretted it. He had been so exhausted after the fire that he literally couldn’t keep his eyes open, so he took a few moments just to rest his eyes, and Meredith said she would stay with him. Obviously, they both fell asleep. Her kind gesture was heartfelt and Walker truly appreciated it, but this case was not anywhere closer to being solved by sleeping on the sofa.

  Walker wasn’t sure if he was attracted to Meredith, or if this relationship had any kind of future, but there was a definite emotional connection between the two of them. Although inadvertent at first, it probably stemmed from their shared loneliness, and they simply found what they needed in each other for the moment. Was it sustainable? Probably not. Walker wasn’t sure what that meant for the two of them, but he couldn’t think about that now. It was simply too much to try and make sense of, and he was in no condition for it, so his mind drifted back to the case.

  The dead ends. The storage shed. The fire. He tried to weave together the loose ends mentally, focus on a puzzle with its missing pieces, concentrate on that one piece of evidence that was eluding him. He struggled to see the completed picture in his mind.

  Meredith moved her head slightly and opened her eyes. She looked up at Walker, trying to determine where she was and what she was doing. Immediately making the realization that she was laying on his shoulder, and may have drooled on his shirt, she pulled back and sat up straight. “I’m sorry,” she instantly apologized. “I guess watching you sleep made me tired.”

  “It’s alright,” Walker said, finally able to move his arm and tactfully stretch out the cramp that had developed there.

  She smiled, “I guess you’re going to be okay.”

  Walker nodded. “Yeah, still sore as hell, but it looks like I’ll survive.”

  “I would love to know what’s going through your mind right now,” she whispered.

  Walker smiled. For one brief moment, the pressure had left, the pity was gone, and the self-loathing was taking a short break. “That there are no clues to this case on this sofa.”

  Meredith laughed. “I would have to agree detective, but you did need some rest.”

  “Right.”

  Meredith turned and lay her head back on the cushion. “I wish I could just stay here. Block out the world a little while longer, you know?”

  Walker stared up at the ceiling fan in the center of the living room, watching the fan blades make their rhythmic rotations. “I do.”

  Silence lingered for a few moments until Meredith spoke. “So what’s next for the case? Now that the storage shed is no longer available?” she asked.

  Walker grinned. “Back to square one, I guess. I might go back to the tuition office.”

  Meredith chuckled. “Why would you go to the tuition office?”

  “Well, that’s how I got to the storage shed in the first place. I was looking for tuition office records.”

  “Records?”

  “Yeah, Amanda worked there.”

  Meredith laughed again. “Oh, I don’t think she could have stumbled upon a massive conspiracy in that short of time.”

  Walker sat up from the cushion and turned toward Meredith. “What do you mean?”

  She mirrored his posture, looking confused. “Well, she was only there for maybe a month or so. I remember her talking about it in class.”

  “What? That’s why I went there. It was in Castillo’s file. I thought she may have found some incriminating evidence in the financial records. Are you saying she didn’t work there?”

  “Oh, yes, she worked there, but she was only recently transferred. She used to work for Dr. Ellis as his receptionist.”

  Walker was incredulous. “What?”

  Meredith smirked., “I guess he didn’t disclose that to you?”

  “No! I knew he was hiding something. Dammit!” Walker huffed.

  Meredith put her hand on his arm. “The rumor is that something happened between them, which is why he transferred her.”

  “What?” Walker felt as though he was about to lose his mind.

  Meredith just shook her head, matching the disbelief in Walker’s face.

  “Does Castillo know about this?”

  “I don’t know. But it was all done very quietly. I just remember Amanda talking about her new job in class, having previously worked for Ellis. I heard the rumors like everyone else, but I never asked Amanda directly.”

  “What was the rumor?”

  “Just that something inappropriate had happened between the two of them, and so he had to transfer her to keep everything quiet.”

  “What happened?”

  “No one knows.”

  “No one?”

  Meredith paused. “Well, I guess there are two people you could ask. But unfortunately, one is missing, and the other...is the person who invited you here.”

  Chapter 30

  The Washington Academy residence for it Dean of Students was an opulent Virginia mansion near the northwest corner of the campus built in 1832. Although slightly altered and refurbished throughout the years, it still maintained its nineteenth-century character, staying true to its southern Virginia charm. Originally built for Washington Academy's first headmaster, and aside from a brief hiatus during the Civil War, the residence had been home to every subsequent dean for the prestigious academy ever since.

  Augustus Becker had served as the school’s first headmaster when the academy was founded twenty-seven years earlier, but with increasing student enrollment and sprawling campus growth during the 1820s, he stepped down from that position to assume the role of President of the Board of Trustees with its many responsibilities. Before his death in 1858, Becker ensured the residence remained a permanent fixture on the Washington Academy’s campus and a non-negotiable feature of any potential candidate’s employment contract. The clause was never opposed by any incoming leader, and there had been twenty-three of them, including Becker, since the school’s inception.

  The mansion’s current residents were Dr. Robert Ellis and his wife of thirty-two years, Gloria. They had requested some minor upgrades when they moved into the home eighteen years earlier — mostly interior furnishings — but aside from that, the mansion still looked much like it did in the 1800s. A long paved driveway led from the main road to the detached two-car garage, which was added in the 1950s. The dean’s residence was slightly removed from campus, separated by a line of trees and shrubs, so Walker assumed it was outside the far reach of Castillo’s monitoring system, but wasn’t entirely sure. He had stopped at Ellis’ office first and been told that the dean had left for the afternoon, so Walker figured that meant he had returned home.

  Walker was approaching the residence uninvited, hoping that Ellis wasn’t aware of his visit. He wanted it that way, so he could surprise Ellis and possibly catch him off guard. Knowing he was currently a stranger on the property, Walker moved stealthily along the garage and peaked inside the windows along it’s doors. Only one car was present, a shiny black Mercedes, so he figured either Ellis or his wife was at home.

  Making his way up the small set of steps leading to the wraparound porch, he knocked lightly on the door. His main purpose was to speak with Ellis about why Amanda had been transferred. The good doctor hadn’t volunteered this important tidbit of information, and since it was an extremely valuable piece to the puzzle, Walker wanted to know why. A sudden transfer to a new position followed by a mysterious disappearance was simply too much of a coincidence. And what exactly had happened between them? That all-important question needed an answer. Now.

  The front door swung open. An older woman, distinguished with slightly graying hair, stood in the entryway. She smiled at Walker and was exceedingly polite.

  “Can I help you?” She asked in a slow southern accent.

  Walker, surprised at first by the regal woman before him, smiled back and reached out his hand. “Yes, ma’am. My name is Ryan Walker, I’m…”

  “The private investigator,” she interrupted, her sweet accent making it sound much more imp
ortant than it actually was.

  “Yes, that’s right.”

  “I’m Gloria Ellis. Pleased to meet you.” She took his hand in hers and returned a delicate handshake. “I do hope you find that poor girl. It’s just so tragic what’s happened,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief.

  Walker returned the gesture. “Yes, it is. And that’s actually what brings me here today. I was hoping to speak with your husband. His office told me he had taken the afternoon off.”

  “Yes, that’s right. He needed to travel to Washington today for a meeting. I’m sorry, but he probably won’t be back until this evening. Please come in though. Perhaps I can help.”

  “Thank you,” Walker said, as he entered the foyer and took in the splendor of the gorgeous mansion. The expensive art which decorated the walls and intricate sculptures which hugged the corners created almost a museum-like feel, but was softened enough by the shades of color and furnishings that it felt like a home.

  “Your home is beautiful,” he finally said, still gawking at the priceless artifacts.

  “Oh, thank you,” said Gloria as she led him through the foyer into a large sitting room, decorated with more stately furnishings and anchored by a large stone fireplace at the head of the room. She pointed to an overstuffed chair with a quilted pattern on its lush cushion. “Please sit down. Can I offer you some coffee or tea?”

  Walker sat in the large chair. “No, thank you, I’m fine.”

  Gloria sat across from him in an equally large chair. Walker had not yet met Ellis’ wife, had only seen pictures of her behind his desk, and she appeared just as in her photos: the quintessential stepford wife. Walker imagined she spent her days taking care of the home and keeping up appearances for her high-profile husband, her southern charm on full display as she attended gatherings and hosted cocktail parties for their wealthy friends.