"I had to kill them. Baker hacked Lewis's computer, and they knew everything about what was going on at Brockway. It was a mistake to bury the old equipment on the Devil's Pasture, but by the time we realized kids were dying, there was nothing we could do without exposing ourselves." Olsen's speech was halting, forced.
"Why was Bennett killed?"
"Lewis was an idiot and told him everything. Gave him the list of children's names. Stupid, stupid. Bennett was going to the cops. He had to be silenced."
"Did Joey Sands know what you buried under the apartments?
"No way. Joey is a boy scout."
"It was you who tried to kill me with Pascoe." I heard the whoop of two approaching sirens.
"It was nothing personal. You were getting too close to the truth." Olsen's ice-cold eyes sent a shudder through me.
"Why did you murder Ashley Logan?"
"She was there when Pascoe went to search the house. Marcus is a crazy bastard. He probably enjoyed what he did to her." His voice was becoming shakier and more strained.
I'd heard enough and managed to half drag, half walk him down the stairs. His head was bowed.
Beyond the vehicles blocking the entrance, I could see an ambulance and a firetruck waiting to enter the site. The twenty-five-ton engine was moving forward to engage its front bumper with the telehandler when a construction worker backed it away, allowing the emergency vehicles to pass.
Smith was bent over McAdams near the open door of a bullet-ridden squad car. A bright red plume of blood had mushroomed over her white shirt and down her loosened pants. Smith's face was grim, and we both could see Emma needed immediate surgery to stem the bleeding and save her life.
Olsen would have to wait for the second ambulance.
I HAD BEEN IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM for two hours holding vigil with a group of officers and Emma McAdams' husband until she was out of surgery. Clambering around the DMV building, and tending to Olsen's wounds had ruined my outfit. I'd changed into a t-shirt and jeans I kept in the car for just such an emergency.
We finally got word that doctors had stopped the bleeding, and McAdams' injuries were no longer life-threatening. They expected her to recover fully.
It was time to see what more I could pry out of Olsen, before returning to the station to start on paperwork. He was in a room by himself, the door guarded by a uniformed officer I didn't recognize. When I entered, Olsen's eyes were closed. A maze of cables and orthopedic slings supported his wounded arm and leg. His uninjured limbs were secured by handcuffs to the bed frame. Nurse Ananda Willis was bent over him. When she saw me, she looked up and spoke in a hoarse whisper, her face seared with guilt:
"Olsen's dead. He must have had a stroke from a blood clot. The injuries he sustained are likely the cause."
CHAPTER 56
IT WAS A RELIEF TO SEE Emma McAdams out of recovery and able to take visitors. She was still woozy from the anesthetic and shrugged when I told her about Olsen's death. Rather than tire her out by going into the details of the case, I headed back to the station.
Chief Kane met me as I entered the squad room and told me to accompany him to a press briefing with Jill Harvey. He fixed his eyes on me, his brow furrowed, and he said he needed to speak to me afterward.
When I asked the city manager about the Mayor's absence, she would only say she was unavailable and likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. If Vicki Whitehead wasn't eager to answer questions from the press about her close ties with Olsen and Abbey Mount Hospital, she needn't have worried. I didn't expect the Chief to mention either at this meeting. He told me he was going to honor the promise he made to Kayla Ellis. I couldn't see the point of holding the press briefing ahead of The Examiner article. But it wasn't my decision.
Reporters and cameras packed the ground floor conference room. Harvey and I followed Kane to the stage and stood at his side as he stepped to the lectern. Scanning the assembled crowd proved difficult in the face of the bright television lights, but I recognized news reporters from Sacramento and San Francisco television stations. I didn't know what information the Chief intended to give them. From Harvey's puzzled expression, I could see she was as much in the dark as I was. Maybe we were strictly window dressing.
Reading a brief prepared statement, he introduced me as the lead investigator and Harvey as standing in for the Mayor. He said officers chased one of the suspects in the deaths of Beth Gervais, Ashley Logan, and Mathew Baker. The fugitive had climbed on a roof at a construction site and opened fire on the police. One of the officers was being treated at the hospital for a non-life-threatening injury and was expected to recover. The suspect later succumbed to injuries he received in a fall after being disarmed by an unnamed detective.
Bracing his hands on the sides of the lectern, Kane said, "With that, I will open the meeting for questions." The shouts reached a crescendo, drowning his warning that we were not ready to release all we knew.
Questions from reporters came in rapid fire.
"Chief, can you confirm that you are holding suspects, and can you name the person killed today?"
"We have Marcus Pascoe in custody He is cooperating with our investigations into the deaths of Elizabeth 'Beth' Gervais, Ashley Logan and the torture of Mathew Baker. We're also holding Kent Brickman, and he's facing several charges which include killing Matt Baker. I'm not at liberty to release the name of the person who died today, pending notification of his relatives."
"Rusty Beck, Channel Two News. Chief, how does the shooting relate to the people in hazard suits at the site of Brockway Apartments? Have they found something dangerous there?"
"The State EPA is investigating a toxic spill at Brockway. You'll have to wait for their report," Kane replied. I knew for a fact that they had already unearthed radioactive medical equipment.
"Jim Deakins, Sacramento Union. Was the fire a terrorist incident, and do you anticipate more attacks?"
"We know it was not terror-related, but I can't give you more details at this time, beyond saying it was deliberately set, and two local men were responsible."
"Kelly Walsh, Channel Four News. Who is the lead investigator?"
"As I said previously, Detective Megan Riley led a team of professionals to a successful conclusion. They all deserve your thanks."
"Bill Petit, Stockbridge Examiner. Chief, was Lieutenant Townsend, not part of that team, and where is he?"
"Lieutenant Townsend has been relieved of duty and arrested. The charges he faces are serious, but I'm not yet ready to disclose them."
Reporters tried to and coax more information from Kane by rephrasing the same questions, but he refused to be drawn. When reporters asked about the mayor's whereabouts, he feigned ignorance. I expected he would catch flak from the broader press, after the release of Kayla Ellis' article the following morning.
After ten minutes of dodging questions he didn't want to answer, Kane ended the meeting. The shouting continued as we left the multipurpose room and was still audible as we climbed the stairs to the squad room.
Once we were out of earshot, Kane pulled me aside. "Your actions today were both courageous and incredibly reckless. They'll probably give you a medal. But if you ever don't wait for SWAT again, you'll be out of the police force on your ear. Understood?"
I nodded meekly.
"I'm going to the hospital to visit Officer McAdams. When I return, I want a full debriefing from you, as will the investigators from the Force Investigation Division."
The meetings with the Chief and FID ran late. I declined the offered representation, as the interrogations were standard for an officer-involved shooting resulting in death.
Afterward, I went to Dirty Mick's Tavern and sat at the bar. I ordered a beer and a burger from Juan, the barman. When my food came, I attacked it voraciously, pausing only to swill it down with beer. I couldn't remember when I last ate.
"Hey, steady on there." Juan fixed his brown eyes on me.
"It's been a hell of a day, I replied.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not really."
"What happened to your hands?"
"It's a long story." I saw more blood had seeped around the Band-Aids.
"I've got time." Juan's smile displayed perfect white teeth.
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Try me." Juan rested his elbows on the bar and leaned in. His after-shave smelled good.
"I was kidnapped by a couple of bad guys and had to force my way out of a room to escape a fire."
"You're a cop?" Juan was staring at the shield I'd forgotten to remove from my waistband.
"Does it make a difference?" My eyes drifted to his broad shoulders and muscular arms.
"Not at all. My sister is one. Some bastard shot her today."
"Emma McAdams is your sister?"
"Technically my half-sister. Same mother, different father. Were you at the gunfight where she was shot?"
"You could say that. What time do you get off?"
"Becky can take over from me whenever you want."
"Do you want to come back to my place? It's nearby." Jake's specter, and the cloud of sadness that had hung over me since his death had left, at least for the time being.
"On the way, we'll need to swing by the hospital to check on Emma."
"Deal," I said, suddenly feeling free. No way was I going to spend the night alone.
EPILOGUE
6 Months Later
TIME TO MOVE ON
Special by Kayla Ellis, The Examiner's award-winning investigative journalist.
Today's column is a recap of my writing over the six months since the Brockway Apartments were destroyed by fire. My regular readers may want to skip it.
On September, the 19th of last year, four days after the disastrous fire at The Brockway Apartment complex, I revealed the horror perpetrated on the residents there and this community by a handful of evil people. Four men—Buddy Olsen, Bill Lewis, Kent Brickman, and Marcus Pascoe—put their financial greed ahead of the welfare of hundreds of people.
Since then this columnist has kept the public informed on the progress of the investigation, and the punishment of the wrongdoers. I've also tried to answer health questions that residents might have and to point them toward the available resources. My commitment began with a series of world exclusive articles in the immediate aftermath of the fire, for which I was recently honored with a Pulitzer Prize for Investigative Reporting.
Thankfully, the attention of the world's press has moved on to other matters, and the carnival atmosphere they brought to Stockbridge has subsided. Now seems the right time to step back for a moment and summarize the news I reported during those trying months of uncertainty.
Has there been progress by the government investigations? It's a question deserving more honest answers than we have received thus far.
The radiation hazard at Brockway is still under investigation by a host of government agencies, including the Federal EPA and Cal EPA. To quote from their latest joint report:
The illegal dumping of radioactive materials in the ground at the Brockway Apartments produced a level of radiation that was insufficient to raise the number of health cases above what is considered statistically normal.
The more sensational press reports of mass deaths were premature and inaccurate, but early on, doctors like pediatrician Dr. Paul Walker noticed an increase in rare cancer cases at Brockway. Walker has since refused to comment, citing his cooperation with government agencies. Echoing the more sensible postings on social media, this reporter believes the government is covering up the true magnitude of the past and future illness inflicted on residents. I used to live at Brockway, and time will tell what lasting effects the miscreants foisted upon us. But I can say first-hand, that the monitoring of our health is wholly inadequate. The annual checkups instigated by the state are too infrequent and will cause delays in diagnosis and treatment. For some people, those delays could make the difference between life and death. It's time for the California Department of Health and Human Services to step up their game and institute monthly checkups for everyone who lived at the Brockway Apartments.
People stop and ask me what became of the perpetrators.
Kent Brickman is currently serving a life sentence for the murder of Matt Baker. Marcus Pascoe received three life sentences for the deaths of Elizabeth 'Beth' Gervais and Ashley Logan, and the attempted murder of Detective Megan Riley. Disgraced Ex-Lieutenant Glen Townsend was found guilty of trying to steer the police investigation away from Olsen and Pascoe. He is serving five years for corruption and racketeering.
The investigation into the death of local developer Jack Bennett was re-opened. When it concluded, the Coroner said that Hospital CEO Bill Lewis told Jack Bennett about the scandal at the Brockway Apartments. When Bennett threatened to take what he knew to the police, Buddy Olsen murdered him. With Lieutenant Townsend's help, Olsen succeeded in making it appear that Bennett had taken his own life.
The investigation into Olsen's capture ruled police actions were justified and praised the efforts of Detective Riley. His parents, who are currently in hiding, requested a second autopsy. The outcome was no different from the first one. The coroner ruled Olsen's death a direct result from the injuries he sustained in a fall at his building site and dismissed the parent's claim of foul play at the hospital. The bodies of Bill Lewis and Buddy Olsen had to be exhumed and reburied at an unknown location after the repeated desecration of their graves.
Police have yet to decide whether to file charges, which could include racketeering, against Joey Sands for his alleged part in the fire at Brockway. In the face of mounting legal costs, he filed a complaint alleging police harassment. The following day his construction firm filed for bankruptcy. For their part, Brockway residents filed lawsuits against the city, the mayor and even the police force.
When the scandal became public, Abbey Mount Hospital's board and senior management resigned en bloc. The New CEO, Andrei Petrov, is looking for a suitor to buy the hospital and inject much-needed cash. Petrov claims that not a single stolen patient record was ever made public. Conspiracy theories about what became of the medical records abound online.
Work on the DMV building ceased when the scandal was revealed, and it has now stood idle for six months. Unless someone puts in a bid to finish construction, the city may have to tear it down.
Finally, my friend Detective Megan Riley is a local hero, and congratulations are in order after her recent promotion to Detective II.
Devil's Pasture Page 28
