The River Girls

by Melinda Woodhall

  “Ingram said I should ask you about Eden Winthrop,” Nessa said, watching Barker’s face.

  He suddenly looked alert.

  “What about her?” he asked.

  A frown appeared on his face for the first time that day.

  “Well, she was Mercy’s Lancaster’s sister. She found the body,” Nessa offered up. “And that was the last case you and Ingram partnered on, right?”

  “Okay, so what does that matter?” Baker looked toward the street, as if hoping someone or something would come along and save him from the conversation.

  “Well, Ingram had a bad reaction to Eden’s name. Seemed like he had a problem with her, but he just said to ask you.”

  “Ingram’s old-school. He follows the code, you know? He didn’t agree with the way I handled that case, but he didn’t lodge a complaint. That’s not the way he works. He just requested a different partner.”

  Barker smiled and sighed. “I thought it was probably a good idea. He was a pain in the ass.”

  Nessa agreed, but she let the comment pass.

  “So, what did you do that pissed him off?”

  “It’s what I didn’t do,” Barker said. “I didn’t push for a full investigation into what happened. I accepted the murder-suicide theory and closed the case.”

  “And Ingram didn’t buy it?” Nessa was confused. “What did he think happened?”

  “He thought Eden Winthrop was involved,” Barker said. “He thought she was faking her amnesia, and he wanted to go after her.”

  “He thought she killed her own sister and brother-in-law?” Nessa asked in surprise. “Did any of the evidence support his suspicions?”

  Barker looked uncomfortable. “I shouldn’t be saying all this. It’s water under the bridge.”

  “Off the record, Barker,” Nessa said, her interest piqued.

  “It doesn’t matter anyway,” Barker said. “We didn’t process the crime scene as a homicide scene. None of the evidence would hold up in court now.”

  Nessa felt her heart sink at the mention of evidence. So, there had been evidence linking Eden to the scene?

  “Let’s just say Ms. Winthrop had blood on her hands when we arrived, even though she couldn’t remember being in the apartment. And the gun had blood on the grip. Of course, it could have been the victim’s blood, but…well, the scene suggested a different scenario.”

  “So why didn’t you flag it as a possible double homicide?”

  “Because Mercy Lancaster had been beaten so badly, she was unrecognizable, and Preston Lancaster had stalked and abused his wife prior to that day. It just made sense that he had killed her.”

  “But the blood on Eden’s hands?” Nessa wondered aloud. “How would it have gotten there?”

  “I don’t know. I have my ideas but that’s all they are. No facts to back them up. But I believe Preston Lancaster beat and shot his wife. And, however he ended up dead, he had it coming.”

  Nessa stared at Barker with an open mouth.

  “I told you I shouldn’t be saying this,” Barker said. “But when you face down death, you start saying all the things you always wanted to say but were too scared to say.”

  Nessa could see Barker was getting upset. She hadn’t come to cause problems, and it wasn’t her business what had happened before they were partners. Some things were better left buried.

  “You said there was another case you wanted to ask me about?” Barker said, clearly ready to change the subject.

  “I’ve been thinking about the Natalie Lorenzo investigation. You were the lead detective on that as well.”

  Barker just nodded, his face grim.

  “Well, now that we know Vinny Lorenzo killed those girls, I keep asking myself why his prints were on the belt someone used to strangle his mother. Do you think he could have killed her? His own mother? And at that age?”

  “No, I don’t think the kid killed his mom,” Barker said, his forehead furrowing into deep wrinkles. He looked at Nessa and sighed. “I’ve tried to forget the case. Tried to forget the kid.”

  The raw emotion in Barker’s voice surprised Nessa. She knew he was a big softie under the gruff exterior. That wasn’t a secret to anyone who had known him more than five minutes. But she’d never heard him talk about the Lorenzo case before or mention any kid that had gotten under his skin.

  “You see, that day, the day I told the kid his mother had died? That was the day I realized I didn’t want to be a cop anymore.” He drew in a long, shaky breath.

  Nessa raised her eyebrows but didn’t speak.

  “I’d suspected I wasn’t cut out for the work early on, but I didn’t want to admit it. I wanted to be a cop like my dad and my uncles, even though they never pressured me. I pressured me. And then once I was in, well, it was hard to get out. Kids, bills, debts, obligations, expectations. You know how it is. But after that day, after Vinny Lorenzo, I knew eventually I’d have to get out.”

  “What was it about Vinny that changed things?”

  “You know what happened to his mother. She had drug problems. Had been arrested a few times for solicitation. I guess she was trying to earn money for drugs and trying to take care of the kid. I don’t know. But when she was found like that, we figured she’d been killed by a john that took things too far.”

  Nessa wasn’t so sure Natalie Lorenzo had been killed by a john. The River Girls Investigation had raised new questions and doubts. But she knew she needed to let Barker have his say. He’d sat on his feelings for twelve years; he needed to get them out. Bottling up his feelings obviously hadn’t been good for his heart.

  “Anyway, when we finally realized her next of kin was her son, a twelve-year-old kid, I offered to be the one to notify him. I thought I could handle it.” Barker paused and cleared his throat.

  “When I told him, he just looked at me with dead eyes. Like the life had already been kicked out of him and there was nothing left of him that could grieve. His eyes stayed with me after that. You know, sort of like when you see your first dead body? Well, this felt like I’d seen my first dead soul. I couldn’t shake it. It ate at me, and I had to admit I wasn’t cut out for the work. Maybe I’m not hard enough.”

  “Caring about a kid, and hating what the world did to him, doesn’t mean you aren’t cut out for the job, Barker. It just means you’re human. It means you’re decent.”

  Nessa felt tears sting her eyes as she thought of her own doubts about being strong enough to handle the pain and suffering she witnessed on a regular basis.

  “I’m sorry, Nessa,” Barker said, his voice low. “I guess I’m trying to justify my decision to leave the force. That kid made see the world differently, and after that I couldn’t un-see it.”

  “I guess it’s no big surprise Vinny Lorenzo turned into a killer,” Nessa said, realizing with a sick stomach that nothing she could say would convince Pete Barker to come back to the department.

  “It’s a screwed-up world, sometimes, Pete.”

  “Yeah, it is.” Pete nodded, looking up toward the bright blue sky. “But we’re both still here, and we’re lucky to be alive. Let’s stop complaining and just enjoy the day.”

  Nessa leaned back into the lawn chair, ignoring the stab of pain in her chest, and began to count backward from one hundred by sevens. This time she made it all the way to fifty-eight before dozing off.

  ✽ ✽ ✽

  Eden Winthrop’s house looked different in the daylight, without the drama of flashing lights and yellow crime scene tape. The house looked peaceful. Nessa hoped her visit wouldn’t disturb that peace as she walked slowly up the path, Jankowski close behind her.

  She wasn’t sure why he’d insisted he come with her to check on Eden and Hope, but she hadn’t objected. He was her partner now, and she was going to have to get used to him.

  As they approached the door, Nessa glanced over at Jankowski’s stony profile, wondering what was going on behind his impassive exterior. Just two weeks earlier he’d killed a man on the sam
e night he had arrested a serial killer and his partner had been shot at point-blank range. Did any of that bother him? Was he secretly suffering from PTSD? He certainly didn’t appear to be.

  Nessa didn’t know what was going on inside the brawny detective’s head, but on the outside he looked fit and healthy, like he didn’t have a care in the world.

  He knocked on the door and looked up into the newly-installed security camera as footsteps approached. The door swung open to reveal Hope. She had her long hair pulled back into a simple ponytail and wore baggy shorts and a Florida Gators hoodie.

  She led them inside, calling up the stairs, “Aunt Eden, Nessa’s here, and Detective Jankowski.”

  “It’s good to see you safe at home,” Nessa said as she followed Hope into the living room.

  She remembered looking at the school picture of Hope and wondering if the girl’s picture would end up on her investigation room’s whiteboard.

  Some things work out after all, she thought. Sometimes they really do come home.

  “Thanks, Nessa,” Hope’s voice was solemn. “I’m really glad to be home, too. If it wasn’t for you guys, and for Aunt Eden, I wouldn’t be here now.”

  “Well, let’s not think about that,” Nessa urged, putting a reassuring hand on Hope’s arm. “All that matters now, is that you’re here and you’re safe.”

  Devon appeared behind them without warning. “And she’s got a new boyfriend that won’t stop calling!” he teased, his eyes lighting up as he watched his sister’s face.

  “Devon, how many times do I have to tell you that Luke and I are just friends?” Hope smiled then, and Nessa was relieved to see the girl was finding her way back to normal.

  “Nessa, how are you?” Eden hurried down the stairs and walked straight over to Nessa and pulled her into a gentle embrace. Nessa’s ribs throbbed at the slight touch, but she hugged Eden back.

  “I’m doing pretty good all things considered,” Nessa answered, her hand self-consciously rising to cover the shaved patch on the side of her head.

  “Well, I love the new haircut,” Eden stepped back to consider Nessa’s shorter style. “It really suits you.”

  Eden turned her attention to Jankowski, and Nessa studied the pretty blonde’s profile, remembering her talk with Barker.

  Could this kind, elegant woman be a killer?

  “Thank you, Detective Jankowski, for everything you’ve done. I visited Stacey and Trisha Moore this morning and they told me how grateful they are. We all are.”

  “It’s my job to catch the bad guys,” Jankowski said, then cleared his throat and shifted his weight around as if he couldn’t get comfortable.

  Nessa looked over at her new partner, surprised to see a flush of color in his cheeks. Was he flustered by Eden’s compliments? Or was he interested in more than just praise? Maybe that was why he’d insisted he come along.

  Nessa raised her eyebrows and smiled at Jankowski, already anticipating the fun she would have teasing him about his crush on Eden.

  Hope excused herself to make a phone call, and Devon ran upstairs, taking the steps two at a time. Nessa watched them leave with a satisfied smile.

  They’re just normal kids again, she thought. Who’d have thought normal could be such a blessing?

  She imagined Cole and Cooper waiting at home for her. Imagined Jerry pacing, anxious about her being out of the house again. Hopefully her family would soon get back to normal, too, or at least their version of it.

  Eden ushered them into the kitchen, where Duke was curled up by the back door. He raised his head at their entrance and stretched before trotting over to greet them. Once they were settled around the kitchen table, Nessa turned to Eden.

  “It’s great to see ya’ll safe and well, but I came by because I imagine you have questions, and I think you deserve to know whatever we know.” Nessa glanced at Jankowski. He was looking at Eden, his gaze unfathomable.

  “Yes, I have lots of questions. It’s all been so confusing.” Eden clasped her fingers in her lap and exhaled deeply. “I’ve tried to understand how these men…these terrible men…were able to operate out of that motel without getting caught. Why didn’t the police stop them sooner?”

  Jankowski shook his head, as if frustrated, and Nessa worried he would get defensive and take Eden’s question as an attack on the department. But his words were tinged with regret.

  “I’m really sorry about that,” he said. “It’s unforgivable when a cop betrays his department and his community. But that’s what happened here. Detective Reinhardt was dirty, and he shielded the crooks that were running drugs and trafficking girls.”

  “But why would he do that?” Eden asked, anger finally surfacing.

  “I’m not sure exactly how it all got started. We’re still investigating, but it looks like he was deeply involved with a criminal organization.” Jankowski looked over at Nessa, his expression wary.

  “In fact, we were already investigating Reinhardt and the guys in the Miami organization prior to recent events. We suspected Reinhardt might be involved with distributing drugs, based on an informant that turned on him.”

  Jankowski stood and paced over to look out the back window.

  “And we’d heard rumors about underage girls in south Florida being offered up on the internet, but we had just started looking into it. Chief Kramer wanted us to complete our own internal investigation before calling in the state bureau or the feds. He didn’t want to destroy the department’s reputation until we were sure.”

  Nessa stared at Jankowski in disbelief. He had known all along that Reinhardt might be dirty, and yet he hadn’t warned her? The room spun, and Nessa felt hot blood rush to her head, making her wound throb. She put both elbows on the table and took a deep breath. What other secrets had Jankowski hidden from her? Could she really be his partner after this? Could she ever truly trust him to watch her back?

  Jankowski shot Nessa a look of remorse, then turned to Eden.

  “We’ve determined that Detective Reinhardt had picked up Trevor Bane on a minor drug charge and struck a deal with him. Reinhardt would let Trevor off if he agreed to recruit young girls for the Miami organization. We think that’s when Trevor started using the street name Hollywood to hide his real identity.”

  “And he exploited the girls at Clear Horizons,” Eden stated, understanding the connection now. “He used his position there to gain their trust, and then got them hooked on drugs and delivered them to these criminals.”

  “Yeah, that’s what it looks like,” Jankowski said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Of course, we’ve got to prove all this in court if we’re going to convict the men we have in custody or have any hope of stopping the guys who are running things in Miami.”

  Nessa felt Duke nudge her hand, and she turned to see him staring up at her, his eyes worried.

  He must know an emotional basket case when he sees one, she mused, as she began to stroke his soft fur.

  “What about Trevor’s mother?” Eden asked. “What about that horrible woman. Was she involved somehow?’

  “Denise Bane must have at least suspected what was going on and did nothing to stop it. But we haven’t found any evidence that she was involved, and we can’t yet prove what she actually knew.”

  “And Vinny Lorenzo?” Eden asked. “How did he figure into all this? Why did he try to strangle Hope? Why did he abduct her?”

  Nessa cleared her throat and motioned to Jankowski that she would take this one. He’d taken her by surprise with his admission that Reinhardt had already been the subject of an internal investigation, but she was still the lead detective on the River Girls case.

  “Vinny Lorenzo was placed in Denise Bane’s home as a foster child after his mother was declared unfit. She’d been arrested for drug possession and solicitation. When Vinny was twelve his mother died. The case was never solved, but Vinny had already been living with Denise Bane, and he was then permanently assigned to her care. So, he grew up with Trevor.”

&
nbsp; “It’s clear that Vinny was involved with the crime ring, but what about the killings?” Eden’s delicate brow furrowed in doubt. “Why would he kill all those girls? Are you sure it was him?”

  “He’s confessed to killing Tiffany Clarke, Jessica Carmichael, and Brandi Long. And, of course, we caught him red-handed trying to abduct Hope.”

  Nessa considered her next words, then decided Eden had a right to know it all.

  “Vinny told us that he planned to kill Hope. Planned to save her, as he called it. He said he strangled all the girls to prevent them from suffering.”

  Eden raised a trembling hand to her mouth.

  “I knew he was probably planning on killing Hope. But to have him admit it? It’s incomprehensible. He must be mentally ill. How else could you explain such twisted logic?”

  “Yes, he’s a sick young man,” Nessa agreed. “It will take time to understand why he acted in the way he did. Maybe we’ll never be sure. But we have found his fingerprints at the scene of his mother’s homicide. So, we think he may have witnessed the murder of his mother. Perhaps that trauma ultimately turned him into a killer.”

  Nessa watched as Eden tried to absorb the information. Could anyone really understand the motives of a serial killer? She turned as Jankowski’s phone rang and he left the room to answer it.

  She watched her new partner exit the room, curious if he’d kept other secrets from her. She glanced back to see an inscrutable look on Eden’s face. Barker’s words spun in her head, prompting an unwelcomed thought.

  Can we ever fully understand the secret motives in the mind of another? Do we truly know anyone?

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Jankowski jabbed at his cell phone screen, ending the call. He wished he could end all connections to his soon-to-be ex-wife, Gabby, so easily. She’d called to inform him the divorce papers would be ready to sign by the end of the week. His stomach clenched at the thought of seeing Gabby again. Of formally ending the marriage that had started with so much love, that had been expected to last happily ever after. He let himself sink into self-pity. Were there ever any real happy endings in this world?