“Were you her confessor, Father?”
The question seemed to catch the priest off guard. “On occasion, yes. When she was ill the first time, several years back, then later, toward the end, yes, I heard her confession.”
“Were you aware that she’d had an affair with Dr. Overbeck?”
“I can’t discuss her personal life with you, Detective. It would be a breach of confidentiality, of her trust.”
“Only if she confided in you during her confessions. Did she do that, Father? Did she talk to you about her affair in her confessions?”
“You know I cannot discuss anything that was revealed in the course of a confession. As a priest, I am bound to silence by the church, by my vows. I’m sorry, Detective Powell, but if you’re looking for ‘dirt’ on Olivia Madden, you’re going to have to find it elsewhere.” Father Whelan picked up his briefcase. “I fail to see what this has to do with Allison Mulroney.”
“There are several striking similarities between this case and the Madden case,” Wes told him, “so we’re taking a second look at that.”
“You can’t be serious.” Father Whelan stared at Wes as if he’d suddenly sprouted a second head.
“Serious as a heart attack. That’s not for publication, by the way. We’re still looking into it, but there are too many similarities to ignore.”
Father Whelan stood riveted to the spot.
“Why would . . .” he wondered aloud, then stopped. To Wes, he said, “I have a meeting in ten minutes on the opposite side of campus. I’m sorry.”
“I’ll walk with you. I left my car over by Celestine Hall.” Wes walked to the door and waited for the priest to follow him.
Wes tried to engage him in further conversation, but Father Whelan appeared distracted as they made their way back across campus. When they reached Celestine Hall, Wes tried one more time.
“Father, what can you tell me about Olivia Madden?”
“What do you mean?”
“What kind of person was she?”
The priest seemed to consider the question carefully.
“Olivia was very beautiful. Very emotional. She had depths of emotions . . . “ He shook his head, then said, as if nothing further was necessary, “She wasn’t like anyone I ever knew.”
“Kyle seems to think you were in love with her.”
“Detective,” Father Whelan smiled weakly, “I never met a man who knew her who wasn’t.”
Nineteen
When Mitch suggested bringing in a profiler to review the case, Nina hadn’t been quite certain what to expect, but it definitely wasn’t the woman she watched get out of Mitch’s car and walk across the deck on Thursday morning. The cool-looking blonde being welcomed with hugs from Regan was totally feminine, casually dressed in cashmere and tweed. From the second-floor window, Nina could see the rope of pearls twined around the woman’s neck and the sparkling diamond on the ring finger of her left hand.
“Nina, come down and say hi to Annie,” Regan called from the first floor.
Nina hastily ran her fingers through her hair and hurried down the steps.
“Annie, this is my friend—and editor—Nina Madden. Nina, Dr. Anne Marie McCall.”
“It’s Annie,” the profiler told Nina with an easy smile. “So you’re the one who put this ball in motion.”
“I did, I’m afraid.” Nina nodded.
“Well, it’s certainly been an interesting read.” She patted the briefcase that hung from her shoulder before turning to Mitch. “Where’s our cop?”
“Just pulled in the driveway,” Mitch told her.
“Good. We need him,” Annie said. “Regan, may I get a cup of tea before we start?”
“Certainly. Nina? Anything?” Regan asked on her way to the stove.
“Nothing, thanks.”
Mitch went to the back door and opened it.
“You’re just in time,” he told Wes as the detective strode up to the door. “We’re all assembling—Regan, where are we holding this little powwow?”
“How about right here in the kitchen?” She turned to the door and greeted Wes. “Come in, Detective Powell. Meet Dr. McCall.”
“Good to meet you.” Wes went directly to the table, his hand out for Annie’s. “I heard you might be able to give us a little insight into this case.”
“I’ll do my best.” Annie took his hand, then pointed to the chair next to Nina’s. “Why not sit opposite from me, so that we can face each other. I have the feeling this conversation will be mostly between you and me.”
“Hello, Ms. Madden,” Wes said as he pulled out the chair next to hers and sat.
“Detective.” Nina smiled.
“Must we be this formal?” Annie frowned. “It makes me uncomfortable. Does anyone have a problem with first names?”
Everyone shook their heads no.
“Good, because it drives me crazy.” She held up her hand for the mug of tea Regan was passing to her.
“Okay, folks, last call.” Regan stood with her hands on her hips in the middle of the kitchen floor. “Coffee, tea, soda, a bottle of water? After I sit down, you’re on your own.”
She glanced around and, convinced there were no takers, sat next to Mitch, who was on Annie’s right.
“First off, I think we need to ask Wes if there have been any developments on this latest murder.” Annie addressed the detective.
“Unfortunately, no. There was some trace evidence recovered from the crime scene, but of course it’s going to be some time before we get anything back from the lab. If you’re asking me if we’ve identified any suspects, no, we have not. We’ve found no one in her life who doesn’t have an airtight alibi. And believe me, we’ve been beating the bushes. There’s no one who looks even remotely promising. And of course, no witnesses.”
“She lived in an on-campus apartment building, though, right?” Annie frowned. “How is it that no one saw or heard anything?”
“Homecoming weekend. There’d been a big party at one of the frat houses on Saturday night. According to one of her friends, Allison wasn’t feeling well and left—alone—around eleven-thirty. Almost everyone else stayed till one or two. There was no one around to hear, or to see.”
Wes paused, then added, “But I did meet with the three men we talked about last weekend.”
“Father Whelan, Kyle Stillman, and Dr. Overbeck?” Mitch asked.
“Yes.” He turned to Annie and explained. “We were thinking perhaps one of the men closest to Olivia could have been involved in the Stone River Rapist case, perhaps as a means of getting Stephen out of the way.”
“That’s a sound theory. But I think there may be a little more to it than merely wanting Stephen out of the picture.” Annie tapped the side of her mug lightly. “I think whoever killed those girls wanted to punish Dr. Madden.”
“Punish him for what?” Nina asked.
“For his infidelity. I don’t think Dr. Madden was too far off in his theory that Olivia killed those girls. I don’t believe she did, but I do think whoever did it thought he was avenging her somehow for the pain Stephen must have caused her. I believe that when you find your killer, you will find someone who was deeply involved emotionally with Olivia.”
“That could have been any one of the three,” Regan pointed out.
“Whoever killed these girls did so with passion and righteous anger,” Annie said. “If you’re merely trying to get someone out of the picture, you don’t need to invest yourself in the actual killing. The man we are looking for was doing more than going through the motions. The wounds are too deep, the crime scenes too bloody. He was making a statement. He was very much involved in what he was doing.”
“But couldn’t he have been making a statement against the girls rather than my father?” Nina asked. “If we’re to follow the theory you’ve set out, maybe the killer was punishing them for having slept with a married man.”
“Possibly, but I believe it was through killing them that the killer was targeti
ng Dr. Madden.” Annie’s softness was gone. She was all business now. “I also see this as a message to him. I know your secrets. See what I can do? You prize these women, but I can take them from you. The act of taking what Stephen had gave the killer a sense of power.”
“Power over the rival,” Mitch murmured.
“Exactly so.” Annie nodded.
“So which one of the three gets your vote, Wes?” Mitch sat in the seat next to Regan, his arm draped over the back of her chair. “Any of them give you a strange vibe?”
“Frankly, I found them all strange, as far as I’m concerned,” Wes said. “I’d be hard pressed to say one was more odd than the other.”
“Give me the rundown,” Annie said.
“Well, we’ll start with Kyle, since I saw him first.” Wes wished he’d taken more notes at the interview. He didn’t want to leave out any of the details. “I’m thinking he was pretty close to his mother. Nina, do you have any insights into their relationship?”
Nina thought for a moment before responding.
“I was only fourteen when I came to live in that house, and Kyle was nineteen and a sophomore in college already. So we didn’t connect, if you know what I mean.”
“He was away at school, then?” Regan asked.
“No.” Nina shook her head. “He went to St. Ansel’s. Because my dad taught there, both Kyle and I were able to attend for free. He lived at home, but I didn’t really see him a lot. He had a part-time job in the evenings and, as I recall, a pretty heavy course load.”
“What was his major? Do you remember?” Regan asked.
“Criminal justice, I think,” Nina told her.
Everyone at the table fell silent.
“How did a man with a degree in criminal justice end up working as a security guard?” Wes asked, breaking the silence.
“I thought he’d gone to the police academy after he graduated,” Nina said. “It seems to me he was working for the Maryland State Police when I left Stone River.”
“How long did he work for MSP?” Annie asked Nina.
“I have no idea. I pretty much lost contact with him and Olivia for a long time.”
“Well, that moves to the top of my to-do list.” Mitch rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Kyle’s background is in law. Who’da guessed it?”
“Funny he left that out when I met with him the other day. I’ve yet to meet the former cop who didn’t want to make damn sure I knew he’d been a cop, too.” Wes considered the omission. “Then again, maybe not.”
“You know how to get what we’ll need on his background?” Annie asked Mitch.
“Just a few taps on the keyboard, Miz Annie.” He wiggled his fingers.
“Good. I’ll be interested in seeing what you find.”
Annie gestured for Wes to continue.
“Well, I’m thinking that if he knew about Stephen’s affairs, he probably would have been pretty pissed off at his stepfather for cheating on his mother. That fits into Annie’s theory of anger at Madden as a motive.”
“I don’t believe it for a minute.” Nina shook her head. “I just don’t believe for one second that Kyle killed anyone.”
“Look, he was Olivia’s only child,” Wes told her. “Weren’t they pretty close?”
“Yes, but . . . “
“And they’d probably been close for a long time,” Wes ventured to guess.
“Well, yes, Olivia had been a single mother for a long time. I think her first husband died when Kyle was three or four, so sure, they’d have been close, but that doesn’t mean he was a murderer,” Nina protested.
“He was a student there on campus, he could have accidentally discovered that Stephen was having an affair. Maybe he followed him one time out of curiosity, found out where the girl lived. Realized what was going on and, like a good son, decided to take matters into his own hands. Avenge his mother, whatever.”
“Good theory.” Annie nodded. “Depending on his relationship with Dr. Madden, there could have been more involved there. If he’d seen Madden as a rival for his mother’s affections, he’d have been happy to have found a way to hurt him. I’d have to know more about his personality, of course, but he could have found great satisfaction in having raped his stepfather’s lovers.”
“That sounds almost Oedipal,” Regan noted.
“It is,” Annie agreed.
“I have to go on record right here and now and say that I think you’re wasting your time on Kyle.” Nina looked around the table at the others in the group. “I just don’t see it.”
“Duly noted.” Annie turned back to Wes. “Anything else on Kyle Stillman?”
“That’s it for now. Let’s move on to Dr. Overbeck. Nathaniel Carver Overbeck.” Wes leaned back in his chair and stretched his legs under the table. It seemed that every time he moved, his thigh rubbed against Nina’s and she’d shift slightly in the chair. Too bad, he thought. He’d enjoyed the contact.
“Here’s an interesting character. He started out almost overeager to help. As long as he was discussing Allison Mulroney, anyway. Had only nice things to say about her, by the way. She was a lovely girl, good student, never noticed anyone harassing her, that sort of thing. But once I brought up the old murders, he definitely grew uncomfortable.”
“Shifting around in his seat, nervous gestures with his hands . . .” Mitch said.
“All of the above. Now, when Stephen’s name came up, he became positively self-righteous. He had the story down pat. Stephen had affairs, Stephen wanted to end the affairs, the girls threatened him, he kills them off and moves on to the next one. He even made the comment, ‘I can’t believe no one put it together sooner.’”
“Interesting.” Annie nodded.
“Yeah, until I suggested that if he’d put it together, why hadn’t he gone to the police with his theory.”
“And he said what to that?” Mitch asked.
“Nothing. He paled a bit, but he said nothing.”
“I’m assuming you confronted him about the affair with Olivia,” Annie said.
“Oh, yeah. He admitted that. Somewhat reluctantly, but he didn’t try to deny it. He also admitted that Olivia knew about her husband’s affairs but he says he didn’t think she knew with whom.”
“Which could be speculation or a flat-out lie.” Mitch nodded.
“I’m thinking lie,” Wes told him. “But here’s one thing I thought was strange. He seemed willing to talk about his affair with Olivia, but as soon as I brought up the fact that he’d taken Madden’s place in the department, he made it clear the conversation had run its course.”
“Touchy?” Regan asked.
“Very,” Wes replied. “But he admitted that he’d been in love with Olivia. Which gives him a double motive for getting rid of Stephen. He wanted Madden’s wife and his job.”
“That’s pretty strong motivation,” Annie acknowledged. “And if he’d coveted those two things, it would certainly have given him great satisfaction to have set up Dr. Madden.”
“That power thing you talked about,” Nina said.
“Exactly,” Annie told her. “It’s just a few steps away from cannibals eating their enemies.”
“There’s a fun analogy,” Mitch said.
“Man has a tendency to want to destroy what he wants to conquer. Once he’s destroyed and made the vanquished part of him, then he has their power. He’s taken their essence, all they have to give. That’s what our killer wanted to do, I believe, though in a manner that’s only slightly more civilized.” Annie turned to Wes. “I’d say Dr. Overbeck makes a fine suspect. What did your gut tell you?”
“He’s very cool on the outside, but like I said, I could see him becoming more agitated as the interview progressed.”
“He wanted the wife, he wanted the job. Doesn’t quite add up to the level of anger, the depth of emotion I was looking for. Overbeck already had the wife, right? Coveting the job . . . “ Annie stopped to consider. “I was looking for something more deeply personal.”
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“I always had the impression that there was no love lost between my father and Dr. Overbeck, but I never knew why.”
“Well, it’s a relatively small academic arena. There could have been more there than simply wanting Madden’s job,” Annie explained. “Perhaps he felt more qualified for the position, or thought that somehow Madden was unjustifiably favored by the head of the department, or the dean. If Overbeck was convinced of his own superiority, losing out on a plum position to someone he felt to be his inferior would rankle, and over time fester.”
“I have a question,” Nina asked Annie. “Wouldn’t my father have figured out that it was his girlfriends who were being targeted? The first one, he was probably really upset, but he wouldn’t have suspected it was anything personal. But surely after the second girl was murdered he would have started to wonder. Why did he keep on having affairs with these girls if he knew someone was killing them?”
“Good question,” Wes said.
“I have a theory on that.” Annie reached over to squeeze Nina’s arm gently. “I hope this doesn’t upset you too greatly, Nina, but I’ve read all the psychological reports on your father. By all accounts, he was what we now recognize as having a sexually addictive personality. We’ve always known there were certain people who, in order to engage in sexual activity, would take risks or go to lengths that to many of us might seem ridiculous, even dangerous. The woman who’s repeatedly driven to pick up strange men and take them home. The man who can’t help but get involved in office affairs. We’ve only recently recognized that this type of behavior exhibits similar symptoms to those with drug or alcohol addiction. Starting with the inability to control the addiction.”
Annie stopped to drink some of her tea, then continued.
“So while after the second murder Dr. Madden may have begun to wonder if the murders were not coincidental, in the long run, it wouldn’t have stopped him from pursuing what he was addicted to.”
“Between the first and second murders, seven months had passed,” Wes interjected. “Between the second and the third, there’d been four months. Between the third and the fourth, there’d been seven. Eighteen months in all.”
Dark Truth Page 16
