Silent Justice

by Rayven T. Hill

  “Do you want anything? Coffee? Beer?” she asked.

  Jake looked at Annie. “I’ll have a coffee.”

  “Coffee, thanks,” Annie said.

  The Lincolns sat at the table while the woman went to the kitchen. Annie glanced around at the assortment of items on the table. It was no tidier than last time and she wondered if the woman ever did any cleaning at all. An ashtray bulging with butts sat at the end of the table—Virginia’s favorite spot.

  “I hope the coffee’s drinkable,” Jake whispered. He had noticed the mess too. He pushed back a plate that sat in front of him and brushed away some bread crumbs.

  “Don’t be rude,” Annie said.

  Jake chuckled. “She didn’t hear me.”

  Virginia came in the room a moment later carrying a cup in one hand and juggling two in the other. She set them on the table and pushed one toward each of them. “I hope you like cream and sugar,” she said.

  “It’s perfect,” Annie said, taking a sip. Jake agreed.

  Mrs. Thorburn sat down in her spot, pulled a cigarette from a pack, and used the tip of it to rearrange the butts in the ashtray to make room for more. She lit it, closed her eyes and took a deep drag, blowing the smoke into the air above Annie’s head.

  “What did you want to talk about?” she asked.

  “About Adam,” Annie answered. She hesitated and studied Virginia’s face. “Do you know he’s been arrested?”

  Virginia Thorburn stopped halfway through another drag of her cigarette, her eyes bulging. Her mouth dropped open and the smoke worked its own way out. She waved it away with a hand and leaned in, speechless, her mouth still open.

  “Just an hour or so ago,” Jake said. “Annie wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

  The woman dropped her head into her hands, the cigarette coming dangerously close to singeing her hair. “Oh, no,” she moaned, then raised her head and asked quickly, “Is he all right?”

  “He’s fine,” Annie said. “He’s at the police station.”

  Virginia looked fearful. “He’s going to need a lawyer but I can’t afford it.”

  “They’ll find him a legal aid lawyer, a public defender,” Jake said.

  Annie knew the woman had talked to her son but didn’t know if she was aware of the last two murders. She didn’t want to bring them up right now; Virginia would find out soon enough. She looked closely at the distraught woman and said, “His memory is hazy on the murders of Nina White and Raymond Ronson. He can’t remember any of the details.” She hesitated. “Did he tell you anything at all about them?”

  Virginia shook her head. “Last time I talked to him he didn’t remember anything at all.”

  “He told me he was fond of both of them,” Annie said. “That’s what makes it so perplexing.”

  “He didn’t know what he was doing,” Virginia said, tears in her eyes. “Maybe that’s why he put the roses in their mouths, a symbol of some kind to show he cared about them.”

  Annie glanced at Jake as he coughed, choking on a swig of coffee. She turned back to Mrs. Thorburn. “We thought perhaps he had a crush on Nina White at one time. Did he ever mention that?”

  Virginia shook her head. “Not to me.”

  Jake stood. “I think I’ll get a little more cream in my coffee if you don’t mind.” He picked up his cup and wandered toward the kitchen.

  Annie continued, “The police are going to want to talk to you soon.”

  Virginia nodded her head, her voice weak. “I know.” She looked at Annie, her eyes pleading. “But I was only trying to help my son.”

  “I realize that,” Annie said. “I’m sure they’ll take that into consideration.”

  Jake returned, put his coffee cup on the table and sat, leaning toward the woman. “Mrs. Thorburn,” he asked, “how did you know about the roses in the mouths of the victims? The police didn’t release that information.”

  Virginia’s eyes widened and she stared at Jake. “I … I. Adam must’ve told me.”

  “Adam doesn’t remember any of the details,” Jake said flatly, then raised his voice. “What’re you not telling us?” He stood and dropped his arms on the table, leaning in closer. “Why does Adam not remember the first two murders but you know all about them?”

  Annie looked curiously at her husband. She wasn’t sure what he was up to, but he had a good point about the roses and the woman’s knowledge of the murders.

  Virginia didn’t answer Jake’s questions. She looked frantically back and forth between Jake and Annie.

  “You claim to be such a caring mother,” Jake continued. “And yet you don’t want your son to get the help he needs. That made me very suspicious, but now I know for sure.” He narrowed his eyes. “Virginia Thorburn,” he said, his voice taking on an accusing tone, “did you kill Nina White and Raymond Ronson and frame your son?”

  The woman gasped and froze, staring at Jake. Then she pushed back her chair and stumbled into the kitchen.

  Annie stared bug-eyed, the realization hitting her. She sprang after the woman, then stopped short when Virginia stepped from the kitchen, a grim look on her face and a shiny new pistol gripped in one hand.

  “You just couldn’t leave it alone,” she said. “You couldn’t mind your own business and now you leave me no choice.”

  Jake still sat at the table. Annie stepped backwards and dropped into her chair as Virginia moved to a phone on the wall, picked up the receiver, and dialed a number.

  “You’d better get over here,” the woman said into the phone. “We have a big problem.”

  Chapter 46

  Thursday, 4:21 p.m.

  HANK HAD A STACK of paperwork to do, a lot of loose ends to tie up, and a long list of questions he needed answered before he could close the case and take a much-needed rest.

  Adam Thorburn had been placed in a holding cell and put on suicide watch. He was given a change of clothes, his old ones taken to the lab for forensic experts to examine. Traces of gunshot residue, blood spatter, and anything found in his pockets would be examined and documented.

  The suspected murder weapon found at the old Cochran house where Adam had hidden out was also in the lab, and it would be inspected as well. CSI was still at the scene where they would go over the dwelling thoroughly. Their report would be forthcoming, but Hank didn’t expect it would shed any further light on the investigation. Everything was pretty cut and dried.

  He’d sent King out with a handful of officers to locate the bodies of the two latest victims Adam had mentioned. They’d be gone awhile, and Hank wanted to get as much work as possible done on the case before they returned.

  Following the interview of Adam Thorburn, the Lincolns had left the precinct without giving their statements. They had to get home to Matty. Hank planned to drop by their place later and get the rest of the details, but for now, he was satisfied with the information he’d obtained from them.

  And now, he wanted to request a warrant for the arrest of Virginia Thorburn. He had sufficient factual information to establish probable cause she’d committed a crime, and a written affidavit to a judge would be all that was necessary. She would be brought in, questioned at length, and charged with harboring a fugitive. It would then be up to the crown whether or not they wanted to pursue those charges, but Hank had to do his job.

  He thumbed through a stack of paperwork on the edge of his desk, removed the folder on Virginia Thorburn, and leafed through it. As he copied the pertinent information to the arrest warrant, something caught his eye. Something didn’t add up that he never noticed before.

  He decided to dig a little deeper and he turned to his computer, searching through a variety of databases. From what he could find through birth, death, and marriage records, Virginia and Adam’s father, Mason Thorburn, had been married eight years ago. Virginia was Adam’s stepmother, not his mother.

  Adam’s birth mother had died when he was an infant, and Virginia was the only mother he’d ever known. That must be why Adam always re
ferred to her as his mother. And when Mason had died almost a year ago, she’d been the only family he had left.

  It appeared the death of Adam’s father might’ve been the turning point in his life. That’s when he began to worsen, his mental illness producing new and frightful symptoms, ultimately leading to murder.

  Hank’s phone rang and he answered it. It was Rod Jameson calling from the forensic lab. “Hank,” Jameson said. “We went over Thorburn’s clothes as well as the weapon. Normally, we would document everything and get it to you as soon as possible, but I wanted to give you a heads-up on our findings—or should I say, our lack thereof.”

  “What did you come up with, Rod?” Hank asked.

  “We went over the subject’s clothing thoroughly and there were no traces of blood or gunshot residue on any of the articles or on his shoes.”

  “He probably changed his clothes,” Hank said. “Perhaps they’ll find his other clothing at the Cochran house.”

  “I’ve been in touch with them,” Rod said. “They didn’t find anything. He could’ve thrown them out somewhere. That’s always a possibility, but I wanted to fill you in.”

  “Okay, thanks, Rod. Appreciate it.”

  “That’s not all.”

  “I’m listening,” Hank said.

  “We checked the pistol removed from the Cochran house and I believe there’s no mistake. It’s brand new and appears never to have been fired. I can’t tell a hundred per cent, because as you know, they test fire it at the factory and then clean it up. But if it was fired recently, Thorburn did a good job of cleaning it. There’s no residue on it at all.” Jameson paused and took a breath. “And the chamber is completely full.”

  Hank frowned. Jameson had supplied him with some interesting information, but until the body of the last victim was located, there was no solid evidence showing the gun in question was the one used in the shooting.

  “Thanks for the info, Rod. Anything else?”

  “That’s it for now. I’ll let you know if we find anything I think you should know about. It’s going to take awhile to process the scene.”

  Hank thanked him again, hung up thoughtfully, and went back to the paperwork.

  He looked up a few moments later when Detective King came into the precinct and ducked into Diego’s office. He was surprised King was back so soon and hoped they had located the bodies of the two victims.

  Hank waited patiently until King left Diego’s office, then frowned when the cop went into the break room. Hank sat back in his chair, crossed his arms, and waited.

  Two minutes later, King appeared again, a faint smile on his face as he approached Hank. He dropped into the guest chair and leaned back, stretching out his legs. King took a slug of his coffee, sat the cup carefully on the edge of Hank’s desk, and leaned back again, folding his arms.

  Hank looked at King and frowned impatiently. “So, what’s going on? Did you find the bodies?”

  King shook his head. “We never found any bodies, Hank.”

  “No bodies? Then why’re you back here so soon?”

  King uncrossed his arms and leaned forward. “Because Paul Patton and Ira Toddle are both alive and doing well.”

  Chapter 47

  Thursday, 5:17 p.m.

  JAKE SAT SIDEWAYS, one elbow on the table, and looked over at Annie. His wife was turned in her chair, watching Virginia Thorburn hold the pistol firmly in front of her, its barrel toward them.

  The woman didn’t look any more of an expert with a gun than her son, but at least Virginia held the weapon steady as she stared coldly down the sights toward Annie.

  Annie looked back at her and spoke in a calm voice. “Mrs. Thorburn, you might as well give up now. The police will be here to arrest you soon, and you’re going to make things worse for yourself.”

  Virginia Thorburn glanced toward the door and didn’t answer.

  Jake spoke. “You did a brilliant job, Virginia. You had everything figured out perfectly, but you blew it.”

  The woman glared at Jake.

  “Before you kill us, tell me the reason for all this,” he said. “What’s in it for you?”

  Virginia moved half a step closer, aiming the gun toward Jake, her eyes narrowing. “Adam’s a burden and a complete waste of my time. He’s twenty-one years old and still hanging around for me to take care of.” Her lips tightened and she shook her head. “I’m not about to babysit him the rest of his miserable life.”

  “And so all this was your plan to get rid of him?” Annie asked. “Frame him for two murders and get him thrown in prison and out of your hair?”

  “I expected the kid would get shot,” Virginia said. “That’s why I gave him the gun. I hoped he would either get killed by the police or kill himself.”

  “That’s the best idea you could come up with?” Annie said. “Couldn’t you just tell him to leave?”

  Virginia smiled. “It goes a little deeper than that. My dear dead husband had quite a chunk of change handed to him when his mother died. Unfortunately, except for a small amount, the idiot put it in a trust account to cover Adam’s ongoing care. My husband named me as executor if anything happened to him, but I couldn’t get at it for my own use.” She let out a guttural chuckle. “That is, unless something happened to Adam.”

  “And then we threw a monkey wrench into your plans,” Jake said.

  She shrugged a shoulder. “It doesn’t matter. You two are an annoyance, but once we get rid of you, the plan will continue.”

  “We?” Jake asked.

  Virginia laughed. “I had a little help.”

  Tires crackled on gravel and Jake glanced toward the window as a car pulled into the driveway. It moved forward out of his view, the engine died, and a car door slammed.

  Virginia moved toward the door, swung it open, and stood back, her eyes still on her captives.

  The screen door opened and a man stepped into the room, a grim look on his face. Jake’s eyes bulged. It was Dr. Zalora.

  The doctor glared at Jake, then at Annie, a deep frown on his face. He looked at Virginia, perplexed. “What happened?” he asked.

  Virginia pointed an accusing finger. “They figured it out.”

  Jake glared at Dr. Zalora. Why was he involved in this, and what did he hope to gain? As if in answer, the doctor touched Virginia on the arm and spoke in a soothing voice. “It’s not too late, darling. We can easily get rid of them.”

  Jake and Annie exchanged a glance. It was finally making some sense. Virginia and the doctor were having an affair, and they had teamed up to dispose of Adam and gain control of his trust fund.

  The doctor glared at Jake with cold eyes then turned to Virginia and held out his hand. “I’ll take the gun.” He laughed and winked at her. “You killed two. I’ll kill the next two.”

  Virginia passed the gun to Zalora. The doctor wrapped his hand around the butt, placing his finger firmly on the trigger. He looked at Jake. “I prefer not to do it here, but if you try anything stupid, I’ll shoot both of you here and now.” He sighed. “It’ll make more of a mess that way, but the end result will be the same.”

  “If you’ll permit me one question,” Annie said, looking at Virginia, “how could you have killed Nina White? Your neighbor, Mabel, said you were with her.”

  Virginia chuckled. “I was with her all right—until she passed out.” She laughed. “That woman never could hold her booze, and she never knew I left long enough to take care of a little business.”

  “But why kill Nina White and Raymond Ronson? They were two people Adam liked.”

  The woman shrugged. “No particular reason. It had to be someone Adam knew, and those were the only two he ever talked about. He unknowingly led me right to them.”

  “Why’d you kill two?” Jake asked. “Wasn’t one enough?”

  “It should’ve been, but the police failed to track Adam to the swamp and shoot him down. I had to give them another reason to get serious about finding him.”

  “But you’re th
e one who warned him to run,” Annie said. “Why?”

  “Because I didn’t want him caught.” She raised her voice and spoke through gritted teeth. “I wanted him dead.”

  “And so you killed two innocent people.”

  She gave an evil chuckle. “It’s their own fault for being so friendly with a psychopath like Adam.”

  “The only thing is, he’s not the psychopath here,” Jake said. “You are.”

  Dr. Zalora’s eyes gleamed. “That’s not what the police think. They’re convinced he’s stark raving mad, thanks to my professional opinion.”

  Virginia laughed. “And a few drugs.”

  Annie leaned in and seemed about to leap forward, but Zalora waved the gun and glared darkly. “Sit down.”

  Annie sat back and crossed her arms. “So Adam’s not a sociopath?”

  Dr. Zalora glanced at Virginia, a wicked twinkle in his eye, then he laughed long and loud. When his face finally sobered, he said, “He’s only as crazy as the drugs made him. You’d be surprised what a mix of certain medications can do to a person.”

  Jake jumped to his feet. “So, you drugged him and that made him crazy enough to kill two other people?”

  Zalora smiled and sighted down the barrel toward Jake. “That was a bonus. The icing on the cake, you might say. I never expected that, and it was a pleasant surprise.” His voice took on a menacing tone. “Now sit down.”

  Jake dropped back into the chair. “And the purpose of the roses in the victim’s mouths?”

  Virginia shrugged. “Just a little more evidence against Adam.”

  “That’s enough talk,” Dr. Zalora said. “We have to get this finished.”

  “I agree with you,” Jake said. “It’s time to get this cleaned up. I need to go home for a little nap.”

  Dr. Zalora frowned. “You’ll get your nap. Both of you. For the rest of eternity.”