“Thank you, Captain, but I’m fine now that I know Zach’s going to be okay.”
“I know you think you’re fine, but this isn’t something you can take lightly. It will come back to haunt you. Trust me, I know.”
“Captain, really…I’m fine.”
“Jessie?” he said sternly, “this isn’t a request.”
She held both hands up. “Okay, fine, I’ll see her whenever you say, but can I please get to work now? I have more work to do before I can close out this case.” He gave a reluctant nod and she headed back to her desk. Along the way, she called Zach to let him know she was back, then sat down at her desk and pulled out her working file and keyed the names from the Counseling Center where Harlan Hawkins had volunteered into her database first, and used the DMV for headshots. The database results proved to be more interesting than she’d imagined when she found several had a history of violent behavior. She keyed in Harlan’s number.
“Mr. Hawkins, Detective Kensington. I need your help. I’ve just compiled a list of names of those individuals who were in the group you headed as the lead counselor during 2004 to 2007. Can I stop by your place after my morning departmental meeting to go over the names to see who you remember?”
“Sure, Detective. I’m not sure how much help I can offer, but I’ll do my best.”
“Any insight you can offer will be helpful.” Checking the time, she realized if she didn’t hurry, she was going to be late. The captain had already begun the meeting when Jessie snuck in quietly and sat down.
“Listen up, everyone. For those of you who haven’t heard, Detective Gerard is awake and doing better. For those who don’t know about what happened, he was shot during a hostage standoff, got hit in the shoulder and it shattered the bones. Unfortunately, it’s going to take some time to heal. He’ll probably be out for a while, so in the interim, I’d like Morgan Bradshaw to team up with Detective Kensington.” The two women shared glances. Jessie wasn’t sure how this was going to work out, but Morgan seemed to be completely enthralled with the idea. “The good news however, is we got the bad guy who was killed by a SWAT member and everyone else is still safe, particularly a young boy who was being held.” He turned the page and folded it under the clip. “Okay, a brief update from your current case. Let’s start with Martin and Flynn.
“We’re starting to close in on our investigation…” Jessie barely listened as they went around the room.
“Jessie,” Reamer said. “Can you share what’s going on with your case now that you’ve caught the killer?”
“Morton’s copycat killings seemed to have spurred on another killer, whom we think is the return of the Reaper. As I’m sure most of you know, he’s been in hiding for five years, and I’m currently doing background checks on everyone associated with a grief counseling group which was headed up by our first victim’s husband.”
“Okay, that’s it folks. Be careful out there.”
Jessie got up and exited the room when Morgan came up beside her and fell into step. “I guess this is one way to corner you to have lunch with me, isn’t it?”
Jessie snickered. “Yes, but those lunches might be few and far between.”
“I know; I was just trying to be funny. Anyway, I can’t tell you how thrilled I am,” she said. “Your expertise in the field can only help me grow as a detective. My grandfather always said, you’re the best, so I’m really looking forward to this opportunity. I’m sorry to hear about Zach.”
“Thank you.” Jessie changed the subject. “So, are you familiar with my investigation?”
“Yes, and when I heard the name the Reaper, I did research so I’m up to date and called my grandfather who gave me the low-down.”
“Alright. That’s good. I’m headed over to meet with the husband of my first victim to discuss the emails the technicians found on Carly’s laptop.”
“And what did they find?”
“It was an email from a Grief Counseling group asking Carly for a donation. At first, Zach and I didn’t think much about it, but on my ride home from Connecticut, I realized we hadn’t pursued that group and that maybe there was more to this love triangle than either of us suspected. So, I figured it couldn’t hurt to get the list of names and do a search on every person who was a member. What’s so interesting…although not a big surprise…the husband never told us that was how he’d met Carly, or that he was the counselor of the group in 2004 when he counseled all those people. I’m hoping he can give me information. Want to ride over there with me or do you want to stay here and research?”
“Actually, I’d love to come with you so I can learn how you handle your witnesses.”
“Okay.”
Jessie drove to Harlan’s apartment building and they entered the lobby. Recognizing Jessie from her prior visits, the clerk waved and she walked to the elevators, pressing the up button. “This man we’re meeting can be a bit aggressive, although he’s just buried his wife so I’m not sure of what to expect.”
“I’ll follow your lead.”
Standing in front of Harlan’s door, Jessie pressed the buzzer and sent Sophie into a fit of barking. “Oh boy,” Morgan said, “is the dog vicious?”
“Not at all. She’ll stop the minute we walk inside.”
Harlan opened the door. His appearance surprised her. “Are you okay, Mr. Hawkins?” she asked when she noticed he hadn’t shaved or cleaned himself up. His clothing had deep wrinkles, an indication he’d been sleeping in them. Despite what she knew about his narcissistic personality, she did feel sorry for him. He was a fallen man. “Detective Kensington, come in.” He eyed Morgan suspiciously. “And who is this woman?”
“This is Detective Bradshaw. She’s filling in for my partner who’s still in the hospital.”
“Yes, I was sorry to hear about what happened to him. I’m sure glad that fucker, Morton, is dead though. I hope he rots in hell.” He shook his head in dismay. “I can’t believe Ralph was dumb enough to copy a well-known killer. He had the manifesto with all their names on it, so why the hell did he kill Jennifer? She wasn’t on the list, was she?”
“No, she wasn’t and I’m not sure he killed her. We think that killer is still at large. That’s why I think it’s important to hear what you have to say about the people on this list.” He motioned for them to sit. Jessie noticed nothing had changed since the last time she’d been there with Zach. She handed him the list. “Do you recognize any of these names?”
He took a moment to go over them. “I recognize all of them.”
“Great. How about we take one at a time and you tell me what you know. I’ve done extensive research on these individuals and the ones I’ve highlighted in yellow all have criminal records. Now, that’s not to say the ones who aren’t highlighted wouldn’t be capable of committing a crime.”
“Hmm,” Harlan said, his finger sliding under each name. “I know this is out of sequence with your list, but I haven’t seen this guy’s name in a long time.” She checked the name he was pointing to. “Stanley Gott. This guy was a weird one.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “He had a thing for Carly, who was a member of the group due to her husband’s death. She was having a hard time dealing with it and he played on that.”
“Why was he there?”
“He had just gotten out of the service and was suffering from PTSD. Fought in Afghanistan and Iraq. He had a lot of problems. Angered easily, especially when he realized he wasn’t the lucky guy to snag my Carly,” he humphed, “so I thought, but not everything works out the way you plan.” Jessie could see he was headed for a pity party.
“Tell me more about him. Did they date?”
“I don’t think they ever had a one-on-one date. He was a lot younger than her…of course, I was a lot older than her…but they did go out as a group, and even after we became engaged, he still hung on hoping she’d break it off with me.”
“Did Carly tell you that?”
“She didn’t have to. One of the other group members told me
. But it was pretty obvious too. He did go out with one of the other ladies under the pretense that he wanted to help counsel her, but she said he was talking about some weird shit. Scared her half to death, so she ended it, and it wasn’t long after that when she turned up dead.” He scratched his whiskers, “and if I recall, he might have been a suspect in her death, but I don’t believe you guys were ever able to prove it and he got off.”
“What was her name, Mr. Hawkins?”
“I believe it was Victoria Russell.” Morgan wrote the name down. “Poor thing. Never hurt anyone and she turns up dead.” He moved his finger down to the next name. “This woman was a sweetheart. She’d lost her husband and daughter in a car crash. Both daughters were in the car, but only one lived, so they both attended. The daughter had a lot of guilt issues as the lone survivor, and Victoria did too because she was the one who had insisted the husband spend time with the kids. A drunk driver smashed into them. Such tragedy. It’s hard to imagine there’s so much hurt in the world. I suspect her daughter couldn’t handle it after the loss of her entire family and she jumped off a bridge and plunged to her death.” He continued to discuss each person, then shrugged. “That’s all I’ve got. You know, bringing this list to me has me thinking I might go back to counseling again now that Carly’s gone. I think I need it.”
“I think that’s a really good idea, Mr. Hawkins. It can’t hurt. A little support never hurt anyone.” Jessie rose to her feet. “Thank you very much.”
“I hope I helped some.”
“You helped a great deal.”
Outside in the hallway, Morgan was the first to speak. “I think he gave us some real leads, don’t you?”
“Absolutely. And if this Stanley Gott guy’s background is what I’m thinking, he definitely might be our suspect. When we get to the car, check out both Stanley and that Victoria Russell in the database.”
“Sure thing.” Except for Morgan’s fingers on the keys, the drive back through the traffic was quiet in the car.
“Call these ladies,” she said handing Morgan her phone, “and ask them to meet us at the precinct. I want to see if they can identify any of the people from this group.”
She did so and confirmed it. “They’ll be by tonight.”
“Good, that will give us both time to complete the background checks. Does Stanley have military in his background, as Harlan seemed to think?”
“He does, but wait a minute…this Victoria Russell was found dead in November 2006, shot between the eyes and without her coat.”
“That’s all I needed to hear. Hang on, I’m going to take a fast corner here.” Jessie swerved taking the corner while Morgan held on for dear life. “Sorry,” Jessie said.
“Hey, it’s alright. This hot pursuit stuff is right up my alley.”
Cutting out the traffic had proved to be fruitful when Jessie pulled into the underground parking garage and rushed to the elevator. She waved to a few peers on her way to her desk, plopped the files down and sat at her computer and finished more research on Gott, convinced he was slightly more than a person of interest. “I need to see the captain,” she told Morgan.
“Want me to come?” Morgan asked, but Jessie didn’t hear her, she was too far ahead.
Morgan ambled back to her desk and prepared to leave for the night. “You’re welcome,” she mumbled sarcastically.
“Captain,” Jessie said rushing inside. “Here’s the information I’ve found out about a person on my list.” She showed him the paperwork and discussed her findings.
“Let’s bring him in, Jessie. Good work. I’ll issue an APB.”
Noticing Morgan was gone by the time she returned to her desk, she left a note thanking her for being her side-kick for the day. She hadn’t meant to ignore the girl, but she’d gotten excited. Walking back to her desk, she was suddenly missing Zach more than ever. She sat down and dialed his number. “How are you today?” she asked when he answered.
“Very sore, but I’m getting better. Still taking copious amount of painkillers but I’m on the mend. How’s the case going?”
“I think I have a suspect that’s looking more than good. His name is Stanley Gott,” and then told him what she knew. “I have our witnesses coming down,” she checked her watch, “in a few minutes actually, to look at the guy’s picture with the various disguises to see if they recognize him.” Her desk phone rang. “Hold on, sweetie,” she said. “I’ll be right there,” she told the caller. “They’re here, hotshot. Can I call you back?”
“Of course. They shut the bell off while I’m sleeping though, so if I don’t answer you’ll know why.”
“Charmed your way right into that, didn’t you?”
“Hey, what can I tell you?”
“I’ll talk to you later. Love you,” she said before hanging up. It felt good, yet slightly awkward to say those words at work. Oddly enough, she didn’t care. Pushing back in her chair, she headed to the room where the three witnesses waited. “Thanks so much for coming down this evening. I’ll try not to keep you very long.”
“Hey, don’t rush on my account,” Jackie said. “You got me out of detention.” She grinned mischievously.
“Okay,” Jessie said pulling the photos out of her file. “What I want is for you to focus on the eyes. Unless someone is wearing contacts to change the color of their eyes, this is the one thing that always stays the same no matter how many things they do to try to make themselves look different. In other words, the eyes don’t lie.”
“I don’t recognize anyone,” Melanie and Joanne said at the same time.
“Nothing at all?”
Everyone turned toward Jackie when she made a fast clicking sound with her mouth. “No wait, I think it’s this guy,” she held the paper up and pointed, “looks like it could be him.” Jessie was happy to see she’d selected Stanley Gott. “You’re right,” Jessie, “it’s the eyes. I remember thinking there was something mystical about them.” The two women stood and walked over to where Jackie sat and peered over her shoulder at the picture.
“Well, maybe,” Joanne said. “You might just be right.”
“Just hold that thought for a minute,” Jessie said and made a fast phone call. “I have the department’s artist coming in here to put the face of this man on the screen with the various descriptions each of you described.” The door opened and a short thin man walked in and sat down in front of the computer and flashed Gott’s face up on the screen.
“Alright. Now, Jackie, you said he was good-looking.”
“No. I said he was hot looking.”
“Right,” Jessie laughed and glanced at her notes. “Okay, the scar on the left side, running from his mouth to his ear, black hair and horned rimmed glasses.”
“That’s him,” Jackie exclaimed. “Oh my God, I came face-to-face with a killer?” Her eyes opened wide with surprise. “Wait until I tell my friends.”
“No, no, no,” Jessie warned. “I didn’t say he was a killer. I’m just trying to find the guy who was snooping in police business.” She directed her attention to the other two. “Okay, you both said he had blond hair, black horned rimmed glasses, no scar.” The artist changed Gott’s appearance.
“Holy crap, that’s him!” Melanie pointed and Joanna nodded in agreement. She squinted her eyes to focus, then pointed. “That’s definitely him.”
Excitement mounted in Jessie’s chest. If Gott proved to be the killer, she’d just managed to find this guy single-handedly. She cautioned herself to slow down. She couldn’t claim victory just yet. “You’re all sure?”
“Oh, absolutely,” Melanie said.
“It’s amazing to see what a little change to someone’s appearance can do,” Joanna chimed in.
“Yeah,” Jackie said. “I like him better with the dark hair.” She leaned forward to look at Joanna, “don’t you think my guy’s hot looking?”
“Nah, he’s not my type.”
“Ladies, thank you so much for your help today. I appreciate you coming d
own at a moment’s notice.”
“Hey,” Jackie said, “ya think I can have a copy of his face?”
Jessie laughed at her naiveté. “No can do. It’s the department’s property.”
“Is he going to get into trouble for impersonating an officer of the law?”
“I don’t know,” Jessie said, “I’ll leave that up to my boss.”
Jessie rushed to the captain’s office when the witnesses left. “It’s Gott,” she said in a rush of words.
“Good work, Jessie. I just received a call that Mr. Gott was not at the last known address listed on his expired driver’s license. Our guys canvassed the surrounding area, and some of the neighbors remembered him, but said they hadn’t seen him in a few months.”
“Mr. Hawkins, the victim’s husband, told me about Gott and said he joined the Grief Counseling group right after he got out of the military. He was suffering from PTSD from his tour of duty. Okay, I’m going to follow up with Leo Compton in ViCAP. He’s a personal friend of Zach’s. Let me see what I can find out about Gott’s record in the military to see what makes this guy tick.”
Checking through the Rolodex on Zach’s desk, she found Leo’s number, hoping he was still at his desk. She blew out a breath when he answered.
“Leo, I’m Detective Jessie Kensington, Zach Gerard’s partner.” He acknowledged and asked how he was doing. She responded and continued. “I wonder if you can give me some information about a Stanley Gott. His dog tag is 143-45-3849, and according to my records, he was honorably discharged from the Marines in 2005.” She could hear Leo typing in the background.
He released a humph. “Yep, he was released in November of 2005. Although he was granted an honorable discharge, it was noted that he found active duty in the Middle East very stressful. Don’t tell me he thought it was going to be a picnic? Sorry. Sometimes, these guys slay me. War is stressful for everyone.” He sighed. “Sorry. I’m on a tangent here. It looks like he did have weekly appointments with the Chaplain, but it was reported from his commanding officer and some of his fellow soldiers, he was having nightmares, and it was ultimately decided he couldn’t go back into active duty and they released him suggesting he seek additional help upon his return to the civilian population.”
Deadly Obsessions (Kensington-Gerard Detective series Book 3) Page 22
