Betrayed (A Jenny Watkins Mystery Book 2)

by Becky Durfee

  “That’s great,” Jenny said. “What part of New Jersey? Was it near the beach?”

  “No, it was a town called Edmonton, just outside of Trenton. It’s just about as far as you can get from a beach in New Jersey.”

  “Well that’s a shame.”

  “I don’t know about that. I was too sick to go to the beach anyway. It probably would have been a tease to be close to the water but be unable to enjoy it.”

  “I guess you’re right. So how long did you live there?”

  “About two years. Once I started to feel a little better, I got a job in a convenience store of all things. It wasn’t physically demanding, so it was perfect for me until I started to feel one-hundred percent. After I got back to normal, though, I looked all around the country for vacancies on police forces. I did miss being a cop—it’s my calling.”

  Jenny wanted to vomit.

  “And Braddock had an opening, so I applied, and here I am.”

  “Well, we’re happy to have you here, especially with all that’s gone on. I really admire how quickly you all were able to solve the Morgan Caldwell case.”

  “It was pretty open and shut once we found her cell phone. She essentially outlined for us who she was with that night.”

  “Was her cell phone hard to find?”

  Orlowski got a twinkle in his eye. “Can I let you in on a little secret?”

  “Sure,” Jenny replied excitedly, although she already had an idea what he was going to say.

  “I’m the one who found it. It was about a hundred yards from her body at the orchard.”

  Using her best acting skills, Jenny replied with feigned excitement, “Wow! That’s fabulous! Good for you. So you’re, like, the hero in all of this.”

  Orlowski pretended to be modest. “I don’t know about that. I just happened to be the lucky one who stumbled across it, that’s all.”

  “Oh, don’t sell yourself short.” Jenny sickened herself.

  “Either way, we were able to get our killer. That’s the important part.”

  “That’s right.” Jenny held up her soda. “Let’s drink to that.”

  Orlowski clinked glasses with her and took a drink. “It’s not as fun when you’re drinking water.” He looked at his cup. “Through a straw.”

  “It’s still deserves a celebration. We can all sleep a little more soundly now that the case is solved.” Jenny took a drink from her nearly-empty glass. “Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?”

  “Depends what it is,” Orlowski replied with a smile.

  Jenny’s tone softened to serious. “What happened between you and your ex-wife?”

  Orlowski smiled and looked down. “Kids,” he replied.

  “A source of contention, huh?” Jenny realized her vocabulary was probably a little too sophisticated for the character she was trying to portray; she’d need to tone it down. Fortunately it seemed to go unnoticed.

  “Yeah. Things were fine until we started trying to have a family. That was about ten years ago.”

  “How long had you been married then?”

  “About two years.”

  “So what happened?”

  “Nothing,” Orlowski replied, “and that was the problem. We couldn’t conceive. I think she ultimately blamed me for that—decided I was the infertile one.” He shrugged indifferently. “She ended up leaving so she could find someone who could give her a baby.”

  “You couldn’t just adopt? Or do fertility treatments?”

  “That’s what I said. But she wanted a child of her own, the old-fashioned way.”

  Jenny slumped her shoulders. “Oh. That’s too bad.” Springing back to life, she cheerfully added, “I hope she gets remarried and finds out that she was the infertile one. Wouldn’t that be a hoot? It would serve her right.”

  Orlowski only grunted, making Jenny realize she may have struck a nerve. Time to try a different tactic. “Are you guys on good terms?”

  “I never talk to her.”

  Jenny smiled. “At least you’re not fighting.”

  Orlowski returned her smile. “I guess that’s one way to look at it.”

  “Did you fight a lot while you were married? The reason I ask you this is because I am trying to get a feel for my situation. See if I’m normal, you know?”

  “No, I understand. Completely,” Orlowski said. He squinted his eyes as he considered the question. “At first we didn’t. I mean, she was clearly disappointed every month that went by and she wasn’t pregnant, but we didn’t fight about it. Not for years. But as time went on and she got older, I think the stress of not conceiving was getting to her. Her biological clock was ticking. Then she started to blame me for it, telling me it was my fault she wasn’t pregnant, questioning my manhood of all things.”

  Jenny winced, wondering if this woman knew the repercussions of that challenge.

  “She just wouldn’t let it go, you know? So I eventually said to her did you ever stop to think that you might be the problem? Oh, that made her angry. After that, we did start fighting, and we fought up until I moved out.”

  “How long did that last?”

  “A couple of years,” Orlowski sighed. “A very long couple of years.”

  Jenny nodded silently in return.

  “Do you and your husband fight?”

  “We do now, but like you, we didn’t at first.” Jenny laughed. “I guess that’s always the way. Things have to be good at first, otherwise you wouldn’t get married to that person.”

  “True.”

  “But in the beginning I think I was infatuated with him. I’m not sure it was ever love. As the infatuation has worn off, I’m seeing a very annoying side to him. Things bother me when they didn’t used to, you know?”

  “Oh, I know.”

  Jenny looked at Orlowski out of the corner of her eye. “Do you think people are meant to be married forever? I mean, some animals mate for life. Do you think people are supposed to?”

  “Clearly my mother doesn’t think so.”

  Jenny laughed. “It sounds like you’re right about that. But what about you? What do you think?”

  After a little thought, he declared, “I guess if you meet the right person it should be easy enough. Finding the right person is the hard part, though.”

  “I sure didn’t.”

  “Neither did I.”

  Jenny nodded to the bartender as he placed another soda and a ketchup bottle in front of her. “I know this may make me sound trashy, but I’m not so sure people are supposed to mate for life. I think that’s why the feeling of new love goes away. We’re supposed to be with a person as long as they make us feel that way, which is what, around three years? And then I think we’re supposed to find someone else who gives us that new-love feeling again.” Jenny’s plate of fries arrived. “That’s why I think we get that feeling.”

  “Interesting philosophy,” Orlowski noted. “I’m sure a lot of conservative folks would disagree with you.”

  “Are you conservative?”

  “Depends on the topic.”

  Jenny munched on a fry as she realized she shouldn’t begin talking politics. She wasn’t supposed to be that smart. Switching gears completely, she posed, “So what do you do for fun?”

  It was not lost on Jenny that she just asked a serial killer what he did for fun.

  “That’s easy. Fishing.”

  “Oh yeah? You get a chance to do that much?”

  “Quite a bit, actually. I work nights, so at six in the morning—while everyone else in the world is waking up to go to work—I’m heading home. That allows me to hit the river at sunrise, right when the fish are biting the most.” A passionate smile appeared on his face. “It’s great. On the weekdays I’m usually the only one there. It’s just me and nature. You can’t beat it.”

  “That does sound great,” Jenny said, “but I’m not sure I could work nights.”

  “Oh, I love it. I volunteered for it, actually. I’m somewhat nocturnal by nature, so wo
rking by night and sleeping by day isn’t that much of a stretch. I even did third shift when I worked at the convenience store in New Jersey.” He gestured for the bartender to bring him his check. “Besides, I don’t have a family, so it’s easy for me to sleep during the day and work at night. Most of the other guys on the force are married or have kids, so I figured I’d let them have the day shifts.”

  “That’s very kind of you.”

  “Well, it works for me. Besides,” he added with a laugh. “The night shift pays better.” Orlowski locked eyes with Jenny as he reached for his wallet. “As much as I hate to cut this short, I do have to start getting ready for work. So is it still useless to ask for your phone number?” The bartender offered the check to Orlowski, who handed over his credit card without looking at it.

  “For now I’m afraid it still is, but I do know where to find you.”

  “But I don’t know where to find you.”

  Jenny felt tingles, but she wasn’t sure if those were her own nerves or if Morgan was stirring inside of her. Either way, she tried to mask her fear and remain focused. She batted her eyes and added, “I know you don’t. Drives you crazy, doesn’t it?”

  “Well, it does give me incentive to come here to Billy’s a little more often.” Orlowski thanked the bartender, who returned his credit card. Orlowski signed the receipt.

  “Good. I’d hate to come out here and not find you sitting at the bar.”

  Orlowski stood up from the bar stool and put on his jacket. “Hopefully that doesn’t happen. I look forward to seeing you again.”

  “Me too.” They locked eyes in a smile.

  He once again placed his hand on Jenny’s back as he walked past her, causing that familiar pang of pain. Once he was safely out the door, Jenny shivered, trying to shake off the feeling.

  She continued to slowly eat her fries, waiting for the text from Zack. Eventually her phone chirped, with a message that said I fed the dog.

  Jenny had to laugh. He’s gone.

  I’m still not leaving til you’re in your car.

  Smiling at her phone, Jenny asked for her check. Lots to tell. I’ll meet you back at your place.

  As soon as the door of Zack’s apartment closed, Jenny said, “We need to look up the real estate records for the Hawkins property again.”

  “Why?”

  “Just humor me. I want to see if I’m right.”

  Zack walked to his laptop and called up the records. “Alright, I have the site up. What am I looking for?”

  “How much did the house sell for? From Kimberly to Kimberly…”

  “It says zero,” Zack said with dismay. “How can that be?”

  “Because it wasn’t a sale. It was a transfer. There weren’t three wives named Kimberly; it was the same woman. She just got married a few times and changed her name.”

  Zack looked up at Jenny. “Okay, how did you know that?”

  “Because that was Orlowski’s mother.”

  Zack’s eyes widened. “Kimberly Hawkins is Orlowski’s mom?”

  “I believe so. It clicked when he was talking to me at Billy’s. He told me that his mother had six husbands, but that she owned her house. The men came and went, but she stayed. I remembered the Kimberlys, and it all made sense.”

  “Holy shit.”

  “And here’s the kicker,” Jenny said. “He moved in with her when he separated from his wife. He may have been living there at the time Lashonda was killed.”

  Still with wide eyes, Zack said, “We need to tell Fazzino this.”

  “We do, but there’s more I haven’t told you yet.” Jenny sat down on the couch. “Do you remember how I had a feeling about a bug when I visited the place where Lashonda was found?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Well, it was a deer tick.”

  “A deer tick?”

  “Yup. Orlowski contracted a horrible case of Lyme disease, apparently not that long after he split up from his wife. He made a point of telling me it was winter, because he had a red ring where the tick bit him on the back of his knee, but nobody could see it since he was always wearing pants.”

  “Do you think he picked up that tick in the field where he dumped Lashonda’s body?”

  Jenny got a spark in her eye. “That’s what I’m thinking. Wouldn’t that be awesome?”

  “Hell yeah it would be. Let’s see if that’s possible.” Zack pushed some buttons on his laptop. After a short time, he laughed out loud and pointed at the screen. “Ha!”

  “I guess it’s possible?” Jenny asked.

  “Not just possible. Probable. This site says early November is peak time for adult deer ticks, and about half of them carry Lyme disease. With all that tall grass, that field is just the kind of place they like to hang out, too, while waiting for their next host. Let me see something else…” He did another search and read his findings out loud. “Symptoms of Lyme usually take several weeks to appear. If he had the Lyme in winter, then he easily could have been bitten in early November…when he was disposing of Lashonda’s body.”

  Zack and Jenny smiled at each other. “I guess Lashonda got the last laugh on that one, huh?” Jenny noted. “He was apparently sick as a dog for a long time.”

  “Good. Serves him right.” He looked around. “Well played, little tick, wherever you are.”

  “Okay, Orlowski clued me in on one other thing, and it may give you the answer to your question.”

  “What question?”

  “The-why-did-he-take-a-three-year-break question. He might not have taken a break at all. Can you look and see if there are any unsolved murders in Edmonton, New Jersey in the past three years?”

  The joy faded from Zack’s face. “Uh oh.”

  “Yeah,” Jenny said. “He lived with a relative in New Jersey for a couple of years between Connecticut and Georgia. Something tells me we’ll find some missing girls in his wake.”

  “Oh, God,” Zack said with disgust. “I almost don’t even want to look it up.”

  “I know. But if there are unsolved murders there, at least we might be able to give their loved ones some answers.”

  Zack tried a few searches, ultimately concluding, “I can’t find any unsolved murders in Edmonton. It seems like a pretty sleepy town.”

  “How about Trenton? He said that was close by.”

  Zack gave a strange look to Jenny. “We’ll probably find a million unsolved murders in Trenton.”

  “Girls,” Jenny said. “Plucked off the street.”

  “I guess I can narrow it down by year,” Zack said. “When did you say he moved there?”

  Jenny let out a sigh as she did some calculations in her head. “Let me see,” she began. “He said he left Connecticut shortly after her got the Lyme, so I guess that would be around December, three years ago. If he moved here about a year ago, like he claims, that means he left New Jersey around November of last year.”

  “Okay,” Zack said, typing information in for his search. He looked at the screen with confusion. “There’s a link here that says there are three unsolved murders of women, but they were prostitutes. Do you think that’s Orlowski’s work?”

  “Well, it could be. He wasn’t a cop in New Jersey. He needed some way to get these girls to get into his car.”

  Disgust emerged on Zack’s face. “I guess you’re right. Sick bastard.”

  “Go ahead and click on it.” Jenny scooted over to Zack, looking over his shoulder at the link on the laptop screen.

  With a quick glance at Jenny he said, “Alright, here we go.”

  “Wait, before you start, I want to take notes on this. Do you have some paper I could use?”

  “Sure,” Zack replied, getting up from the couch and rummaging through some piles on his kitchen table. “Do you need a pen, too?”

  Jenny pulled a pen out of her purse and clicked it open. “Nope. Got one.”

  He returned to the sofa, handing Jenny a spiral notebook. She sat back against the corner of the couch while Zack placed th
e computer on his lap. He clicked on the link and began to read out loud.

  It has been four months since Renee Podgewaite’s body was found at the banks of the Delaware River. She was the last of three Trenton prostitutes to be found strangled within a ten month period.

  “Wait a minute,” Jenny interrupted. “When was this article written?”

  Zack scanned the top of the page. “Um, let me see. January fifteenth of this year.”

  Jenny counted the months backwards on her fingers. “So she was found in mid-September.”

  “It looks that way,” Zack replied. Jenny wrote down the information as he continued to read.

  Podgewaite, 32, was found partially submerged in the river by a man walking his dog. Five months earlier, Angela Velasquez’s remains were found alongside railroad tracks just over the Pennsylvania border. Paris Carter had been found last November behind a warehouse that was less than a mile from both Velasquez and Podgewaite’s remains. All three women had worked the streets of Trenton as prostitutes, and all three appear to have been assaulted and strangled.

  Police are uncertain if they are looking at separate incidents or the work of a serial killer.

  Local authorities have come under fire for the lack of progress on the investigation. Family members of the victims claim the cases are getting less consideration than they deserve because of the lifestyles these women led. “Yes, they made some bad choices,” says Paolo Velasquez, brother of Angela Velasquez, “but they were still people, and these murders should get just as much attention as any other murder would. But so far that hasn’t been happening.”