by J. C. Fields
“Heather Grant.”
Again the attorney was quiet.
“Ms. Wilkins, there are broader considerations with this case involving a number of missing women. I need to schedule a meeting with you and your client to discuss the matter.”
“I will need more details, Agent, before I subject my client to any harassment by the FBI.”
“I assure you, I do not wish to harass your client. The case I am investigating is a cold case and involves the disappearance of six young women twelve years ago. None of these women have ever been found, nor have we been able to identify a suspect, until now. Your client may be able to assist our investigation.”
“Do you have a subpoena?”
“I was hoping to do this without one.”
“Very well. I will have to contact my client. If she agrees to meet with you, it will be at our office. Date and time will be at her discretion. My assistant will call you back with her decision.”
“Thank you, Ms. Wilkins, I appreciate any cooperation you can provide.”
He sat the cell phone down on his desk after the call. He turned his home office chair to stare out the window behind him. The room was isolated on the west end of their house away from the living area where Kristin and Mikey played. A mature white oak tree dominated the front yard and provided shade for his window during the heat of summer. His desk chair faced away from the window, preventing distractions of the busy neighborhood from gaining his attention.
Picking the cell phone up again, he scrolled through his recent call file and found the number he needed in Hannibal, MO. It was answered on the third ring.
“Hello.”
“Yes, this is FBI Agent Sean Kruger. Is Sara Kelly available?”
“This is she, Agent.”
“Hi, Sara. How is your uncle?”
There was a long silence which Kruger did not take as good news. Sara finally answered, her voice shaky with emotion, “Uncle Paul passed away early yesterday morning.”
“I’m sorry for your loss, Sara.”
“He’s with his wife and Linda. He’s whole again.”
Kruger remembered his feelings when his mother passed away, over six years ago. There was sadness, but joy in the knowledge she and his father were together again.
“I apologize for calling at this time, but I needed to know where to return the journal.”
“The journal is yours, Agent. My uncle gave it to you.”
“I see. I appreciate it. There is a chance it will help lead us to Linda’s abductor.”
“Let’s hope, Agent. Let’s hope.”
Chapter 13
Memphis, TN
Three Days Later
The meeting took place in the office of Heather Grant’s attorney, Lucile Wilkins. When Kruger was escorted to the conference room where the two women waited, he found the atmosphere cold and confrontational. After a successful career as a federal prosecutor, Wilkins was in private practice. Her specialty was representing victims of sexual assault. Before leaving for the meeting, Kruger’s research on the attorney found her to be a skilled and well-known women’s rights attorney. Now in her late forties, she was confident and immune to intimidation by law enforcement officers. After introductions, Lucile Wilkins spoke first.
“Agent Kruger, my client is under a non-disclosure agreement which specifically prohibits her from speaking about the incident.”
“I understand. In no way do I want her to violate her agreement.” He laid Linda Kelly’s journal on the conference table so that both women could see it.
The attorney responded with one word: “Good.” Heather remained quiet.
Kruger looked at the younger woman. Her eyes were glued to a mug of coffee she held in her hands. Now in her mid-twenties, she was strikingly beautiful. Her long auburn hair looked natural, accented with hazel eyes. He was struck by the similarities of Heather and Linda Kelly. Smiling, he returned his attention to her attorney.
“Ms. Wilkins, I have re-opened an investigation into six missing college students.”
The attorney stared at Kruger, but did not respond.
“These women disappeared from college campuses between 1999 and 2002. They have never been found. Six families do not know where their loved ones are or the certainty of their fate. Most realize their daughters and sisters are dead, but they do not have the closure of a funeral.”
“How does this involve my client?” Her attitude a bit less combative.
“A good question.” He opened the book and took out the picture of Linda. “Notice any similarities?”
Wilkins frowned and Heather gasped. The attorney spoke first. “They are similar in appearance, I will grant you that.”
Kruger reached into his inside suitcoat pocket and withdrew an envelope. He extracted three pictures and laid them next to the picture of Linda.
“More than similar, Ms. Wilkins. All four of the missing basketball players resembled your client.”
Tears were flowing down Heather’s cheeks as she stared wide-eyed at the photographs.
He touched the picture to the left of Linda Kelly’s. “Caroline Branch, disappeared in 2001. She played basketball for the University of Akron.” Pointing to the next one, “Kelsey Sorenson, Concord University also a basketball player, vanished in 2000.” He indicated the fourth picture. “This is Jayla Carter, she was abducted in 1999 while walking to basketball practice at the University of Florida.”
The attorney and her client did not speak, they just stared at the pictures.
Kruger folded his hands on the table and spoke softly. “Heather, did you play basketball in college?”
Heather Grant shook her head as she stared wide eyed at the pictures. “Volleyball.”
He nodded and let the answer soak into the attorney. After a few moments, he opened the journal, “I would like to read a passage from the journal of one of these women. Her name was Linda Kelly.” Kruger tapped the picture of Linda. “She was a star player at Truman State University in Kirksville, MO. As the top scorer on the team, she had her sights set on playing for the WNBA after graduation.”
He paused, but neither Wilkins nor Heather Grant spoke to stop him.
Reaching into his suitcoat pocket, he pulled out half-readers and read the passage.
“I noticed him at practice yesterday, sitting by himself in the bleachers. At first I thought it odd, but today he was back. A fan, was my first guess. After practice I saw him outside the gym waiting for us. Suzie poked me in the ribs and told me he was cute. I agreed with her. His black hair, expensive suit gave him a dashing appearance. He’s also charming and polite. A bit old, maybe twenty-nine, but I’m not looking for a long term relationship. I think he’s handsome.”
Kruger looked up and took off the glasses.
“The next three pages of the journal were cut out. Seventy two hours after Linda Kelly wrote those words, she and two of her friends disappeared, along with the man with black hair. They have never been found.”
Still no response from either woman.
He glanced at Heather Grant. She was wide-eyed and studying her coffee mug as she turned it clockwise and then counter-clockwise.
“I interviewed Linda Kelly’s father after the incident,” Kruger continued. “He was devastated, of course. His wife, Linda’s mother, had recently passed away, and now his daughter was gone. He couldn’t sell the house, afraid Linda would return home and not be able to find him. So he stayed in a place where everything reminded him of his lost loved ones. It drove him to dementia. He passed away the other day, alone, not knowing what happened to his daughter.”
He saw moisture well up in Heather’s eyes again.
“From interviews conducted at each of the college campuses, the Bureau has determined the same individual is responsible for the disappearance of all six women. Unfortunately, we do not have a complete description of the suspect. Only that his name was Bobby, and he had black hair. We have circumstantial evidence pointing to an individual who, we bel
ieve, created the events leading to Ms. Grant’s sudden departure from her position as a U.S. Senate intern. This evidence suggests it was the same individual who abducted these women.”
Heather Grant stopped studying her coffee mug. She stared at Kruger, her eyes wide as a tear rolled down her cheek.
Wilkins placed her hand on April’s arm. “Agent, you said’ circumstantial.’ No solid evidence.”
“Correct.”
“I’m sorry, this is not a compelling reason for her to violate her agreement.”
“I’m not asking for her to tell me anything. I realize she is not allowed to speak about it, but she can nod yes or no to questions without violating the agreement.”
The attorney blinked several times and leaned over to whisper in Heather’s ear. The young lady nodded.
“Very well, Agent. Ask your questions.”
“Was Senator Burns ever involved in this incident?”
Heather shook her head.
“Was it Robert Burns Jr.?”
She stared at Kruger, then at her lawyer, who smiled and gave her a slight nod.
Heather Grant also nodded.
“Did Robert Burns Jr. sexually assault you and threaten you if you told anyone?”
Heather took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and nodded.
“Thank you, Heather,” Kruger smiled, his eyes sympathetic. “You’ve given us confirmation we are looking at the right individual. You may have just given six grieving families a ray of hope. This meeting will not be mentioned in my final report. I appreciate your assistance.”
As Kruger stood to leave, Heather looked up at him.
“At first, I thought he was charming…”
“They always are.”
Wilkins tilted her head. “They?”
Kruger nodded. “Men like Robert Burns Jr. are always charming. The problem is the charm is used to gain the confidence of their prey before they attack them.”
“Are you saying the man who attacked April is a psychopath? What are your qualifications for making a statement like that, Agent?” Her tone was again confrontational.
“A PhD in clinical psychology and twenty-five years of putting men like Robert Burns Jr. in federal prison, counselor.”
Her stern expression softened and she was quiet for a few moments. She gave Kruger a slight smile. “Then Heather was lucky.”
He nodded.
“She’s more than lucky.” He paused, “She didn’t disappear like the rest of these young ladies.”
***
The drive back to Springfield gave Kruger time to plan his next steps. He pressed the button on the Mustang’s stirring wheel to connect his phone for a hands-free conversation. When asked by the automated female voice who he wished to call, he responded. The call was answered on the third ring.
“Seltzer.”
“Alan, it’s Sean.”
“How’d the interview go?”
“She confirmed it was the son, not the senator.”
There was silence on the other end of the call. Finally, after several moments, he heard. “We need to move forward carefully on this, Sean.”
“Believe me, I’m aware of that.”
“You’re investigating a newly elected member of the Senate.”
“Again, I’m aware of who I’m investigating.”
“Are you sure he’s responsible for the six women disappearing.”
“I’m sure. But do I have rock solid evidence he did it? No, I don’t.”
“Proceed with caution. The father still has powerful allies within Congress. We don’t want this to blow up in the agency’s face.”
“Alan, are you more interested in the truth or the agency’s image.”
“Both.”
Kruger didn’t answer right away. Taking a deep breath, he counted to ten. “Whatever, Alan. I have no intention of causing embarrassment to the agency.”
“I didn’t think you did. I’m just saying, get the proof we need to charge this guy for the abductions.”
“That’s my plan.”
“How?”
“I’m working on it.”
The call ended with Kruger wondering if his decision to return to the FBI was the correct one.
Chapter 14
Seattle, WA
The living room of Haylex Holdings CEO’s home occupied two-thirds of the first floor in the three-story structure. The lights of Seattle were clearly visible through the floor to ceiling window on the east side of the room. A fire burned brightly in the see-through fireplace separating the huge gourmet kitchen from the living room. Junior lounged in a leather sofa, his right arm stretched over the top cushion. He brought a crystal tumbler to his lips and sipped the twelve-year-old scotch. Glaring at the man standing in front of him, he sat the glass down on the side table left of the sofa.
“I’m not sure what you’re referring to since I’m the one who was elected to Congress. Not you.”
Robert Burns Sr. gave his son a grim smile. “True, but without my money you wouldn’t have won.”
“How do you know?”
“Because the polls were dismal when you first announced. It was only after directing fifty million into your campaign coffers to buy all those negative ads against your opponent that your numbers started to improve. Target specific marketing didn’t hurt either.”
The younger Burns scoffed. “It’s illegal to give that much money to a candidate.”
“Only if you do it the legal way. I chose another path.”
“Still, I got elected. You didn’t.”
“A technicality. You’ll follow my directions.”
“Maybe.”
“Bobby, you haven’t got a clue what’s in store for you. If you want to be taken advantage of, run over, ignored, and basically made a fool, then don’t listen to me. The Senate is the major leagues of politics. You’ll have to play by their rules, not yours.”
“I don’t think so.”
Senior shook his head. “You may be a genius, but you lack one trait needed on the Senate floor.”
“What’s that?”
“The ability to make people believe you like them.”
“I’m better at it then you think.”
“Yes, you are excellent at times, but you lack the ability to keep up the ruse. You have a tendency to ignore individuals you find annoying. You will find ninety percent of your fellow senators annoying. Once that occurs, your effectiveness in the Senate ends. You will not get the plum committee assignments you’ll need to help the fine citizens of Washington State.”
“I didn’t get elected to help them.”
“You’d better make sure the news media never finds out. They will eat you alive, my son, and it will be the end of your political career.”
“If you know so much about this, why did you quit?”
The older Burns stared at his only son as his face reddened. “Because you couldn’t keep your little head in your pants. That’s why.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Heather Grant. She left town and went straight to an attorney. You’re lucky she didn’t go straight to the police. Afterwards, to keep it out of the news media, I paid off the intern and made a deal with the Senate leadership. I took the blame and kept your name out of it. Hell, even the majority leader didn’t know it was you.”
Blinking rapidly, the younger Burns swallowed hard and stared at his father. “Oh, hell, Father, she was after my money. All she wanted to do was trap me into getting her pregnant. It was pathetic. There is no way anyone would have believed I was responsible.”
Rolling his eyes and shaking his head, the older Burns took a sip of his scotch. “What would you have done, call a press conference to tell God and everyone you were the one raped? I don’t think so.”
Robert Junior’s face reddened. He stood suddenly and glared at his father. “How dare you make those types of accusations? It was consensual.”
It was the senior Burns’ time to explode. He got within i
nches of his son’s face and screamed, “Bullshit. She had internal bleeding. You’re lucky they came to me first.”
“She liked it rough.”
Burns glared at his son. Shaking his head, he backed away from the forty-six-year-old man he was finding increasingly difficult to understand. “Go to bed, you’re drunk.” He turned and walked toward the stairs.
***
Joel Moody looked up from his laptop screen after hearing a tapping on his office door. Surprised to see elder Robert Burns standing there, he stood. Burns spoke first. “Joel, do you have a few minutes?”
Startled at the appearance of the company’s CEO at his office door, he motioned to a chair in front of his desk. “Yes, sir, please come in.”
Burns shut the door, something Moody never did when he was in his office, feeling it made other associates nervous to have the head of security behind closed doors.
After both men were seated, Burns cleared his throat. “Joel, at one of our last meetings, I asked you to check on Junior’s past.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Have you made any inquiries?”
Moody felt a trap being set but nodded anyway.
“Uh, what did you find?”
“Not much.”
He saw the CEO relax, slightly.
Moody continued, “However, what I found raised some questions.”
“Oh?”
“The FBI agent’s inquiry concerned me.”
Burns nodded.
“What was Junior doing during the years of 1999 and 2002, while you were campaigning and serving your first two years as a senator?”
The look on Robert Burns’ face confirmed Moody’s suspicions. His boss did not know.
“He was heading up Haylex Solutions.”
“Was it part of his job description to be at installations?”
The older Burns shook his head.
“Hmmm.”
“What?”
“Mr. Burns, the only installations he attended during those years were colleges.”
The CEO closed his eyes.