The Gilded Sanctum

by Keith Veverka

  “Alright, I’ll talk,” he said.

  Walker stepped into the conversation. “Alright, what?”

  Josh huffed loudly and looked up at Walker. “Alright, I’ll give you the names. There were only ten of us. We didn’t mean anything. We were just messing around.”

  “Messing around?” Castillo interjected.

  Josh reluctantly turned to Castillo. “Yeah, we weren’t going to hurt her. We just wanted to scare her. I heard she’s been telling you that I killed Amanda, that she thinks we did it as part of our club.”

  “Did you?” Walker asked.

  “No!” Josh shouted to both men. Then, in a lower voice, “Of course not.”

  Walker and Castillo, both realizing they had finally broken through the boy’s defensive wall, exchanged glances and paused, giving Josh time to collect his thoughts and explain.

  “I loved Amanda. Yeah, we fought, but I still loved her. I would never hurt her. I swear to you. I don’t know anything about her disappearance.”

  Walker believed Josh for the first time.

  Waving his hand at the clothes and lanterns still discarded in the clearing, Castillo asked, “Then what is all of this shit? What is this club all about?”

  “I don’t know,” Josh said, shaking his head. “Rebellion. Going against the establishment. Giving us a chance to be free. We've had this club for a few years. We sneak out, come to the woods, chant, listen to music, drink, do drugs. You know? Live a little. This place is stressful.”

  Castillo sighed. “Jesus Christ! Give me a break.”

  “Well, it is, you know?” Josh pleaded.

  “How did you know about these tunnels?”

  Josh shrugged his shoulders. “Well, we had always known about the legend. Didn’t know if was true or not, but it was an interesting story. We’d also heard about the secret society that started a few years ago. I guess it disbanded when the administration came down hard on it, but we wanted to bring it back. Restore it to its former glory, you know? So, we did some research, and low and behold, we found this tunnel. Took us almost a year, but we did it.”

  “And the tunnel is how you kept the Sons of Liberty a secret? You never had to leave the boys’ dorm, so you never came up on the cameras?”

  “Exactly.”

  “Why the robes and the chanting?” Walker asked.

  As if those particular additions were his creation, Josh smiled. “Role—playing, man. Makes it more fun. More mysterious. You can’t have a secret society without cloaks and lanterns, right?”

  “So you’re the head of this little rabble, huh?” Castillo said.

  Josh cocked his head slightly, as if still wondering how exactly he had gotten caught. “I was.”

  “You’re damn right there, kid. You were.” Castillo confirmed. “First intelligent thing you’ve said all night.”

  Castillo turned to Walker, and the two stepped away from Josh, currently lost in his confusion. “What do you think?”

  “I don’t know,” Walker said, “let’s get the names of those other kids and talk to them.” He glanced back at Josh. “I don’t think he’s got it in him. One of the other kids perhaps, but he’s no sociopath. Sounds like they were just letting off some steam.”

  “And my gunshots were after the knife had already come down, so if he had wanted to kill Heather, he could have done it.” Castillo added.

  Walker thought for a moment. “Yeah, but anyone can be a killer. Unfortunately, you don’t need to have experience. He could have missed. And we still haven’t found Amanda.”

  “I agree. Let’s turn up the heat. Arrest him. Turn him over to the police. See if they can rattle him a bit and get whatever they can from him.”

  The two turned back to Josh, and Castillo spoke, “Josh, I don’t know if we believe your story or not, so we’re going to turn you over to the police for questioning until we can get to the bottom of all this.”

  “Okay, whatever.” Josh conceded. “I’m telling the truth.”

  Castillo picked up Josh — more gently this time — and walked him toward the Sheriff’s deputies standing nearby. “Okay, but you need to cooperate with them, you understand?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  The security chief turned Josh over to the nearest police officer and whispered into his ear to apprise him of the situation. The deputies nodded and led Josh away as he returned to Walker, who was running his fingers through his hair. “Okay, what’s next?”

  Just as Castillo started to speak, another uniformed officer — an old friend in the Sheriff’s office — bounded out of the woods with a flashlight and approached the two men. “Joaquin, we found something. You need to see it.”

  The two men followed the police deputy back into the darkness of the trees along a meandering route for several yards until they reached a slight ravine. At the natural depression in the landscape, they came upon two other officers with their flashlights trained upon a spot on the muddy ground.

  As Walker and Castillo moved closer, the lights illuminated an object that was half-buried in the soft earth. Only portions of the fabric were visible, and smudged with dirt, but even in the low light, it was clear that the object was a backpack, and its colors were distinctly red and gray.

  Chapter 42

  The natural clearing nestled in the wooded area bordering the southwest corner of Washington Academy was officially a crime scene. But a rather innocuous one. Though a bizarre ceremony had occurred here, based on what had transpired, it would be a misdemeanor charge at best — criminal mischief or disturbing the peace — but nothing more. Attempted murder would have been a stretch unless Joshua Easterly or one of the other boys gave a full confession about their intent to murder Heather Yates, but in the absence of that, no prosecutor would even attempt to bring the case in front of a jury.

  However, the discovery of the backpack— combined with the disappearance of Amanda Bryson and the strange ritual — turned this relatively benign crime scene, which could have easily been handled by the local authorities, into a much larger affair, involving multiple state and federal law enforcement agencies. The backpack provided a clear piece of evidence that foul play had been involved and immediately catapulted this missing persons case into a full-fledged homicide investigation.

  The great lengths that Ellis and Castillo had taken to keep Amanda’s disappearance quiet had suddenly evaporated as calls went out to all pertinent agencies, including the Virginia State Police and the FBI. The crime scene investigators arrived shortly before the news vans. Police scanners had been abuzz with the night’s events — a bizarre display in the woods surrounding Washington Academy, an injured female student, and a missing girl from several days ago. Leaks to the press were now unavoidable, and the intriguing headlines were already appearing online on the local news sites, quickly being picked up by the national broadcast networks. By daybreak, the pace of the news coverage had become unstoppable and people from the Midwest to the West Coast were talking about the unusual story coming out of that prestigious private school in Virginia.

  In the shallow ravine just beyond the clearing, a pack of crime scene investigators — equipment in hand — descended on the obscure location of the backpack. A makeshift path of trampled plants and crushed twigs had formed from the glade to the ravine as more police found their way to the discovery. There was no need for a display of crime scene tape in this remote location, but a cordone had been established just on the edge of the clearing and sheriff’s deputies were stationed on the perimeter to approve all who were permitted entry. Walker and Castillo were already there.

  While multiple officers with flashlights focused their aim, two crime scene investigators carefully removed the backpack from its resting place in the pulpy ground and laid it on a large piece of plastic. The red and gray stripes were barely visible, the red block darkened with mud, almost looking brown. Using delicate silver clamps to grip and maneuver the backpack, one officer held it stationary, while another unzipped it. When complete
d, the officer gripped the top edge of the fabric with his clamp and pulled back the outer sleeve. All eyes turned to the inside of the backpack. It was empty.

  ***

  Castillo pushed ‘end’ on his cellphone after the line went dead, Robert Ellis abruptly ending the call. He turned toward Walker. “Ellis is mad as hell. He can’t believe this has turned into a fucking circus.”

  Having made their way back out to the perimeter while the investigators continued their work at the ravine, Walker was blinded by the bright and flashing lights from the throng of police cruisers, ambulances, and news vans. Ellis was right. It was a circus.

  “We need to conduct a massive search of this entire area. All the personnel we can assemble as well as search dogs,” Walker stated.

  Castillo nodded. “Agreed. I’ll talk with the state police sergeant from the local barracks. I think she’s the one in charge of the scene now, so it will be up to her at this point.”

  Walker shook his head in affirmation, exhaling a long breath, his first respite from the long night. His body ached and his eyes were heavy.

  Castillo looked at him. “Why don’t you go back and get some rest. There’s nothing more you can do here. If we find anything, I’ll wake you. If not, I’ll see you back here in the morning.”

  “I think you’re right. Thanks.”

  Placing his hand on Walker’s shoulder before the two parted ways, Castillo said, “Although I hope to God we don’t find Amanda out here, I think we might be one step closer to solving this case. Thanks for getting us this far.”

  It was the first sincere thank you Walker had received in a long time. He nodded and walked away from the flashing lights. He hated the lights.

  Chapter 43

  Special Agent Ryan Walker could only hear his own breathing. Everything else around him was muffled and played out in slow motion as he struggled to come to his senses. He was in shock by the events of the last few moments and could not quite piece together the reality of what had just taken place. It wasn’t how it was supposed to have happened, it’s wasn’t how they had trained. All Walker could do was sit up, place the rifle across his knees, and watch the aftermath of the botched raid unfold before him.

  The remainder of the SWAT team with rifles raised swept single-file through the front door and fanned out across the lobby. They quickly secured the area and immediately began attending to the multiple people on the floor, including himself. His body felt heavy as he watched the agents kneeling above the little girl shaking their heads in disbelief at the tragic loss. Walker knew that the two assailants were also dead, according to the movements of the agents hovering over those bodies.

  Hoisted up by two agents, the mother was still releasing her blood-curdling screams and resisting the officers, attempting to crawl across the floor to her dead child. Walker went limp at the sight of the broken woman, so when another agent grabbed him under his arms to pick him up, Walker’s body wouldn’t budge. The agent moved backward and simply dragged Walker along the floor away from the scene. As they reached the front door; the flashing colored and white lights from the parking lot flooded the dark room and cast a shadowy effect on the officers still inside until everything blurred into darkness.

  He could still only hear his own breathing.

  Chapter 44

  Walker made his way back to the search area at dawn. Castillo hadn’t contacted him during the night, which meant they hadn’t yet found Amanda. This was positive in that the discovery of a body would have signified a tragic end to this girl’s life and meant a murderer was out there somewhere, but negative in the respect that without definitive proof of death, Amanda’s fate was still unknown.

  As Walker approached the southern edge of the campus, where the school’s property bordered the thickly forested area, Virginia State Police troopers had established an entry point into the woods. White sawhorses — stenciled in blue with the words ‘State Police’ — marked the entrance to a makeshift path that curved its way through thick vegetation and brush to the open clearing and shallow ravine a few hundred yards away.

  A fine mist of milky fog was rising up from the school’s manicured fields just before the boundary to the woods, giving the entire area a surreal spookiness. Blurred images of red and blue flashing lights could be seen through the translucent fog, while police uniforms and FBI windbreakers faded away as the state and federal officers descended into the valley. The news vans were stopped at this perimeter, but a perfect row of reporters, holding microphones close to their faces and talking into the rolling cameras, stood against the picturesque yet eerie backdrop.

  Walker nodded to the uniformed officers at the artificial gateway to the crime scene, and recognizing him from the night before, allowed him to proceed. He immediately saw Castillo, leaning on a police cruiser, partially obscured by the surrounding fog, smoking a cigarette. It was the first time he had seen Castillo smoke, but figured it was probably because he had been up all night. Walker held two cups of coffee — purchased from the student union building moments earlier — in his hands and offered one to Castillo as he leaned on the cruiser.

  Castillo was surprised at first by Walker’s sudden appearance through the fog, but then beamed with gratitude as he gladly accepted the coffee. “Ah, thank you, this is much appreciated.” He quickly threw the half-smoked cigarette on the ground and stomped it out with his foot. “Haven’t had one of those in years. Borrowed it from a sheriff’s deputy. Tastes horrible.”

  “You’ve been out here all night?” Walker inquired.

  “Yes, sir,” Castillo answered firmly. “This is my campus, my responsibility.”

  “What’s the situation?”

  Castillo paused, taking a long sip from his coffee and savoring it for a moment. “That’s good.” He lowered the cup and pondered his thoughts. “Well, the situation is...we haven’t found anything yet. We’ve got fifty officers out here, including the FBI, as well as search dogs, and we’ve found nothing to indicate that Amanda Bryson is in these woods. No clothes, no blood trails, no hairs or fibers. The only thing we do have is her empty backpack.”

  “So her backpack was just dumped here? Along someone’s escape route?”

  Castillo winced. “Perhaps. But no footprints either. We did have a light rain two days ago, so it’s possible that evidence was washed away, but overall, no sign of a struggle, shallow grave, or escape route.”

  “What about her cell phone or laptop?”

  “No sign of either.”

  Walker groaned. “I thought we were going to find her. I really did. I didn’t want us to find her, but I thought we were close.”

  “Me, too,” said Castillo. “We’ve searched a radius of a quarter-mile around that backpack. If there was something to find out there, we would have found it.”

  “What about the tunnel?”

  “Right. I went back through it myself. Twice. We’ve sealed off the entrance from the boys’ dorm. Officers are still searching that inner chamber we found, but the tunnel’s clean.”

  “There must be other tunnels, right?”

  “I would imagine, but we’d have to go back to the drawing board. Literally. We’d have to look at original drawings and schematics of the campus again, compare it with today, and see if we could possibly locate any other tunnels. Other entrances. Could take us a while. And I don’t think Amanda has that much time. If any at all.”

  “And Josh didn’t seem to indicate there were other tunnels, or at least ones that he knew of,” Walker added.

  “Right. He seemed so happy to have just found that one, I doubt they ever looked for any more.” Castillo paused, appearing to still be frustrated by the entire affair. “Unfortunately, it was all they needed.”

  Walker nodded in agreement. “Where is Ellis?”

  Castillo glanced back toward campus. “Meeting with senior officials from the sheriff’s department, state police, and FBI back at the admin building. They’re working on a joint statement. I think they’re plann
ing on a press conference soon. This story is simply out of control right now — it’s all over the place — rumors flying everywhere.”

  “Why aren’t you with them?” Walker asked, smiling.

  Castillo huffed. “I don’t give a shit about the politics of this thing. Ellis can have all of that as far as I’m concerned. I just want my campus back.”

  “Behind the cameras, huh? Not in front of them.”

  “Exactly.” Castillo grinned.

  Walker was serious now. “I need to talk with Ellis again.”

  “Come on, Walker, we’ve been through this,” Castillo said, the anger rising in his voice. “He’s got nothing to hide. He’s just looking out for his school. Why do you keep badgering him?”

  “Because something happened between Amanda and him before she disappeared,” Walker stated forcefully.

  Castillo looked surprised. “Who told you that? Meredith? I’m telling you, you’re putting a little too much trust in her. You find her yet?”

  Walker ignored the question, realizing he still hadn’t heard from her, but was adamant about his request. “Joaquin, I need to speak with him. I think he holds the key to this whole thing. He’s definitely hiding something...from you and me. And you’re the only one that can get me in there. Please.”

  Taking another long sip from his coffee, Castillo grieved. “Alright, I’ll get you a few minutes with Ellis, but after all the shit that’s just gone down, your little visit here might be cut short. This will probably be your last conversation with anyone on this campus. Understand? You sure you want to do that?”

  Walker knew Castillo was probably right. Ellis was now clearly on the hot seat. The twisted events at his school over the last forty-eight hours were a front page news story across the country and most of the blame for that notoriety could be placed squarely at Walker’s feet. It would not be a pleasant conversation.

  The same could also be said for Castillo, as the security chief had tried but failed to control Walker, but now that everything was crashing down, it really didn’t matter anymore. Ellis would take most of the heat, with all of this craziness occurring on his watch, but the first bit of collateral damage would most likely be Castillo. Realizing his days were probably numbered, Castillo knew it was already too late for him, so he finally decided to be more of a help than a hindrance. And for that, Walker was grateful.