Defending Sophie

by P. J. Fiala

  "You'll sit behind the mirror so Mr. Gillman can't see you. You'll ask questions on this iPad." He handed him an iPad with a text box opened for his use. "You can only see him through the one-way mirror, but you can’t speak to Mr. Gillman. The court reporter, my assistant who will be monitoring the iPad, a police officer, an investigator of CID, and myself will be the only people in the room with Mr. Gillman. I did receive your information last night. I've briefed myself on it and I'd like to say good work. You've been busy."

  "Thank you." Colonel Ashton held his hand out toward a grouping of chairs behind the panel. He walked into his side of the room and sat in a chair in front of the window. Colonel Ashton turned and left the room, more important things to attend to.

  Two more people sat in the room with him, not introducing themselves and not speaking to each other either. One in uniform, one not. A door was closed, sealing them off from the other room and not long after, Rand Gillman was wheeled into the room on a hospital bed. He was slightly reclined and had two IVs inserted into his left arm, which were arranged by a nurse. The blanket covering him was straightened and then Colonel Ashton, his assistant, the court reporter, the CID investigator, and the police officer entered the room. Gaige bit his cheek as the thought ran through his head. A criminal, a court reporter, a cop, an Army investigator, and a Colonel walk into a room…

  The police officer started. "Mr. Gillman, you were read your rights last night. Do you remember?" The cold icy blue stare landed on the officer but he didn't budge from his standing position alongside the bed. "Yes."

  The officer nodded. "And you’ve declined an attorney.”

  “Yes.”

  “And do you object to giving your statement under oath?”

  “No.”

  “And you're aware of the reason we are all here this morning?"

  Gillman chuckled. "Yeah."

  "Do you think this is funny, Mr. Gillman?"

  "Yes. It's funny. You're all funny. All your procedure and protocol bullshit."

  His creepy eyes swung to Colonel Ashton and froze. Colonel Ashton was what women called a handsome man in his late fifties. Physically fit, sharp, he had deep brown eyes framed by thick lashes and a nice smile. But he didn't scare easily. You didn't make it this far in the military by being a pussy and he wasn't. He stared Rand down, not a twitch in his stance or demeanor. It was impressive to watch. Rand first began fidgeting with the blanket covering him, his fingers moving the material around subtly, then the toes on his right foot began moving back and forth and then his eyes finally looked down at his lap.

  Colonel Ashton began asking Rand questions.

  "The court reporter having sworn you in, I’ll proceed. What was your involvement with the death of Kate Ryan?"

  "I don't know a Kate Ryan."

  "Then why was the ruby from your ring found in the car her dead body was found in?"

  Rand's eyes rounded, but he said nothing.

  "What was your involvement with the death of Gayle Stout?"

  His lips curled up slightly at the mention of her name. But still he said nothing.

  "What was your involvement with Carlee Brown?"

  Refusing to speak at all, Colonel Ashton finally said. "We have you in the towns of all three of these women at the times of their deaths despite the fact that the towns all are in different states. We have evidence you left behind at each of the murder scenes and the local police have found evidence in your home that you stole from each of these women." Turning he opened a case and pulled out clear plastic bags with necklaces in two of the bags and a ring in the third. "This necklace belonged to Gayle Stout and was reported missing by her family. Her parents have identified a text photograph of the necklace as Gayle’s missing necklace."

  Holding up the second necklace, he said, "This necklace was reported missing by Carlee Brown's family. Likewise, her parents have identified a text photograph of the necklace as Carlee’s missing necklace."

  Holding up the ring, he said, "This ring belonged to and has been identified as Kate Ryan's class ring by her parents in the same manner. All of these things were found in your dresser, all have been identified by the families of these young women."

  Rand smiled as he looked at the personal items. It was eerie and disturbing. Gaige's stomach twisted as he watched this person derive pleasure from so much pain. But it was his words that brought it all together.

  "Do you think I look like him?"

  "Excuse me?" Colonel Ashton asked.

  "My father, do you think I look like him? They all did. They all thought I was him. They even called me by his name. I can't tell you how happy that made me."

  "When did they call you by his name?"

  "Gayle called me Reed as I was raping her. She threatened to tell the authorities who I was. I loved that and it made my orgasm spectacular. But, I knew I had to give them more drugs. As much as I liked that they thought I was him, I couldn't let them say anything. But, she did that little bitch. Even though I threatened her. I told her I'd kill her if she said anything and she did anyway."

  It was hard to listen to his glee. He was proud of himself.

  "How about Carlee Brown?"

  Rand played with the blanket a bit more and his smile disappeared for a minute. "She wasn't as much fun. I gave her too much of the drug and she laid there like a corpse. So, I had to adjust my dosages. I almost had it perfect for Kate. She was lively enough to try to fight me but couldn't."

  He was so happy Sophie couldn't hear this. It would make her vomit to see how proud he was of himself.

  "Why did you kill them?"

  Anger rose to the surface and he balled his hands into fists. "Didn't you hear me? I told them to shut their mouths. So many women don’t report a rape, they're ashamed. But these stupid bitches had to go and report my dad."

  "Was that your plan, to get your father in trouble?"

  He lay his head back against the bed and laughed. Then his hand flew to his chest as a pain shot through him. "Yes. I wanted him hunted and on the run from his precious military. That's all he ever gave a shit about. Not me. Just his fucking promotions and military career. So, I thought I'd taint it for him."

  "How does Tony Guilianetti fit into all of this?"

  "Tony is a great hacker. He was able to hack into places to get me information."

  "What information did Mr. Guilianetti obtain for you?"

  Rand chuckled. "Ah, so you don't have all the pieces to the puzzle pulled together yet."

  "Why don't you fill them in for us?"

  "What's in it for me?"

  Colonel Ashton moved a step closer to the bed his face unreadable. "How about the difference between prison and a death sentence."

  Rand chuckled again, held his chest and said, "California doesn't have the death sentence."

  "That's correct, but Kansas does and you murdered Gayle Stout in Kansas. Extradition to Kansas would put you on death row."

  The sickly smile faded from Rand's face, and he visibly swallowed.

  "Now, let's try again. What records did Mr. Guilianetti access for you?"

  Taking a breath, Rand's face changed again to one of resignation. "He was able to hack into the DMV records for me and change the name on the title of the car I put Kate in to make it look like it was hers."

  "Okay. Anything else?"

  "Yeah. He could tell me when my father was being restationed and where."

  Colonel Ashton flinched at that. Some military records were not secure. He'd bet heads would roll on this one, but that was to be expected.

  Gaige typed into his iPad. How did he know Chet Forest?

  Colonel Ashton's assistant handed him the iPad. The Colonel read it and handed it back to her.

  "How did you meet Chet Forest?"

  "He came by the hospital where I work to pick up a corpse. One of your finest was killed in a car accident and at our hospital and the Army wanted him back. Chet came to pick him up and we chatted. Tony dug up some information for me on C
het. Turns out he liked to gamble a bit and owed some money to some folks. I offered to pay his debt for a favor. I needed Kate's autopsy report changed to show that she had carbon monoxide in her lungs and blood so it looked like a suicide. I also needed other conclusions altered and documents removed. It's just amazing what someone will do for money."

  Colonel Ashton stared him down again. Maybe to get his own thoughts in order. "And, why did you kill Mr. Forest if he was willing to help you?"

  Rand shrugged. "He didn't have the stomach for it. His medical examiner was transferred to another base suddenly, thanks to my father, and he had a change of heart after that. Threatened to tell someone that I paid him to fix the report."

  "Let's talk about your father for a moment. How much of your activities does he know about?"

  "That you'd have to ask him. I saw him following me these past few months. I saw him drive past my place a couple of times. I saw him a few times sitting in his car outside of Kate's place. I saw him at the hospital once, too."

  Gaige quickly typed in, Why was his father watching Kate?

  Colonel Ashton’s assistant handed him the iPad. His eye’s scanned the text then asked Gillman the question.

  “The sad sack liked Kate. He’d asked her out a couple of times. She wanted nothing to do with him. I overheard her talking to that friend of hers as they were walking to her friend’s car one day.”

  “Is that why you targeted Kate?”

  Gillman chuckled, picked at some invisible lint on his blanket then closed his eyes. “Yes. I wanted him to suffer.”

  Why was he on base at Fort Riley to buy the ring?

  Colonel Ashton pulled the ring from the same case he had the women's jewelry in. It also was in a clear plastic bag. "Why were you on base to buy this ring and why did you buy it with the Army insignia on it?"

  He laughed again, held his chest, and then responded. "That was my gift to me to remind me of my father and his precious military. My mom saved every dollar that prick paid her for me. When I turned 18 she gave me half and when I turned 22 and graduated from college, she gave me the other half. I splurged. And since they let civilians on base, I went to the commissary and bought the ring as a gift to me. I paid a pretty penny for it, too."

  Un-fucking-believable.

  Chapter 49

  Her phone rang and she grabbed it before it rang again. "Gaige? What happened? I'm dying here. My stomach is in knots."

  "Soph, he confessed. To everything. He raped and killed Kate and the other two women. It sounds as if more were raped but those women haven't come forward. Not yet anyway. Some of them likely will never be able to come forward.”

  "Oh my God." She plopped down in a chair, her heart hammering, her stomach in knots. It took a moment and she felt like she'd throw up.

  "Soph, put me on speaker so Hawk can hear and I don't have to repeat."

  Her fingers shook and another wave of nausea caused her hands to sweat. Hawk gently took her phone, nodding once to her, and hit speaker. "I'm here."

  She listened and her stomach twisted and turned as he told them what had happened. It was disgusting how this pig Gillman derived so much pleasure. Her heart hurt for Kate and Gayle and Carlee and every other woman out there who'd been violated and abused and murdered. "I'm on my way out to Uncle Jeff's right now. I'll be home later."

  Good thing Hawk was thinking clearly ‘cause she sure wasn't. "What's going on with Killian?"

  "Colonel Ashton is meeting with him now to find out what he knew and how complicit he was in all of this."

  "Okay, good luck with your uncle. I'll be wrapping up my reports then. Is the plan to leave in the morning?"

  "Yes. Please make arrangements with Gavin."

  "Will do. Out."

  "Sophie, are you still there?"

  Her voice shook when she answered him. "Yes."

  "Baby, I know that was hard to hear. I'm sorry. For all of it. But, Casper is working on your status right now. I'll hear from him later tonight. We'll talk when I get back, okay?"

  "Yeah."

  The phone clicked and he was gone.

  "Hey, you okay?" Hawk's concern made tears spring to her eyes.

  Swallowing, she nodded, cleared her throat and said, "Do you think it's okay for me to call Kate's parents?"

  "I don't see why not. It sounds like they know something's going on ‘cause Kate's ring had been identified by them."

  She nodded. "Thank you. I'm going to go and call them. Unless there's something I'm supposed to do now." She nodded to her computer.

  "Nah, it can wait. After each mission we write up reports that we keep on file. Each person on the mission writes up their own, but Gaige can show you how to do that, where to access them, and where to save them when he gets back. Go on, girl, call your friend's parents."

  "Thank you." And without thinking she leaned over and hugged him, sniveling in his ear. He patted her on the back, clearly uncomfortable with her closeness, but she pulled back and nodded then took her phone to her room and closed the door. Calling Kate's mom would be difficult, but she wanted to talk to her and commiserate with her. Then she'd call her own mom and chat. She'd purposely avoided contact with her during this time because she didn't want her to worry. And, her mom didn't have her current phone number, so there was no chance of her calling while all this turmoil was going on.

  But first, she was going to take a long hot shower, and cry, and get it out of her system so she didn't blubber on the phone like a baby.

  Grabbing her clean clothes from the top drawer, her mind raced back to her apartment, hopefully this meant she'd be able to go and grab her own things. That thought gave her goosebumps. Normal. Oh, to have life get back to normal again. Though even that was going to be different.

  Taking a deep breath to keep the panic at bay, she gathered her clothes and walked to the bathroom.

  Clean and fresh, she climbed up on the bed, scooted so her back rested against the headboard, and took a cleansing breath. Grabbing Gaige's pillow, she picked it up and smelled it, then pressed it tightly to her body. "Okay. I can do this." She whispered.

  Picking up her phone, she dialed the number of Kate's mom and closed her eyes as the phone rang on the other end.

  "Hello?"

  "Sandra?" Her voice cracked. She cleared her voice and tried again. "Sandra, this is Sophie Turner."

  "Oh, Sophie. It's so good to hear from you. We just got a call from someone in Colonel Ashton's office. He told us who..." Her voice cracked. "About Kate's rapist and kil..." There was a pause.

  "Yes. How are you, Sandra? I know it was hard to hear all of that, but at least we know. It's small consolation, but we had to know."

  "Yes. It won't bring her back, but we all knew she didn't kill herself. We knew."

  Her soft crying on the phone cracked Sophie's barely there composure, and she softly cried with Sandra.

  "Thank you, Sophie. Thank you for Kate. You are such a good friend. To our whole family."

  "Actually, Gaige did most of the work. He's amazing. He did so much to help Kate. And, Tommy."

  "Tommy. Oh, I have to go to church and pray for forgiveness for all the bad thoughts I heaped on that young man."

  Sophie actually smiled. "Gaige is there now talking with them. Tommy is his cousin. Can you believe how small a world it is?"

  "Oh, my heavens. So, he flew out there to help his cousin and met up with you again?"

  "Actually, I called him. I was in a bit of trouble trying to dig into Kate's death and he came out here to help me."

  She heard Sandra sigh. "How is that going?"

  Sandra knew about her love for Gaige. Kate had told her mom a long while ago much to Sophie's mortification at the time, but over the years Sandra asked now and then about Gaige and if she'd seen him.

  "He loves me, Sandra. And, as you know, I love him."

  "I know it well. I'm so happy for you. Richard and I were just talking this week about Kate and Tate and we wondered if they finally found
each other."

  "Oh, I just told Gaige that this morning. I think they have Sandra, I really do."

  Their conversation lasted for a while longer and she was about to call her mom when she heard a car pull into the driveway. Hoping it was Gaige, she left the bedroom and walked out to the living room then into the kitchen. Leaning against the counter her heart rate increased as she waited. Gigi walked in the door and her face must have fallen because Gigi said, "I'm happy to see you, too."

  "Sorry." Her face scrunched.

  Hawk walked out of his bedroom, then he stopped and turned to go back to his room. "What in the hell is going on here? No one wants to see me?"

  "It's not that, Gigi. We love you. But, we're waiting for Gaige to get back and tell us what happened with his uncle."

  "Oh, he's doing that now?"

  "Yes. I'll fill you in while I help you make dinner."

  Chapter 50

  "What the hell were you thinking, Uncle Jeff?"

  His once proud and strong uncle sat behind his desk in his home and rubbed his forehead with shaking fingers.

  "I just didn't want Tommy to be labeled a rapist and I didn’t want him to go to prison."

  "But you assumed he was and that may haunt him forever."

  "Dammit, Gaige, I'm aware." He yelled. "I've let my son down in so many ways. I'm so ashamed."

  "I don't know what's going to happen to you, Uncle Jeff, but I'm afraid your military career is likely over."

  His sad and tired uncle turned his head and gazed out the window that looked over the bluff and out onto the ocean below. All he had here was due to his military career and how well he served the United States Armed Forces. Now, he was faced with losing it all.

  "I suspect on some level I've known that for a while. Trusting Killian with something like this was the biggest mistake of my life. He came to me and told me that Tommy was a rape suspect, but he'd help me if I could see to his next promotion. I had no idea he was framing my son for something his son had done. Or at least he was willing to use the situation to make it look as though he was helping me."