Johnny Revenge

by Remington Kane

  “Great, you purchased a supply of toilet paper from a company named Royal Goods & Services, do you remember it?”

  “I do, it was only a few weeks ago.”

  “Do you do business with them on a regular basis?”

  “That was a one-off so far, but we might buy from them again.”

  “Was there a particular reason you bought from them?”

  “Yeah, their price. I know it’s only toilet paper, but they had it priced so low I couldn’t pass up the deal.”

  “And how did you find out about this bargain?”

  “Royal Goods & Services emailed us, and after going back and forth a couple of times I placed the order. They were a little slow in shipping it, but it’s the same brand we always buy.”

  “I need their email; can you give that to me?”

  It took a moment, and then Maury gave Erica the email address he had for Royal Goods & Services.

  “Thank you, Maury, and someone may contact you again soon.”

  “We didn’t do anything wrong, did we?”

  “Not at all. We’re just tying up some loose ends of an investigation. Thank you for your help, sir.”

  “Anytime,” Maury said.

  Erica ended the call, dialed the last name on the list, and managed to only reach a voice mail message. As she leaned back in her seat she wondered if all of the companies had been contacted the same way and offered the same deal. If so, it would appear that someone orchestrated Zach Connors’ delivery route to place him near the crime scenes. When she considered who that someone might be, Erica felt sick inside.

  * * *

  Her mood brightened later on as she and Owens exited the plane and entered the terminal. Troy Carson was waiting for them.

  “Whitford called you, Troy?” Owens asked.

  “He did, and he explained what’s going on and asked me to fill you in. He’s busy following any leads that might help them track down Traveler.”

  * * *

  Troy told them about the previous evening as he drove them to Sanguine.

  “Rowland noticed that he’d forgotten to turn off the signal light in the cottage. When he went out there, his brother was waiting for him.”

  “What about Linda Perkins, was she with Jude?” Erica asked.

  “No, she arrived on the scene shortly after and heard three rounds being fired. She was off-duty and had come to visit Rowland. Maybe it was a date? Anyway, she was smart and called it in, but she didn’t wait for back-up.”

  “The three shots Perkins heard, were they fired at Rowland?” Owens asked.

  “Rowland carries pepper spray, he used it on his brother and the shots went off as they struggled for the gun. When Rowland realized that Traveler had too good a grip on the weapon he decided to bolt for the house and call for help, that was when he ran into Officer Perkins. She was leading him back to the house when Traveler caught up to them and… and he killed Officer Perkins, he killed Linda. Rowland grabbed up her gun and fired at his brother, but he doubts that he hit him.”

  “What sort of vehicle was Traveler using, did Jude get a look at it?” Erica asked.

  “It’s a black 2012 Kia Soul. It was stolen from a driveway in town yesterday afternoon. The car had a flat tire and Traveler left the scene on foot. Tracking dogs were brought in, but it was raining hard and they lost the scent.”

  “Does the scene jive with Rowland’s story?” Owens asked.

  “It does. Spent shells were recovered and a neighbor reported hearing a series of shots that matches Rowland’s description of what happened. It’s too bad he missed when he fired at his brother.”

  “And what about the cameras at Rowland’s house, did they capture anything?”

  “He shut them off once he believed there was no longer a threat.”

  “Damn it. Has there been any sign of Traveler?”

  “No.”

  “Any other cars stolen in the area?”

  “Two, but they were recovered. One was stolen by a drug addict and the other was taken on a joy ride by a fourteen-year-old kid.”

  “How many agents are there at Jude’s house?” Erica asked.

  “We’re going to be it, while the others are in the field looking for Traveler. It seems unlikely that he would stay in Sanguine, money or not. Oh, but Rowland hired private security to guard the house. Whitford said Rowland didn’t want any more police around, and risk something happening to them.”

  They arrived in town and stopped at the police station first. Every officer they met was saddened and shaken by Linda’s loss, and it had come on the heels of Chief Connors’ death.

  Acting Chief Dix looked as if he hadn’t slept at all, and there was anger in his bloodshot eyes.

  “John Revene better hope that none of us find him before you Feds do.”

  “I don’t think he’d fair any better with us, Chief,” Owens said. “The man is a mad dog. I’d have no problem putting him down.”

  * * *

  Erica returned with Troy to the tiny office they used inside the police station. She had already told Owens about her talk with Maury at Hancock Plumbing Supply. When she relayed the conversation to Troy, he looked puzzled.

  “Does this mean Zach Connors might have been set-up?”

  “I don’t know, and because of the holiday weekend it’s hard to get answers. That’s where you come in. I don’t care who you have to annoy or threaten but get in touch with someone at each of these other warehouses. You’ll have to track them down at home.”

  “Consider it done, and I’ll also look into Royal Goods & Services.”

  Erica smiled at Troy. “We hit the jackpot when you were assigned to help us, and I’ll make sure you get recognition for your work.”

  Troy grinned. “Thanks, before this happened, I was bored out of my mind. This is normally a quiet region.”

  “Have you asked for a transfer?”

  Troy shook his head. “I’m too new to be making requests like that, but I’d love to be assigned to one of the regional offices.”

  “I’ll use what little clout I have to see if I can make that happen. Now wow me again by getting that information.”

  “You’ll have it,” Troy said from a smiling face.

  Erica left him and returned to the SUV, where Owens was waiting. It was time to see Jude Rowland.

  Chapter Forty-Eight

  Two armed security guards were at the gate when Erica arrived at Jude’s house with Owens. The men had been sitting in a brown car. The words, SENTRY PROTECTION, were painted along the vehicle’s sides in white lettering. When the men saw the FBI credentials, one of them stated that Jude was expecting them.

  Jude’s expression upon seeing Erica was a mixture of relief and sorrow. His clothes looked rumpled, as if he’d slept in them. A third security guard had come out of the house with him, then informed Jude that he was going off to patrol the grounds.

  “I’m pleased to see you again,” Jude told Erica. “I just wish it was for a different reason.”

  “Your brother is a devious man. We won’t underestimate him again, and he’ll be run down and captured soon.”

  “It can’t be soon enough,” Jude said, “but come inside and we’ll have coffee.”

  “We’d rather have you walk us through what occurred last night,” Owens said.

  Jude’s shoulders sagged. “I’ve been through it four times already.”

  “We understand,” Erica said. “We still need to know what went on here.”

  “Follow me,” Jude said in a resigned tone.

  * * *

  He led them along the path to the spot where Linda Perkins died, then gave his version of events.

  “Johnny must have cut through the trees to get behind us while we were looking back to see if he was coming. When we heard him step from the trees, we turned our heads… that’s when Johnny shot Linda.”

  Owens asked Jude where John had been standing when he fired. Jude directed him to a spot ten feet away. Dead leaves l
ittered the ground while the rest of the surrounding area was covered in wet slush. In the hours after the rain ended, the sun had come out and the temperature had risen above freezing. All attempts to recover footprints had been useless.

  “Your brother must be a decent shot to have hit Officer Perkins from this distance,” Owens observed.

  “It’s not very far,” Jude said.

  “It is for a man whose eyes were affected by pepper spray, and then there was the rain, which we were told was coming down hard.”

  “I know Johnny hunted when he was younger. He was a good shot back then.”

  “Have you ever hunted?” Owens asked.

  Jude made a face that revealed his distaste for the activity.

  “It’s not my thing.”

  “Take us to the cottage,” Erica said.

  Jude did as requested, and once again told his version of events. It was essentially what had actually happened up to the point where he gained control of the gun. Of course, he left out the part where he confessed to killing his father and Chief Connors.

  The rain had been his friend, as he had hoped. The police dog at the scene had proven to be unable to track John’s scent beyond the car; his handler blamed the rain. Had it not been raining in a torrent, Jude wouldn’t have risked killing Linda, or burying John.

  He had planned to kill Linda someday, after using her for sex and winning her trust. Those plans altered when he saw how he could manipulate John’s unexpected arrival into an opportunity to pay back his final target. With Linda Perkins’ death, Jude had gotten revenge on everyone who’d ever wronged him. The six slain book reviewers who’d posted 1-star reviews were just icing on the cake who were used to frame Zach Connors for murder.

  At the same time, it had been gratifying for Jude to kill them in a fitting manner. The people he’d targeted had been early reviewers of the first Johnny Revenge novel. Their negative and scathing reviews impacted early sales and scared potential readers away. Whenever Jude recalled the night he killed Harriet Holbrook, the “Not my cup of tea,” lady, it brought a smile to his lips.

  * * *

  The cottage had crime scene tape around its perimeter. An FBI forensic team had already gone over it and had recovered hair and fiber samples, along with John’s fingerprints.

  Another team had been dispatched to the home that belonged to Travis and Mindy. They were reported missing when they didn’t arrive at a relative’s home for Thanksgiving. Not long after, a cop noticed that Mindy resembled the female found at the scene of the car fire. When Travis’s dental records were compared to the burnt corpse, they knew Traveler had claimed two more victims.

  Erica and Owens ducked under the tape and entered the cottage while Jude waited outside. As they stood in the kitchen, Erica stared at the pile of debris and dirt that had yet to be put back or discarded. Something about the scene before her seemed off. Before she could puzzle it out her phone chimed, as did Owens’ cell phone. When they checked their devices, they saw that crime scene photos had been sent to them by Grant Whitford.

  Erica stared at the tragic, storm-drenched corpse of Linda Perkins and felt a tug at her heart. The way the woman had been dressed, it was obvious that she had visited Jude with amorous intentions. Linda had wanted a second chance with Jude Rowland, with the boy she still called Joey. Instead, she ran out of chances at everything.

  Owens sighed. “At least the coroner stated that she died quickly, but this shouldn’t have happened. Traveler played us all perfectly. We were so eager to get away for the holiday, to be with our families, that we got sloppy. We should have stayed on alert until we knew for certain that Traveler was dead.”

  “Whitford is blaming himself, but you’re right, Brad, we all jumped the gun, impatient to be done with things. There’s something else as well.”

  “What’s that?”

  “This case, I mean the Wildcard case. Ever since it began, we’ve been led along by the clues. First, there were the initials left at the scene of each murder. If not for that, Jude Rowland may have never become a suspect, and certainly not a prime suspect.”

  “True, but that was Zach Connors’ doing, his way of directing us toward Rowland, the beginning of the frame job he had planned.”

  “That’s what we believe now, after finding those items taken from the victims in Zach Connors’ possession, but what if Connors was the one who was being set-up? Given what we’ve learned about how he was directed to delivery sites near the victims’ homes, it seems likely.”

  Owens hung his head. “If you’re right, then we haven’t solved a thing and both Wildcard and Traveler are still out there, or, Traveler is also Wildcard.”

  “I don’t think they’re the same man. Having said that, there is a connection between them, but it all links back to that can of spray paint left at the scene of that call girl’s murder. We’ve always assumed it was there by accident, but what if it were placed there on purpose?”

  “And the purpose being?”

  “To link the Wildcard murders to Traveler, which turned up the heat. Remember what Whitford said when the task force was formed? I’m paraphrasing, but he said, ‘Wildcard is murdering good upstanding citizens. If his bizarre murders were ever linked together by the media, they would be screaming for his capture.’ And by extension, once they were linked, the media would turn the spotlight on Traveler.”

  Owens rubbed a hand over his chin. “Traveler was thought to be killing only prostitutes, and yes, when it was believed he had begun killing average citizens, capturing him became a priority.”

  “Exactly, and later on, when we learned about the mysterious letters Jude received, we connected Traveler directly to him. That was when his brother, John, became the prime suspect in the Traveler case. We’ve been led around like dogs on a leash and told what scents to follow. The result is that Traveler is at the top of the most wanted list and Zach Connors is being blamed for the Wildcard murders.”

  Owens turned his head to stare toward the front of the home, where Jude was waiting.

  “Rowland is the linchpin of both investigations.”

  “Yes.”

  “Son of a… could he really have orchestrated everything?”

  “I don’t want to think so, but I do; proving it is another matter.”

  “During his interrogation I sensed that he was hiding something. I later came to believe he was protecting his brother and couldn’t face the truth that John was a murderer.”

  “I think he already knew what his brother was, and if Jude committed the Wildcard murders, he’s just as dangerous.”

  Owens blew out a breath and held a hand up. “Okay, let’s say he’s as devious as we think. Why do all this?”

  “Three reasons, vengeance, greed, and fame. He was already a successful author, but now he’s famous and his book sales have hit new levels. If I had to guess, I’d say that vengeance was his main motivation.”

  “Hmm, we assumed that someone in law enforcement had tipped-off the Techno-Tattler. Then again, maybe it was Rowland who did it. That was how the story went viral on social media.”

  “It makes sense.”

  “I want another crack at him. Let’s take him into town and interrogate him.”

  “It wouldn’t work, Brad. He’d probably ask for a lawyer and clam up. He no longer has anything to gain by speaking to us, that is, if he thinks we’re on to him.”

  “So, we play it cool?”

  “We’ll let him keep thinking that we believe he’s innocent. In the meantime, we go over the case and find what we’ve missed. Rowland might be a chess Grandmaster and capable of thinking many moves ahead, but he’s not perfect. He screwed up somewhere; we just have to find it.”

  Owens squinted at Erica. “Why are you so convinced that Rowland is guilty now? I was under the impression that you were a fan of his.”

  “One too many,”

  “What’s that mean?”

  “There have been one too many victims. I liked Jude, and I felt
sympathy for him because of the abuse he suffered through as a child, but that was before Linda Perkins died.”

  “You think he killed her and is blaming it on his brother?”

  “I don’t know, but it stretched the boundaries of coincidence. People connected to Jude Rowland, those who have hurt him, have a way of dying by murder or accident. Those whom he likes, he gives gifts to.”

  “No better friend, no worse enemy,” Owens said.

  “That’s a quote describing the United States Marines, right?”

  “Yeah.”

  “It fits Jude Rowland as well… and I think he considered Linda Perkins an enemy.”

  * * *

  They left the cottage and rejoined Jude outside. Owens walked over to him while smiling.

  “Listen, Rowland, I know we butted heads during the Wildcard investigation, but I want you to know that I’m here to make sure you stay safe.”

  “Thank you,” Jude said, then, turning to Erica he asked, “Will you be staying too?”

  Erica moved closer. “I thought we could make the most of it and have dinner together tonight.”

  Jude smiled. “I’d like that.”

  “It will be just you two,” Owens said. “I have the night watch, so I’ll catch some sleep in the evening.”

  Erica stared into Jude’s eyes. “When Brad takes the watch, it will be time for me to go to bed.”

  Jude studied her. Erica knew he was wondering if there was a double meaning and an invitation in her words. Erica broke eye contact and smiled shyly. As she turned to walk back toward the house, she felt Rowland’s eyes upon her.

  Chapter Forty-Nine

  Having not slept the night before, Jude spent the afternoon napping in his bedroom. That was fine with Erica, it gave her an opportunity to go over the case with Owens while they were undisturbed. They sat together in the home’s dining room, beneath an elaborate and outsized crystal chandelier, as they reviewed the Wildcard case.