Standing by the white board with his hands on his hips, he nodded as he lifted his gaze to her. “Yeah. Kicking myself for not going with a public announcement earlier, but what’s done is done. Now, we move forward and find this asshole.”
Grant spoke next, “I canvassed the area to see who was seen out last night. Got an interesting list.” Using his laptop, he projected the list on the white board. Ginny recognized several names of men in town, but a few she did not know. Grant explained they were vacationers. As her eyes dropped down the list, she reared back.
“Yep, I wondered when y’all would notice that. Robert Banks. The mayor’s nephew. And, on top of that…Silas Mills.”
“What was Silas doing out in the middle of the night?” Burt asked. “Or, for that matter, Robert Banks?”
“Looks like we’re gonna find out,” Mitch said. “But before we go out questioning the people on this list, let’s look over what we know.”
The group spent the next hour poring over the details of both the voyeur reports and the assault.
Mitch finally looked around and asked, “Who needs a break?”
Ginny quickly offered, “I had a couple of hours of sleep, so I’m better than Sam. I’ll go question.”
“Hell, Ginny, I ain’t no old foggie,” Sam muttered, stifling a yawn behind his hand.
The others laughed, and Mitch ordered, “Sam, go home, get some sleep. At least a couple of hours. Ginny, I know this is hard, but I’d like you in on the interviews. You’ve got a different perspective than the rest of us and it’ll give us a chance to question these men with a woman present. Got no idea if it’ll make a difference, but I’d like you on them anyway. You and Grant talk to Robert, and then you and I’ll talk to Silas.”
“He’s gonna be pissed,” Grant warned, but winked at Ginny, knowing they all disliked the town manager.
“Not my job to keep him happy,” Mitch said. “Okay, let’s roll.”
People crowded around the bar, conversations flowing about the latest news in town. Brogan glanced at Aiden, noticing his brother’s normal loud laughter had not resounded today. Aiden’s face appeared to mirror his own—tight lips and hard eyes. Sighing, Brogan pulled another beer and set it on the counter, wishing for the regular talk of fishing, weather, and sports to fill the air instead of the topic of Mitch’s public statement.
Katelyn walked behind the bar after delivering a plate of food and sighed as she picked up a tray of drinks to take.
“You don’t gotta do that, sis,” Brogan said. He cast his practiced eye over the crowd. “We have plenty of servers.”
“I know, but Gareth’s doing some work with Mitch and I closed up the PI office early to come here.” She held his gaze and shrugged. “I just found myself wanting to be near people instead of at the office by myself.” Seeing his jolt of concern, she quickly added, “I wasn’t afraid, I just felt so sad at what was happening in our town. But, I’ve got to admit, everyone’s conversation is a downer.”
“Some are bitching about the mayor not letting Mitch announce things earlier…others are blaming the police. Others are on a witch hunt for whoever they don’t like, and a few…” Aiden sighed as he cursed, “fuckin’ hell, a few are blaming women for leaving their windows open and walking at night.”
Katelyn’s eyes flashed as she announced, “Well, they better not say that around me or they’ll go somewhere else!”
Nodding in agreement, Brogan moved down to the other end of the bar, refilling a few drink orders, but his thoughts were on Ginny. He knew she must be exhausted with only a few hours of sleep. Seeing Callan and Jason walk in, he jerked his chin in greeting.
“What a fuckin’ mess,” Jason said. “How’s Ginny?”
“Haven’t talked to her today, other than a text saying she’d be working late.” He did not add that her text also said that if he wanted, she would try to meet with him tonight since she would love to fall asleep in his arms again. That thought sent warmth through him, as the memory of her soft body tucked next to his fired his blood.
“Mom. Dad,” he heard Katelyn call out. Looking over, Brogan saw his parents coming in, his mother’s face full of concern and his father’s tight with anger. They slid into one of the booths in the back, Katelyn sliding in next to their mom, leaning her head over as Corrine wrapped her daughter in her arms. Aiden and Brogan soon joined, setting drinks in front of them.
“I was just talking to Mitch’s parents and they’re just as upset over Mayor Banks acting like he’s above all of this mess saying that the town is fine,” Eric said.
Mitch’s father was the police chief for a long time before his retirement, so Brogan knew Ed had had his share of run-ins with Corwin and Silas.
“Where’s Gareth?” Corrine asked Katelyn.
“He’s in Virginia Beach on a case, but don’t worry. I’ll stay here until Aiden or Brogan can take me home.”
“You’re done here,” Brogan stated, brooking no argument. “No need to stay. Mom and Dad can see you home.”
“Are you sure?” Katelyn asked, her gaze moving across the crowd.
“We got it,” Aiden assured, kissing the top of Katelyn’s head before he headed back to the bar.
Nodding, Katelyn frowned. “I hate this. I hate not feeling safe here.”
Corrine pulled her daughter in tighter. “I know, baby girl. I agree.”
As Brogan watched his family leave, he rubbed his hand over his face, fatigue pulling at him. He considered closing the bar early, but knew patrons would not go home, instead hitting somewhere else to drink. A place where there was no one who cared how much they drank. Moving behind the bar with Aiden, he collected a few tabs as he cut some of the heavier drinkers off.
Looking at the clock one more time, he counted the hours until he had Ginny in his arms once more.
21
Boring. That was how many of Ginny’s days were as a Baytown Police Officer. Maybe boring was too harsh of a word. Uneventful. Yeah, that’s better. But today’s investigations had her running ragged while Sam and Burt took on all the town patrols. Mitch had apologized ahead of time, but she understood why he wanted her there. Now all she felt was bone tired, as the interviews played over and over in her mind.
She and Grant had found Robert Banks at the mayor’s residence, the door being opened by Corwin’s, wife, Phyllis. Letting them in, she called for Robert. Corwin came from his study, his eyes narrowed on them. Turning to his wife, he groused, “Why did you let them in without a warrant?”
Phyllis glared at her husband, “Seriously? We have a possible rapist on the loose in this town and you’re quibbling about your nephew answering some questions?”
“There’s no evidence of a rapist,” he argued back, “just some woman who got felt up in the park when she probably—”
“Not. One. More. Word, Corwin,” Phyllis announced, her finger in his face. “You are too good of a public servant to say what just ran through your mind.” Successfully shutting her husband up, she turned to Robert as he descended the stairs, his eyes darting between the different persons in the foyer.
Ginny watched the self-assured young man. His dark hair was brushed to the side and he had that cute look that probably appealed to the young girls, with his almost filled out body and height. Wearing a light blue polo and checkered shorts, he appeared as though he could grace the cover of Teen Golf magazine—if there was such a thing.
“Robert, this is Officers Spencer and Wilder. You may speak with them in the living room and your uncle and I’ll be in the kitchen. I trust you will cooperate fully and completely with all their questions.”
“Of course,” Robert said, nodding politely.
“Phyllis, one of us should be with him,” Corwin said, pulling out his phone. “Let me call our attorney.”
“I’m sure that won’t be necessary,” Robert said. Looking up at Grant, he asked, “Would it be alright if either my aunt or uncle were with us?”
“Certainly,” Grant nodded.<
br />
“Aunt Phyllis?” Robert asked. “No offense, Uncle Corwin, but Aunt Phyllis remains a bit cooler, if you know what I mean.”
“Of course,” Phyllis replied as Corwin humphed and turned to leave.
After settling, Ginny began, “We understand you were near the park late last night. We are simply trying to identify anyone in the area who might have heard or seen something that might aid our investigation. Can you please tell us of your whereabouts and times?”
“Certainly, Officer. I’ve been in town for about three weeks now, on a break from college. I’m taking a semester to study a small town and have previously studied a large city, as my major is Public Administration. I figured it would give me a chance to connect with my uncle and aunt again, watch a small town Mayor in action and, well,” he chuckled, “also give me a break from classes before I go back to finish.
“I’ve just started meeting some people and have to say that there really aren’t very many here that are my age. I’ve found a few that I’ve hung around with. Last night, there was a party at the apartments…uh…condos, off Franklin Street.”
“Who was having the party?” Ginny asked.
Scrunching his brow, Robert said, “There are couple of teachers who share a place there. One is Ben, but I’m afraid I don’t know his last name. The other is James. I don’t know his last name either, but I know he works as a PE teacher at the high school.”
Ginny kept her expression neutral, but knew who he was talking about. Offering an encouraging nod, she focused on Robert.
“Tell us about the party,” Grant commanded in the tone he used when he wanted information but still made the person think they were just talking to a friend. Ginny held her smile knowing, at this moment, Grant was using his hey, I’m just a guy, too persona.
“It was good,” Robert smiled. “Plenty of booze, but nice, you know. Not like some frat party where everyone was just getting trashed. There was a game on TV and they had a nice set-up with a wide-screen. They had the table set up like a buffet with food, drinks on the kitchen counter.”
“Did you recognize anyone else there?”
“Oh, sure, but I hardly know their names. I saw a couple of girls who work at the Seafood Shack there and a few more from the beach. Same with the guys…a few I recognized from some of the restaurants in town.”
“And after the party?” Ginny asked.
Robert reddened slightly, his eyes cutting to his aunt who was sitting quietly in one of the upright chairs. “Well, I kinda hit it off with one of the girls and she invited me back to her place. We walked to her apartment that was a few blocks over, at the far end of the park. I stayed there for a bit and then had to walk back across the park to get to my car, which was left at the condo.”
“What time was all this?”
“Uh…we left the party about midnight and I left her place about 1 a.m.”
Phyllis lifted her eyebrow as she eyed Robert. “Didn’t stay long, did you?”
Fully blushing now, Robert said, “Just long enough to…uh…have a drink…and talk a bit.”
“Uh huh,” she said, then settled back in her chair, shaking her head slightly.
“We’ll need her name, of course,” Grant said. “And what you saw as you walked in the park.”
“Her name was Cindy Snyder,” Robert said. “She’ll corroborate everything I’ve said. But as to what I saw in the park…nothing. Honestly, nothing. I didn’t see anyone or hear anyone at all. I was back to my car in only ten minutes…uh…fifteen minutes, at most, and then drove home.”
Holding his gaze for a moment, Ginny and Grant only had a few more questions and then they left. Standing at their SUV for a moment, they discussed the next course of action, missing Robert pulling back the curtain in the living room watching them with narrowed-eyed interest.
It only took a few minutes to find Cindy’s apartment and her at home. Still hungover, she looked a bit worse for the wear, but her statements matched Roberts’. Of course, he had no witnesses to what happened after he left her apartment and headed back to his car.
Later in the afternoon, she and Grant drove to the high school to meet with James and Ben. “James Smithson is a new teacher here at the high school…this is his first year here. Benjamin Hudgins is also fairly new, but he’s been working here almost three years.”
Grant grunted his acknowledgment and they walked up to the fence lining the football practice field. Grant shook his head, saying, “Man, this is nicer than what we had about fifteen years ago.”
Looking up, she thought about the original Baytown Boys and smiled, imaging a ninth-grade Brogan, Grant, and Mitch. “So, you all had to rough it in the old days,” she joked.
Chuckling, he said, “Well, we didn’t have our own practice field. So, we had to share it with whoever else was practicing at the time. I think the girls’ field hockey had to share it with us. “Of course, back then, the chance to watch the girls run around in shorts didn’t exactly upset us.”
“Anyone I know?”
“Busted,” he laughed. “Jillian always caught my eye, even back then. Everyone always thought of Katelyn as the athlete but, let me tell you, Jillian had a mean swing.”
Laughing, she turned and watched as Ben jogged over to the fence. His ready smile greeted them and she could see why Jillian had gone out with him a couple of times before Grant got his act together and went after her. Tall, muscular, but lean—more of a runner’s build. His sandy blond hair was covered with a ball cap, which he took off to swipe his brow before replacing it back on his head. A sideways glance told her that Grant was not thrilled to have the reminder that Jillian had finally gotten tired of waiting on him standing right in front of him.
“Hey, the team manager said you needed to talk to me and James?” Ben asked, as he leaned on the fence. “Do you want to talk here or go sit somewhere?”
“This is good,” Grant said curtly. “We need to know about the party last night. Who you were with and if you noticed when people came and left.”
Ben scrunched his face to the side in thought and said, “Truthfully, I don’t remember too much about the times. It was supposed to be a football game party. We have a large, flat screen TV and had invited about ten or so friends over to watch the games. But, like most parties, more and more people showed up.”
“Did you stay at your place the whole time?”
“Yeah—uh, no. I had to make a snack run to the grocery at about nine or so. We were low on chips, dip, that kind of stuff. It probably took about thirty minutes to get there and back.”
“And you didn’t leave any time after that?”
Ben hesitated for a moment before sighing. “I’d like to ask what this is about, but I got a bad feeling that something happened to someone.” Shaking his head, he answered, “I walked two of the women home. They had dropped by and when it was time to leave, I didn’t feel right about them walking by themselves.”
“Can you tell us where you walked them and what time?”
Rubbing his chin, Ben replied, “Both lived on the other side of the park. One was on the south side, in one of the vacation rentals, and then I walked the other one to the east side, to one of those condos. Time? The last game was over and they’d stayed for a while, just hanging out. I’d say it was close to midnight.” He blushed and said, “I sound l like an old fogey, but with today being a work day, I was ready to call it a night. I’d preferred the party had just been some of us friends watching football, not a full-blown party.” Jerking his head toward James, who was ambling over, he laughed, “Now, my roomie over there had no problem with a few women showing up.”
Just then, a group of cheerleaders wandered by, giggling and shouting, “Hi, Mr. Smithson!” James threw his hand up good naturedly and waved at the girls, his smile wide and white.
Ben rolled his eyes and grinned. “Anything else I can answer for you, officers?”
Ginny knew Grant still had his don’t fuck with me face, so she smiled pleas
antly and asked, “What time did you get back home and can anyone verify that?”
“Hmm, I guess it took about forty-five minutes to escort both women home and then back across the park to our place. Yeah, yeah, it was near one in the morning…well, this morning, because I was glad a few of our friends had stayed to clean up. When I got back, the place was in good shape and they were leaving.”
“So, you and James were both there as the last people left around one a.m.?” Ginny asked.
“Well, James wasn’t there. I figured he was in his room with…uh…well, with one of the girls. So, I said goodbye to the last of our friends, locked the front door and headed to my room and crashed. Hell, we have to get up at about 6:30 a.m. for work, so I can’t pull the all-nighters anymore. But I did hear James come in later.”
“I thought you said he was in his room—”
“That’s what I thought, but I heard the front door later and happened to roll over. It was about two then.”
“Did you ask him about it this morning?” Ginny inquired.
Ben laughed, “’Fraid not. We’re roommates, that’s all. We go and come as we please.”
James made it to the fence and slapped Ben on the back. “You hanging in there? Jesus, I know I’m getting older when I’m dragging my ass from being up so late.” Sliding his gaze through Ginny, he turned his attention toward Grant, saying, “Heard you needed a word.”
After Ben rattled off the names of the guests, he waved and took off running after the boys on the practice field and Ginny and Grant began the questioning over again.
Forthcoming, James told them he had stayed in during the party, corroborating the times that Ben was gone to pick up food. As to the end of the party, he grinned, “I admit to a hookup.” His gaze shifted to Ginny for an instant before moving back to Grant. “Ben had gone to walk some girls home, he’s such a good boy scout. Anyway, most of our friends had left and there was a girl I had an eye on, so we hooked up.”
“At your place?”
Finding Peace: Baytown Boys Page 17