CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
Michael looked at me as closely as he could without driving off the side of the road.“What are you talking about?”
“The lions’ den. The entire letter focuses on the lions’ den.” I rolled my window down to get some air. “When we get to the lab, call your agents and have them track down anything they can find with the word lion in it. I don’t care if it’s a street, building, candy store, porno shop, or bookstore. I even want them to check out the schedules of the lions at both the Cleveland and Columbus zoos. I know that sounds ridiculous, but have them do it anyway.”
“Consider it done.”
I carried the garbage bag down to the lab, the whole while trying to mentally sharpen my acting abilities to show complete and utter surprise about the items found inside.
In the lab, a technician took the bag and placed it on a table. There were evidence bags and tags next to it in case there was anything of importance. I counted the bags to make sure there were at least four. He began by carefully cutting a slit in the bag from bottom to top.
I didn’t realize how fast my heart was beating, and I began to have serious doubts about my acting skills holding out much longer. The tech opened the bag and shook everything to the middle before laying it flat. The white My Size shoe sat on top of a piece of insulation.
“Oh, my God.” Michael said each word slowly and distinctly.
I saw him look at me, so I made an exaggerated gasping sound, putting my hands over my mouth to look like I was shocked. It took all I had to restrain from cracking a smile.
“I apologize. You were right, Cee.” He was shaking his head back and forth.
We watched as the tech placed the shoe and insulation into evidence bags. The process continued as he found the red ribbons, each of which were placed into a separate bag. When the tech got to the photo taken of Michael and me at the hotel, I knew I wouldn’t be able to keep the charade going. Smoothing out the picture with his gloved hands, the tech stepped back so we could get a good look at it. Michael was outraged.
“That sick son of a bitch!”
I couldn’t act anymore. The garbage bag had served its purpose.
“Michael, call everyone and get the search warrant ready.”
He was already on the phone, rounding up the usual suspects. I told the sheriff we had our killer, without a doubt, but had to be very careful about nailing him if we hoped to find Brooklyn Phillips alive. I was hoping that taking his doll would buy Brooklyn some time. Of course there was always the possibility that it would backfire and he would kill her out of anger. I tried not to think about that.
It was going to take a little time to get the warrant ready and everyone together, so Michael and I headed up to my office. Passing Coop’s office, we saw the sheriff there and he congratulated us. He said Alex Phillips had been told the news.
“I hope he’s not getting his hopes up, Sheriff. You know the chances are slim his daughter is alive.”
“I know, but he has to be informed about every break we get. There’s still a way to go, but it’s better than nothing. Anyway, there’s a bit of brighter news, which is what I came up to tell you, CeeCee. The test scores are back. Congratulations, Sergeant.”
What was he talking about? Suddenly, my memory kicked into overdrive. Four months ago, I had taken the sergeant’s exam. I had put off trying to get promoted for years. Frankly I had no desire. But I got so sick of everyone badgering me, I caved and took the test. Then I forgot about it, until now.
I thought about it for a fleeting moment, though I know full well what my answer had to be.
“All right, I’ll take the job.”
They began clapping, which was embarrassing. When Michael and I got back to my office he shut the door and gave me a squeeze and a kiss.
“Congratulations, that’s great. I always wondered why you were never a ranking officer. We need to celebrate.”
I pulled away. “It’s really not that big of a deal. A sergeant is nothing but a glorified patrolman or detective. They’re the middleman, or as some like to say, the doormat between officer and lieutenant, a place to wipe your feet.”
In truth, the primary reason I accepted the position was because of the substantial pay raise. With an upcoming divorce and raising two kids, the extra cash would be important. I had also given a lot of thought to making lieutenant, which you can’t test for unless you’re a sergeant first.
“Come on, CeeCee. Why can’t you ever be happy for yourself once in a while? You’re so busy looking out for everyone else, you forget about what’s good for you.”
He was right, to an extent, but I was wired that way and had accepted it years ago. When I walked back down the hallway to grab a strong cup of coffee out of the vending machine, I automatically glanced back into Coop’s office. The sheriff was gone and Coop had his elbows on his desk, head propped up in his hands. I backed up and approached my old friend.
“Hey, you look like you’ve got a headache. I’ve got plenty of aspirin in my desk if you need it.”
Coop shook his head, but didn’t answer. This wasn’t the man I had known so well for twelve years, the one who could make a person laugh on the day of their own funeral. He had been acting weird lately, and now I was now going to butt in and get to the bottom of it.
“Coop, look at me.” He raised his head. “What in the hell has been wrong with you lately? Just so you know, I’m not leaving until you tell me.” I got comfortable in the chair in front of his desk and gave him a large “gotcha” smile. Which quickly faded once he spoke.
“Okay, I might as well tell you. Everyone will know about it soon enough I guess. Cindy and I are splitting up.”
I was more than shocked. Coop and Cindy had one of the best marriages I had ever seen. Of course, I thought Eric and I did too, but this information didn’t make any sense at all. They had two children around the same age as my own, and our families often did things together. I thought I knew him so well. How could I miss what must have been going on for a while? However, on the flip side, when I had told Coop that Eric and I were getting divorced, he didn’t seem surprised at all.
“Coop, what happened?” I was more than a little concerned. “Are you okay?”
He shook his head slightly. “There was a lot that happened. Something I couldn’t control, and there was no other option. I couldn’t hurt Cindy anymore.”
What he was talking about? I thought maybe he was insinuating an alcohol or drug addiction, but that wasn’t Coop.
“There must be something in the water around here lately,” I said softly. “Just the other day, Naomi was…” I stopped.
Oh, no. As soon as I said it, I saw Coop’s face. It was a split second of guilt that washed across his eyes, but I caught it instantly. And as I said the words everything clicked.
“Coop! Oh, my God. Naomi?”
He nodded and looked down. It all made sense now. I just never paid attention. I remember Naomi describing the “boyfriend” she was so broken up about and thinking briefly she was talking about Michael. That made sense because the two were pretty similar. Boy, was I wrong. Coop had been acting weird because he had tried to break it off with her, and that’s why she’d been such a mess that day.
“How long?” I asked, after my shock had worn off.
“Since Murder Mountain.”
My jaw dropped to the floor. That long? Despite my surprise, I also felt a little hurt. I honestly considered Coop one of the best friends I had. We told each other everything. The day I told him about Eric, I also told him about Michael, but he already knew. Why didn’t he confide in me about Naomi?
“Coop, why didn’t you ever tell me?”
He stood up and walked to his window. “Because I know how you feel about Naomi. I figured you’d tell me I must’ve snapped for being dumb enough to fall in love with her.”
I thought of the million times over the last year I had badmouthed Naomi to Coop. I called her the only captain that climbed the
ladder while lying on her back, just to name one of my very witty retorts. He must’ve wanted to clean my clock daily.
“You’re right. There was a time I probably would’ve said that, but things have changed. Naomi and I have gotten along better. I’m getting to really like her.”
“I know. She told me. That was one of the best things that ever happened to her, CeeCee. You know that? She’s always admired you and wanted to be your friend. I know you never saw it, but she really is an amazing woman.” He looked back out the window.
“Look. Maybe I wasn’t that great of a friend to you, after all. You should’ve felt like you could tell me anything and I would’ve understood.” I felt horrible.
I remember Naomi saying something similar about me biting her head off if she ever told me about the Eric and Jordan rumors. I know there are other people around here who think I’m an uncompassionate bitch. Now I was starting to believe it myself.
I walked over to Coop, gave him a large hug, and softly kissed his cheek.
“Just tell me. Does she make you happy, Coop?”
“Yes, CeeCee, she does, and I’m in love with her.”
“Then that’s all that matters. You’ll get through this, and I’m here if you need me.”
Coop seemed truly grateful for my good wishes and thanked me by hugging me back, but I still felt bad. I always seemed to be so consumed with my own life.
“What’s going on here?”
Coop and I turned to see Michael standing in the doorway.
“I think I’m jealous,” he joked.
Neither Coop nor I felt it right to continue talking about Naomi, so Michael’s arrival was a good excuse to get back to business. Coop really did need to prepare for the search warrant, and he eagerly started shuffling papers. I think I had made him feel better. He was in higher spirits once he got he got the news about his new relationship out in the open.
There was a surprise waiting for me when I got back to my own office.
“What happened with Coop?” Michael asked curiously.
“His wife and he are splitting up.”
“I’m assuming he told you about Naomi?”
I was floored. “You knew about it! How did you know?”
“CeeCee, it’s been obvious since the day I came back, and I was always surprised you never picked up on it. Coop admitted it to me a couple of days ago since he figured I knew anyway.”
How much did I hate feeling left out of things or not being smart enough to pick up on them on my own?
“Michael, can I ask you something?”
“Yes, I’ll marry you.”
“I’m serious.”
“So am I.”
I threw my pen at him. “Please, listen. Do you think I’m a difficult person to talk to or, let’s say, reason with?”
He started laughing so hard and loud I thought he was going to fall over and hit the desk. I hadn’t said that to be the day’s comedy act, and his reaction had me a little miffed. When he saw the glowering look on my face, he tried to get serious.
“I’m sorry, it’s just that, oh, how do I say this? As much as I love you with everything I have, you do have a very strong personality. What I mean is, you never think twice about telling someone exactly what you think. To some people, a person like that is scary. Others are put off by it. To me, of course, it is an extremely attractive and very sexy trait.”
“Thanks a lot.” Though he was smiling, I wasn’t.
Michael made a few calls to make sure the search warrant and teams were ready to go. Again, we would be meeting at an undisclosed location to avoid media coverage until we were ready. We’d meet behind a family-owned grocery store a block away from Jim Carlson’s house.
When Michael and I pulled around back at the meeting point, I saw we were the last ones there. Before we went over the game plan with everyone, it took a few minutes to get their attention. Most of the agents and police officers were rowdy, anxious to break down the door of a child killer. Agents and police officers would secure a perimeter around the house, while the SWAT team gained entry and cleared the place. An arrest warrant for Jim Carlson was also issued. If he was in there, we’d put him into custody immediately.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
It only took one hit with the door ram to get inside, and I jumped at the sound of the flash bangs being thrown. Less than twenty minutes later, I was in the middle of Jim Carlson’s kitchen.The house wasn’t very big, so the SWAT team didn’t have much to clear. Some of us got antsy and went inside while they were still clearing the upstairs. However, when they yelled down to the rest of the agents that they had found the closet, I did my best to act surprised. At the same time, my stomach lurched.
Two agents had already cordoned off the room. All I could do was pretend to be shocked at what they found. The crime lab was already inside, processing everything, and until they were done, we would have to wait.
Worried that I had left evidence of my visit behind, I tried not to dwell on it too much and had gone back outside when Michael yelled out for me to get back inside quickly. I followed him upstairs, already knowing he intended to show me the small box they located under the bed. By this time, the crime lab had finished and all the photographs and newspaper articles were separated in clear plastic bags. One by one, Michael held them up for me to see.
“He’s been fixated on you for a long time, CeeCee. Just look. These articles go all the way back to Murder Mountain.”
“I wonder why. I mean, I’ve never heard of the guy before.”
Michael stopped talking and looked at me, making me feel like a child caught with her hand in the cookie jar. His eyes narrowed to slits as he put the bags down and crossed his arms, all the while staring me down. I tried to look innocent, but he knew me too well. He yanked me into the second bedroom and shut the door.
“You’ve been here already, haven’t you?”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Now I really was surprised.
“Knock off the bullshit, CeeCee. I told you, you don’t have to lie to me. Besides, your face said it all. You weren’t surprised by those pictures because you’ve already seen them before. I was a little suspicious when they opened the garbage bag, but I gave you the benefit of the doubt. Now I know. You put those things in that bag! Jesus! Do you know how long you could go to jail for?”
“I thought you said you’d never turn me in.” I looked at him defiantly.
He took a step back and looked at me like I told him I had two weeks to live.
“You did do it!” He turned and started to pace, putting his hands on top of his head, taking deep breaths. “Last night you weren’t in trouble while you were taking the garbage—you were inside this house and he came home, didn’t he? Answer me!” I didn’t answer, but he kept going anyway. “Do you have any idea what could’ve happened to you, or how much you could’ve fucked this case up if you got caught? The killer could’ve walked free, CeeCee!”
“Could’ve. But he won’t. I didn’t get caught, and I’m not going to. Evidence was found in the bag legitimately. That’s what all the paperwork says, and that’s what the evidence says. No one has any reason to believe otherwise.”
“You’re a cop. How could you do this!”
“He’s a child killer. I’m sure the parents of the dead children wouldn’t complain. Quite frankly, I don’t think anyone else would either. Who knows how many other children might’ve died? There was no other way. Laws get put into place that end up protecting monsters like Carlson and sometimes we have to bend the rules a little.”
He just stared. I didn’t feel bad or guilty in the least. I would do it all again if I had to. Calling Michael’s bluff, I opened the door.
“Go right ahead. Turn me in. Who do you think they’ll be more pissed at? Me or you? And if memory serves, did you not illegally enter a witness’ house on Murder Mountain and stick a gun in her mouth to make her talk? Are you going to stand there and tell me what I did was any worse?�
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He glared for a few more seconds before walking right past me and out of the room. He wasn’t going to say a word. I knew there were two reasons why. One, ultimately he knew I was right. There was no other way. Two, he loved me and would never let me go to prison.
Michael was gone when I went out into the hallway. Most likely, he had gone outside for some air and to calm down, which sounded like a good idea to me, but I looked around and didn’t see him anywhere.
Maybe he was calling my bluff and turning me in. But in a moment I saw him come from around the side of the house. We both stood watching as the lab technicians carried the dolls out, one by one.
All the dolls were confiscated, but only I was aware that Jim Carlson would know I had taken his favorite. When he came back to the house last night, he saw immediately there was one doll gone.
Kincaid pulling up to the house distracted me. I went over to talk to her. Michael still seemed a little agitated. It was best I left him alone for a while to cool down, so I took the time to fill Naomi in on what was going on. I also caught myself looking around for Coop. It didn’t take long for her to bring up the subject first.
“CeeCee, Jeff told me you know. I hope you don’t think I’m horrible.”
For a second I didn’t know who she was talking about. I hadn’t called Coop “Jeff” in years.
“There isn’t one of us carrying a badge who has the right to point a finger at anyone else. Admittedly, I was caught off guard, but he clearly loves you.”
Her face brightened, and she let down her guard. “You really think so? I mean, he says he does, but you think it’s for real?”
“Yes, I do. You’re getting one hell of a guy.”
“I know.”
He had to suppress the urge to get out of his car and kill CeeCee Gallagher with his bare hands. He knew he couldn’t because she was standing around too many officers and it would ruin everything anyway. She took her! That sleazy, incompetent, reprehensible cunt took her! Oh, he wanted her dead! As enraged as he was at her, he was more enraged at himself. He knew he should’ve watched her, but he was too busy with his guest. He had no idea she would actually take one of them. And his favorite! She was going to pay; she was going to pay dearly. He then decided to change his plans and up the ante of the game. Picking up his stolen cell phone, he dialed her number….My cell phone rang, and I excused myself to take the call. The number on caller ID showed “unavailable.”
The Devil's Closet Page 18