by C. M. Sutter
“This thing should have been replaced ten years ago. It’s slow as hell.”
“How far have you gotten?” I asked.
He looked at the last sheet to come out of the printer. “I’m on page ninety-two.”
“Give me pages two hundred through three hundred. Kate, you take the next hundred. As soon as we’re done with those, bring them back here and grab another stack.”
“Where are you going with them?” Silver asked.
“To any printers we can find in the building.” Kate and I took off with the stacks of paper, but we were stopped before we got out the door.
“Hold up, Detectives.”
I looked back at the counter. It was the same prickly woman I’d dealt with a few days earlier. “What?”
“You can’t take those files out of the archives and records room.”
“It’s urgent we make copies, and with the dinosaurs you call equipment, it’s never going to get done. We need to find other printers.”
“So you finally have the case number and dates?”
“Yes. On our third day of searching, we found them. If you’ll excuse us, we really need to get this done.”
She shook her head. “The transcripts aren’t leaving the records department, but there is something I can do for you.”
I was sure I noticed a slight smile cross her face. “Yeah, what’s that?”
“I’ll download the entire case to a memory stick and you can take it with you, or I can send it to you digitally. You could have done that from the beginning if you had known the case number.”
I was relieved. “I know that now.”
“Then give it to me, and I’ll download the entire trial transcript for you.”
“Oh my God, there is a God. Here’s the case number.” I handed her one of the pages I had in my grip. The case number was typed across the top left corner of every sheet. She took it from me and said she’d be back in a minute.
“Amber, we have to let Jack know. He’s probably searching those copies while Clayton drives. The original contents page showed the people who testified were on page one hundred and seven. Silver hadn’t even gotten that far. Jack doesn’t have that page.”
“I know, and we’ll call him in a minute. Run into the file room and help Silver put everything away. He can stop with the copies and get back out on patrol.”
“Got it.” Kate disappeared around the corner.
Moments later, the woman that I didn’t hate quite as much as before reappeared from the room behind the counter. She held up a memory stick.
“The entire case is on this stick. Put it in a port on your laptop and you’re good to go. The file is there. I already double-checked.”
“What’s your name?” I gave her a genuine smile for the first time.
“Rita Caldwell.”
I stuck out my hand and shook hers. “I’m Amber Monroe, and I really appreciate your help. I owe you one, Rita.”
Kate and Silver rounded the corner and joined me. “All done in there,” Kate said. “Let’s go back to the bull pen and find out who else is in this madman’s crosshairs.”
My cell rang just as I dropped into my desk chair. “Detective Monroe speaking.”
“Amber, it’s Jack. Did I leave some of the copies behind? The sheets I have only go up to page sixty-four. I don’t have the page with the people who testified on it.”
“You didn’t miss anything, boss. Silver hadn’t even copied that page yet. I have one thing better, though.”
“What’s that? Hurry and tell me. We just pulled into the driveway of the Amato home.”
“I have the entire transcript on a memory stick. All we needed was the case number to do that. The file clerk took care of that for me and gave the stick to me not even five minutes ago. We just got back to the bull pen.”
“Good to hear. Did you send Silver back out?”
“Yep, and I’m going to pull up the transcript as soon as I hang up. In a few minutes, I’ll know who testified in court.”
“Okay, call me back when you have the names.”
I hung up and pulled the memory stick out of my purse. Kate made a fresh pot of coffee while I was on the phone with Jack. She carried two steaming cups to my desk and set them down. Then she scooted her chair next to mine and took a seat.
“We have to review the entire transcript when there’s time. Right now we need to know the names of every witness who testified against Kevin Hadley.”
“We’re missing something, Kate. We haven’t gotten to the root of this yet. Somebody other than Kevin is killing trial witnesses for a murder that happened eleven years ago. Who is doing it, and why now?”
She rubbed her forehead. “We need to know who the deputies interviewed after the murders. The housekeeper found the victims and called 911. Kevin was still asleep in bed. Who was his assigned caregiver if anything ever happened to the parents? Somebody had to be on record if Kevin was truly mentally disabled.”
I nodded. “You’re on the right path, but first things first. We need to pull up those names.” I double-clicked on the removable storage device icon on my computer. The folder opened, and the 2007 Hadley trial transcripts popped up. I gave Kate a raised brow. “Page one hundred seven?”
“Yep.” She leaned in while I scrolled to that page.
“Here we go. This is the list of people who testified for the prosecution.” There looked to be eight to ten names on the list as I read them aloud. I froze when I came to several names that were very familiar to our department. “Oh hell no, this can’t be happening.”
Chapter 54
Clayton parked the cruiser next to the deputy’s patrol car in the driveway of that exclusive home at the top of the ridge. The wooded lot with dense landscaping afforded the Amatos plenty of privacy. Jack and Billings exited the passenger-side doors and rounded the front of the car. They took the redbrick sidewalk to the expansive front porch.
“Nice digs,” Clayton whispered as he pressed the doorbell.
Jack took in the view around them. “Apparently, these are the perks of being a sitting judge for more than thirty years.”
The door opened slightly, and a woman with a furrowed forehead and reddened eyes peeked out.
Jack showed her his badge. “Ma’am, I’m Lieutenant Steele with the sheriff’s office. These two gentlemen are Detectives Clayton and Billings. May we come in?”
“Please do. Several of your patrol officers are already here.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Jack, Clayton, and Billings followed her to the kitchen. Jack nodded at deputies Tim Donnelly and Karen Lawrence, who sat at the table with their notepads out. “Ma’am, I realize you’ve probably told my deputies everything you can remember about that phone call, but I’d like to hear how your morning went after you and the judge woke up.” Jack pointed at an empty chair then pulled out his own notepad. “Please have a seat, Mrs. Amato. Just start after you woke up today.”
“Okay. My husband and I are late risers since we don’t have anything urgent to do. We normally get up around ten o’clock. I prepare the coffee and set the switch to auto start the night before. In the morning, we each have several cups with toast while we watch the news. By eleven o’clock, Dom gets geared up.”
Jack jotted that down. “Geared up how?”
“He enjoys his daily run. It’s quiet, peaceful, and he often sees deer or turkeys in the woods. He’s been doing it ever since he retired.” She smiled. “My role is to make lunch while he’s gone.”
“And then?”
A worried expression returned to her face. “And then he was gone much longer than usual, and I became concerned. I kept watching out the kitchen window over there.” She pointed an index finger to her right. “You can see down the driveway from that spot, but he never returned. I called his cell phone twice, but he didn’t answer.”
“How long is his usual run, ma’am?” Jack asked.
“Forty-five minutes to an hour. At the bottom of the driveway, he tu
rns left, or west, then runs a half mile. When he reaches the stop sign, he turns south on Hidden Ravine Way. That’s where he gets his best workout—up and down those hills. He runs a half mile then turns back and comes home the same way. His entire run is under two miles. I thought he might have injured himself. I was about to get in the car and go look for him when that phone call came in. My husband is in danger, isn’t he?”
“May I see the phone he called you on?”
“Of course.” Mrs. Amato tipped her chin at the landline phone on the kitchen counter. “It’s right there.”
Deputy Lawrence handed the receiver to Jack, who pressed the incoming calls button. The phone number and time showed up. “It isn’t blocked, meaning it’s likely a burner phone.” Jack wrote down the time then tipped his wrist and looked at his watch. “The call came in thirty-eight minutes ago.” Jack turned to Lawrence and Donnelly. “I need a word with both of you outside. Excuse us for just a moment, Mrs. Amato.” Jack led the way to the front porch. He stood looking out, his hands on his hips. “You have the route Judge Amato takes on his run, correct?”
Karen Lawrence answered. “We do, sir, plus it’s written in my notepad.”
“Good. Back your car out of the driveway and park it along the shoulder. Make sure it’s out of sight from any of the house’s windows. There’s no need to upset Mrs. Amato any more than she already is. I want you to walk the exact route she described that her husband runs every day. Look for any sign of fresh disturbances along the road. Each of you take a side of the street. Check for scuffles, kicked-up gravel, disturbed leaf patterns, and blood—especially blood. Call me if anything looks out of place, and we’ll get Kyle and Dan out here. Any questions?”
“No, sir, Lieutenant,” Lawrence said.
“Okay, go ahead.” Jack returned to the house.
Mrs. Amato sat at the table with her face in her hands. “How do we save my husband, Lieutenant? He said the person was going to kill him.” She burst into tears. “I can’t sit here and do nothing.”
“Ma’am, I have my tech support team trying to pinpoint the location of that phone, but if it’s a burner phone—which it probably is—it won’t be tied to any person or location. If that phone isn’t connected to Wi-Fi or an internet system, we may not locate him. All indications would lead to an abduction. Has anyone threatened your husband lately?”
“No, our life has been perfectly normal until today.”
“Ma’am, has your mail come yet?” Clayton asked.
“My mail comes at noon. Why would that matter?”
Jack took over again. “Mrs. Amato, somebody has been sending threatening letters to people who were involved in a case your husband presided over more than ten years ago. Has he gotten any threatening letters in the mail this week?”
“I wouldn’t know. It’s a steep walk down the driveway, and sometimes it’s icy. If Dom doesn’t bring in the mail after his run, I only check it a few times a week.” She stood. “There’s a stack of mail on the table in the foyer. I haven’t bothered to go through it since all of our bills are on autopay.”
“Do you mind if I take a look?”
She led Jack to the foyer. “The mail is right there.” She pointed at a metal tray filled with miscellaneous mail pieces. “Help yourself.”
Jack picked up the stack and returned to the kitchen table. He shuffled through the twenty or so pieces and placed each one on the table as he went through them. He stopped near the end then glanced at Clayton and Billings. “Here it is. The postmark is from Monday in Indianapolis.”
Mrs. Amato wrung her hands. “We don’t know anyone in Indianapolis, though. It must be a mistake.”
“Ma’am, would you mind getting me a sharp knife?” Jack nodded to Billings. “Grab some gloves out of the car.”
Mrs. Amato pulled out a steak knife from the block and placed it on the table. She returned to her chair and waited. When Billings returned, she watched as Jack slipped on a pair of gloves. “Is that the letter you were talking about?”
“It could be, ma’am. That’s why I asked for gloves.” Jack picked up the knife and slipped it under the seal. He slid it from one end to the other then shook out the contents. A triple-folded sheet of plain stationery fell out. It was the same as the others. Jack unfolded it and read it to himself. “Mrs. Amato, could I bother you for a zipper bag?”
“Yes, all right.” She went to the second drawer on the left side of the sink and pulled out the box of bags. She handed one to Jack.
He nodded a thank-you. “I’m going to need a recent picture of your husband and a description of what he wore when he left here today.”
She grabbed a tissue from the dispenser as she walked out of the kitchen.
As he went over his notes, Jack asked Clayton to touch base with Donnelly.
Clayton dialed the deputy’s cell. “See anything unusual, Tim?”
“Nope, but we haven’t even reached the stop sign yet.”
“Okay, keep your eyes peeled and keep us posted.” Clayton hit End Call. “Nothing so far, boss.”
Chapter 55
“We don’t have enough manpower to handle all of these loose ends, Kate. Our guys are in danger, and these killings are because of Kevin Hadley. Jack hasn’t responded to my text. He probably hasn’t even realized I sent him one. I think it’s time to have a chat with the warden at Holman Prison. We need to know who Kevin has been talking to and who his visitors are. That’s the only way we’re going to find the killer.” I typed the name of the facility into my laptop’s search bar and pulled up Holman Prison’s website. “It only shows one phone number.”
“What’s the warden’s name?”
I did a quick scan of their website and found the most recent warden on record—Tom Price. The previous warden had been stabbed by an inmate and retired several years back. “Jeez, that place is no joke.” I tapped the phone number on my desk phone, set it to Speakerphone, and took a sip of coffee while I waited for somebody to answer.
“Holman Correctional Facility. How may I direct your call?”
I sat up straight, cleared my throat, and introduced myself. “Hello, this is Detective Amber Monroe from the Washburn County, Wisconsin, sheriff’s office calling. I need to speak with Warden Price immediately. It’s urgent.”
The monotone voice continued. “What is this in reference to, ma’am?”
“It’s in reference to a life-or-death situation involving Kevin Hadley. He is still incarcerated at Holman, am I correct?” The pause lasted ten seconds. “Hello? Did you hang up on me?”
“One moment, ma’am, while I connect your call.”
Kate punched me in the shoulder. “That’s what I’m talking about. Be assertive.”
Moments later, another female answered. Evidently, I wasn’t getting through to the warden without the usual gatekeepers first. “Hello, this is Elizabeth Cochran, Warden Price’s secretary. How may I help you?”
“You can’t, because you aren’t the warden. My name is Detective Amber Monroe. I’m calling from the Washburn County, Wisconsin, sheriff’s office about a very urgent matter that is above your pay grade, Elizabeth. I asked to speak with Warden Price, so go ahead and put me through.”
“May I ask what this is about?”
“No, you may not. Now, the warden, please.”
“One moment.”
I rearranged myself in my chair. “I swear if—”
“This is Warden Price speaking. What can I do for you, Detective Monroe?”
I fist pumped the air. “This is an urgent matter, sir. I need to know who has visited or called Kevin Hadley in the last month. Lives depend on it, and I don’t have time to file a warrant for that information. I believe your prison is under quite a bit of scrutiny as it stands. You wouldn’t want it to be known that you were uncooperative with law enforcement, would you?”
“No need to get testy, Detective. Now, if you’d give me a second to speak.”
“Absolutely.”
�
�Kevin Hadley is no longer with us.”
“Where was he transferred to?” I held the pen over the paper, ready to write.
“I don’t think you understand what I said.”
“Sure, go ahead and clarify that for me.”
“Kevin Hadley is dead. He killed himself a week ago today.”
“On Halloween?”
“That’s correct. It was the tenth anniversary of his incarceration at Holman. I’m certain that had something to do with it. He was deeply depressed. Now if this has anything to do with the lawsuit his brother threatened us with, I assure you it won’t go anywhere. Suicide is not considered negligence by our prison system standards of conduct. I explained that in great detail to Keith when he was here last Friday.”
I punched Kate and read what she had scribbled on a sheet of paper. I nodded. “And Keith was Kevin’s legal guardian, am I correct?”
“Of course he was. It was mandated in his parents’ will. He held up his end for ten years, visiting Kevin four times a year, and he was paid quite well for his commitment to his brother. Unfortunately for Keith, the trust fund will be dissolved now. The monies will be dispersed among several organizations that care for special needs individuals, a good cause, I’m sure.”
“And finally, what happened to Kevin’s remains?”
“Keith handled that. I’m sure they’ve been sent to the funeral home of his choice there in North Bend. I’ve heard that’s where the family plot is located.”
“Thank you very much, Warden Price. You’ve been more than helpful.” I ended the call and leaned back in my chair. “Holy shit, Kate, I think we’re about to solve this case. Keith, who we didn’t even know existed, lives somewhere in Washburn County.”
“He probably lives in the original farmhouse where the parents were killed. Maybe the house is owned by the trust, and that’s why nothing came up under the last name Hadley when Billings checked earlier.”
“Damn it, I bet you’re right. Look at the transcripts and find that address. Hurry. I have to call Jack.” If I were a smoker, I probably would have lit a cigarette. I paced the bull pen while Jack’s phone went to voicemail. “Why isn’t he answering?” I texted him again and stared at the screen while I willed him to respond.