When the case was finally closed, 7 unsolved murders and over 100 lesser crimes across Wyoming came off the books, attributed to Tad Jameson or Bill Blakely. The Chief of Police held several press conferences and was overwhelmingly re-elected for his handling of the Casper crime ring.
***
A few weeks after Tad Jameson's death, the forensic reconstruction on Katie was finally completed and Sheriff Irwin sent copies of her picture to law enforcement offices throughout the Mountain West. According to Jameson's notes, Blakely hadn't told his son why Katie's case had been so important to him. Jameson had speculated, but speculation isn't evidence and Matt supposed they never would find anything definitive. The media picked up Katie's picture because of her connection both to the Casper murders and the boyhood home of Jed Cannon.
Cannon posted Katie's picture on his blog and talked about her in interviews. He brooded over her picture as he finally began work in earnest on the novel that would tell her story. He hoped to dedicate the book to the real Katie once her identity was known.
The search of Blakely's home and office turned up little evidence. The man had covered his tracks well, but Matt did find something oddly out of place in Blakely's safe. It was a silver cross on a delicate silver chain. The cross was etched with a rope design and a single stone was inset at its heart. It didn't seem to tie into any of the crimes, so Matt tucked it into an evidence envelop and dropped it into his desk drawer.
In September, they finally got a break in Katie's case. A call came into the Weston County Sheriff's office and Irwin called Matt. Since the caller, Jillian Gregg, was flying into Casper, it would be more convenient for her if he met her there instead of her having to drive to Newcastle.
Matt sent an officer to meet Gregg's plane. He and Irwin were waiting for her in Matt's office when the officer ushered her in. "Are you Sheriff Irwin?" she asked.
"I am and you must be Jillian Gregg." Irwin rose and offered her his hand. "This is Detective Matt Joyner from the Casper PD. As I explained on the phone, we've been working on this case together. He offered her the other guest chair.
"Yes, I am. As I told you, I just had to come see you about my sister, Julia Lewis." She reached into the pocketbook she was carrying and pulled out a picture. She handed it to Irwin, who looked at it and handed it to Matt.
It was Katie. Unlike the rendition, the girl in the picture was full of color and laughter and life. "This is Julia?" he asked and Jillian nodded. "Can you tell us why you believe our Jane Doe is your sister?"
"Our parents were killed in an accident," she began. "I was seven and Julia was only three. Our two grandmothers argued for weeks over which of them should take us, but they couldn't agree. Finally, Julia went to live with our mother's mother and I was sent to live with our father's mother. We never saw each other again."
"Cruel," said Matt.
"Practical, I suppose. They had very little money and lived too far away for us to visit easily. I found out after she died that Julia's grandmother never spoke of me. Julia was so young when she left that I don't know whether she even remembered she had a sister."
"How did you get this picture?"
"When my grandmother died, I found pictures hidden in her desk. Julia's grandmother had sent them. I don't know if my grandmother ever sent pictures of me to her. She never mentioned it. This one seemed to be the most recent."
"Did you try to find Julia?"
"Of course! Some of the pictures were still in the envelopes in which they'd come so I rushed to Idaho looking for the address. There were other people living in the house. They told me they bought it after Julia's grandmother died. It had been five years and nobody seemed to know where Julia had gone. I tried to report her missing but the police told me that just because I didn't know where she was didn't mean she was missing."
She pulled a handkerchief from her purse and dabbed the tears that glistened in the corner of her eyes. "I tried everything. I hired a private detective who tracked her as far as Wyoming but there was just nothing after that. I searched social media and the Internet. I told myself she'd married and changed her name and that's why I couldn't find her."
She cried quietly for a moment or two. "All these years I've pictured her well and happy, and maybe even looking for me. And now..." Ms. Gregg sobbed into her handkerchief. Irwin put his hand on her arm to comfort her.
Matt looked down at the picture in his hands and something caught his eye. He pulled a magnifying glass from his desk and examined the picture under the light from his desk lamp. There, around Julia's neck, was a necklace.
Ms. Gregg had stopped crying and was staring at Matt. Drawing the evidence bag from his drawer, he spilled the necklace onto the desk in front of her. "Do you recognize this?"
Her face went pale. "Where did you find it?"
"Have you seen it before?"
"It belonged to my mother. Her mother gave it to her at confirmation. Do you see the rope design? It symbolizes being tied to Christ. The stone is an emerald. It means peace and tranquility."
Ms. Gregg dabbed her eyes. "My mother never took it off until the day she died. Where did you find it?"
"Hidden in the safe of the man we think killed Julia. It's the only thing that links him to her."
Ms. Gregg reached for the delicate necklace, turning it over in her hands. "He was killed, wasn't he?"
"Yes. He was murdered by his own son."
She nodded. "Justice."
After a few moments, Irwin spoke softly. "Julia's body was reinterred at the cemetery in Newcastle. It's a long drive but I can take you there. It might comfort you to know that for the past thirty years the people of Newcastle have cared for your sister's grave as if she were one of their own."
DNA testing proved that Katie was indeed Julia Lewis. The ladies who had been caring for her grave asked Ms. Gregg if she would allow Julia to remain in Newcastle. She consented and the whole town, along with a sizable contingent from Casper, attended a memorial service at the church that had adopted Julia so long ago.
Ms. Gregg was escorted by Jeb Cannon on one arm and Eugene Stockman on the other. Both men's lives had been deeply touched by the death of this girl that neither had ever known. They listened hungrily as Jillian Gregg told them everything she could remember about Julia as a child. They peppered her with questions about what her private investigator had learned about Julia's life both before and after her grandmother's death. Through Jillian's stories, Julia came alive for them.
Emma, Jake, Matt, Kristy and Grace attended the service and the graveside ceremony that followed. Her body had been returned to the same plot but the thoughtful church ladies had crafted a new stone, with Jillian's approval.
Placing a bouquet of flowers on Julia's grave, Emma read the new inscription.
Julia Ann Lewis, 1963 - 1984. Separated in life, Alone in death, Reunited in the arms of heaven. May you finally find peace.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Linda Crowder spent more than 20 years working in nonprofit human services before retiring in 2011. She was born and raised in Colorado and spent 16 years in California before moving to Wyoming. She now lives in the shadow of Casper Mountain with her husband and a menagerie of rescue animals.
If you enjoyed this book, please consider posting an honest review on Amazon or Goodreads. Reviews are a great way to let an independent author know you have enjoyed her book.
You can reach Linda and learn about her upcoming books and events by visiting her website, http://www.lindajcrowder.com/
Other books
by linda Crowder
Jake and Emma Mysteries:
Too Cute to Kill
Main Street Murder
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Justice for Katie Page 13