by Dianne Emley
Sergeant Early had been joined by Commander Andrew Tovar and they both walked up to Nan. Early saw Nan looking at Emily and Ashton and said, “I’m glad my girls are grown with families of their own.”
“I’ve survived a lot in my life but sometimes I wonder if I’m going to get through this.” Nan chuckled.
“I hear you.” Early laughed.
“I’m glad I have boys,” Tovar said.
Nan asked him, “How old are your boys now?”
“Thirteen and ten.” Tovar raised his eyebrows and shook his head as if he found it hard to believe.
“They’re that big already? Time flies.” Nan returned her attention to Ashton and Emily when she saw Nacy Dena and his homies approach them.
“My wife and I spend all our free time going back and forth to soccer, jujitsu, Boy Scouts…” Tovar continued the banter while he watched Ashton and Nacy greet each other like old friends with knuckle bumps and genial smiles.
Early was also watching. “What’s that guy’s name?”
Nan glowered as Ashton introduced Nacy Dena to Emily, who guilelessly smiled and exchanged a few words with him. “Ignacio Medina. Moniker’s Nacy Dena. Big enchilada of the Northside Latin Kings.”
“That’s right,” Early said.
“I think your daughter’s boyfriend considers himself a playa.” Tovar watched Ashton and Nacy share a laugh. “A privileged kid pretending he’s a badass.”
Nan couldn’t disagree but, even though she didn’t like Ashton, she felt uncomfortable about Tovar’s scrutiny of Emily’s sweetheart. “I doubt he has a clue about Nacy’s criminal history.”
“Ashton seems to like skirting the rules.” Tovar smiled at Nan. “I’m pleasantly surprised that no pictures of the bodies have turned up on the Net.”
“I searched the photos on his camera and didn’t find any,” Nan said with a shrug. “Emily didn’t go near the bodies or even into the ravine.”
“Do you know if Ashton did?” Tovar returned his gaze toward the group of teens.
“He may have,” Nan admitted. “Emily told me that she lost track of him for a few minutes when she left the area trying to get better cell reception to call 911. When I asked Ashton about taking pictures of the bodies, he looked a little uncomfortable. Made me suspect that his stepdad told him to delete any photos of the bodies.”
“That’s one thing to be grateful to Leo Balsam about,” Early said.
The three of them watched fresh-faced Ashton holding hands with Emily and again laughing with Nacy Dena with his shaved head and prominent gang tattoos.
“Nacy’s probably on parole,” Early said. “We could take him in on some violation. I’m sure he’s got a joint or a weapon on him or one of his associates is a felon.”
Tovar glanced around at the crowd. “Best to wait until he’s off campus out of respect for this event.”
Nan frowned at increased activity across the lawn. “The reporters aren’t showing any respect for the sanctity of this event.”
They turned to see what had drawn the media’s excitement. Ryan Keller was entering the campus in the glare of camera lights, wearing a subdued suit and tie, looking somber and noble as he stopped to answer reporters’ questions.
“He’s a celebrity,” Nan said.
“Commander,” Early looked up at the taller man. “I recently heard that you and Ryan Keller went to high school together.”
Tovar stonily watched Keller. “Yes, we did. John Marshall High in L.A. We played football. Our team won the city championship.”
Early widened her eyes with admiration. “Is that right? What position did you play?”
“I was a running back. Keller was offensive tackle.”
They watched as Keller moved toward the church steps. Women in the crowd gazed at him, their eyes sad and sympathetic. Some touched him reassuringly. Keller took a red rose that a woman handed him, nodding sadly.
At the podium on the landing, one of Erica Keller’s students was tearfully reading into the microphone a poem she’d written about her favorite teacher. Emily, Ashton, and their friends had moved closer to the front, where they were standing in a tight semicircle, holding on to one another. Nan was happy that Nacy Dena and his homies were no longer with them.
Ryan Keller stood at the bottom of the church steps, talking with an attractive young blonde Nan recognized as one of the school’s administrative assistants. Flirting with the blonde had transformed his mood. He said something into her ear that made her laugh. He laughed along with her and held up his phone to take a selfie, putting his arm around the woman’s shoulders and moving his face close to hers.
“The grieving widower.” Nan pressed her lips together in disgust.
Luther Prevett, the Pasadena Per Se blogger who’d leaned on Beltran at the press conference earlier that day, was in the crowd near the front. Nan was glad when she saw him snap a photo of Ryan taking the selfie. Ryan showed the young woman the photo on his phone. Still grinning, he started typing with both thumbs.
“Tweeting it?” Early said.
“Maybe he’s posting it to Erica’s Facebook memorial page,” Nan said.
Tovar didn’t take his dark, intense eyes off Keller. Nan saw Tovar shake his head, the movement so small it was nearly invisible. Still, she saw it. She hoped that maybe the investigation wasn’t closed after all.
Chapter 18
Principal Jodie Rivers came to the microphone on the podium and introduced Erica’s brother, Jason Inman. He was a few years older than Erica and also tall and slender but he had brown hair. He introduced his and Erica’s mom and dad, Mary Ann and Steve, who stood on either side of him. Father and son were in suits and ties. Steve was wearing wire-framed glasses and his hair was brown, like his son’s, but was receding. Mary Ann was wearing a long-sleeved black dress and looked like an older version of her daughter, but her blond hair was in a short style. She was calm and affectless. Nan guessed that she’d taken a tranquilizer. Jason spoke movingly about Erica’s love for her work and her students, struggling at times to maintain his composure.
When Erica’s family had appeared, the crowd had shifted forward. Nan, Early, and Tovar stayed in the same spot and so were now standing apart from the rest of the people.
Nan unrolled the defaced poster of Jared’s school portrait. “It’s sad that Jared’s family will be left with this as his legacy.”
Early made a sound of dismay at seeing the disfigured poster. “Sad but not surprising. His poor mother.”
Tovar frowned at the poster. “It’s cruel, especially to the family.”
“There are probably some people who hope that Jared’s mom will see this.” Nan remembered the disapproving look Tovar had given to Ryan Keller earlier and she felt emboldened by it to say what was on her mind. “They blame her for the killings because she gave birth to him, she raised him wrong—too strict, too lenient, too cold, too clingy, or whatever. Everybody scrambling to cast blame. Commander, before we close the books on Jared Hayword and Erica Keller, and sentence Jared’s mom and sister to live with this for the rest of their lives”—she shook the poster with more anger than she intended—“we should be damn sure that he did what we claim he did. I realize that I’m challenging a decision made by somebody higher up than me, but I’m angry at how this case was handled…or mishandled, in my humble opinion.”
Early remained silent and shifted her gaze from Nan to Tovar, waiting for his response.
Tovar was unruffled. “How do you feel the case was mishandled?”
Nan looked skyward as if she didn’t know where to begin. “To start with, there’s the PPD’s response. I was sidelined while the case was given to two junior investigators who were in over their heads. The autopsies were rushed and done by a medical examiner who has a history of questionable opinions. The physical evidence wasn’t processed. Ryan Keller, who’s on administrative leave from the PPD for threatening Erica at her workplace, was treated with kid gloves by two of our lieutenants. It looks
as if somebody inside the PPD is squashing the investigation. That Pasadena Per Se blogger has said as much.”
Tovar had clasped his hands behind his back and was listening with interest. When Nan paused, he said, “I agree that there’s room to criticize how we handled the case and that Ryan Keller needs a closer look, but you said ‘To start with.’ What else do you have?”
“We haven’t given any credibility to Melissa Hayword’s views. Her husband, John Hayword, who was a federal prosecutor in Reno, allegedly committed suicide, but she says he was murdered. I do find the circumstances of John Hayword’s death suspicious. Melissa says that Jared, who aspired to be an investigative journalist, was determined to find his dad’s murderer and Erica Keller was helping him. Melissa thinks that Jared and Erica got too close to the truth and were murdered by the same people who murdered John Hayword.”
“Alex Caspers told us about that in a briefing this morning,” Early added.
Tovar unclasped his hands and straightened, looking unconvinced. “Everyone has the utmost sympathy for Mrs. Hayword, but her scenario is far-fetched.”
“I agree, but that doesn’t mean it’s impossible. It adds another layer of unanswered questions. There are so many leads that we’re just…” Nan brushed her hands together. She was annoyed that she might be losing her plea but she kept going. “Politically, the PPD shouldn’t dismiss Mrs. Hayword’s scenario out of hand. She’s not afraid to take on the system. She took action to challenge the conclusions about her husband’s death before but stopped because of Jared’s suicide attempt and she had to spend her time and money focusing on him. Now she has double the reasons to move forward. If we don’t seriously look into her allegations, she could get this investigation yanked from the PPD’s hands and given to the FBI.”
Nan was fired up and breathing through her mouth. “Commander, you just said that the investigation is open to criticism. Personally, I think there’s something dirty going on. I haven’t spent almost fifteen years putting my life on the line for this city and our citizens and this police department to lie down and let that happen.” She stopped talking. She’d said more than enough. She was pretty sure she’d already said way too much.
Early remained silent but her round face almost seemed to have compressed, an effect that Nan had observed when Early was truly troubled.
“You’ve made good points, Corporal,” Tovar said. “Let me think on them.”
Nan had the all-too-familiar feeling of being caught in a web. She felt as if the air was being sucked out of her lungs and had the jarring sensation that she might have a panic attack. It had been a long time since she’d felt that way, ever since she’d learned to manage the post-traumatic stress she’d lived with during the years since she’d been stabbed by a madman. She again felt under the power of dangerous, shadowy forces beyond her control. She was again facing a test: How far was she willing to go to do the right thing?
Chapter 19
At the podium, Erica’s brother concluded his talk and led his parents down the steps. When Jason passed Ryan Keller, Ryan started to raise his hand to shake Jason’s or maybe to give him an encouraging pat, but Jason brushed past him without looking his way. Then Steve Inman went by, guiding his wife with his hand around her shoulders. Ryan’s hand was still raised and he patted Steve’s shoulder, receiving a cool nod in return. Mary Ann stared straight ahead, as if she were barely aware of where she was.
Nan, Sergeant Early, and Commander Tovar stayed where they were since the main attraction was about to appear.
While Principal Rivers introduced Ryan Keller, he smoothed his hair with both hands and began moving through the crowd. A teenage girl standing nearby handed him her lit candle in a paper shield. He muttered a thank you and climbed the stone steps to the podium.
“Thank you all for coming to honor the memory of my beloved wife, Erica.” Ryan’s voice was authoritative and his presence was commanding. He raised the candle he held in his left hand. “Yesterday, my best friend, the love of my life, was taken from me.” As if on cue, the candle flame went out. His lips parted as he looked at the wisp of smoke. After a moment, he resumed. “Erica and I were married for only two years, but I felt as if I’d known her my whole life. We’d had our ups and downs, like in any marriage. We were working through some things, but I never stopped loving her for a minute.” His voice cracked as he said, “And I will love her as long as I live. I don’t know what I’m going to do without her.” He bowed his head and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Nan glanced over at Erica’s brother, who shook his head.
Many of the women and girls in the audience began brushing away tears.
Ryan raised his head as if it were a struggle, set down the extinguished candle, and grabbed the podium with both hands. “All night people have been asking me how Jared could have done such a thing. Why did he do it? I don’t have any answers other than Jared was a very troubled young man. I know it’s hard to accept, but he was a victim too. A victim of his own mind.”
“How big of him,” Nan said.
Early pulled her lips to one side and loudly exhaled through her nose.
“Some of you may know that Jared had tried to kill himself once before in the exact same way, by slitting his wrists. You probably don’t know that Jared always carried a jackknife with him that had been passed down from his grandfather. That’s the knife he used to murder Erica and kill himself.”
A murmur went through the crowd.
Nan shot a glance at Tovar. The furrow between the commander’s eyes grew deeper at Ryan having revealed confidential details about the case.
Ryan went on. “Jared clearly intended to kill himself one way or another. I think that sometime yesterday Jared reached out to Erica, and Erica, being the lovely and caring person she was, tried to help him. We’ll probably never know why they ended up in that ravine in the Arroyo. Now we’re left with ‘if only.’ If only Erica hadn’t cared so much for her students. If only she hadn’t tried to help Jared. If only Jared had fulfilled his own destiny without taking my beautiful Erica with him. If only, if only…” His voice again cracked and he covered his face with a hand the size of a baseball mitt.
Nan visualized him grabbing Erica with that hand, squeezing her upper arm, and making that set of distinct bruises she’d seen on her corpse. She imagined him shoving Erica down, making her hit her head against something sharp before landing hard on the ground.
Principal Rivers, standing nearby, stepped forward and laid her hand upon Ryan’s shoulder.
After a moment, Ryan pulled his hand away from his face and patted the principal’s fingers, signaling his gratitude and that he was okay to go on. “Erica, I miss you and I’ll love you forever. I promise to watch over your family and take care of them. To Jared’s family, I hope you can find peace. I’ve forgiven Jared even though I can’t comprehend what he did. I know that’s what Erica would have done. What she has done.” He pressed his palms together and looked heavenward. “I appreciate everything that’s been said tonight about Erica.” He patted his chest with his open palm. “You’ve all touched my heart.”
He went back down the steps, where the cute administrative assistant stroked his arm. Others spoke to him and touched him before he disappeared into the crowd.
Early kept her voice low but her tone was sharp. “Who’s slipping him information? The jackknife was a detail we withheld.”
“Playing to the crowd much?” Nan grimaced. “Garnering public sympathy, pressuring the chief to let him return to work?”
Watching Ryan Keller, Tovar stood with a hand in one of his pants pockets and his legs slightly apart. It was a casual pose that was belied by his rigid body and flinty expression. Nan had always considered him tightly wound but his rage toward Keller was palpable.
Tovar turned toward her. “Nan, follow all the leads and all the evidence. Keep it on the QT. Talk only to me and Sergeant Early.” He quickly began walking toward the campus gates.
Earl
y looked at Nan and said, “Good.”
Nan felt the sticky web she’d sensed binding her being ripped away. “It still may turn out to be a murder-suicide but at least we’ll be able to face ourselves in the mirror.”
“Copy that.” Early rubbed her eyes with the fingers of her right hand—a habit. When she again looked at Nan, she seemed more tired. “You’re going to be flying solo. You okay with that?”
“Sure.” Nan reflected that Early had little knowledge about how many deadly situations she’d willingly entered into alone.
“What if we set up a code word that you text me if you’re in trouble?”
“Sounds good.”
“You have GPS set up on your phone, right? Give me your log-in information and I’ll be able to track you faster.”
“Okay. What code word should we use?”
Early glanced around, raising her eyebrows and hiking a shoulder. “Earthquake.”
“How about just ‘quake’?”
“ ‘Quake’ it is.”
Chapter 20
The crowd began to disperse. Sergeant Early left and Nan was heading to where Emily was standing with her friends when her phone buzzed with an incoming call. The display showed PRIVATE NUMBER. She answered, “Nan Vining.”
“Detective Vining, this is Melissa Hayword.”
“Yes, Mrs. Hayword.”
“I’m sorry to bother you. The Pasadena Police were here, but I thought I should call you. My house was vandalized. People egged the house and threw a rock through the front window.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. Did you see anybody?”
“No. I was in my bedroom reading. I heard voices and then the window shattering. I didn’t realize they’d also thrown eggs until the police came. I was afraid to go outside until then. Caroline is out with her cousins. I feel vulnerable, Detective. I’m afraid for myself and Caroline. I pray that all this isn’t happening again—the harassment, the death threats.”