“So the food you cooked made your mom sick?”
“Yes. It was an honest mistake, but I was trying to have her think of something else, instead of…me. Instead, I was blamed for trying to poison her. I thought it was a good idea at the time because she liked it when I cooked. It made her happy. She’d even put money away for culinary school. Except when she found out I wanted to be a journalist, she told me to pay my own way.”
“I’m sorry for what you’ve been through. Maybe you should get counseling.” Lily wanted to say more but didn’t. It wasn’t his fault his mother had been horrible to him. And she was still trying to understand what that had to do with his reason for choking her. Was it because of what his mother did?
Then her mind turned to all the times he’d cooked for her. She felt fine. Even better since he’d started cooking for her. Her mind started running a mental check, going over all the meals they’d shared. Stop it. You’re letting your fears get the best of you. Yet, you thought he’d never hit you either.
The phone on Lily’s nightstand rang. “It might be work,” she stated, picking up the phone.
It was Evan. “The lab couldn’t find a usable print off the handle used to kill Landon. However, Pete said the knife is similar to the weapon used in our case. Landon’s wife stated that he lost the hunting knife and never found it.”
“When did the knife come up missing?”
“Ten months ago.”
“This is good news. See if we can get access to his patients’ records. I’m on my way,” Lily said and hung up the phone.
Lily grabbed her coat and stepped over the pile of sheets on the floor. “I have to go, but when I get back there’s something that we need to discuss.”
“I only want to make you happy,” Julius called after her.
*
11:21 p.m.
Back at the station, inside the conference room, Lily, Evan, and Alec poured over the evidence gathered from Landon’s place.
“There was a confirmation letter found on Montejack’s desk,” Lily said. “Where is it?”
“Here.” Evan handed it to her.
Lily scanned the letter, searching for a date. “The messenger service picked it up from Montejack’s yesterday morning. Did anything come for me? A letter? A package?”
Both Alec and Evan shook their heads.
Lily swiveled in the chair to face the easel containing the names of the victims related to the case. “We’re so close. If Judge Lee takes his sweet time to sign off on that warrant, the killer will get away.”
“Going through Montejack’s client list is like shooting in the dark. We might be wasting our time,” Alec said.
“The majority of sessions were held in his home, with the exception of those with a violent history and the ones prone to violence.” Lily said. “Those appointments were held in his Whitewater office, near the Cadence Motel.
“If one were to drive to the Cadence Motel from the university, it’s about five minutes. Morgan walked it in ten. Samantha booked a motel room using her credit card for the planned overnight. Melli’s Coffee, also in Whitewater, is the hangout for college students.”
Alec rose from his seat and stood next to the easel. “The video from Melli’s has one angle shot from the camera and only goes back three weeks. It’s rarely used. The owner stated he allowed that one up for insurance purposes.”
Lily closed the file folder. “It’s a small town. They don’t feel the need for the security. It makes them feel unsafe.
“Montejack was killed in his own home with his hunting knife. The same hunting knife used in the killings. My dad was killed in McGinley’s parking lot. At the time, he was following up on a tip which Ibee provided. And I’m beginning to think it may have had something to do with my sister.” Telling the guys that she knew Julius had a source would have added more tension between her and her teammates. She just wanted to keep moving forward with this case without upsetting anyone.
“Owen is on his way back from his meeting with Ibee,” Evan said, placing everything back in the folder. “No matter how we look at this case, every victim has a connection.”
“The killer,” Lily said. “And I bet he’s very close.”
*
“Your appetite is costing us,” Sanchez said, as he headed down into the basement.
“You owe me!”
“I don’t owe you anything. You kept me out of jail when we were growing up, and I’ve returned the favor. My brother’s dead. We’re even. Besides, it won’t be long before they link us together. Hand me the notes.”
CtryGeek23 handed Sanchez several sheets of paper and said, “This isn’t everything. Something’s missing. The folder Landon kept on me wasn’t at his house or the office in Whitewater.
“Also, I found a confirmation letter from a messenger service on Landon’s desk. He sent something to his daughter. She came back before I could grab it.”
Sanchez dropped to the ground, crawled on his stomach, wrestled a piece of the cinder block foundation free and shoved the papers inside.
He jumped to his feet and said, “I should be drinking island beers and watching the tide come in. I don’t want to do this anymore.”
“You won’t have to.”
CtryGeek23 raised the pistol he had concealed till now and fired.
Chapter 36
11:41 p.m.
“Judge Lee gave us the warrant,” Sarge said, sitting in a seat in the conference room. “Landon’s secretary is on her way to the office now. She’s going to email me a copy of the client list.”
“How long will it take to get the list,” Lily asked.
“It’ll be a while.” Sarge looked at his watch. “It’s late. Go home; spend time with your families. We’ll pick this up in the morning.”
Relief washed over Lily as Sarge’s words sank in. She wanted to go home, relax in the hot tub and forget all the events consuming her life. Julius’s working late tonight. This will give me a moment to think.
Lily rose from her seat and exited the conference room before the others. She wanted to hurry home and leave everything that had to do with work.
She zipped through the halls, passing her cubicle along the way. As she reached the elevators she patted her pockets for her truck keys and remembered she had left them next to her keyboard.
Lily pivoted, headed back to her desk and retrieved her keys. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed a parcel sitting upright in her chair. I’m exhausted. I’ll open it tomorrow. Leaving the cubicle, she got into the elevator and was soon in her truck, headed home.
As Lily approached the stoplight a block away from the station, she noticed a car tailing her, flashing its head lights.
She peered into the side mirror.
It was her partner, Evan.
What’s he doing?
After the traffic light turned green, Lily whipped the truck around the corner and parked at the curb.
Evan mimicked her actions and pulled in behind her. He got out and jogged up to her window. “I thought you might want this.”
Lily looked down at the package she had left behind. “Take it back. I’m going home to rest.”
“Did you bother to see who it was from?”
“No.”
“It’s from Montejack,” Evan said, handing Lily the package.
Lily accepted the package and weighed it in her hand. It was heavy. “It might have to do with the case.”
“It might. Or it could be something a father wanted to give to his daughter.”
“I’ll open it when I get home,” Lily said, placing it in the back seat. “If it’s about the case, we’ll get together later to discuss it.”
Evan nodded and got back in his car.
As Lily pulled away, snowflakes dotted her windshield. She looked over at the package. If it was personal, why didn’t Landon send it to my home?
*
A little after midnight, Lily cinched her belt robe tight; removing her butterfly clip and let
ting her hair fall around her shoulders. She set the clip down on the table, grabbed her half-glass of Roseˊ wine and slinked her way to the leather couch. As she sat down, she pushed play on the answering machine, half-listening to the messages left by telemarketers.
Beep. “This message is for Julius Willer. You left your receipt down here at the body shop. You’re going to need it for your warranty on the parts we installed.” The machine beeped again and shut off.
As Lily reached for Montejack’s package sitting on the coffee table her phone sounded. She grabbed it off the couch and read the text message as it crawled across the center of her phone.
“No luck tracking this guy. He has to be using another device. We’ll hold out for another day. After that we’ve been told to give it up.”
Damn. She dropped her cell into her robe pocket and placed the package in her lap. Let’s see what Doc had to say.
She ripped open the box, reached inside and pulled out an envelope.
She took out the handwritten letter and began reading:
Dear Lily,
Accompanying this letter is a file on a patient of mine. At the time I only knew about Celine and because of all involved, I wanted to talk with Deena before I had made a decision, which never happened.
It wasn’t until I consulted on your case that I had confirmation about who it might be. He came to me wanting a session and I allowed it, not letting on about my suspicions.
The file is yours to do what you wish, but if he’s not stopped, he will continue to kill.
I never wanted you to get hurt.
Landon.
Lily returned the letter to its envelope. She looked down at the three-ring binder. It was all there. The name of CtryGeek23 was in that binder.
The jingling of keys in the front door jarred Lily out of her thoughts. She turned and saw Julius coming inside, carrying a paper bag. My relaxation time is over. “I thought you were working late?”
Julius stomped the snow off his boots and said “I picked up some Italian. Pesto chicken alfredo.”
“I’m not hungry.”
“Would you rather I cook? You need to eat. You’ve been pushing hard on that God forsaken case, Babe.”
Lily inhaled deeply and exhaled. “We need to talk about our marriage. For so many reasons, our marriage is not working.”
Julius dropped the paper bags on the dining room table and removed his gloves. “Do you really feel that way? Or has Deena finally gotten to you?”
“What? No? This has nothing to do with my mother. It’s about you and me. I’m miserable. I was going to talk to you about it the other day before you told me more about your mom.”
“You’ve been under tons of stress lately. Let’s try and work this out first.”
“You wrapped your bare hands around my throat. The same hands that once touched me with tenderness. You almost choked the life out of me!”
“How many times do I have to apologize?” Julius asked, staring down at his hands. “You tell me and I’ll do it.”
“The first apology didn’t fix what you did.”
“How can I make this right if you don’t give me a chance?” Julius asked, moving toward the couch.
Lily bolted off the sofa and stood next to the fireplace, leaving the coffee table between them. Aware of his strength and how fast he had gotten to her last time, she couldn’t help but feel vulnerable.
She reached into her robe pocket, touching her cellphone for reassurance. Her gun was under the driver’s seat of her truck, a decision she regretted. “Are we going to have a problem?”
“No,” Julius said, backing away from the couch and out of the room.
Lily grabbed her phone and dialed Evan. It immediately went to voicemail. “It’s me. We’ve got him. The package from Landon was about CtryGeek23. Call me.”
Turn on your phone.
Out the corner of Lily’s eye, she saw Julius standing in the hallway just before the living room, holding a bottle of Chardonnay.
Anxiety pulsed through Lily’s body as her husband took a step inside the living room.
“Evan was stupid to give you up.” Julius brought the wine bottle to his lips and took a swig. “I’m not stupid.”
Chapter 37
Evan sped along the curves on Old Highway 26 by Lake Koshkonong when his cell rang. “Gus! Good news I hope.”
“You had every right to be worried. Eight months ago, Julius was questioned by campus police about an assault that occurred in a co-ed dorm. A woman reported she had gone on a date with a male she met online. That woman was Lily’s sister.”
“Was he arrested?” Evan asked.
“No, Sir. She refused to talk. Claimed it was a mistake. Also, remember the tip Ibee gave Collin?”
“No one knew what it was.”
“I do. Julius supposedly had information from a source about the username CtryGeek23. But before Collin went to Julius, he met with a pal of mine, Detective Rail in Green Bay, where he started digging deeper into Celine’s murder and eventually learned about the campus incident involving his daughter.
“Collin started asking questions about Julius, which led to Sarah Willer.”
“Who’s Sarah?”
“Julius’s mother.”
“What does Julius’ mother have to do with Celine’s case?”
“A few months ago, Sarah was admitted into the hospital due to health problems. It was suspected that she was being poisoned but the doctors couldn’t find anything. She started doing better and was released. When asked if she felt safe at home, Sarah told them she wanted to be home with her husband and son.”
“Collin must’ve put two and two together. That makes two attempts on the mother’s life.”
“Three. Yesterday, Sarah died. Similar symptoms like before, only worse. The doctor strongly believes that Julius’ mom was being poisoned. Most likely through her food. Can you guess who made most of her meals?”
“Julius.”
“Makes you wonder how our favorite reporter felt, knowing his father-in-law was going to find out who he really was.” Gus inhaled deeply, as if he was taking a puff from one of his cigarettes. “I checked Collin’s credit card usage during his trip up north. It looks like he used it most of the time he was out there. Hotel, food, including his last gas stop coming into Fort; before he stopped at McGinley’s.
“Detective Rail called Collin the night he was killed. He’d confirmed that Julius was CtryGeek23.”
Evan leaned into the left turn that curved like a ribbon, straightening out as he passed the ethanol plant where steam rose from the smokestack. “Why would Julius give Collin information that would point right to him?”
“Don’t bust your head trying to figure that one out.”
“So the last thing on Collin’s mind before he died was that his daughter was married to the killer. Thanks, buddy!” Evan said, killing the line.
About twenty feet in front of him, Evan saw flashing lights from a state patrol squad car. He turned on his hazards, slowing down until he came to a complete stop.
Lying on its roof was a white compact car with its front end over the guardrail.
No!
The state trooper walked up to Evan’s vehicle. “You can’t get through.”
Evan flashed his badge. “Is there a detour I can take?”
“About a mile up.”
“How long it will be?”
“An hour or so.”
“Thanks.”
Evan sighed. Either way, he was going to have to wait.
*
Julius’s words, ‘“I’m not stupid,”’ meant only one thing. He wasn’t going to let her go. He was teetering on the edge and anything unpleasant may force him into another rage. Lily shuddered. If that happened, only one of them was walking away.
She threw on a blouse, slid into a pair of jeans and paced the living room floor. An hour had passed and she still hadn’t heard from Evan. She’d wanted to hold off opening the binder until she had so
meone with her to document what she had in her possession.
Lily glanced down at the clock on her cellphone.
12:35 a.m.
Lily didn’t want to wait any longer. She stopped pacing and listened.
The clinking of dishes and running water from the kitchen put her mind at ease. Julius was occupied and for the moment, that meant she would have peace.
I’m done waiting.
Lily took a picture of the letter and forwarded it to Owen. She called and was relieved when he answered the phone.
After quickly describing what was in the letter and the binder, she went on to explain what had transpired between Evan and her and why she took the binder home. “I sent you a pic.”
“I’m on my way to a call. Give the binder a quick read through and take a video using your phone. When you’re done, email it to me and head back to the station.”
Lily ended the call, powered on the camera and began sifting through the dossier. The first seven pages described the evaluation sessions conducted. Then she came upon the progress notes.
Heart thumping, she read the name in the heading and Landon’s notes in the space below.
TERMINATION LETTER:
The impact of the sexual and verbal abuse from his mother, Sarah Willer, had left my client mentally scarred. After the fifth session, twelve year-old Julius Willer acknowledged he made a deliberate attempt to make his mother sick by cooking a dish that she liked; latke, incorrectly.
He rationalized that if he hurt his mother, she’d learn her lesson and stop hurting him. He claimed to not remember much of what happened once his mother became ill. The only memory he could recall was hearing his father, Grant Willer, telling him to go call for help. My thoughts were that he suffered from black outs.
Four years after my first session with Julius, he was allowed to go back home but refused. Eventually he filed a petition to be emancipated and it was granted on the condition he continued seeing me until he turned eighteen.
Promised Lies (A Detective Blanchette Mystery) Page 25