"Okay, so we have a maybe motive," Stratton said. "We still can't put either of the boys close enough to even have an opportunity of killing her, which puts us nowhere. We can have all the motive in the world, but if there is no way they could have physically been there, they couldn't have done it. We have absolutely no other suspects, whether a single perp or a partnership."
The room went quiet for a long time, each man, and woman in the case of Stella, deep into their own thoughts. CJ was so sure it was Tommy Clark or his brother, or both, but he had to admit that Stratton was right. It wasn't like they knew they did it and just couldn't find enough hard evidence to get the warrant. That would be one thing. Now it appeared that they couldn't have done it, despite a reasonable motive.
"The brothers make too much sense to give up on this easy," Josh said. "I still believe they did it. We're just overlooking something."
"And what may that be?" Stratton said, the tone in his voice obviously humoring the junior agent, expecting a junior agent kind of answer.
"We need to get into their shoes and then, like them, become psychotic."
"Expound, please, Mister Washburn," Stratton said.
Not taken back by the tone in the senior agent's voice, Josh continued. "Let's look at the family. The boys are very different. Tommy is six-two, two-twenty-five. All muscle. Is that right?"
Stratton nodded. "That's what his personnel file says."
"Kevin is five-seven, one-forty-two according to his latest hospital records, a runt compared to his brother. Tommy was in high school football and wrestling, got good grades. Kevin, on the other hand, did not participate in sports and was mediocre at best as far as academics. Mom may have been happy with Tommy as a child, thus didn't find it necessary to be physical with him, or if she did, he was big enough to stand up against her and take it without serious injury, and maybe dish some back."
"I'd be willing to bet it was the latter," CJ broke in. "And with a strong abusive mother, the boys probably had a very close bond, Tommy being very protective of Kevin."
Josh nodded. "Looking back at the span of Kevin's urgent care visits, they all occurred after Tommy left home."
"Tommy was no longer there to protect Kevin," CJ said. "Mom had full access to her runt and disappointment of a son, so she kept beating him up, sometimes throwing him down the stairs."
"So," Josh continued, "Kevin lands in the hospital on Thursday, January 26th, a broken arm and concussions. Tommy finds out that night and on Friday, flies to New York, kills his mother and then returns on Saturday. He receives the call after getting home that afternoon, that his mother is dead, so he takes bereavement and flies to New York on Sunday. He buries his mom then packs Kevin into his mothers prostitution van and brings him back to Tucson."
CJ picked up the narrative. "The thing is, he is not fully satisfied with killing his mother. He is angry at all prostitutes in general and after a few months, he starts grabbing them off the street and killing them. In some twisted logic way, he is ridding the world of a few cockroaches."
"Cockroaches?" Stella said.
"Just trying to be in their heads, think like they're probably thinking."
"So for four months they do nothing except start a new life for Kevin here," Stratton said. "Why did they start killing all of a sudden, do you think, Josh? What are they teaching you in the academy nowadays?"
"What they taught us was how to think beyond the obvious; how to think like the criminal."
"So why did they start up?"
"First, Tommy may have gotten a rush from killing Mom, maybe a greater sense of power than anything he has ever felt. He may have become a cop for all the right reasons, to catch and put away the bad guys. After a time most cops get disillusioned with the legal system. Of those, most stick it out with the confidences that they are doing the best they can. Of the rest, most walk away, but a few start taking things into their own hands, become judge, jury and executioner."
"In this case, police, judge, jury and executioner," CJ said.
"Exactly," Josh said. "After four months the warm glow from Mom's kill wore off and he started looking for a new glow."
"Or," CJ said, "something triggered it again. As a cop could he have been involved in a case having to do with a prostitute and abuse? Maybe he saw something in her that reminded him of his mother. Has that ever been looked at, whether Tommy was involved in an official capacity with the first victim before she was murdered?"
"Good point," Stratton said. "I'll get Dan to pursue that line of investigation." He looked over at Josh. "Okay, Junior Washburn." He shifted his gaze over to CJ. "Senior Washburn. The theory is great, I have to admit. We still have a problem. How did Tommy get to New York and back in two days without leaving a trail?"
Josh, who was sitting in one of the kitchen's swivel chairs, swung around to face Stella. "The same way the husband got from Chicago to Tucson to ransack his ex-wife's home."
"False identification!" Stella said.
CJ held out his hand to Josh, open palm up. "An alias! Of course."
Stratton considered that for a few seconds. "That shouldn't be too hard to confirm now that we know what we're looking for."
"A single individual who flew to New York on Friday and returned on Saturday. If there's more than one, there won't be many," Josh said.
"You could also bounce that name against passengers flying to Idaho and back," CJ said. "You get a match, we've got him for sure."
"No, we don't. We'd still have to tie the name to him."
"There will be video monitors you FBI guys can tap into."
Stratton stood. "It's not that easy."
"Don't you guys have facial recognition software or something?" Stella said.
"You watch too much TV. Yes, it exists, however it has a very questionable reliability factor. I still trust trained eyes looking at every face. Takes time but if he's in the crowd, they'll see him. First thing we have to do is find the name that's common to flights out of either Tucson or Phoenix on the dates in question, and into New York and Spokane, Washington. Spokane is the closest major airport to Moscow, Idaho. Once we have that then it's just a matter of matching the security ticket scans with video. If it's him we should have enough to take to the judge to get a warrant for his arrest."
Stratton turned toward the operational center in the dining room. "You guys hang loose. I've got to get everything rolling."
Sometime later CJ, Stella and Josh puttered together around the kitchen, cleaning up after plowing through four large take out pizzas. Agents had come and gone; now only Agents Stratton and Crane remained in the house, sequestered in the dining room. Agent Crosby and Officer Kramer were out walking the perimeter as daylight faded. Silence prevailed in the kitchen until the leftovers were in the refrigerator and the dishwasher was loaded. Josh grabbed a wet cloth and started wiping the table and counter. Stella followed with a dry dish towel.
"The killing of Mom was premeditated," Josh said.
"Of course it was premeditated if he flew to New York under an alias to carry it out," CJ said.
"No, I mean premeditated in the sense that he obtained the alias months back, just for this purpose."
"You're saying it wasn't spontaneous in the sense that he got angry when Kevin landed in the hospital again?" Stella said.
Josh threw the cloth into the sink and sat down. "That's what I'm saying. We know that when Kevin broke his leg March of last year, Tommy went to him. Would your brother come visit you from clean across the country if you broke your leg?"
Stella and CJ sat down at the table with Josh.
"I only have a sister and I'm sure she wouldn't. I doubt she'd even come from Albuquerque, and we're pretty close."
"Here's what I think. Mom knocked Kevin down the stairs last year, which according to the records may have been the second time. Tommy, who was very protective of his little brother, went to New York to deliver a promise to his mother, that being, if it ever happened again, he'd kill her. He may h
ave actually wanted to kill her at that time, but was smart enough to know he'd probably not get away with it. Not all that optimistic that his mother would listen, or certain that she wouldn't, Tommy came home and started making plans. Police officers know how to find people who create false identifications, especially in a community this close to the border. He found one such dealer who could also provide a usable social security number and had false identification made and then, just like the husband in Chicago, applied for a credit card under that name. The next time Mom got physical with Kevin, in January of this year, Tommy was ready, and he didn't hesitate. A promise was a promise."
"And it worked so well, he couldn't resist pulling it out again to follow me to Idaho."
"Exactly. That may be his undoing."
"We can certainly hope so."
Chapter 56
CJ rolled out of bed just after 7:00. Stella was already gone. He brushed his teeth, threw water on his face and opened the bedroom door in time to find Joe Foronda walking by.
"Mornin'" Joe said.
CJ returned the greeting and then walked in the opposite direction, out to the kitchen where he found Stella, Trish and Lisa at the table drinking coffee and chatting. Trish was in her wheelchair. Lisa was not in uniform.
"Good morning," he said to everyone. "Are you back on duty, Officer Bowers?"
"Not officially. I'm fully recovered but they want me to take an extra day. I asked to remain on the team, even if I have to do it on my own time."
"You're not feeling guilty because you let this guy get past you, I hope."
"Oh hell, I'm past guilt. I'm pissed. I want to be in on it when this guy is taken down. No one puts a needle in me and takes my piece and gets away with it."
"That's another thing," CJ said. "The department doesn't take kindly to an officer losing her weapon."
"Yeah, there's that, too. Thanks for reminding me. Fortunately, since I'm not suspended yet, I'm allowed to carry my backup."
Josh and Agent Frank Platt from Denver came through the door.
"We've got a bit of a problem," Platt said. "There're press parked at the front entrance."
"How did they find us out?" CJ said.
"We've got enough agents on this now to field a baseball team. All it takes is for one of us to slip up and unknowingly pick up a shadow."
"I thought you guys were trained for this kind of operation," CJ said.
Neither Platt or Josh responded to CJ's comment.
"They're like ants," CJ added. "The entire colony will be here before you know it."
"That means the safe house cover is blown," Lisa said.
"Where's Stratton?" CJ asked.
"Should be coming in the door any second," Platt said. "He was having words with someone with a microphone in her hand at the bottom of the gate as we were coming in. He's going to be pissed."
With that Agent Stratton came through the door. "Who in the hell led the press here?"
Joe strolled in from the hall, stethoscope draped around his neck, blood-pressure cuff in his hand. He stopped as everyone turned to look at him. "What?"
"Did you go out this morning?" Stratton asked him.
He nodded slowly, the look of 'What the hell did I do?' on his face. "Went home and then by the hospital. Why?"
"How did you go? Did someone pick you up?"
"My wife. I took my car from the hospital."
"What time did you get back?"
"About fifteen minutes ago."
Stratton looked down at the floor for a time and then over to those gathered in the kitchen area. "We've had other developments during the night."
"Another body?" Stella asked.
"No report of that yet, so let's hope not. Tommy Clark went unaccounted for between maybe 11:00 last night and about an hour ago."
"Unaccounted for?" Platt said.
"You know how it goes, Frank. Subject gets by the surveillance without the team knowing. They think he is tucked sweetly into his bed until they see him return hours later. In this case, Tommy was last seen at 10:47 last night. The next time they spotted him he was jogging up the street to his apartment building at 6:32 this morning."
"Jogging," CJ said.
"Yes, jogging. His car never moved."
"Do you think he's made us?" Josh asked.
"Couldn't be determined. He may have just gone out for a morning run before work."
"And on the way out he just happened to pass by two sharp-eyed FBI agents without being noticed," CJ said. "What was he wearing?"
"Jogging suit."
"What color?" Josh asked.
"Navy blue."
"Jogging suit, not shorts," CJ said. "Long sleeved?"
Stratton tilted his head at CJ, then pulled out his phone. When his call connected he said, "On that jogging suit, was it long sleeved as well as full length pants?" He waited a few seconds. "Thanks. When he leaves for work, report back here."
When he hung up he said, "Long all the way; matching ball cap."
"It's already eighty degrees out," CJ said, "so that begs the question, why?"
"Certainly does, doesn't it?" Stratton walked over to lean against the kitchen counter which separated the cooking area from the eat-in area. He crossed his arms. "What really puzzles me is why we haven't gotten wind of the brother. We know that his forwarding address through the New York post office was to Tommy's address. We have no record of any activity by Kevin Clark since he left New York; no application for an Arizona driver's license, no change of vehicle registration, no employment, at least nothing above the table."
"Does he have his own place, but lets his mail come to Tommy?" CJ said.
"That's what we're assuming. What is he living off of, then?"
"As you said, there's no above the table employment. With the illegal Mexican traffic through here, there are plenty of under-the-table opportunities, many who would pay extra for someone who speaks fluid English. He gets paid in cash and then buys his groceries, gas, whatever in cash. If where he lives provides electricity and water, he'd have no record. Basically, the kid could be totally off the grid, either purposefully or as a result of dire conditions."
"I don't think it's dire," Josh said. "When Mom died she not only left the van, paid off, she also left a considerable wad of savings; a bit over $80,000."
"A New York prostitute does fairly well, it seems," CJ said. "Kevin could survive off-grid a long time on $80,000. So, if we can assume that Tommy was with his brother all night, that puts Kevin within walking or jogging distance, unless...."
"Unless what?" Stella said.
"Unless we've been made and Kevin dropped Tommy off two blocks away so that the van wouldn't be spotted," Stratton said.
"Which means...." CJ and Stratton looked at each other and then CJ added, "Have you heard from Dan this morning?"
"Called him when I got the news from the surveillance team."
"So what does all this mean?" Trish asked. "You think they were off killing again and you're just waiting for a report of someone finding a body?"
"That's what it means."
"Holy crap!"
All heads turned to Joe who was still standing where he'd stopped when Stratton questioned him.
"Sorry. It's just that this is like a real life Criminal Minds."
"That's exactly what it is, Joe. And you and I need to talk. Please step into my office." Stratton walked into the dining room. Joe followed, a worried look on his face.
CJ turned to his daughter. "I think we're losing our nurse a few hours early."
The sound of Stratton's phone going off spilled into the kitchen and all heads turned toward the dining room entryway. Seconds ticked by and just when they thought all was well, Stratton stepped into the doorway.
"We have a body."
Chapter 57
"Josh. Call Brown and DeBonski. Find out if they still have eyes on Clark. Tell them to stand by, I'll have Tucson police units on the way. If he tries to leave, for work or whatever, they'r
e to detain him until the units arrive. Platt, get a hold of Crosby. You two get over to the crime scene. Call Detective Payne for the address. He's on his way there."
As Josh and Agent Platt pulled out their phones, Stratton made a call of his own. "Chief Rague. Agent Stratton here. I recommend we take Clark in. Here's what we have...." He disappeared into the dining room.
Several seconds later Joe came hustling out as though he'd been kicked in the pants, looking a tad white. He saw CJ and Trish staring at him. "Did I cause all this?"
Lisa moved away, her phone pressed to her ear. Josh stepped off toward the dining room as he explained the situation to the one of the agents watching Tommy Clark. Agent Platt went out the door while waiting for his call to connect.
"No, CJ said in response to Joe's question. All you did was bring the press and expose our hiding place. It's all rather mute now as it's all about to blow sky high." He beckoned to Stella and Trish. "Let's all go into the living room and stay out of the way."
Joe scrambled to get behind Trish's wheelchair, as though moving from the kitchen to the living room would get him further from the craziness beginning to erupt. Stella followed. CJ detoured into the dining room.
"No, we haven't anything new other than losing track of him for nearly eight hours," Stratton said into his cell phone.
"He just came out, in uniform, heading for his car," Josh said, holding his cell phone away from his ear. "Do you still want him detained?"
Stratton held up his hand to Josh. "No." Into the phone he said, "If we can get into his apartment I'm sure we can find evidence." To Josh he said, "Maintain surveillance only. Get a hold of Lacrowski. He and Nash have been working on the passenger lists. Find out if they've come up with anything. And find Crane. Tell him he needs to get control of the media, to get a statement written."
Stratton's attention returned to the phone. "Right chief. He belongs to you so we'll follow your lead for right now. However...." He looked up at the ceiling. CJ knew Chief Rague was chewing on his ear, that he wasn't going to take kindly to being run over by a bunch of Federal boys in fancy suits. "I don't care if he's a cop or a street sweeper. He's still our prime suspect and the stack of coincidences is getting to the point that I'll have no problem getting a signature on a search warrant, maybe even an arrest warrant as well."
Deserving of Death (CJ Washburn, PI Book 1) Page 26