“Yeah, I can see that. Now, if you don’t mind, can we discuss a few things? It should be easier, since you can’t hide behind my boss anymore.”
The reverend looked nervously back and forth between Quinn and Callie. “I don’t believe you’re giving me a choice, Sheriff.”
Quinn pulled his phone out of his pocket to make notes. “I need to ask you some questions, Reverend.”
The tension was thick. “Fine ask,” he stated angrily.
“Where were you last night, around six?”
“I had just finished the church’s evening services. I was then greeting people until six thirty or six forty-five.”
“After that?”
“I came home.”
“Where you alone?”
“Yes,” said the reverend. “My wife had women’s auxiliary last night. I had my dinner alone and went to my office to work on this Wednesday’s service.”
Quinn focused all his attention on the man. “And after that, sir?”
“I went to bed around nine, and didn’t wake up until six thirty this morning. We just had breakfast, and then you arrived.”
Callie listened to Quinn try to break the man’s story. Something just wasn’t right. She just couldn’t put her finger on it. What she really wished was that she could better profile this case.
“Reverend, I have to tell you that your DNA sample matched the semen in Sammie Jean’s mouth.”
The man looked like he was sucker punched. He started sputtering and stood from his chair. “It’s a lie! You’re trying to smear my good name, just like that heathen witch that came running to you with her lies.”
Callie immediately tensed. How did he know that little detail?
“Now, Reverend, who said that it was Susie Barnes that came to me? I don’t recall releasing any information regarding any leads in this case.”
“Are you telling me it wasn’t?” he challenged.
“I don’t believe I’m the one being questioned here. I know who isn't killing these women,” he said, pointing at himself and Callie. “Now, how about you answer me?”
“I don’t recall. Word travels fast in this town.”
Quinn saw the nerves and fear on the man’s face. “I don’t really believe you, but I’ll let it go. Instead, how about we go back to you explaining how your semen ended up in the dead woman’s mouth?”
The reverend hissed. “Must you be so crass? My wife is in the house and will be offended. Don’t forget that there is a lady sitting right beside you, too. Did your mother teach you no manners?”
Quinn laughed it off, not willing to humor the man. “My mother taught me to not get blowjobs from the town prostitute, so my bases are covered. Again, why don’t we make this all about you, since you’re the suspect? How did your DNA end up in Sammie Jean’s mouth?”
He stared at him angrily.
“For the record, I’m thinking that your wife may be more distressed by what occurred in the front seat of your car, and less so by how I phrase it.”
If looks could kill, the reverend would have taken Quinn out then and there.
“I don’t know,” he said, shrugging. He simply glared at them, trying to evade.
“Well, then, let me tell you how it got there, since you seem to have developed amnesia. You went to your car with the victim, and then proceeded to allow her to…” He paused, trying to think of a less crass way of putting it, “orally gratify you. Now, we need to know what you did after she got you off. I’m not talking about where you hand her a tissue and some cash either.”
The man was red and agitated.
“Reverend, it will be easier if you tell us the truth, so we can verify your alibi and be on our merry way.”
“I came home.”
“Okay, were you alone?” asked Quinn.
“No, I’m sure my wife was here. She is usually home when I return.”
Quinn lifted an eyebrow. “So, you do this often?”
“No, I wasn’t out intending to wind up with Sammie Jean. She forced herself on me as I offered to give her a ride home.”
“So, you were trying to save her soul, and she forced herself on you,” repeated Quinn in amazement. Did the man actually think that was plausible? Apparently, he believed they were stupid.
“Yes, exactly.”
“Why were you at a bar?”
“I was trying to lead the lost to God,” he said sincerely. “It’s part of my mission in life to help those that have gone astray.”
Quinn realized that this was getting them nowhere. He needed to bring in the information in his wife’s therapy file. “What about Sissy Parker? It’s been brought to our attention that you were having a sexual relationship with her during her private sessions.”
The look on the reverends face was priceless. “That’s a lie,” he snapped.
Unfortunately for him, they both saw the telltale shake of his hand.
“Really?”
“I have nothing to say about our private counseling sessions. They’re confidential and I didn't take notes.” He glared at the sheriff.
Yeah, Quinn wouldn’t doubt any files were shredded or destroyed. “I see. How about you give me your alibi for every murder?” asked Quinn, standing his ground.
“If that’s what I need to do, so be it.”
As he began, Quinn only hoped that the man would be tripped up and give them something.
Anything at this point would be helpful.
Better yet, he wished that he’d just confess.
Twenty frustrating minutes later, the reverend had an alibi for every night, and they were all courtesy of his brow beaten wife. Each time they asked, she admitted that he was with her. What gave her away was that she didn’t even pause to think about it, she immediately said ‘at home’.
“Damn it! His wife knows that he’s cheating, and she’s still covering for him,” said Quinn in frustration.
“She’s afraid. Maybe she knows something we don’t?”
“She might. Do you think he was lying? Give me your prospective as an ex-profiler.”
Callie thought about it. “Oh, yeah, he was lying, and so was his wife. You can tell by their body language. At first, there was fear, and then you could see his hands shake. When someone’s lying, their gaze will flicker down and to the left. After that, they get defensive. The reverend crossed his arms, and got aggressive with you. It was his way of getting you to back off the topic.”
“How about the wife?”
“It was the same with her. Margaret’s eyes kept flickering everywhere. She was covering. If she doesn’t know for a fact, she at least suspects.”
He let it all absorb.
“Quinn, how did he know that Susie came to us? There was only a few of us who knew.”
“It had to be a leak. We kept it quiet and the statement wasn’t ever entered into the computer.”
“I hope he doesn’t try and get even and harm Susie,” said Callie, rubbing her hands up and down her arms.
“I’ll send an additional patrol past her house to check up on her. Don’t worry about the leak either. I’ll be taking care of it when I find the person’s identity.”
Callie knew he’d keep his word. “Where to now, Quinn?”
“How about we swing by our youngest victim’s home? We should probably follow the sex trail. It may lead us somewhere.”
“Sex is one of the top reasons why people commit murder. It ranks up there with jealousy, money, and anger,” said Callie. “Maybe we’ll find something else to implicate the reverend.”
“You’re really good at this profiling and reading people thing,” stated Quinn.
Callie glanced over at him. “You think?” After the stalker, she began doubting her skills. How could a profiler not see her own attack coming? That had always weighed on her mind. Now, she was beginning to believe that sometimes, profilers couldn’t see it all.
The mind of the lunatic was a shadowy one.
“Yeah, I do,” he said. Then,
as much as it pained him, he said it. When you loved someone, you wanted them to be happy. “You should think about going back into the FBI. A mind is a terrible thing to waste.”
God, that hurt.
In fact, he wanted to retch.
Callie ran her fingers down his cheek. “I’ll think about it, Quinn. I have a lot to weigh in my mind right now.”
Quinton Gaines was either madly in love, or criminally insane.
As of that moment, he wasn’t sure which.
Chapter Thirteen
W hen Nate and Luke pulled into ‘Ed’s Body Shop’, they cautiously headed inside. There didn’t seem to be anyone around, but the shop was still open. Calling out, no one replied.
“Let’s check,” Nate suggested.
Luke flicked open the snap on his hip holster, as he followed his partner through the garage. When the two men cleared the space, Nate motioned to sound off to their right. It appeared to be an office of some sort.
Rapping on the door twice before pushing it open, they hoped to catch the man off guard.
Well, they certainly did.
Ed was inside the small room with a half-naked woman, who didn’t look a day over eighteen.
The girl screeched in horror, as she crawled under the desk to hide. Ed jumped up, looking mad as all hell at the interruption. “What are you two doing here?” he asked, zipping up his pants.
Nate entered the room, holding out his badge. It wasn’t the first time they’d barged in on something of a personal nature. When it was his sister, he was pissed. Now, he was amused at the man’s discomfort. “The fingerprint sample matched, Ed, and we have a few questions regarding your whereabouts on the nights of the five slayings.”
“I was probably at home with my wife,” said Ed.
There was a wail from beneath the desk as a very angry girl climbed out and turned on the man. “You told me you weren’t living with that hag, Ed. You’re a lying sac of shit!” she yelled, before proceeding to knee him in the crotch.
Ed went down fast, as the girl grabbed her things and slammed the door behind her.
The Feds were amused. They both took a seat while the man picked himself up from the floor.
“I want her arrested for assault,” Ed gasped, as he struggled to catch his breath.
“Sorry, that’s not our job. We’re here to find out where you were on the nights of the murders. Now, if you don’t mind answering us, we’re busy looking for a killer,” said Nate, pulling out his tablet to make notes.
“I can’t believe that you think I would kill any of those women. If anything, I love the ladies, maybe a little too much.”
“Where were you last night?” asked Luke.
“Why?”
“Ed, this is really simple. We ask the questions about a murder, and you answer them. If you don’t, we then drag your ass into the station until you see it our way.”
“I was at home drinking. Ollie’s isn’t open on Sunday nights.”
Luke shook his head, “Were you alone?”
“Yeah, I was. My old lady was working, and I was tying one on, okay”
“Did you know Martha Jackson?”
Ed sat really still but his eyes went wide. “Did something happen to Martha?”
Neither man confirmed it.
“Oh shit! Is she okay?”
Nate lifted a brow. “Did you have a relationship with Mrs. Jackson?”
“No!” he blurted quickly.
Yeah, this wasn’t their first day on the job. He was lying like a rug.
Luke removed his handcuffs. “Mr. James, you’re under arrest for the five killings of…” He didn’t get to continue.
“Okay, okay! I had a relationship with Martha. We got together every Saturday night.”
“When did you see her last?” asked Luke.
“This past weekend. I have a cabin in the hills, and we go there, have sex, and then come back to town.”
“I’m assuming your wife doesn’t know about your indiscretions?”
“No, she’s too involved with church and the auxiliary. They get together to talk and pray.” He sat down. “I didn’t kill Martha. I love her and begged her to leave her husband, so we could be together.”
“Ed, what about your wife?”
“What about her? It was a mistake getting married. She came to me and told me that she was pregnant. Let’s look at the facts. I still don’t have any kids, and we’ve been married for almost five years. My wife is either a liar, or this is the longest pregnancy ever.”
“Okay, Ed. Let’s go over your alibi for the murders.”
“I swear I didn’t hurt her.”
Luke spoke up, “I’m having a problem with you ‘loving Martha’, since we just caught you with your hands in the cookie jar. Who else are you sleeping with?”
Ed rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Just Martha and the woman you scared out of here. I do love Martha. I just hate my life so damn much that I’m trying to forget. Have you ever been in love with someone you couldn’t have? It crushes your soul. The girl who left was a distraction, and nothing more,” he stated.
Luke said nothing because he understood. Instead, he pushed on with the questioning.
“So, you hadn’t been sleeping with Sissy, Aimee Jo, Jonnie or Sammie Jean?” asked Luke.
“I wasn’t sleeping with any of them, but I did have sex a few times with Jonnie Sharp. Then again, so has every business owner in town. She was always out to hook a rich man by using her assets.”
Nate knew this was going to be a mess “Okay, Ed, let’s get those alibis done.”
“I’ll tell you whatever you want to know. I want to get on with my life.”
Thirty-five minutes later, Ed had given his alibis for the nights of the murders. Half the time he used his wife to prove he wasn’t a killer, and the rest he was shit out of luck.
This was going to prove interesting.
“What’s next?”
“We need to question Beulah to see if she can corroborate the alibis. After that, we’ll head in to meet up with Quinn and Callie. We still have the receipts to go through, and we desperately need to put this together. The boss isn’t going to be so magnanimous if I’m out of the office for too much longer,” stated Nate. “For now, the clock is ticking.”
“Yeah, I’m glad that I don’t have to deal with the Dragon Slayer,” Luke teased. “He’s brutal.”
Didn't Nate know it?
Callie sat beside Mrs. Parker, trying to comfort her. The woman had been sobbing since they mentioned her daughter’s name. The judge helplessly sat across from his wife, suffering as well. It was obvious that losing their child was pulling their family apart. No one was immune to the pain it had caused.
“We need to ask you a few questions, ma’am,” began Quinn, sympathetically. “We have a suspect in mind, but we need to get as much as we can on the individual.”
“Just ask, Sheriff,” stated the judge, glancing over at his wife and daughter, Missy. He hated how they were suffering.
“It may be difficult, but I need you to trust me. If I don’t ask them, we’ll never find who did this to Sissy.”
Judge Parker’s eyes narrowed. “Stop beating around the bush, son, and just ask.”
Callie opted to go first, hoping to soften the blow. “Was your daughter dating or seeing anyone in particular? Maybe she had a boyfriend or recently found someone who piqued her interest?”
“Not that we’re aware of, Doctor. She saw a few guys now and again, but they were more friends than anything. She didn’t really seem interested in a relationship with anyone,” answered Mrs. Parker.
“I see,” said Callie. Yeah, that didn't play out for her. After all, she had caught Sissy perched in Quinn’s lap. These parents didn't have a clue that their child was very motivated by sex. “Was she engaged in counseling sessions with anyone?”
“As a matter of fact, yes! She was seeing Reverend Higgins twice a week. Sissy wanted to grow in her relationship with God. Fro
m what we witnessed, they were helping her out a great deal.”
Yeah, these parents were definitely in the dark.
“When was her last session?” Callie asked the judge, hoping it would give them anything at that point. The reverend was slippery and hard to pin down.
“Sissy had one the night she was killed. After her session, she planned on catching up with some friends,” said Missy, thinking back to that evening.
“Had she been acting unusual lately?” Callie continued.
“No. Sissy was happy. There was a spring in her step, and I don’t doubt that it was God working in her life.” Then, the woman sobbed. “I don’t know if I can talk about this anymore. It’s too painful.”
Callie took that as her cue. “We’ll get out of your hair, ma’am. I’m sorry if we stirred you up.” Standing, she noticed that Missy seemed to have something on her mind. The girl’s face was a dead giveaway.
Quinn shook the judge’s hand. “Thank you for your time. We’ll keep you updated,” he said to the man, as he tried to comfort his distraught wife.
Outside, Missy stopped them. It wasn’t lost on either Callie or Quinn that the young woman kept glancing back over her shoulder, as if she wanted to speak in private.
“What’s wrong, Missy?” asked Quinn.
She looked hesitant. “Can I speak to you both? I have something to say, and I don’t think my father or mother should hear it.”
Callie leaned against Quinn’s car. “What’s it about?”
“My sister and I went shopping in the city a week before she was killed, and while we were there, she bought a hundred dollars’ worth of fancy bras and panties. You know the ones you see in catalogs,” she said, directing that more toward Callie.
Immediately, Callie knew where this was heading. “Do you know if she was sleeping with the reverend?”
“I think she was. Every time Sissy would leave a session, she was all giggly. Then, there was this one time. I think Sissy had some marks on her.”
That had Quinn’s attention. “What type of marks are we talking about? Bruises?”
“Yeah, and they were on her hips and inner thighs. She tried to hide them, but I saw her get out of the shower.”
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