“At my apartment you said I was under arrest for those murders. I need to know why.”
“Because you have become the prime suspect.”
“Me? I think you’ve been inhaling too much plaster dust in your kitchen.” The glazed look was no longer in Max’s eyes. It had been replaced with surprise and a growing anger.
“Max, we found the notes and the murder weapons in your car tonight.”
“I don’t care what you found. I didn’t do it.” The confusion in Max’s appearance and voice was replaced with the anger bubbling to the surface.
“We lifted fingerprints from the knife and hatchet and we’ve sent the weapons to the lab for DNA testing along with a pair of shoes containing blood stains on the top and heels. These items were found along with rope, plastic gloves and ponchos, and the computer-generated notes left at all the crime scenes.”
“I repeat. I DID NOT DO IT.”
“Then how do you explain everything we found in your car.”
“My car sits outside all night. Someone could have placed that stuff in the trunk to frame me.”
“Who and why?”
“I don’t know. That’s what we’ve been trying to figure out for weeks now.”
“Max, your fingerprints were on the knife and hatchet.”
“Oh, like fingerprints have never been planted before.”
Mike had not expected this interview to be easy, but he wasn’t prepared for such adamant denials from Max. The anger was genuine and Max appeared to truly believe someone was framing him for these crimes. Mike needed to talk to Lt. Harper before he went any further with this interview. He asked Max if he wanted anything to drink and then left the room.
Once outside he found Lt. Harper watching the interview on the monitor. “What do you think, sir?”
“If we didn’t have all the evidence collected from Max’s car, I would swear he was telling the truth.”
CHAPTER 64
Mike respected Lt. Harper’s ability to read people, so he was taken aback by the lieutenant’s answer. If they believed Max was telling the truth, then someone had created an elaborate scheme to make Max look guilty. The questions Mike asked Max were important: Who and why. It didn’t make sense. Why Max? This bizarre case was getting crazier by the minute.
Mike got an iced tea for himself and a bottle of water for Max and returned to the interrogation room. Max thanked Mike and they just stared at each other for a while.
“Well, do you believe me Mike?”
“I believe you think you didn’t do anything. Why were you in Columbia for the last four nights watching a house?”
“I’ve been at home all week. I’ve been tired and tried to get to bed early. Who said I was in Columbia?”
“Me. I saw you sitting in your car from approximately eight until eleven, all four nights.”
“Whoever was in my car it wasn’t me.”
“Max, I recognized you. I followed you home and watched you get out of your car and go into your apartment. It was you, Max. You and no one else. No one who looked like you. No one who pretended to be you. It was you.”
Max’s shock was not feigned, because Mike didn’t believe Max was that good an actor. What was going on?
As if to answer his question, Max took a sip of his water, sat back in his chair, crossed his legs and smiled. It was a smile Mike had never seen before on Max. In fact, there were other subtle changes in his face: his eyes no longer had a dazed look, but were sharp and penetrating. His body language now spoke to confidence and control rather than frustration and confusion. A tingle went up Mike’s spine as he became aware that the Max he knew was no longer sitting in the room with him.
When he spoke, the voice was not Max’s. A deep bass stated, “Well, Mike, you’re right about one thing. Max didn’t kill those men. I did. Max doesn’t even know I exist.”
Mike was stunned. What was going on? Max was sitting in front of him. Was he trying to lay the groundwork for an insanity plea?
“If you’re not Max, who are you?”
“I’m the Avenger. I can do things Max can’t. He’s a believer in the system. I’m a believer in justice.”
Mike was shocked whoever this was in front of him, used the same name Mike had given him. He looked at Max and said, “The system allows us to find justice.”
“You are so naïve, Mike. The system has laws - laws made to protect the innocent, but often let the guilty walk free. Think about it. If you don’t give the Miranda warnings at the right time, or you make a search without the proper warrants and cause, or you use ‘undue force’, all the evidence you acquire can be excluded at trial. Plea deals are made allowing guilty people to serve a fraction of the time their crimes warrant. So don’t tell me the system and justice are the same thing.”
“The laws are there so everyone is protected – especially the innocent. The system works more times than it doesn’t.
“If you’re not Max, where is he when you’re killing?”
“He’s in a safe place. I don’t let him know when I take control. He’s clueless about me although I know everything he knows. He would not be able to cope with what I have done”
“Where were you when Max was in Philadelphia?”
“Evolving.”
That answer sent a shiver up Mike’s spine. “So Dave Flanders was your first victim?”
“Yes. Max was torn up about his daughter’s death and the plea bargain her fiance’s lawyer managed to negotiate. It ruined his marriage and his family. His faith in the system was shaken, but he went to work every day and tried to obtain justice for someone else. He thought he had buried his anger and controlled it, but in reality the anger was the seed needed to spawn my existence.
“When Sandy was attacked by Dave, and he later confessed to it but claimed self-defense, I was finally able to step in and take over.”
“When did you ‘take over’ for the first time?”
“The night Dave was killed. As Max I went to talk to him. I tried to convince him to stay away from Sandy. He told me his relationship with his wife was none of my business. Dave said he loved her and was going to try and talk her into giving their marriage another chance. He once again claimed his attack on her was her fault.
“That’s when I knew he would never leave her alone, regardless of what she thought, so I took out the taser and zapped him as he walked toward the kitchen. Everything after that was unplanned, but I knew if I left him alive, Sandy would never have a chance at a normal life.”
“Unplanned? “
“Yeah. I started out by taking him to the basement and bound him with rope I found on the work bench. I went upstairs to check things out while he was still dazed from the taser blast. The knife block caught my eye and I removed the largest knife in it. A little like poetic justice, don’t you think.
“I went back to the basement to find Dave recovered from the taser and spitting mad. I guess he thought yelling obscenities at me would help show me the error of my ways. With each expletive, I was more convinced I was doing the right thing. I hit him several times to show him the pain he had caused Sandy. He threatened me with every vile thing he could think of and that’s when I cut his throat. I didn’t watch him bleed out because I thought of how I wanted to get my message across to other would-be abusers.”
“You went looking for a computer and printer.”
“Sandy’s a teacher. I knew she probably had a desk somewhere in the house. I found it upstairs and decided on the wording for my warning.”
“How many copies did you make?”
“I think I printed about a dozen. I didn’t want to take the chance of leaving fingerprints on the stack of paper that was beside the printer because I hadn’t found the plastic gloves yet.
“By the time I got to the basement, Dave was dead. I looked around and found the hatchet hanging on the pegboard above his work bench. You know the rest.”
“Didn’t you get any blood on your shoes?”
“Yes, and some spatter
on my clothes. I took the shoes off before going upstairs. It wasn’t easy getting close enough to Dave to remove his hands because his blood had spread out from his body, so I put my shoes back on, but didn’t wear them when I left the house.”
“Is that the pair we found in your trunk?”
“Yes. Poor Max still can’t figure out what happened to those shoes. He’s looked everywhere except the trunk. And before you ask, I threw out the clothes that were blood-stained. Lucky for me, the dumpster at the apartment was emptied the next day.”
“Why Craig McGinley?”
“I discovered something that night. Justice was way better than the system. Thinking of all the men who take out their aggressions on helpless women and children and never suffered any consequences, I knew I could make a difference for a few victims. I checked the police log in the newspaper to see who else was being a bad boy. When I identified McGinley, I staked out the house for a couple of nights. I was able to hear their argument and see him hit her. It was convenient when she took the kids and went to Philadelphia for her father’s birthday. He was home all day Saturday drinking. It was almost too easy when I knocked on his door that night.
“I was more prepared this time. I had the knife and the hatchet from Flanders’ house, along with the note. I liked the idea of leaving him leaning up against the washer. Kind of symbolic you know, cleaning the dirty laundry. He told me it was his wife’s fault he was forced to hit her because she always argued with him. That’s when I punched him several times in the face, so he could see what it felt like. He didn’t learn his lesson, so I imparted justice for his crimes.”
“But Peter Baker was a mistake.”
“Yes. As I staked out his apartment, I saw his wife leave crying. She was holding her cheek and I assumed it was because he had hit her. He claimed it was his wife who was the aggressor, but I didn’t believe him. All abusers blame the ones they abuse. So I did to him what I had done to McGinley and Flanders. I was regretful when Officer Snyder informed us that Peter Baker was a victim of his wife’s aggressive and controlling nature.”
“But you didn’t stop.”
“Although Max doesn’t know I exist, I know everything he knows. I decided if I was going to continue my quest for justice for abused women, I would have to be more diligent in my investigation. In addition to staking out the house, I did internet searches to determine how long the abuse was occurring.
“You were starting to get close, Mike. You were always the one I worried about. There were times I found myself briefly speaking for Max. Those were the times I could see you react and I knew I had to be more careful. When did you find out about the police log?”
“Last weekend. I went back through the papers from the time Sandy was attacked. I found Craig McGinley and Peter Baker’s names listed about a week before each was killed.”
“So that’s how you knew the guy in Columbia might be the next one.”
“Yeah. There was also one in East Hempfield, and Hank was watching that house. I didn’t think you would want to take a chance on another victim there.”
“You’re right. Max thinks you’re going to make a good detective. He’s rarely wrong.”
“Why did you do this to him?”
“You have been taping this conversation. I wanted everyone to know Max is innocent. He has no knowledge of me. You will have to get him a psych evaluation. The doctor will confirm Max is clueless about the killings because he’s not devious enough to keep up an act like this long term. I may or may not introduce myself to whatever doctor you choose. Regardless, Max will not be able to participate in his defense, so the Commonwealth has a problem. What is the system going to do?”
Mike left the room knowing the Avenger had a valid point. What were they going to do?
CHAPTER 65
It was 5:00 a.m. and everyone had been up for almost 24 hours. They were tired and most felt brain dead. Mike sat in Lt. Harper’s office and was trying not to nod off.
“Have you ever run into anything like this before, sir?”
“This is a first. I’ve talked to the Chief and he’ll be here in about an hour. We may have caught our killer, but we have a public relations nightmare now.”
“Cop kills three men. Claims innocence due to multiple personalities. So what’s so nightmarish about that?”
“I am going to ignore that comment as a weak attempt at humor because you are over-tired.”
“Thank you. Where do we go from here?”
“We have to book Max and forward all the evidence to the DA’s office. It will be up to them, but I’m sure after they see that interview video, a psych eval will be ordered.
“While you were finishing the interview with Max, I looked up multiple personality disorder on the internet. It’s now called dissociative identity disorder or DID. There have been cases since the nineties where a defendant has used the insanity plea, based on DID. It’s a very difficult thing to prove and few, if any, have been successful. Max is going to need a really good attorney.”
“How long before we book him?”
“I’m going to wait until Chief Anderson gets here and we talk it over. I’m hoping to get home to bed by noon. You should get in touch with the two officers who worked these cases with you. They need to be told before this goes public.”
“I’ll take care of that right now. They probably won’t mind my waking them up when I tell them the killer is in custody. Do I tell them it’s Max?”
“Yes, but tell them to keep it to themselves until Chief Anderson has his press conference.”
*****
Two hours later, Chief Anderson and Lt. Harper ended their meeting. The press conference was scheduled for noon, to coincide with the local news broadcast. It was decided Chief Anderson would make the announcement and Lt. Harper and Detective Campbell would be present to answer questions regarding the investigation. There was no doubt the Bureau was going to take a PR hit. Regardless of Max’s mental state, he was an officer who was sworn to uphold the law and protect citizens, and he had been the lead detective in one of the worst crime sprees Lancaster had ever experienced. Many would become wary and distrustful of the police, and it would take a long time for that trust to be rebuilt.
Every step of the process would be covered by both the newspaper and TV stations and Max would be a media celebrity for many months to come.
After the press conference Mike went home and went to sleep, knowing things would never be the same.
CHAPTER 66
Two Weeks Later
The sun was shining brightly as the group gathered next to Joe’s boat. Sandy carried the urn with Dave’s ashes. Her parents were there as was Sarah Flanders. Jason was a no-show. When Mike told Sandy the date Joe had picked, she asked Mike if he would come. They had talked several times in the last two weeks. With Max’s arrest, Mike was no longer in a position to be blamed for Dave’s death. Mike had learned quite a bit during this case. Although the circumstances were far from ideal, he was glad he had become reacquainted with Sandy and looked forward to getting to know her better this summer. He wanted to be there for her as she started her new life and determine if his growing feelings for her were real.
He was helping her look for an apartment beginning next weekend because she hoped to be settled by mid-July. She already had the house up for sale and had donated all the furniture to Good Will. She was starting anew and looked forward to the beginning of the school year in September. She still saw Dr. Wells twice a week and was making progress in dealing with the horrific events of April and May.
Sarah was also looking for a place to live. She had filed for divorce and her lawyer was working out the financial settlement with Jason’s lawyer. She also started seeing Dr. Wells professionally because Sarah felt deep regret for not protecting her son from Jason while Dave was growing up. The two women had a lot in common and their bond had grown stronger since Dave’s death.
Richard and Stephanie watched Sandy intently. Their daughter had be
en attacked and almost killed by someone they knew and they had been helpless to stop it. Sandy told Mike she felt like she was living in a fishbowl because either her father or mother always watched her. She hoped they would be able to get back to normal once she moved out.
Joe greeted everyone and got them settled. He guided the boat to the center of the Susquehanna and headed toward the spot Sandy had picked. Once there Sandy opened the urn and she and Sarah gently spread the ashes behind the slowly moving boat. When the urn was empty, the two women embraced and silently hoped the tormented man who had been their husband and son was finally at peace.
As the boat headed back to the dock, each of the occupants was lost in his/her own thoughts. The coming months would hold challenges and surprises for all of them.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The process of writing my first book has been interesting. I am not as self-disciplined as I should be. The creative process came in spurts. I found I enjoyed rewrites more than the initial writing. I did not spent years yearning to write a novel. In fact, the idea only took hold about four years ago.
My first thank you goes to the Long Ridge Writers Group. I was accepted for their introductory writing course. Mary Rosenblum was my muse for this phase. Her critiques were splashed with enough praise to enable my fragile writer’s ego to continue to the next lesson. Tom Hayden took me through the novel-writing course. His style differed from Mary’s, but was just as effective. Thank you both for seeing something in me that I had not known I possessed.
After finishing my first draft, I imposed on a couple of my gal pals to read it. Donna Robinson is a retired English teacher. She used her sharp red pencil to point out my mistakes and also gave me great input into the main character. It was because of her comments that I think Mike became a stronger character.
Splintered (Mike Campbell Series Book 1) Page 24