“The people we went after on the show had it coming. They were ripping people off. We just exposed them. It was their choice to rip people off. No one made them do it.”
“It’s possible you hurt someone who didn’t deserve it. Isn’t it?”
This floored Jackson. The detective sounded sympathetic, but not toward him. He’d acted like he wanted to help clear him, but now, he was making a case for some crook who might have felt he was unduly damaged.
“Well. Let’s not worry about that right now. You find your witness and let me take it from there.” Baird turned and walked toward the door. “One more thing about the bar fight last night…”
“The guy had it coming.”
“Well, be that as it may, you lucked out. He isn’t planning on filing any charges, from what I hear. My advice to you, though, is to lay low. These fights don’t do your case any favors. You look like a violent person who can’t control his anger.”
Jackson’s heart started pounding. He had to remain calm. The detective was baiting him. “I’m sure if you knew what happened, you would know that he provoked me into a fight. That’s probably why he didn’t press charges.”
“I suppose so.” He didn’t sound convinced.
“There were witnesses who can verify I was provoked.”
“I believe you.” He turned toward the door and smiled. “Remember: Call me when you find your witness.”
The detective left, leaving Jackson in his foyer, confused. What was that all about?
Tina was in New York on a short business trip, and she wouldn’t be back in Denver until Wednesday. Jackson dialed her number on his cell phone. She answered on the second ring.
“Hey, how’re you doing?” he asked, trying to sound upbeat.
“I’m good. We have some meetings set up for Monday and Tuesday. I should be home on Wednesday.”
“Sounds good.”
“Are you okay? You sound a little off.”
“I’m hanging in there.” He didn’t tell her about his latest bar fight. “One of the detectives was just here. He kept insisting that I need to find my witness who can place me up at the cabin during one of the murders. Seems like he wants to help me, but something seems off about the guy. But if I can find that guy up at the lake, I’ll be able to get the police off my back.”
They’d had this conversation a dozen times before, but she asked him again anyway. “Do you think you can find him?” She believed Jackson had made contact with the man, but she was worried he wouldn’t be able to find him. The man could have been a short-term vacationer and could already be gone. Not wanting to sound negative, she kept that thought to herself.
Jackson knew what was at stake. “I have to find him. I have no choice. I feel like I’m their prime suspect. If I don’t find this guy, I’m afraid the police will charge me with murder,” he said nervously.
“But you didn’t commit the murders. All they have is a bunch of circumstantial evidence. I can’t believe they could convict you on that.”
“But getting charged with murder would ruin my life.”
It hurt her to hear him talk like that. “I wish I could help.”
“I know. I just don’t know what you could do to help. At this point, I think the only person who can help me is this guy. I have to find him.”
“You’ll find him,” she said encouragingly. “What’s the plan when you do?”
“I’ll call the detective, so he can interview him and clear me. George and I were talking yesterday, and we both think someone is trying to frame me. Someone with a grudge against me. Maybe someone I know. I just can’t believe that, but on the other hand, I can’t believe it’s some random killers, either. Whoever they are, they know too much about me. No way it’s a coincidence that they just happened to have the same printers we have at the station and that they used Trazadone on the first victim.”
“Oh, Bob, this is sounding so terrible,” said Tina, her voice trembling, sounding like she was about to cry. “Who would do that to you?”
“I don’t know, but as soon as I get the police off my back, I’m going to try to find out.”
“You need to be careful. These are killers. You need to let the police handle it.”
“If I let them handle it, I feel like I’m going to end up behind bars. If I can just think this through, I have to believe I can find out who is behind all this.”
“I’m coming back. I need to be with you.”
“No, it’s probably better that you’re in New York. I’m going up to the cabin this afternoon. Hopefully, I will be home this weekend, and this will all be cleared up. And besides, if someone is trying to frame me, it could get dangerous for you.”
“What about you? Aren’t you in danger?”
“I don’t think so. Whoever is doing this is trying to hurt me, but if they wanted me dead, I think they would have already come after me.”
“I don’t like it. Maybe you should take George up to the cabin with you.”
“I’ll be fine. You get your work done and come home next week. I’ll call you after I get to the cabin.”
“Okay. But promise me that after you track this witness down, you will consider my suggestion for a vacation. Let’s get out of town while the police track down the killers.”
“Well. I…” he stammered.
“Promise me!” she demanded.
“Okay. Okay. We’ll get away,” he agreed, not wanting to fight with her. “Think about someplace quiet.”
“Thank you. I’ll see you soon.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning.”
—Louis L’Amour
The Revengers case was consuming every waking moment of Stein’s time and haunting his dreams. Dinners at the Stein home—when he was actually home for dinner—were muted. The kids spoke, but Stein’s mind was elsewhere. When he did finally go to bed, he would toss and turn all night, getting little quality sleep.
He woke from a fitful sleep with visions of two black-clad assassins, holding him down, pouring a dark, hot liquid down his throat. His wife had slept through the attack. He looked at the clock. 3 AM. A quick math calculation told him he’d had a good four hours of sleep. It would have to do. He quietly slipped out of bed and padded into his home office.
He’d done this same routine a dozen times before but had no problem repeating it again tonight. With pad and pencil in hand, he sat at his desk and reviewed the case. Each time he did this, he hoped he would see something he had missed before. The case had become the biggest in his career, not only because of the number of murders attributed to the Revengers but also because of the level of pressure from City Hall and his chief. Maybe it was the heinous nature of the murders or maybe there was some other unknown reason. But what he did know was that it was intense. The fact that there was a lack of any definitive evidence just made it more frustrating. He couldn’t remember a case that was so bereft of evidence.
His rookie partner had been suspicious of Jackson from Day One. And he wasn’t the only one. The mayor, chief, captain, and, it appeared, most of the city was turning on Jackson. Evidence—if you could call it that—was pointing at Jackson. He had to admit it looked bad, but his instinct screamed at him that it was misleading. Why? Circumstantial evidence often pointed to the guilty party. But not always. Was everyone right, and Stein was wrong? There was just no hard evidence implicating Jackson. Detective Baird claimed Jackson had motive, but it just wasn’t that compelling. He could accept that Jackson might want to punish sleazy contractors, but he did that every day with his show. Why murder them? According to the young detective, Jackson had grown impatient over the years and felt he wasn’t doing enough to put an end to despicable contractors, so he had devised a more permanent solution. But if he bought that theory, that meant Jackson was stupid, and selected victims who would leave an obvious trail to him. Jackson didn’t strike him as stupid. Quite the opposite.
And of all the murderers Stein had apprehended over his career, Jackson didn’t seem like one of them.
He’d done this exercise a dozen or more times, but he did it again in the hopes that something would jump out at him. He wrote down the evidence, hard or circumstantial, and made a note next to each piece.
Printers used to print notes – confirmed by forensics to be the same type as the ones Jackson had access to at his office. Mass produced, and much of the Denver population has the same type. Could also implicate other employees at the station.
Paper type used to print notes – confirmed by forensics to be the same type used at the radio station. Also confirmed that it is the cheapest and most popular brand sold in Denver.
Duct tape – mass-market brand. No prints. Sold at almost all major retailers in the Denver area.
Trazadone – Jackson takes it or took it at one time. No way to confirm if the Trazadone left at the scene was from the same batch that was found at Jackson’s home.
Footprints at crime scenes – men’s size 12 and women’s size 8. No discerning prints, however. Perps were wearing paper booties. Also, no way to confirm if those were actual shoe sizes. Perps could have been wearing shoes a size or two larger just to confound the investigation. The men’s size was similar to Jackson’s.
Language used in the notes. – matches speech patterns that Jackson uses. Too easy to emulate by just listening to Jackson’s show.
The M.O. for each murder – Each one different and distinct. Nothing that can point to any one suspect.
Taser probe – A brand used by the police but readily available to anyone. Nothing can tie that to Jackson.
The name the Revengers – Was that meant because the killers were taking out revenge on local contractors? Or was there some other significance?
Stein scratched his head and closed his eyes. He tried to imagine what had taken place at each crime scene. Was there anything at each one that he hadn’t considered? There were all so clean, indicating planning and attention to detail. How else could they avoid leaving solid clues? And yet, the last murder was a mess. Almost like it was a different team involved. Was it possible that there was a copycat? Even wearing booties, up until now, the killers were careful to avoid too many footprints; whereas, at the last murder scene, they were everywhere. And the collapsed banister had to be unplanned. The tussle outside suggested to Stein that the victim had encountered the killers outside and fought with them. If so, then they might have sustained a wound during the fight.
He was encouraged by the thought that, for whatever reason, the killers were getting sloppy. Small consolation.
Back to his list.
Witnesses – Kids saw the killers but weren’t able to provide anything useful other than to confirm it was a man and a woman. Or, they were afraid to say more, lest they become a target.
Suspects – Bob Jackson . Credible alibi? Not so far.
Was his rookie detective right when he said that Jackson wouldn’t produce a credible alibi? But if he was wrong? What other suspects were there? Someone with a bone to pick with Jackson? The potential list was long if Stein considered anyone he had tangled with over the years. Stein’s instinct told him that’s where they had to look.
Was it even possible to create a list of every contractor whom Jackson had fought with?
If that theory was right, then it was probably a contractor who’d suffered serious damage due to Jackson’s efforts. That had to be a smaller list. It was possible that Jackson’s team kept records of whom they’d fought with, but would they have kept tabs on what happened afterward? Doubtful.
But it would be worth looking into.
Stein wrote down another category.
Other possible suspects? Who might have something to gain from Jackson losing his show? And who had knowledge of Jackson’s movements and access to the station’s printers?
George – If Jackson is implicated in the murders, it’s possible the station might retool the show with George at the helm. It would certainly be a career advancement. Could be enough motive for murder.
Jay, the station manager – Why? What would he gain? Nothing.
Steve – Too low on the totem pole to actually benefit. Seems to like Jackson. Also, has solid alibis.
Julia – Same as Steve. No benefit and solid alibis.
A rival station with a competing show?
Stein had investigated cases with less credible motives than greed. A rival consumer champion could possibly see that with Jackson out of the way, he would be the top dog in the city. Eliminate their competition, and their fame grows. Stein wasn’t familiar with all the other consumer protection activists in the city, but it was worth investigating. It was an angle he hadn’t considered before.
But he kept coming back to the theory that it was a contractor with a score to settle with Jackson. It just kept nagging at him. Revenge seemed more likely than greed. If that was the case, why didn’t the killers just strike directly at Jackson? They had shown their ability to kill without clues and had shown no mercy to their victims. If all they wanted to do was hurt Jackson, why wasn’t he already dead? Why create an elaborate plan to frame him? So many parts to put into place, and so many ways it could fall apart.
But the more he thought about, it the more he was convinced. Someone with clear knowledge about Jackson and his movements was framing him. It wasn’t some random contractor, and it wasn’t a competitor. Was there someone else at the station he hadn’t considered? A technician or possibly even cleaning personnel? He would need to look at anyone employed at the station. Only a staff member would have had enough access and knowledge to pull this off.
Stein looked at the clock. He’d been up for two hours. He went back to the list of possible suspects he already had.
What about George? Could he be tired of playing second fiddle? According to Detective Baird, George had alibis with his girlfriend. What if she was lying to protect George? Or, could she be his accomplice? His motive would be greed and envy. People had killed for less. Who else knew as much about Jackson as George? If it was a staff member, George was the most likely suspect.
No matter how he tried, he couldn’t see a reasonable motive for either Steve or Julia, and Detective Baird had said their alibis checked out.
Jay, the station manager, didn’t seem all that supportive of Jackson, and Stein couldn’t understand why. Envy? But he had nothing to gain from framing Jackson. In fact, Jackson was a cash cow for the station. Harming Jackson harmed Jay. Besides, he, too, had airtight alibis.
Another possible suspect could have been Jackson’s girlfriend. Stein knew about her but hadn’t interviewed her yet. That might have been a mistake he needed to rectify. Stranger things had happened in the world of homicide investigations. For all he knew, she could have had more motive than anyone else. She certainly had as much knowledge about Jackson’s movements as anyone else. She would know about the Trazadone and could quite easily have access to the station printers. Was being out of town on business a ruse? Well, one thing was for sure: He could easily verify her whereabouts with plane tickets and hotel receipts. He made a note to have Detective Baird check on it. In fact, anything to keep Baird busy and out of the captain’s office was a good thing.
He glanced at the clock again. 5 AM. If he couldn’t sleep, he might as well wake the rookie up, as well.
Detective Baird answered on the third ring.
“Chris, I want you to check on Bob’s girlfriend’s whereabouts for each murder,” he said without any salutation.
“Something come up?”
“Yeah. I want to rule her out. It should be an easy one to verify.”
“Okay. Anything else?”
“Yeah. Footprints back from the lab are not a match for Bob.”
“He could have been wearing something over his shoes,” replied Baird. “Or maybe he didn’t step in the blood. This doesn’t rule him out, in my mind.”
“If it is him, it would mean he purposely wore shoe
s two sizes too big, just to throw us off.”
“He’s smart enough to do that.”
“Yes. I suppose he is.”
“You still have doubts that he’s our man?” asked the young detective.
“I do.”
“Did something else come up?”
“Just my years of experience.” Stein didn’t think he had to justify or explain himself, and he wasn’t about to try.
“Well, I still think it’s him. Every piece of evidence points to him. The printers, the paper, the Trazadone. He had motive and no alibis. It’s him.”
Stein was taken aback by the intensity and emotion coming from the rookie. Why?
“Jake.” The young detective wasn’t about to give up just yet. “You have to admit, the notes all sound like him. I’ve listened to his show on a number of occasions. He attacks. And all the bar fights recently? The guy is unhinged. He’s a menace. I bet the murders will stop if we bring him in.”
“You’ve made your point, but it’s time to back off. The DA isn’t about to move on what we have so far. I want you to refocus on the list of contractors. I’m convinced that someone is framing Jackson, and my guess is, it is someone from his past who felt he was wronged. Look at the alibis from the office staff again. We are missing something. Jackson’s heading up to the cabin, and I have a feeling he’s going to produce an airtight alibi.”
“Based on him saying he has one?”
One alibi wouldn’t fully clear Jackson, but it would shoot holes in the case against him.
“I’ve been doing this a long time, Chris. I don’t think he’s the killer.”
“Even if he finds someone up there who saw him, that doesn’t mean he couldn’t race down the mountain, commit the murder, and still be back at the cabin by dawn. He’s playing you.”
“That’s enough. If you want to stay on the case, I suggest you do as I ask.” Stein was reaching his breaking point. He knew that one alibi didn’t fully clear Jackson, but he was tired of the rookie pushing him. He was there as an assistant, not the lead investigator. “I want you to head down to the radio station today and go through their call logs. Check any records they have and see if anybody threatened Jackson over the years. I think we’ve been looking in the wrong direction. This might be a revenge thing.”
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