Evil Guardian

by Scott Bonn

  While DiPilato tells their boss the exciting news over the phone, Robinson drives uptown to the DNA crime lab with their car’s siren blaring.

  Chapter Seventy

  The telephone call from detective DiPilato to his lieutenant starts a chain reaction of events in New York City on Halloween night. At 6:45pm, the cell phone of James Pritchard rings. The homicide captain is resting on his bed at the Residence Inn Marriott in downtown Manhattan when he receives the call. Lieutenant Baker is on the other end of the line.

  After exchanging greetings, Pritchard asks, “What can I do for you, Frank?”

  Baker says, “We have a break in the investigation, Captain. Sergeant DiPilato just called me. He and his partner have retrieved a partially eaten banana that Charles Lundquist dropped into a garbage can outside of his apartment while they were watching him. This happened just minutes ago. They are taking the banana to the main DNA crime lab on East 26th Street right now for testing.”

  Excited, Pritchard sits up in bed and exclaims, “Outstanding, Frank! This could be our big break. I am going to the crime lab now and oversee the testing myself. Thank you.”

  Baker says, “You are welcome, Captain. I am sure that our friends with the FBI will want to know about this revelation, too. I can call them.”

  Pritchard says, “Thank you, Frank, but that will not be necessary. I will let them know.”

  After saying goodbye to Baker, Pritchard turns toward Julia Cassidy, who is lying next to him in bed, and says, “Up and at 'em, Julia. It looks like we may have a sample of Lundquist’s DNA on a banana, of all things. You and I are headed to the DNA crime lab right now to oversee the forensic testing.”

  Still naked after having just made love to Pritchard, Cassidy puts on a hotel robe and sits next to him on the bed.

  She says, “This is great news, James. You have been hoping that Lundquist would make a mistake somehow and present us with a gift. It appears that he just has. I only hope that his DNA is on the banana. I am going to call Janet Chin and tell her to meet us at the crime lab. She needs to be involved in this. She is the best criminalist we have at the FBI.”

  “Perfect,” says Pritchard as he hurries to get dressed.

  He adds, “I need to call the commissioner, too, and let him know what is happening.”

  Within minutes, one of Pritchard’s men is driving Cassidy and him northbound on FDR Drive to the crime lab in an unmarked police car. Pritchard has already given a report to Bill Bratton, and Cassidy has spoken to Janet Chin who is on her way to the crime lab to meet them.

  Chapter Seventy One

  While Pritchard, Cassidy and their colleagues are huddled together at the DNA crime lab and anxiously awaiting any news about the forensic tests, Stacey Sommers is lying on her tiny prison bed at Bedford Hills and thinking about Charles Lundquist. She is fantasizing about her date with the chaplain scheduled for tomorrow.

  Last Friday, Lundquist said that he would baptize her on Monday afternoon in the prison chapel. She is excited, and her heart is beating quickly while thinking about the upcoming event.

  Stacey looks dreamily up at the ceiling of her cell and says to herself, “Tomorrow, my dear chaplain will baptize me and I will join him as a member of the Methodist church. I have been preparing for this event for so long. I have been studying hard and I really want to change my life. My baptism will be a new beginning for me. God has blessed me and given me a second chance. I owe it all to Charles, my guardian angel, who believes in me. I know that God has sent him to protect me from all of the evils in the world. I will not allow myself to slip back into my old ways. I do not have to. I have hope for the first time in my life, and a purpose, because of my chaplain. I love him so much.”

  Stacey lies on her bed and daydreams about a life together with Charles Lundquist after she leaves prison. She fantasizes about having sex with him endlessly. It is her favorite fantasy. Despite her young age, she has had sex with many men, but none of those experiences gave her any joy or satisfaction. In terms of having sex with a man she loves, Stacey is still a virgin. She hopes that one day soon, in the not too distant future, Charles Lundquist will be the first man to have sex with her that she really loves. She touches her body and prays for that day to come soon.

  Chapter Seventy Two

  It is 7:30am on Monday, November 1st, and Pritchard and Cassidy are sitting together in the guardian war room drinking coffee and talking. Despite the fact that they have been up all night, neither one of them is tired. In fact, nervous energy is surging through both of them.

  They just returned to One Police Plaza from the DNA crime lab where they spent the night with the forensic scientists who are conducting tests on the banana disposed of by Charles Lundquist.

  A few hours ago, the scientists discovered traces of male DNA from Lundquist’s saliva on the banana peel. That was exciting and promising news for Pritchard and his colleagues to hear. However, it may still be some time before the forensic scientists know whether Lundquist’s DNA matches the guardian’s DNA from the semen samples discovered on his victims.

  Before Pritchard left the crime lab with Cassidy this morning, he asked Dr. Janet Chin to stay with the scientists at the crime lab and call him the moment they get the test results.

  Now, back at police headquarters, Pritchard wants to get a report on the analysis of Charles Lundquist’s handwriting. Over the weekend, Cassidy brought in a local forensic handwriting expert that she knows and respects. His name is Dr. Bradley Richards, and the FBI often consults with him in high profile criminal cases.

  Dr. Richards has been analyzing Lundquist’s signature on his New York State driver’s license, and comparing it to the two Michael Gabriel signatures on the money orders used by the guardian to purchase the iron crosses from Wheeling Metal Works. Dr. Richards has been working under the supervision of Special Agent Steve Redding who is spearheading the investigation into the custom-made crosses.

  Cassidy calls Redding on his cell phone and asks him to escort Dr. Richards to the war room so that the forensic scientist can provide a progress report on the handwriting analysis.

  A few minutes later, Redding and Dr. Richards walk into the war room. Dr. Richards is a tall, slim, middle-aged white man with salt-and-pepper hair and horn-rimmed glasses, dressed in a navy blue suit. His demeanor is very serious. He is not smiling.

  After exchanging greetings, Cassidy asks, “Dr. Richards, Can you please tell us what you have learned from the handwriting samples that we gave you?”

  Richards says, “Yes, I can tell you that the two Michael Gabriel signatures were signed by the same person. They are identical in every way. I can also tell you that I see similarities between the Michael Gabriel signatures and the driver’s license signature of Charles Lundquist. However, I cannot say with absolute certainty that Lundquist signed all three.”

  Cassidy asks, “What level of confidence do you have that Lundquist signed all three?”

  Richards says, “I really need to see more samples of Lundquist’s handwriting to form an expert opinion. Right now, based on what you have given me to work with, I cannot say with any more than fifty percent confidence that Charles Lundquist also signed the Michael Gabriel signatures. I am sorry.”

  Cassidy says, “I understand, Dr. Richards. We need to get a larger sample of Lundquist’s handwriting for you to work with. Thank you very much. Steve Redding will show you out.”

  After Redding and Dr. Richards leave the war room, Cassidy says, “Too bad, but we knew this was a bit of a long shot. We had to try.”

  Pritchard says, “No worries. If we get a DNA match for Lundquist, then the results of the handwriting analysis will be moot because we will already have what we need to arrest him.”

  Cassidy says, “That is true. There is so damn much riding on the results of these DNA tests.

  Pritchard says, “Yes, and waiting for them is brutal.”

  While Pritchard and Cassidy are talking, Agent Baldwin and Lieutenant Baker ente
r the war room at the same time. Baker asks Pritchard whether there is any news yet from the DNA crime lab. Pritchard tells him that they are still waiting for the results. He also tells Baker and the others in the room that he spoke to Commissioner Bratton early this morning. He informs them that the police commissioner has a judge standing by who will sign a warrant for the arrest of Lundquist the moment they receive news of a positive match in the DNA tests.

  Baldwin and Baker sit down at the conference table where they join Pritchard and Cassidy.

  They must all wait three excruciating hours more until Pritchard receives a telephone call from the DNA crime lab. At 10:30am, the captain’s cell phone rings. It is Janet Chin on the line with the test results.

  After exchanging greetings, Pritchard presses the speakerphone button on his cell phone and excitedly asks, “Do we have a match, Janet?”

  Chin says, “Yes, we do, Captain. Lundquist’s DNA matches both samples of the guardian’s semen. Statistically, there is less than a one-in-one-hundred-million chance that Charles Lundquist is not the guardian. He is our killer, Captain.”

  Pritchard and his colleagues erupt into cheers upon hearing the news. Pritchard tells Chin to text the test results to him immediately. He thanks her and says good-bye.

  While his colleagues are still celebrating, Pritchard loudly says, “All right, folks. It is show time. I will notify the commissioner and secure our arrest warrant. We are going to take this bastard down today at his place of work. Let’s lock and load!”

  James Pritchard is now in full action mode. Only five minutes after receiving the telephone call from Janet Chin, he has already spoken to the police commissioner and sent Frank Baker across the street to New York City Hall to pick up the arrest warrant arranged by Bratton. While he waits for Baker to return with the warrant, Pritchard is assembling the strike force that will travel with him to Bedford Hills Correctional Facility to arrest Lundquist for the abduction and murder of five young females.

  Pritchard has decided to arrest Lundquist at Bedford Hills because he believes that the state prison provides a more secure location and represents less risk to innocent bystanders than doing it out in public. He also wants to make the arrest immediately and put an end to the guardian’s reign of terror.

  Although Pritchard has tactical command of the operation, Cassidy will actually make the arrest of Lundquist because her federal authority gives her jurisdiction that Pritchard does not possess in Westchester County.

  Pritchard has telephoned the superintendent at Bedford Hills, Sabina Kaplan, and told her that he and the FBI are coming to arrest Lundquist. The superintendent expressed tremendous shock upon hearing the news that Lundquist is the guardian. Pritchard told Kaplan not to take any action or divulge what he has told her to anyone until he and his team arrive. Kaplan confirmed that she would take no action and wait for their arrival. She also told Pritchard that Lundquist takes lunch from 12:00 to 1:00pm, so the arresting officers will be able to confront him in his office after that time.

  Pritchard has decided to arrest Lundquist shortly after lunch. It is now 10:50am, so that gives his team and him plenty of time to drive the forty-five miles to Bedford Hills and get everything ready for the arrest. He will take a team of eight people, including himself. His seven teammates will consist of FBI agents Cassidy, Baldwin and Redding, along with NYPD Lieutenant Baker, and detective sergeants Collins, DiPilato and Robinson. They will be heavily armed and travel in four unmarked police cars.

  At 11:15am, Frank Baker returns to One Police Plaza with the arrest warrant. Pritchard and the others are already wearing bulletproof vests, and they are ready to go when Baker walks into the war room. Their cars are waiting for them downstairs.

  Baker hands the arrest warrant to Pritchard.

  Pritchard says, “Thank you, Frank. Now, suit up. It is time to get that son of a bitch.”

  By 11:40am, Pritchard and his arresting team are driving north on FDR Drive. They are headed to Bedford Hills and the moment of truth with the guardian.

  Chapter Seventy Three

  Shortly before noontime, Charles Lundquist is working quietly in his office while, unbeknownst to him, a team of law enforcement officials is driving northwest from Manhattan to arrest him. The prison chaplain is feeling distracted this morning. He still cannot get the idea out of mind that the police are watching him. He wonders if he is having a premonition. He is preoccupied with this notion, and it is disturbing him.

  Lundquist looks at his watch. It is almost time for lunch and he is getting hungry. In a few minutes, as is his usual routine, he will go to the staff cafeteria and eat lunch with other prison officials. He reminds himself that he must be back to his office by 1:00pm sharp so that he can prepare to baptize Stacey Sommers this afternoon. Thinking about baptizing her today makes him smile and gives him some relief from his anxiety and negative thoughts. Lundquist has been looking forward to this day for a long time.

  Pritchard and his arresting team make good time in moderate traffic on their road trip to Bedford Hills. By 12:45pm, the group has arrived. They park their four cars in the VIP area outside of the prison entrance. They will wait until 1:15pm to enter the facility and show their credentials to the officers at the security desk.

  Pritchard and his seven colleagues are standing outside of their cars in the parking lot. They are discussing various details of their plan to arrest Lundquist.

  Cassidy looks at Pritchard and says, “We have no idea how Lundquist will react when we confront him. We also do not know if he is armed. However, we do know that he is ruthless and cold-blooded. Therefore, we have to be prepared for anything.”

  Pritchard says, “Absolutely, but we want to take him quietly and cleanly and with no struggle. Fortunately, we have the element of surprise working for us. It is almost time now.”

  By 1:00pm, Lundquist has returned to his office from lunch. Exactly fifteen minutes later, Pritchard and his colleagues enter the prison and find that superintendent Sabina Kaplan is waiting for them at the security check-in desk. She greets them and introduces herself.

  Pritchard and Cassidy introduce themselves to Kaplan and they show her their credentials. Cassidy also shows the federal arrest warrant for Lundquist to the superintendent.

  Satisfied with Cassidy’s authority after seeing her FBI credentials and reading the arrest warrant, the no-nonsense, middle-aged superintendent allows Cassidy and the others to go through the security checkpoint. Kaplan tells them that she will personally escort them to Lundquist’s office.

  She says, “It is a little tricky to get to the chaplain’s office from here. There are many hallways. I want to take you there myself.”

  Pritchard thanks Kaplan. He and the arresting team follow the superintendent down the main hallway that ultimately leads to Lundquist.

  A few moments after they disappear down the hallway, the young male officer in charge of the security desk telephones Charles Lundquist and informs him that the superintendent and visitors from the FBI and NYPD are on their way to his office. Kaplan did not tell the security officer the real reason why the FBI and NYPD are at the prison today, so he assumed that Lundquist is expecting them. In the security officer’s mind, he is simply doing his job. Unintentionally, however, he has robbed Pritchard and his team of the element of surprise in their plan to arrest Lundquist.

  The chaplain is shocked to hear about his visitors and quickly ends his telephone call with the security officer. Immediately upon hearing the news, he knows that he is in trouble. He also knows that it will take the group coming for him about five minutes to get through the maze of hallways that go from the security check-in desk to his office. He realizes that he must act quickly.

  Lundquist says to himself, “Somehow, they have linked me to the guardian. They are coming to arrest him. I know it, and I cannot let that happen. Not yet.”

  Excited and breathing quickly, he reaches into his desk for something, and then jumps up from his chair and leaves his office. He
turns left and walks quickly down the hallway. He makes a series of turns, and navigates through a number of corridors, until he reaches a locked door that leads to the medium security cellblock.

  An armed guard is standing on the other side of the door that separates Lundquist from the cellblock. The attending guard peers through the glass and instantly recognizes Lundquist. The guard is Lilly Perez, and she knows the prison chaplain well. Perez immediately opens the door to let Lundquist enter. Lundquist walks briskly through the sliding door after it opens. Just as Perez is about to speak to Lundquist, he strikes her on the left side of her head with a blackjack. The unconscious Perez collapses to the floor. Lundquist takes her set of keys and races down the central corridor of the cellblock.

  A few inmates who have witnessed Lundquist’s actions are calling out to him from their cells. They are shocked and confused. Lundquist ignores them. He is interested in one thing, and one thing only.

  When he arrives at his destination, Lundquist stops and looks into the cell that houses Stacey Sommers. He smiles at her and she smiles back. He opens the door to her cell and, without saying a word, embraces her in a hug. Stacey is surprised because he has never done that to her before. Although she is very happy to see Lundquist, his actions are confusing her. The chaplain is not following prison procedures, and she does not understand what is happening.

  She is about to ask Lundquist what he is doing when he abruptly says, “Stacey, you must come with me right now. We have no time to talk. Just trust me, and follow me.”

  Stacey is somewhat stunned by what Lundquist has just told her, but she complies with his instructions. She allows him to lead her out of the cell and into the corridor.