by R E Gauthier
“I’m on it.” Nikki hugged Kelsey. “You can use line three; there is a cloaking program on it; no one will be able to trace the call without tripping my alarm.”
“What would I ever do without you?” Kelsey asked as she returned the hug.
“I hope you will never have to find out.”
“Me too,” Kelsey said as she pressed line three and dialed the number Torres provided for Kelsey, for the FBI agents with Miranda and Nanna.
***
Hearing Miranda’s voice sent a fresh set of tears streaming down Kelsey’s face. She tried to hide the fact she cried by making up the excuse that her sinuses were bothering her from the dust in her office. Miranda didn’t seem to push the subject, but her voice trembled with emotions as well. “How did the flight go; did Nanna handle it well?”
“Oh, she was great; it was me who may have needed some more medication before we lifted off. I may have scared the flight attendant.”
Kelsey grimaced because she knew all too well about Miranda’s anxieties about flying. They stemmed from her parents being killed in a plane crash when she was very young. “I’m sorry. I hope it wasn’t too bad.”
“Oh, I didn’t take enough of the nausea medication. I was worried about not being alert to keep an eye on Nanna. I had nothing to worry about where she was concerned. She put on those headphones and fell asleep right after takeoff. We hit turbulence twenty minutes into the flight, and I spent most of the flight in the bathroom.”
Kelsey’s heart ached for what Miranda had to endure because of this case and Washburg’s threats. Angry tears slid down her face. She sniffed louder than she planned to and Miranda commented on it.
“You should take something before you try to sleep tonight; you sound like your sinuses are getting worse.”
“I’m not sure how much sleep I’m going to get. I can feel the distance between us, and it’s tearing me up inside.”
“You asked me if I trusted you many times and I have always said the same thing. I trust you with my heart and my safety. Don’t worry about us. You do what you have to do. Nanna seems calmer after she listened to the person, you asked to call her about the gas leak. I think this little vacation will be good for her. She’s already planning on going for a long walk on the beach tomorrow.”
“She’s always loved the beach. I wanted to take her on vacation for many years, but things always got in the way. I promise after all this is cleared up; I’m taking her and you away for a proper vacation. If I have learned anything from recent events, is that I cannot keep putting off what I promised to do.”
“Nanna loves you and understands what drives you to do what you do. It’s what made me love you. Your family and your dedication make you who you are; don’t ever change.”
“Have I told you lately how much I love you?”
“Not in the last ten minutes, you haven’t.”
“Tha mi a 'guidhe ort nas motha na beatha fhèin agus nuair a smaoinicheas mi air cho furasta' s as urrainn dhut a bhith air mo thoirt bhuainn; Tha mi a 'bàsachadh a-staigh.”
“Even though I don’t understand one word; when you say it in Gaelic, it’s the most beautiful thing I have ever heard.”
“I said, “I love you more than life itself and when I think of how easily you could be taken from me; I die inside.”
“Oh, Babe, I wish you could talk to me and tell me everything. I know keeping it inside is tearing you apart. Knowing that you would never put us in danger and you’d do anything to protect us, made today easier for me to get through. I trust you with my whole being and tonight when I close my eyes; I will think of you holding me in your arms, kissing my lips, and telling me everything will be okay.”
Smiling as she thought of that moment, Kelsey closed her eyes and reached out to Miranda through space and time. “I’ll be there and when this is over; we’ll never be separated again.”
After a brief conversation with Nanna about her plans for their days on the beach, Kelsey felt so much better than she had before hearing the voices of the two most important women in her life.
***
Waking in a cold sweat, Kelsey saw Aisling calling out to her again. The terror in her cousin’s voice struck her like a knife to her heart. Crushed under the weight of the fact she couldn’t help her beloved cousin that night made the tears run cold down her cheeks. Trembling, Kelsey clawed the small blanket up to her chin. She lay on the small sofa in her office, the street lights cast shadows across the ceiling and flickering lights signaled that the city outside was starting to wake in the early morning hours. She knew she hadn’t slept for very long, but long enough to be lulled into the same nightmare that haunted her for nearly nineteen years, since the night of her sixteen Birthday.
Kelsey recalled the horror of seeing the man, who grabbed Aunt Cat and punched her in the face. Hearing the screams coming from the woman, Kelsey loved, almost as much as she loved her mother or grandmother, made young Kelsey tremble. Her Uncle Ethan was lying in bed next to his wife with a gunshot in his shoulder, his hands bound, the anger and desperation in his eyes. Aisling shook with terror under her bed and held hands to her ears.
Then the nightmare took a more sinister path when the man turned his cruel tormented attack on Aisling. Kelsey was forced to endure both the physical and emotional pain her cousin experienced. Feeling as though that night was in the present, Kelsey’s skin crawled with disgust and shame of what that man did to her beloved Aisling and through their connection with each other, to Kelsey as well. Rubbing her arms, Kelsey could still feel his hands on her body, pushing into her, making her cry. She heard him laughing the more Aisling cried out.
Needing to get away from the nightmare and her office, filled with the presence of another man, who violated women, Kelsey dressed in the running clothes she had in a bag stored in her closet. A run will help clear her mind for the day or days ahead of her. I will keep my promise, Aisling.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Cold Case Behavioral Unit Offices, Pittsburgh, Afternoon, March 17, 2012
Kelsey sat at her desk, thinking. Time flew by as she stared out her window. Her thoughts kept coming back to watching Washburg sitting in her chair reading her journal, talking on her phone. The security video played out in her mind over again as she watched him walk into their office and turn on a light. He walked straight into Kelsey’s office to her desk and searched for the journal. It was like he knew where to find it. Kelsey asked Nikki to search for hacks into their security system, but Nikki assured her no one could hack in. On a thorough sweep of their office, they did find several cameras and audio-only bugs in different areas of their office. Washburg had access to their office for weeks, he’d been watching them, he knew when they knew things; that’s how he was one step ahead of them this whole time. Paul Washburg had gone too far this time. Her hatred for the man had no bounds.
Kelsey had driven to Nanna’s house early that morning to collect more clothes. She told Nikki that she wanted to sleep at the office until they caught Washburg. It didn’t make any sense to go back and forth when she had a full bathroom and a sofa to sleep on in her office. Nikki offered to have Kelsey stay with her in her hotel room, but Kelsey declined. While in the house, she did a thorough sweep with an electronic radio frequency detector and found an assortment of hidden cameras and audio bugs. There were cameras in several rooms in the home including Kelsey and Miranda’s bedroom. The level of violation Kelsey felt increased exponentially. Washburg had observed her every move, her private moments with Nanna and Miranda. The thought of the sick bastard watching her and Miranda in their bed made her insides roll with nausea.
Nikki arranged for a full forensic team to search Nanna’s home for anything that didn’t belong. The team dusted for prints and collected DNA. Kelsey then had a professional cleaning team the FBI used to go to the house and do an extensive cleaning job. She didn’t want one piece of the man left anywhere inside her home. Once they were done; Nikki ordered a team of her best FBI sec
urity techs to install a state-of-the-art system with motion detectors, floodlights, cameras, and alarms. Kelsey didn’t want to spare anything on revamping security in Nanna’s home. She even asked the team to change every lock on the doors, and also install new bolts on every window.
Torres called to tell them that Anthony Churchill stuck to his story that he acted alone, and he didn’t know how the burner phone got in that bag. He said he never heard of Paul Washburg or any of Washburg’s known aliases.
Nikki worked on computer stuff in her office and popped in a few times to check on Kelsey. Each time she did, she found Kelsey sitting in the same place.
“Mack, you should go for a walk or a run. It’s not good to sit still for so long; you’re going to get all cramped up.”
Nikki was right about the sitting and the cramps. Kelsey could feel the stiffness settle into her joints and muscles. Unable to get her mind off of the tremendous feeling of violation from knowing Washburg watched her and Miranda in their bed, he watched Nikki and she strategizing their plan to take him down, and he read her innermost childhood thoughts and dreams. This assault on her privacy only compounded reliving the sexual assault she witnessed in her nightmare the night before. Kelsey’s skin crawled with the loathing she felt for the man in the nightmare and Paul Washburg; both men took away the innocence of life. Kelsey experienced the same helplessness, and vulnerability today that she had many years ago. “Nikki, I ran this morning, but it didn’t help to erase… I feel like I cannot get away from myself. My mind keeps going back to that night. I relived that man’s defilement of my aunt and cousin. Then what Washburg has done; I’ve never felt this way since that night. This feels like another physical assault.”
Coming over to put her arms around Kelsey, Nikki softly said, “it’s normal to feel this way, but I cannot let you wallow in these emotions. How can I get your mind off of them?”
“Tell me you found something we can use to go after him.”
“Well, while I have been waiting to hear back from anyone with news of test results on forensic evidence, I’ve been looking into your uncle’s company.”
Hearing anything to do with her family’s case made Kelsey brighten. “Did you find something we could use to look for why someone wanted him dead?”
“You said he owned a construction company; do you know what sort of work he did? I mean is there someone who may know what kind of contracts they worked on?”
Kelsey thought back to the days when Aisling would wait for her father to come home from his business trips; she knew her cousin’s disappointment when her father missed Birthdays, or School plays. “I know he had a partner. The man used to come to family events sometimes; he had children around my age. Can you search for his company?”
“That’s just it; the company wouldn’t have been computerized back then so I have no records that I can access through my usual means. We’ll have to check into Public Archives, and it would make it easier if we knew the name and the name of the owners.”
Kelsey took out her journal. “I may have written down the names of the kids that Aisling and I would have played with; maybe the names of uncle Ethan’s partner’s kids will be in here.”
“Great, you have a look, and I’ll see what I can find for names of construction companies in the area. Do you have any idea what years the company would have been running?”
“I know that for as far back as I can remember, Aisling’s dad worked and was away from home much of the time. If I had to guess at least as far back as before Aisling’s birth, that would mean nineteen seventy-seven until September nineteen ninety. If I could ask Nanna…wait a minute; I can ask my father.”
“Are you sure, you want to call him? You said he’s not happy about you looking into that night any more than Nanna has been.”
“Yes, you’re right, but he hasn’t been as passionate about it as she has, so I think he can at least give us some information. It’s worth a try.”
“If you think it’ll help and he won’t be too upset with you; you’re right it’s worth a try. We could use all the help we can get on finding a place to start searching for people who may have wanted your uncle dead. What did you say your aunt did?”
“Aunt Cat worked as a kindergarten teacher, and everyone loved her; we’re not going to find a lead there.”
Nikki chuckled. “Well, you never know, some parents can be quite fanatical about their children’s education.”
Kelsey joined in on Nikki’s humorous outburst. “Thank you, Nikki.”
“What are you thanking me for?”
“For taking my mind off of myself and reminding me that we can never give up doing what we do; even if it means we may have a setback.”
“That’s what friends are for; besides, I cannot sit around long without going crazy. I thought since we’re in a holding-pattern with Washburg, I could at least look more into your family’s case.”
“And that is why I love you; you’re always looking ahead. I’ll call my dad and see if he can help us. Maybe you can light a fire under some of your forensic geeks at the Lab.”
Nikki nodded and shouted over her shoulder as she walked to her office, “I’m also going to call that diner down the street and see if we can order us some dinner. I skipped lunch and only had a coffee and bagel for breakfast; my stomach is starting to chew a hole inside of me.”
Kelsey smiled as her stomach grumbled, reminding her she had missed lunch as well.
***
Awaiting her father’s phone call, Kelsey nibbled on the, now cold roast beef and gravy on her takeout plate. Although earlier her stomach groaned and wanted food, as soon as she took a few bites, it began to complain about the intrusion. Her appetite hadn’t been right since she left Miranda and Nanna almost a week ago. Takeout dinner was not the same as a home cooked meal. Through the years, Kelsey’s body grew used to eating takeout from numerous joints all over in places where she went to investigate cases. Now, her body felt it knew better and wanted the healthier fare of Nanna and Miranda’s cooking. The thought of Miranda reminded Kelsey of her loneliness, and her stomach clenched.
The phone chiming on her desk brought Kelsey out of the doldrums and back to the present. Kelsey’s dad’s photo smiled back from her screen. “Hello, Daddy; I’m glad I could reach you. How have you been?”
“Kelsey, it’s good to hear your voice. I’m sorry I couldn’t go to the ceremony in your honor, but I saw the photos your grandmother took.”
“I understand how busy you are, so I will get to the point why I called.”
“You mean you didn’t call to say hello? I spoke to your brother today; what’s this about your grandmother’s house, having a gas leak?”
“I knew Kenny couldn’t help himself and not call you. It’s being taken care of, and I sent Nanna on a nice vacation.”
“I’m not questioning you; I’m asking, what are you doing about it?”
Kelsey drew in a deep breath. Don’t get upset before you get what we need. She explained quickly that the remedial company was cleaning Nanna’s house and repairing the gas leaks. “I’m sorry Dad, but I’ve been busy, and this issue with the house took me by surprise. I had to act quickly to arrange everything.”
“I’m sure your grandmother appreciates your help, and she’s been wanting to go to the beach for years. If you didn’t call me to talk, then why did you call?”
Frowning, Kelsey heard the tension in her father’s voice. They may have smoothed over some of the problems with their relationship that accumulated over the years, but many remained; ones that were harder to forgive. “I called because I need your help. I’m looking into uncle Ethan’s company, and we need to know the name and if he had any partners.”
The silence spoke louder than any words could. Thomas MacGregor sighed heavily.
Kelsey could imagine her father’s mouth in a thin line, his jaw clenched, his eyes bearing into hers through the phone and the shaking of his head. “I know Dad. Before you start into your
usual rant about not honoring my family’s wishes, I want to remind you that I’m doing this for my family. I know you and Nanna have made it abundantly clear that I’m making a mistake re-opening their case, but I have to do this.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. The police solved their murders. You looking into it is only opening old wounds, and bringing back bad memories. The police did their due diligence and you pursuing this will upset many influential people.”
“I don’t care about stepping on toes or angering people—”
“Well, you should. You’re stepping up the chain-of-command, in the FBI, and if you don’t want to jeopardize your career, you’ll start drawing within the lines.”
“Will you help me? I’ll find what I need without you, but if you can answer some of these questions; it will make it go smoother and rock fewer boats.” Kelsey thought if she played into her father’s want to keep her from stepping on toes; he would help her.
“Your uncle’s company was called Highland Construction, and he did have a partner. Lyle MacConnell and your uncle opened the company together, but after Ethan’s death, MacConnell tried to keep it afloat. He had to declare bankruptcy two years after that night.”
Kelsey wrote down the company name and Lyle MacConnell on her notepad. “Do you know if Mr. MacConnell still lives nearby?”
“I don’t know, but he did start up a contracting company building houses a few years after the company’s demise.”
“Thanks, Dad. I know you don’t believe me about my need to re-open their case. I made a promise years ago, and you always taught me to stand behind my word. I’ll make you a promise today that if at any time, I find that the police did their jobs and they solved the case and persecuted the right man, I’ll apologize and stop my investigation.”
“I only hope that you find this out before you make enemies or hurt someone you don’t want to hurt. You know how your grandmother feels about your insistence that you must right this preconceived wrong; she will not be happy.”