“Did you have an automobile?” Hyatt asked.
“I parked it in the alley. She took it. Left me in the dirt. Again.”
The nurse cleared her throat. “Your five minutes are up. You have to go.”
“Thank you, Adele,” Paige said. “I know this was hard.”
“They’ll deny it,” she said wearily. “I have no proof.”
“We’re working on that,” Hyatt said. “You concentrate on getting better.” He handed a card to Darren Shaffer. “This is my direct number, with Assistant SA Smith’s number on the back. Please contact us if you remember anything else. We’ll keep you updated with our investigation.”
Paige followed Grayson and Hyatt into the hall, then leaned against the wall and made herself breathe. “Mrs. McCloud stabbed her? I knew she must have known about the abuse, but… why? Why would Dianna McCloud try to kill Adele? And does that mean that she killed the others?”
“Good questions, Miss Holden,” Hyatt said.
“Very good questions,” Grayson agreed. “We assumed that the same person who’d molested the girls had killed them as adults. For now, we need to separate the crimes. The senator did the sexual abuse—we know that. Adele’s account matches Rex McCloud’s, but I don’t want to bring the senator in for questioning yet. We need hard evidence on the sexual assault. At this point, it’s he-said, she-said.”
“It’s unlikely you will find physical evidence of the rape,” Hyatt said. “It’s been eighteen years since Mrs. Shaffer’s assault.”
Grayson frowned. “I know. I don’t want to tip them off yet because we have to rethink the murders, too. We have circumstantial evidence that the senator killed Crystal. That hasn’t changed.”
“You mean the uneven ligature marks around her throat,” Hyatt said. “And the fact that Senator McCloud has a weaker hand.”
Grayson nodded. “Yes. And that Crystal had two killers. The senator strangled her and a second person stabbed her. We assumed the senator would need help with the other victims, too. But now… Mrs. McCloud changes things. She may have been the person to stab Crystal. She might have killed all the MAC victims or the senator might have.”
“Or they did it together,” Paige muttered. “What a team.”
“But Dianna might still have needed help to get the victims hung after drugging them, and I don’t know that the senator could have done it. We do know she tried to kill Adele, so we should start there. First step is to get physical evidence of the attempted murder. Then we can get a warrant to search the McClouds’ home and see what we can find that connects to everything else. Until then, I don’t want them to suspect we know or they could destroy any evidence that still exists.”
“Adele’s car,” Paige said. “If Mrs. McCloud stabbed her and drove the car away, we might find fingerprints or blood. Or maybe she kept Adele’s purse.”
“That would get us the warrant to search the McCloud condo. If we get the right judge, we might get into the estate, too.” Grayson gave Paige a nod. “You were right.”
“About what?” Hyatt asked.
“Paige thought Mrs. McCloud was involved in the MAC assaults when the girls were twelve. I don’t think either of us expected the senator’s wife was a killer, though.”
“Attempted killer,” Hyatt said with a frown.
Grayson shrugged. “She gave Adele a chocolate when she was twelve that made her groggy. That’s how the Shaffer dog was drugged and how Betsy Malone died.”
Hyatt looked impressed. “Very good, Counselor. I’ll get my people started on finding that car. Keep me posted.”
“I need a second before we leave,” Paige said to Grayson when Hyatt was gone. She stopped at the nurses’ station. “I’d like to check on a patient, please? Logan Booker.”
“Relationship to the patient?” the nurse asked.
“I’m his neighbor,” Paige said. She pointed to Grayson. “He saved his life.”
The nurse smiled. “I see. Logan’s on this floor. He’s stable.”
“I heard the doctors were able to save his leg,” Paige said, holding her breath.
“So far, so good. His aunt came from Philly to care for him and to bury her sister.”
“Logan’s mother,” Paige murmured. “Poor Logan.”
“I know. When he’s able to travel, the aunt said she’ll take him with her to live. She seems like a nice woman. You can see him, if you like.”
Paige looked up at Grayson. “Do we have time?”
“Sure. Let’s go.” But he didn’t move, just stood there looking troubled.
“What is it?” she asked.
“I have to talk to Ramon Muñoz. I’ve been putting it off,” he admitted. “I don’t know what to say to make things right. But I need to talk to him. Today.”
She caressed his cheek to soften her words. “You can’t make things right, Grayson. He’s lost his mother, his wife, six years of his life. You can’t give any of that back. You can only give him justice by making sure that the McClouds and Morton serve the maximum sentence allowable by law. It’s what you do best.”
He drew an unsteady breath, turned his face into her palm. “You’ll go with me.”
It wasn’t a question. “Try to keep me away. Come, let’s visit Logan. Then Ramon.”
Friday, April 8, 10:35 a.m.
“Not your fault,” Grayson said quietly as they buckled up in the Escalade. They’d just come from Logan’s room and it was Grayson’s turn to give comfort.
“I know,” Paige whispered. “He just looked… broken.”
“He’s still foggy from the surgery. But he won’t lose his leg.”
“Not what I meant. His eyes are dead.”
“He’s in shock, honey. He’s going to have a hard time. But his aunt seems strong.”
She nodded. “Kind, too. And she’s got resources. She’ll know how to help him.”
Logan’s aunt was a crime-scene investigator with the Philly PD. She’d taken a leave of absence to care for him, she’d told them. She had already contacted a counselor who treated victims of violent crime in her area. Logan would get the help he needed. Then she’d taken them aside and asked for the true story. The cops had been cryptic about the gunman who’d killed her sister and injured her nephew.
Grayson was tired of secrets, so he’d told her what they knew.
“It’s probably a good thing Silas is dead,” Paige murmured as he started the engine. “Logan’s aunt controlled her anger pretty well when you told her an ex-cop murdered her sister, but if looks really could kill… well, lots of people would be lining up for their turn with Silas.”
“Silas wouldn’t have lasted a day in prison. I only hope that all of his victims don’t turn on Rose and Violet. You know, punish the family for the sins of the father.”
“I know,” she said, giving him a wan smile. “So, where next?”
“North Branch.” The correctional institution where Ramon Muñoz was housed. “It’s a good two-and-a-half-hour drive.”
“You want me to put it into the GPS?”
“No, I’ve been there many times. I know the way.” He’d nearly made it to the highway when his cell phone began to ring. “This is Smith.”
“It’s Daphne.” She was back to the twang he hadn’t realized how much he enjoyed. “I got you a court order for the Jones sisters’ safe-deposit box.”
He’d called her on the way to the hospital to ask her to prepare the warrant, only to find she’d started it the night before. “Does Hyatt know?”
“Yep. I called him. He’s meeting you there in thirty minutes with CSU. Oh, and Yates wants to see you ASAP. He left the message on my voice mail because he didn’t have your new cell number.”
Executive Assistant State’s Attorney Jeff Yates had been Charlie Anderson’s boss. “That was fast. I sent him an e-mail when I finally got home last night, requesting a meeting to plan overturning Ramon Muñoz’s conviction.”
“I figured as much. Just so you know, I heard that they’re looking for y
ou to come back to Homicide. The shit’s already hitting the fan in terms of appeal requests on anything Anderson, Dandridge, or Morton touched.”
He’d figured as much, too. “News travels fast among the defense.”
“That it does. The first stack of appeals were filed by Thomas Thorne.”
Grayson chuckled, surprising himself. “It’s not funny, but it is.”
“You won’t think so once you come back. Have you started a brief for Muñoz?”
“No, I tried to get into the server this morning, but I’m still locked out.”
“I’ll get it started so you’ll have something to take to Yates.”
“You’re the best.”
“Don’t I know it. Oh, and before I forget, you asked me to get a court order for Brittany’s bank account, the one on the register she gave you. I got it and called the bank for you. A thousand dollars was transferred every month from the account of Aristotle Finch of Hagerstown, Maryland. He died six months ago.”
“Which was why the money dried up,” Grayson said. “Brittany was outa bucks.”
“Might explain why she sold you to Lippman outside the nursing home.”
“Oh, I hope we find her soon,” he said softly. “Thanks, Daphne, for everything.” He hung up and turned to Paige. “I’m not putting Ramon off,” he told her.
“I heard. Safe-deposit box, some meeting to discuss freeing Ramon, and Brittany is a greedy ho.”
He smiled. “That last part you already knew. If this meeting goes as I hope, I’ll have something firm to tell Ramon. I’d prefer that to going in with nothing but apologies.”
“I think Ramon would prefer that, too. You want me to GPS Brittany’s bank?”
“If you don’t mind. Let’s see what Brittany’s been hiding.”
Friday, April 8, 10:35 a.m.
The lieutenant and his people were gone and Adele hadn’t moved, her head still turned, still staring at the wall. She hurt, every nerve ending on fire. But she was alive.
And not crazy.
Darren sat in the chair behind her. Silent. The seconds ticked by, turning into minutes, and she wondered why he was even still here.
Then she heard a sound. A sniffle, then a sob. He was crying. Adele didn’t think she’d ever seen him cry in all the years they’d been married. Slowly she turned her head, enough to see him from the corner of her eye.
She said nothing, just waited. He’d leaned forward in the chair, elbows on the bed rail, hands covering his face, his shoulders shaking. Adele drew a breath that burned. And let it out. Reached up and brushed his elbow with her fingertip.
“Sshh,” she said. “It’s all right.”
He looked up, anguished. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I was… ashamed. I thought… no one would want me. I was broken.”
“Adele.” His throat worked as he tried to control himself. “You’re not broken. You’re perfect. You always have been.”
“You didn’t know me then.”
“No, I didn’t. You never spoke of your family. When we first met, I asked you about your family and you said you had none.”
“Because I don’t.”
“But you told the lieutenant that you had three brothers. A mother.”
“Gone. All gone.”
He frowned. “Dead?”
“Yes. Drugs and booze. Gunshot wounds. Drunk driving. By the time I was eighteen, they were all gone and I was all alone. My baby brother held on the longest. He promised me he’d stay out of trouble, stay away from drugs. I came home from work one day and found him dead. Shot to death, drug buy gone wrong. He’d been pushing, out of our apartment. I’d always seen shadows, looked over my shoulder, you know, since the senator, but when I found Andy dead like that, I just cracked.”
Compassion had filled his eyes, but at the mention of the senator the compassion became fury. “And you went into the mental hospital.”
She winced. “Yes. That was where I met Dr. Theopolis. Who I went to see on Tuesday. I started to get better. I got a job, made friends. Went to college. Met you.”
The fury in his eyes banked, and he gently picked up her hand. “If you’d told me about the senator, I would have believed you. And I’d never, ever think you were broken. I’m sorry, Adele. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you when you said you went shopping. But you’d been acting so strangely and… well, I always worried that one day you’d wake up and realize you’d made a mistake. That you shouldn’t have married me.”
“Why would I think that? Just because your first wife left?”
He attempted a crooked smile. “I guess I was broken.”
“I was going to tell you,” she whispered. “But I had to find out who was after me. I went to a private investigator.”
“I know. Your friend Krissy called the police when she saw your picture on the news. She told them that you went to see the PI to get material for the divorce.”
“No, not for a divorce. I just told Krissy that. I hired the PI to help me find out who was trying to kill me. I had to know I wasn’t crazy and be able to prove it to you. Otherwise, I’d be handing you ammunition to use against me. To take Allie from me. You’d never believe I didn’t have an affair.”
“What can I do?” he said. “What can I do to make you love me again?”
“Nothing. I never stopped loving you.”
He swallowed hard. “I love you, Adele. I can’t promise to never be a jerk again because sometimes I’m stupid, but I do promise never to leave you.”
“What if they arrest McCloud?”
His jaw hardened. “You’ll testify. I’ll be there with you every step. You’ll make him pay. I just hope I can see his face without smashing it.”
“Everyone will know,” she whispered. “Someday Allie will know.”
“You didn’t do anything wrong, Adele,” he said fiercely. “You were the victim. And you have nothing, nothing, to be ashamed of. Allie will know her mother survived and got justice for herself and the fifteen others he molested.”
“All right,” she said. “I’ll do it. Are we okay?”
“More than okay. You’re alive.”
“And not crazy,” she murmured.
He laughed, a watery sound. “And Rusty’s coming home tomorrow.”
She managed a chuckle that hurt her chest. “No more chocolate for him.”
Friday, April 8, 11:10 a.m.
Hyatt and CSU’s Drew Peterson were only a few minutes behind them, so they didn’t have to wait in the bank’s lobby long.
“You have the key?” Hyatt said.
Grayson held it up. “Right here.”
The bank manager inspected the court order, then led them to the vault. He removed the box and put it on a table. Grayson inserted the key. It turned and slowly he lifted the hinged lid. Inside was a large manila envelope.
Drew opened it, his hands gloved. And he frowned.
“What is it?” Hyatt said and Drew looked up, puzzled.
“It’s blue fabric,” he said.
Paige tilted the envelope to look inside and her mouth fell open. “Oh my God,” she breathed. She looked up at Grayson. “It’s Crystal’s dress, the one she wore the day of the MAC ice-cream social. Remember the librarian said it was blue? That’s the dress.”
“Will you excuse us?” Hyatt asked the bank manager. When the manager was gone, he turned to Drew. “Check it out.”
Drew took a UV light stick from his tool kit, waved it over the mouth of the envelope. The fabric inside began to glow.
“I don’t see any bloodstains,” Drew said. “It’s likely semen. We’ll do a DNA on the semen and see if we can find hair, skin, anything on it that belonged to Crystal.”
“I can’t believe she kept it,” Hyatt said. “Why would she even think to?”
“At the time of her assault, who knows?” Paige shrugged. “But later, six years ago, she was going to blackmail the McClouds. This is why she was killed.”
“She threatened to expose
them,” Grayson murmured. “This is why she went to that party. She must have told them she had proof. Has her sister been to this box?”
“Yes,” Hyatt said. “The manager said she visited six years ago. She hasn’t been back since.”
“She knew about the dress, so she knew about the assault,” Grayson said. “Brittany wanted us to find out about MAC.”
“Why didn’t she just report it to the police herself?” Drew asked.
“Because if we found out, it would bring the McClouds into the spotlight,” Grayson said. “There’d be a scandal, which the senator and his wife would do anything to avoid.”
“Then she was going to blackmail them,” Paige said. “Once they were implicated in the assault of sixteen girls, she’d be in a sweet spot. She’d get really big money.”
“Except she didn’t know that, apart from Adele, they were all dead,” Grayson added.
“Why did she give you the key?” Drew asked.
“I think she got scared because we almost got blown up,” Grayson said. “If we found the dress and nailed the McClouds instead of just implicating them…”
“It would take the heat off of her,” Hyatt said grimly. “When we find her, she’ll know what heat really is. For now, let’s get this tested, Peterson. I want results as fast as humanly possible. When I bring in that ass McCloud, I want him to sweat.”
“Will do,” Drew said. “I’ll need something to compare it to.”
“I’ll get you something,” Hyatt promised.
They’d left the bank when Hyatt held up his forefinger for them to wait. “Excellent,” he said into his cell phone. “Keep someone on them both.” He hung up and turned to Grayson and Paige.
“What did you find?” Grayson asked.
“Adele’s car at the airport. Guess who the security video showed getting out of it?”
Grayson’s pulse began to race. “Dianna McCloud?”
Hyatt’s bald head nodded once in satisfaction. “One and the same. I had Detective Perkins draft a search warrant as soon as I left Adele’s hospital room. Now it’s signed and Perkins and his team are on their way to search the McCloud residences.”
“Both the condo and the estate?” Paige asked eagerly.
“Since the estate is where the original crime occurred, yes, the estate, too. I’ll keep you informed, Mr. Smith.”