Chapter 57
CHAPTER 57
“E DDA’S LIFE WAS ABOUT SERVING OTHERS wherever the need was the greatest.” Amanda paused in her remarks to wipe her eyes.
Hanna found herself doing the same thing. Edda’s celebration-of-life service brought so many emotions to the surface. She grieved not only for Edda, but also for Joe and her mother.
“She served women struggling with unexpected pregnancy, she worked tirelessly to help those fighting addiction, and she was always available to pray with anyone who asked.”
Hanna’s sadness was tempered by the knowledge that Edda was in heaven, enjoying her eternal reward. And in saying goodbye, at least for now, she knew who was responsible for her friend’s death.
Hanna went back to work the day after Edda’s celebration. Jared was off work and home recuperating with facial fractures. When Marcus hit him with the shotgun, it broke his nose and cheekbone. He’d attended the celebration of life but looked horrible as his face was black, blue, and purple with bruising. She planned on bringing him dinner at the end of the day.
At the moment, she was in Sonora for Marcus Marshall’s arraignment. A great deal of media was present at the courthouse, and she had to walk the gauntlet.
“Chief Keyes, can you give a statement about the arrest of Marcus Marshall?”
“Care to comment on Chase Buckley?”
“Is it true that your father’s murder case will be reopened?”
The last question stopped her. She searched for the reporter who had asked. It was a guy from the local paper. “Where did you hear that?”
“Can you confirm the rumor?”
Hanna studied the man for a minute, not hearing the other questions swirling around.
“I haven’t heard it. But it should happen. My father didn’t kill anyone.” She continued into the courthouse as more questions exploded from the crowd.
Inside the door, Manny Pacheco leaned on a cane and smiled when he saw her. “Morning, Chief. I thought I’d join you.”
“Of course, Manny, good to see you out and about.” She asked him about the reporter’s question, and Manny smiled.
“Nathan petitioned the sheriff to reopen the case. He said that in light of Chase Buckley’s arrest, it would be a travesty to let Joe’s conviction stand.”
“Wow.” All Hanna could do was shake her head. Nathan was a good friend. “I heard Mason and Trejo now have the Lonely Heart case.”
“Yes, it’s in good hands. Marshall isn’t talking at the moment. He invoked his right to silence, but there is a chance Chase will talk.”
“I think Chase is the one who killed Blake and Sophia, and maybe the three women. Marcus claimed he killed Gilly and Scott. And of course, he helped Chase.”
“We’ll see.” Manny gestured to the wooden door. “Let’s go listen to the proceeding.”
They took their seats in the courtroom and watched the arraignment. Marcus was brought in, one hand shackled to a belly restraint, the other in a sling. He looked small, deflated, and old.
The judge read the long list of charges—kidnapping, false imprisonment, arson, attempted murder, just to name a few.
“Not guilty” were the only words Marcus spoke.
The judge placed a no-bail hold on him despite his attorney’s protests.
After it was over, Manny invited Hanna back to the station to talk to Mason and Trejo.
“Good to see you, Chief.” Mason was the only one in the office. He brought Hanna up-to-date on the investigation.
“We located the car Marcus stole about three blocks from Hodges’s house. It was a treasure trove.”
“Really?”
Mason nodded, a satisfied smile on his face. “It was all a homicide detective could ask for.”
“His computer was there,” Manny said. “Edda Fairchild’s journal was also there. She’d guessed it was Marcus scamming her because of some phrases he’d used. She was afraid to say anything until she was absolutely certain. Edda didn’t want to falsely accuse anyone. Marcus was the one collecting women online and taking their money. Tech is still pulling stuff off his device.”
“There were messages from three different women waiting for him to respond,” Mason said. “And”—he handed Hanna a flash drive—“he had a half-finished manuscript in his documents. I made a copy for you. I think you’ll find it interesting. As soon as we finish collecting all the evidence we can and get a statement from Chase, Marshall will be back in court for more charges.”
“Thank you.”
“You did the hard part; you caught him. We will put him away.”
Hanna headed back to Dry Oaks, eager to read what Marcus had written. She waited until her shift was over and she was with Jared.
“Marcus really was writing another book?” Jared’s face was still horribly bruised, but the worst of it was fading. He couldn’t go back to work until released by a doctor, and the doctor wanted the fractures to heal. He was already champing at the bit.
“I hate sitting around doing nothing. Do you think this would keep my interest?”
Hanna considered his question as she finished chewing. She had picked up dinner from Faye’s.
“Let’s open it up and see.”
Jared grabbed his laptop and inserted the drive. The file was entitled The Chess Master .
They sat together on the couch and began reading, and it wasn’t long before Hanna got the gist of the story. The manuscript was supposed to be a fictional tale of a serial killer who outsmarted every law enforcement officer who ever lived. It read like a confession of sorts, written in the first person. The characters had different names, but what she gleaned from the pages of Marcus’s writing was that his current crime wave began years ago, when he caught Gilly at Beecher’s Mine cabin.
The agent was behind a tree, concealed, or so he thought. So intent was he watching the cabin that he didn’t hear my approach. I had in my hand a thick branch. I crept close, raised the branch, and just as he turned, I swung it and hit him in the head with all my might. He went down and stayed down.
He then warned Chase, who took the agent and dropped him in a mine shaft, where he died. He also wrote about helping to conceal the bodies of a man and a woman in a lake. Joe was written into the story as a hapless hanger-on who they set up to be a fall guy.
From that point on, the story spanned years—a story of an alliance between Chase and Marcus. Marcus painted himself as a genius manipulator and Chase as his pawn. Marcus chose the women to victimize, and he made Chase his little helper, like Igor helped Frankenstein.
What was true? Did Chase kill the women or did Marcus? Hanna wondered if the real truth in all of it would ever be known.
“I can’t read any more of this.” She rubbed her eyes after they’d gone through about half.
“It is pretty sick.”
“I think I’ll head home.”
Jared walked her to the door. He took her into his arms, and she closed her eyes and rested her head on his shoulder.
“I know it’s hard, but it’s almost over,” Jared whispered. “Marcus and Chase will face justice.”
She stepped back, smiled, and they shared a kiss. As she drove home, she thanked the Lord for the great blessing of having Jared back in her life again.