CHAPTER TWENTY TWO #2
The entry for Janet Klein was even more detailed than Kate had expected.
According to Sandra's notes, Janet had joined the book club in its fourth month of existence, when the group was still small and intimate.
She had been an active participant in discussions, demonstrating extensive knowledge of mystery fiction and often offering insights that impressed the other members.
She and Eleanor had decided on meeting dates, snack choices, and even books—without the input of other members at the time, it seemed.
But Sandra had also noted some concerning behaviors.
Janet had asked unusually detailed questions about other members' personal lives, showing particular interest in their backgrounds, family situations, and daily routines.
She had volunteered to help with hosting duties, which gave her access to members' homes and schedules.
And she had shown a pattern of reading the same books as other members, even when those books weren't part of the group's official selections.
Most significantly, Sandra had recorded Janet's final comment upon leaving the group: "I got what I needed from this. Time to move on to the next phase." Sandra had even typed up three question marks following this, as if to say, “What the hell?”
Kate read the entry twice, getting the sensation that she might be on to something here... she just wasn’t sure what yet. "Did Janet ever mention what kind of work she did? Her profession or background?"
Sandra consulted her notes. "She said she worked in insurance, I think. Claims adjustment or something similar. She seemed to have flexible hours because she was always available for meetings and social activities."
Kate considered this for a moment and stepped to the far side of the room, pulling out her phone. “Excuse me a moment, Mrs. Morrison.”
She dialed DeMarco, whom answered immediately.
"Kate, I've got units en route to all the remaining members,” she said. “What did you find with Sandra?"
"Well, for started, Sandra isn't a founding member.
And secondly, I might have a new lead. There was an original member named Janet Klein who left the group after just a few months, twenty years ago.
And she did so under suspicious circumstances.
She made strange comments about getting what she needed from the book club, and she showed unusual interest in other members' personal information. "
"That sounds promising.”
“Can you meet me at the office to run a background check?" Kate asked.
"Why not just call it in to Records and Research instead? They should be able to pull information on Janet Klein within ten minutes.”
“Good thinking. Besides, I don't want to leave Sandra alone right now."
“I’ll call them up for you. Need anything else?” DeMarco asked. “Need me to come over, too?”
“No, I think I’m good. Just call when you get something back on Klein.”
“Got it. And I’ll send a unit over there to free you up, too.”
“Thanks.”
Kate ended the call and turned back to Sandra, who was reading through more of her old notes with growing interest. Kate noticed that she was shaking lightly, perhaps still trying to divert her welling emotions with whatever menial task she could.
"Mrs. Morrison, I'm going to stay here with you until a patrol unit arrives to provide backup. We can't take any chances with your safety."
Sandra looked up from her binder. "Do you really think this Janet Klein could be responsible for these murders? After all these years?"
"People hold grudges for decades, especially if they feel they've been wronged or humiliated.
If Janet was planning something from the beginning, if she joined the book club to gather information for some future purpose, she might have been waiting for the right opportunity to act on whatever grievance she's carrying. "
Kate settled into one of Sandra's armchairs, positioning herself where she could see both the front door and the windows that faced the street. The afternoon sun was beginning to set, casting longer shadows across the elegant Victorian's interior.
"Agent Wise?" Sandra asked. There was definite sorrow in her voice now.
The wrestling match taking place inside of her was apparently coming to an end, and sorrow was winning.
"Would you mind giving me some… some privacy for a moment.
" She was doing everything she could not to break in front of Kate.
“Yes, of course,” Kate aid, getting to her feet. “I’ll be right on the porch until a police unit comes to relive me.”
She stepped out onto the porch and sat down in one of the wicker chairs she’d occupied earlier.
She then looked to her phone and saw that it was nearing 5:30.
She was already dreading the idea of stepping away from the case when there were possible new leads to identify.
But she’d promised Allen… and even though she knew he’d understand and pass it off, she knew that he deserved better.
The guilt and indecision was enough to open her eyes to the fact that maybe she truly couldn’t do this anymore.
Maybe this needed to be it for her; maybe this needed to be her last case.
Her phone buzzed, derailing that particular train of thought. She looked to the display screen and saw that she was getting an incoming call from DeMarco. She answered quickly, hoping for information that would help them identify and locate Janet Klein.
"What’ve you got?” Kate asked.
“Records and Research pulled everything they could find on Janet Klein. And you're definitely going to want to hear this."
"Go ahead."
"Janet Klein, age fifty-eight, worked as an insurance claims investigator for fifteen years before leaving the profession in 2010. No current address on file, no recent employment records, no social media presence. It's like she disappeared from the system."
"What about criminal history?"
"She's got a clean record, but here's the interesting part. Records found a notation in her employment file from 2008. She was terminated from her insurance job for conduct violations, including unauthorized surveillance of policyholders and inappropriate collection of personal information."
There we go, Kate thought. There was, of course, no way to know for sure if Klein was part of the case at all, but the picture was becoming clearer.
Janet Klein had a history of crossing professional boundaries—most notably of gathering information about people for reasons that went beyond legitimate business purposes.
If she had joined the book club with similar motives, she could have spent decades accumulating knowledge about the members' lives and vulnerabilities.
"That does seem odd,” Kate said. “Do you have an address?”
“We do. She lives in Mechanicsville.”
Good, Kate thought. Just twenty minutes away. “Do you have any idea how much longer until the patrol units reach the other members?"
"Stevens and Dunham should have protection within ten minutes. Clark and Richardson are taking longer because they're further out, but units are en route. Clark will be coming to you."
Kate glanced at Sandra, who was listening to the conversation with growing anxiety. "Stay on the line with me. I want to keep communication open until backup arrives here."
As Kate waited for additional protection to arrive, she found herself thinking about the psychology of someone who could plan revenge murders over the course of twenty years.
There were certain things about Janet Klein’s past that certainly hinted that she’d be capable of such a thing, but Kate had no way of knowing if she and DeMarco were on the right trail or wasting their time chasing ghosts.