Chapter 41
Lincoln County Sheriff’s Department
Vera settled into a chair on Bent’s side of the table as he readied to interview Gill Jamison. In a surprise move, Jamison had waived his right to counsel.
They had already interviewed the others.
Hernandez and Martinez did not have visas, and Carter had threatened to turn them in and even to lie and say they had stolen from her if they didn’t help with her plan.
Alternatively, she’d promised to give them every dime she had in savings if they cooperated.
They didn’t have to kill anyone. The goal was to distract the police investigation from what her nephew had done.
To shift blame to the Parson brothers and to Alicia.
For the most part the two reluctant participants only had to say what Carter told them to say.
Martinez confessed to attacking Vera and Erwin.
It was the one illegal demand Carter had made of him, besides making false statements to the police.
Hernandez had used Thomas Wilton’s key to sneak into Erwin’s place and leave the burner phone—her one illegal step.
Both unknowingly giving Carter even more control.
Carter claimed that Erwin had planted the phone in Alicia’s room just before they all left the mansion on Thursday evening, but Carter had retrieved it.
Carter also admitted to having personally broken into Larry Parson’s motel room—she insisted it was easy.
The door lock had shimmied open with the use of a credit card.
She did this while he was out to lunch. She left the bat and other items in the closet, as well as Alicia’s personal things in a drawer, to help frame him.
But she denied having anything to do with his death.
She insisted she was out of the room and gone before he returned.
Conover had confirmed that a deadly level of fentanyl residue was found in the whiskey glass on the nightstand next to the bed, which, according to toxicology, was the culprit in Parson’s death.
It would take some time and some doing to prove Carter was the one to plant that as well.
Might even be impossible, but so far she was spilling her guts about everything else.
Vera hadn’t actually expected Carter to cop to Parson’s murder.
She had a theory about that one as well as the “weird” visitor Parson had called her about.
To that end she had asked Conover to go to the Regency and check Parson’s room again for a certain item.
She should be hearing back from him any minute now.
But the coup de grace of the day no doubt would be Gill Jamison’s confession. Vera studied him as he surveyed the interview room. He didn’t appear the slightest bit nervous or angry or resigned. He just sat there, looking around.
Vera couldn’t wait to hear the whole story—assuming he decided to give it.
Once Bent had switched on the recorder and identified all in the room, he started with a direction question. “Mr. Jamison, why don’t you begin by telling us about your day on Monday, September 1, from the moment you arrived on the Wilton property.”
Gill relaxed in his chair. He looked from Bent to Vera and back. “I landed my Mosquito—my mini helicopter—in a clearing just over a quarter of a mile from the cabin. From there I hiked to my destination. I lingered in the woods, watching and listening until I was ready to go in.”
Vera was surprised that a rich guy like him was just throwing it all away.
“Did anyone provide details about the occupants of the cabin or their plans to you?”
“No. My aunt—”
“Would you identify your aunt,” Bent interrupted.
“Helen Carter, my aunt, wouldn’t tell me anything that was happening on the property because she had figured out I intended to do Thomas Wilton harm.
” He shrugged. “I ran into Valeri Erwin on Thursday. She complained about having to shop for the big party at the cabin that weekend. So I went to the cabin and planted a few bugs. I basically knew what was going on inside from the moment the two couples arrived on Friday evening. While I was there, I selected my weapon. Took it with me for when I came back.”
“Why did you want to harm Mr. Wilton?” Vera asked.
“Because he killed the woman I loved. Lena Wilton. She was pregnant with my child, and we were planning a life together.”
Bent glanced at Vera, and she asked, “I realize we talked about this before, but for the purpose of the recording, can you tell me again how you knew she was carrying your child and not Thomas Wilton’s?”
“The obstetrician helped us narrow down the conception date to a period when her husband was out of town for an extended time.” His jaw pulsed with anger now, even knowing what he was facing by telling this story.
“I restrained myself for two long years. Thomas Wilton killed Lena, and I wanted more than my next breath to make him feel what I felt. I wanted him to recognize that he was about to lose everything, and there was nothing he could do. But to do that, I had to wait until he married again, and his new wife was pregnant. That was the only way he would ever know the agony I suffered.”
“How did you know she was pregnant?” Bent asked. “Alicia didn’t tell anyone.”
Vera wouldn’t put it past Erwin having told the guy. She loved causing chaos.
“I monitored her credit and debit cards,” Jamison explained. “I knew when she bought her first pregnancy test and then when she visited an obstetrician.”
Clever man. But then it was easy to be clever when he had every imaginable resource. Vera wondered if he had a clue what prison life was going to be like. Then again, those with the money could often make the situation more tolerable.
From there, he explained how he’d slaughtered Seth Parson and Sandy Owens, no matter that they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
He carefully cut their clothes from their bodies so the cops would assume exactly what they did.
He took great pleasure in recounting how he killed Wilton, stripped him and dumped him in the hot tub.
The latter had been necessary since they struggled, and he didn’t want any of his DNA left on the guy.
He carefully cleaned up his tracks and removed the bugs he had planted and the clothes he’d cut off the victims. To hinder the police investigation, he took Sandy’s personal belongings.
But he failed to recognize his one mistake until later, when he was back home in the shower and felt the injury on his neck where Owens had grabbed at his mask. Owens had scratched him. But it was too late to rectify the oversight.
“I was in such a frenzy after killing Wilton,” he went on with the telling of his murder spree, “it took me a moment to realize I still had one more player to take out.” He shook his head.
“It was like playing a video game. Winning was my singular focus. I was just about to go back inside, looking for Alicia, when she rushed out onto the deck. In a moment of inspiration, I decided she would be my scapegoat. I made it appear as if she’d been leaving the scene and fell, hitting her head.
I put the knife I’d used under her and then I left. ”
He made a sound, not quite a laugh but something on that order.
“It all went almost exactly as I’d planned.
A few glitches notwithstanding.” He exhaled a big breath, looked to Vera.
“Even so, you didn’t have my DNA and no way to get it without a court order based on evidence, which you didn’t have.
” His face tightened with anger. “I shouldn’t have underestimated Valeri Erwin’s need for her own revenge.
She left me that fucking note, and I foolishly reacted.
Then you showed up.” He shook his head. “I was so close to walking away unscathed.”
Vera opted not to mention that close only counted in a game of horseshoes. But there was one little part she was unclear on.
“You mentioned a note from Erwin. When did you receive this note?”
“She left a note at my gate early this morning. I know it was you.” He shook his head. “Not exactly original, but it got the point across. She didn’t sign it, but apparently she didn’t care that I knew she was the one who left it, since she smiled for the camera at the gate.”
Why was Vera not surprised? The woman truly was a piece of work.
A couple minutes later Jamison was escorted away in handcuffs.
Vera and Bent stood in the corridor outside the interview room and watched him be led away.
She stretched her neck and rolled her left shoulder.
Her back and shoulder were killing her from hitting the ground with the bastard.
She hadn’t pulled a move like the one she’d used to take Jamison down in years. God, she was out of shape.
“You just wait,” Bent said, “when all that cockiness vanishes after a few nights in a cell, he’ll be trying to plead an insanity defense.”
Vera turned to Bent. “Until then, I guess that closes your case. Well except for Larry Parson’s murder.”
He removed his hat and ran his fingers through his hair. “I have this top-notch crime analyst.” He smiled at her as he replaced that beloved hat. “I was hoping she’d help me figure that one out.”
Vera laughed. “I think I may already have a lead on it.”
“You want a final shot at Erwin?” Bent grinned, understanding exactly what she meant. “She’s in the lobby, waiting for word on how this is going to shake down.”
Vera gave him a nod. “I would love it.”
“Give me a minute to settle her in my office. You can talk to her there.”
“Works for me.” This was going to be epic. She could feel it.
Bent hesitated. “Thanks, Vee. You make my job easy.”
“Yeah, well, it’s definitely a joint effort.” Her cell vibrated in her back pocket. She slipped it out and checked the screen. “It’s Luna.” Her heart stumbled. She hoped this wasn’t more bad news. “Hey, Lu, everything okay?”