Chapter Fourteen
Gunnar had an itch he couldn’t scratch. He had a bad feeling about the mysterious letter left for Bryn at the Wolf Run and he was impatient to find out the contents.
Science took time, though, so after taking a shower and changing into fresh clothes, he decided to contact Agent Bell and check on progress on the Walmart killer case.
There was a notable tension in the office.
Emmett was busy at his computer and Bryn was on his beanbag, laptop balanced on his thighs.
“What are you guys up to?” Gunnar asked as he settled as his desk.
“I’m setting up an algorithm to interrogate data in…”
“That’s great, Emmett. You lost me at algorithm. What about you, Bryn?”
“Doing some research on ‘The Hammer’. Salvatore Russo. Know your enemies, right?”
“That trial is due to conclude later this week,” Emmett contributed. “Depending on how long the jury takes to reach a verdict.”
“I don’t rate the accountant’s chances if he ends up in the pen,” Gunnar said. “Russo won’t let him live. Too many secrets he could give up in there and it won’t be difficult for a guy like Russo to get to him, even in high security.”
“And the accountant will know that,” Bryn said. “Maybe he’ll try for a last-minute deal and witness protection.”
“We’ll know soon enough. I’ll call Bell. I’ll go sit in the kitchen.”
“Where you can make yourself a snack,” Bryn said, grinning at Emmett.
“Hey. I exerted a lot of energy on the Wolf Run, I need to top up the fuel reserves—especially as we missed lunch.”
“Oh, I ordered pizza,” Emmett said. “It should be here in half an hour.”
“If I haven’t told you how much I appreciate you recently, Emmett, I apologize,” Gunnar said. “A quick snack then pizza. Excellent.”
“I got two full-size meat feasts for you, ham and mushroom for me and Florentine for Bryn. Coleslaw on the side and some sodas.”
“How did you know our order?” Bryn asked.
“I get to see the company credit card statements. I called the pizza place and they knew your regular order.”
“You’d make a great detective,” Gunnar said.
“It’s just desk work,” Emmett said but he was blushing. He hid behind his monitor.
“I’ll fetch the food when it arrives,” Gunnar said as he wandered into the kitchen. He grabbed a bag of chips and an apple then called Agent Bell.
“Detective, I was expecting your call.”
“You were?”
“You are calling about Dr. Templeton?”
“Uh, no.” Gunnar’s hand hovered over the chips. “Why would I be?”
“Oh fuck. You don’t know. I guess the grapevine isn’t as quick as I thought, and we have been keeping this on the down-low.”
“Keeping what? I swear, Bell, if I have to come over there…”
“Templeton escaped, Gunnar. Yesterday.”
“You… He… What the fuck?”
“Yeah, he was being transported to a hospital appointment. He slipped the cuffs at the hospital and disappeared when the doc stepped out to get something. There’s a huge manhunt going on for him but the higher-ups made the decision to keep it quiet in the hope we’d track him down fast.”
“You have to be fucking kidding me. The man has a higher IQ than your entire chain of command added together. How long did it take you to catch him the first time?”
“Years, and you’re not wrong. I’m fuming but the decision was taken out of my hands. I wanted to get the media involved but the director wants to save face, I guess.”
“Why was Templeton at the hospital in the first place and not all cozy in the isolation wing?”
“Scheduled check for a heart condition.”
“I’d better go give Warden a heads-up. I’ll call you back later because I wanted a catch-up on the Walmart case.”
“Okay, we’ve made some progress on that. I’ll message you if we bring Templeton in.”
Gunnar was glad his dubious expression wasn’t visible to Agent Bell. He ended the call, gave his chips a look of longing, then went to find Warden. He found him in his office, glaring at his computer screen and muttering about incompetent federal agents.
“You’ve heard, then?” Gunnar stood in front of Warden’s desk.
“How did you find out?”
“Agent Bell. I called him about the Walmart case and he told me.”
“Shut the door, Detective, then take a seat.”
Gunnar’s anxiety spiked. “What is it?
“The letter that was on the windshield this morning, I’ve seen the contents.”
“Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this?”
“Because you’re not. In the light of what we’ve just learned, it’s apparent that the letter has to be from Everard Templeton.”
“Fuck. What did it say?”
“The letter’s still in the lab. They won’t find anything, of course.” Warden pushed his cell across the desk. “Here’s a picture of it.”
“Hello again, Mr. Ashton,” Gunnar read, “or perhaps I can take the liberty of calling you Bryn since we had such an intimate experience. I found our meeting fascinating and anticipate the next with relish. I’ll be in touch. Yours in all sincerity, ET.” Gunnar handed the cell back. “Fuck.”
“Indeed.”
“Are we going to tell Bryn?”
“Do you think we should?”
“Yes. Absolutely. He needs to be even more aware of his surroundings and besides, he knows about the note and it was addressed to him. He’ll want to see it.”
“Agreed. The letter will need to go to the FBI along with the forensic report. You can take it over to Agent Bell later today and catch up on the Walmart case at the same time.”
“Will do.” There was a tap at the door.
“Come in,” Warden snapped.
It was Talbot. “Uh, there’s a pizza delivery for Detective Ericson out here.”
“Thanks, Talbot, I’ll be right there.” Gunnar avoided making eye contact with Warden.
“Out.”
“Yes, sir.” Gunnar made his escape. Talbot was hovering in the corridor. “Hey, Talbot, you want to come join us?”
Talbot picked up the stack of pies and handed them over, along with a paper sack of sides and drinks. “That’s nice of you, but not today. I’m due in a training session on the dark web and I don’t want to miss it. There will be donuts.” He scurried off and Gunnar carted the food to the top floor.
“Pizza’s here!” he yelled from the kitchen, after giving the pies a wolf-sniff test. Bryn and Emmett crowded into the kitchen and they all sat down to eat. “I saw Talbot downstairs. He was excited about some training session he was going to. He seems to be settling in real well.”
“That’s great,” Bryn said around a mouthful of pizza. “This is so good.”
The others agreed and the pizzas were soon demolished. Emmett had left a slice of his and was moaning about being too full. Gunnar eyed it.
“Are you gonna eat that?” he asked.
“No, I’m stuffed. Help yourself.”
Emmett watched wide-eyed as Gunnar scoffed down the last piece of pie. “He has a bottomless stomach, doesn’t he?” he asked Bryn.
“Apparently. There’s never any problem with leftovers, that’s for sure.”
“Hey, I used up a lot of energy this morning,” Gunnar said defensively.
“And you did real good,” Bryn replied. “But now, how about you tell us what’s on your mind?”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean you’re keeping something from us. It’s obvious—to me, anyway.”
“What’s my tell?” Gunnar asked.
“You’re not bossing either of us around. You’re too quiet.”
Gunnar sighed. “You’re way too perceptive for your own good. But yeah, there is something. It’s not good news, I’m afraid.”
“Is it about the letter?”
“Yes. I saw Warden downstairs, and he’d already read it. But for context, there’s something else I need to tell you both—Dr. Templeton escaped custody yesterday.”
“Everard Templeton? The serial killer?” Emmett asked, his voice rising.
“That’s the one,” Gunnar replied. “He got away from corrections officers during a hospital visit. The feds haven’t found him yet, and I don’t hold out much hope that they will anytime soon.”
“Not good,” Bryn muttered.
“That’s an understatement,” Gunnar said.
Emmett frowned. “I don’t understand. I mean, obviously, it’s bad that he escaped, but what does that have to do with you two?”
“It was before you joined us,” Bryn explained. “I’m the reason Templeton was convicted.”
“Oh dear.” Emmett fiddled nervously with the spotted bow tie he was wearing. “The letter was from him?” he asked Gunnar.
“Yeah, I’m afraid so.” Gunnar pulled out his phone. “Warden took a picture and sent it to me. Take a look.”
Bryn took the phone and scanned the image before passing it to Emmett. “He’s quite the charmer, isn’t he? I don’t think I’ll be accepting any invitations to afternoon tea with him.”
“Probably for the best,” Gunnar said dryly.
“So, what are you going to do?” Emmett asked.
Gunnar toyed with his empty soda can. “There’s not much we can do other than stay extra vigilant. It’s Templeton’s play now.”
“This isn’t the kind of admirer I need,” Bryn said, concern etched across his face. Emmett’s anxiety was written all over his, too.
“Try not to worry, okay?” Gunnar said. “He’s got the entire FBI after him. They’ll catch him—sooner or later.”
“Let’s hope it’s sooner.” Emmett pushed back his chair and stood up.
“I’m going to get back to work. I think we should put out a call to the Wolf Run organizers and anyone else we can reach for cell phone footage.
There weren’t any security cameras in the parking lot, but maybe someone caught something—like a car approaching, or even Templeton himself. ”
“Good thinking,” Gunnar said. “Bryn and I are heading over to see Agent Bell.”
“We are?” Bryn asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Yeah. I want to hear what they’re doing to track this psycho down. Plus, we can catch up on the Walmart case—Bell said there’s been some progress.”
“Okay, cool. Let me put on a fresh sweater. I managed to drop spinach on this one.”
“I’ll meet you downstairs. We’ll take the car instead of the bike—it’s easier to talk.”
“Sure.”
Gunnar wasn’t fooled by Bryn’s apparent nonchalance. If Bryn needed a few minutes alone to process everything, Gunnar was fine with that. He headed to the ground floor and stuck his head into Warden’s office.
“I told him,” he said.
“How did he take it?” Warden asked.
“How do you think?”