CHAPTER SIXTEEN
“I’m still pretty sure the bombing incident at Thurgood Marshall is the key,” Jessica said. “It’s the most impactful thing to occur in either of our victim’s careers.”
Faith nodded. She was still reeling slightly from her conversation with Bridget, but there was nothing she could do about the situation now, so there was nothing to do but move on with the case and hope that fate would show her some escape at a later time.
“Who else was involved?”
Faith frowned, but not at the mention of their previous killer. The sun was descending toward the western horizon. The persistent cloud cover, combined with the odd brownish tint of the window in their motel room, made it look like a blood moon.
It would be dark soon. People would be returning home from work. Their killer could be laying low, or he could be going after Rosenberg. Or he could be going after someone entirely different, and they’d find out about it when he called in another bomb threat.
“I’m looking into Sandra Yeun’s death,” Jessica informed her. “I’m reviewing news coverage from the time of the incident. Kylie Wilton might be innocent, but I’d be willing to bet other people held a grudge.”
Faith sighed and headed to the coffeemaker. Turk pricked an ear up when he heard Faith move, but when she didn’t call him to go catch a bad guy, he lowered the ear and resumed his nap.
“You don’t think I’ll find anything?” Jessica asked, “or are you just bummed about the Bridgette thing?”
“I’m bummed about the Bridgette thing,” Faith said, “but there’s nothing I can do about it right now. I’m just worried that we’re still missing the forest for the trees when it comes to the case.”
“How so?”
Faith poured grounds into the basket and started to fill the carafe with water. “I really think the bombs are the key. We have explosive potential but no spark when it comes to Entwhistle, and all spark no bite when it comes to Hayes. That means something.”
Jessica frowned while continuing to skim news articles.
“The thing is that doesn’t fit with their personalities.
According to Entwhistle’s coworkers, he was dangerous.
Not in a bad way, but he was the kind of person you didn’t mess with.
As far as no spark, he must have had enough of a spark to gain that reputation, or we wouldn’t have heard that story about an unruly passenger.
And Hayes enjoyed a pretty nice career with ATF after leaving TSA.
She supervised the entire K9 program at the Port of Baltimore.
It’s a far more extensive program than the TSA’s Thurgood Marshall detachment. ”
Faith pressed the start button and folded her arms across her chest as she watched the coffee percolate.
"Yeah. That's the missing piece. We know those bombs symbolized something, we just don't know what.
Maybe the killer's saying that Entwhistle only looked badass, but really he lacked the courage necessary to utilize that talent.
Meanwhile, Hayes had courage but didn't have the ability to back it up. "
“You could go the opposite way just as easily,” Jessica pointed out.
“Hayes looked the part but had no substance. Entwhistle had substance but was missing the key component, in other words, the spark. I don’t mean to be contrary, but I feel like we’re assuming the bombs are important because they feel like they should be important and not because they actually are. ”
“They are,” Faith insisted.
“Fair enough, but we can’t just shoehorn an interpretation into them. We need more information before we know exactly what the message is.”
Faith sighed. “Yeah. You’re right. I just feel like that’s where we’ll find our answer.”
Jessica turned to her, slightly irritated. “If you have a different idea where to look, feel free to act on it.”
Faith lifted a hand in apology. “Sorry. I guess I’m still worked up.”
“We both are. This is a very exhausting case for both of us, and it doesn't help that we both got chewed out for doing our jobs. But we have to stay confident that following proper procedure will get us the answers, just like it always has. We can’t give into pressure or panic and start looking for easy solutions.”
Faith gave her a half smile. “Very wise words, Jessica.”
Jessica returned her smile. “I’m not just a pretty face.” She looked at her computer and brightened further. “And looky looky. What have we here?”
Faith raised an eyebrow. “What have we here?”
"It appears that a certain Dr. Viola Martinez sued the TSA for unlawful breach of contract after said contract was terminated.
Apparently, she came forward to say that the K9 units at Thurgood Marshall were overworked and inadequately trained at the time of the Unibrow Bomber's attack.
She claimed to have filed several reports noting the inadequate training, improper working hours, poor working conditions, and poor accountability practices at the airport only for her reports to be ignored several times. "
“What did TSA say?”
“Exactly what you’d expect. They denied the reports existed, claimed that she was lying, fired her, and filed a lawsuit against her for libel since she posted her comments in an open letter to the editor of the Baltimore Sun.”
“And how did those lawsuits turn out?”
“Well, Dr. Martinez’s lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice. The TSA’s lawsuit was upheld. Dr. Martinez was ordered to pay the victims ninety thousand dollars in damages.”
Faith raised her other eyebrow. “The victims as in our victims?”
“Yep. Forty-five K each to Jackson Entwhistle and Raelynn Hayes.”
“Well, well. The number one motive for murder is a lovers’ quarrel. The number two is…?”
“Money.”
“Just like Pink Floyd said.” She pulled two paper cups out of the plastic sleeves in which the motel wrapped them and poured their coffee to go. “Turk?” Turk leaped up, instantly awake at the sound of her voice. “Let’s go, boy. We have another possible bad guy.”
Turk barked acknowledgement and waited by the door while Faith and Jessica grabbed their vests and gear.
Faith wasn’t ready to say she was optimistic yet, but at least the climb ahead wasn’t daunting enough to make her stop.
As long as she kept moving forward, she’d reach the finish line eventually.
Of course, there was no guarantee that she’d win the race.
***
Dr. Viola Martinez had a private practice in Arbutus, a suburb of Baltimore nestled in between I-95 and US Highway 1 just southwest of the city. According to her website, it closed at five o’clock, just about five minutes after Faith and Jessica arrived.
The only person in the office when the three of them walked in was Dr. Martinez herself.
She was of average height but sturdy build with a barrel-shaped waist, powerful legs, and strong arms ending in thick-wristed hands.
Her skin was on the darker side of tan, and her dark eyes and curly dark hair hinted at her Mediterranean background.
She looked at the three FBI investigators with mild annoyance but smiled politely enough. “Hi, guys. We’re closing in five minutes, but I’d be happy to help you set an appointment for another day.”
“That’s all right,” Faith said. “We only need a few minutes of your time.”
Viola’s eyes narrowed slightly. “About what, may I ask?”
“The murders of Jackson Entwhistle and Raelynn Hayes.”
Viola stared blankly at them for a moment. “Okay?”
“Is there a place we can go where we’re not visible to the public?” Faith asked.
Viola smirked. “I’m not worried about my reputation, Special Agent.”
Neither was Faith, but while Bridgette might be expected to back off now that she had the hook set, Faith wasn’t confident that other news reporters would do the same. “I think this is a conversation we should have in private.”
Viola sighed. “You can close the blinds, but unless you’re placing me under arrest, I’d rather not unlock my office.”
“Fair enough.”
Faith closed the shutters and glanced at Turk. He was looking placidly at Viola, not reacting at all other than to show his usual wariness around suspects. A flash of irritation crossed her mind, and she reminded herself that Turk’s calm didn’t necessarily mean Viola was innocent.
“I guess we might as well get the softball question out of the way,” Jessica said. “Did you kill Jackson Entwhistle and Raelynn Hayes?”
“No,” Viola replied.
“I figured you’d say that,” Jessica said. “Do you have an alibi for yesterday morning and the night before that?” Viola sighed heavily, and Jessica smiled. “Ah. Not so much?”
Viola lifted her hands and rolled her eyes. “Do I… need a lawyer?”
She chuckled incredulously when she said the second half of that sentence as though the very idea was absurd.
“Do you feel you need a lawyer?” Faith asked.
That was an innocent-sounding question, but it put people on the defensive.
It implied that if they felt they needed a lawyer, it was because they had something to hide.
Oftentimes, it was enough to cause people to hesitate and try to talk their way out of situations rather than act guilty, which was usually enough to allow Faith to find out what she needed to know.
That’s what law enforcement does. They bullshit people because it’s the only way to get the answers they want.
Faith ignored the sting Bridgette’s words brought and waited for Viola’s answer. Viola scoffed and said, “I mean… I don’t have anything to hide.”
“Would you like to talk to us?” Jessica asked.
“I… suppose? I don’t… I mean, I didn’t kill anyone. You guys can’t possibly suspect me.”
“We’re not ready to say that yet, no,” Jessica replied. “But we know that you had a personal history with both victims.”
“I didn’t have a personal history with either of them,” Viola countered.
“I assume you’re referring to the fact that I was let go for publicly revealing my concerns with the K9 program at Thurgood Marshall.
That wasn’t a personal problem with anyone.
I chose to go public with my concerns because several people died, and I felt it was my duty to inform people of the circumstances that contributed to their deaths. It wasn’t personal at all.”
“Fair enough,” Faith said. “But you did name Hayes and Entwhistle personally in that letter, yes?”
“Yes, because they were the supervisors responsible for the K9 and bomb detection programs.”
“Yes. And your contract with the TSA was annulled because of your choice to come forward. Meanwhile, they both got to keep their jobs.”
“Yes, it was unfortunate, but I’m not going to kill people to… what? Right a wrong? Is that what you think?”
“You said it, not me.”
Viola sighed. “Listen, I’m not happy that incompetent supervisors were allowed to keep their jobs, but I don’t hold Entwhistle and Hayes accountable for that.
They’re several steps removed from the people who make the actual decisions about the TSA’s K9 program.
They were given a role and told how to exercise that role.
They were told to overwork their dogs and improperly train their handlers.
The fault lies with the Administration’s processes, not with the employees and first-level supervisors.
If I was going to kill anyone…” She stopped herself.
“I’m not going to kill anyone. If I was to blame anyone, it would be the people in Washington calling the shots for the entire Administration. ”
The TSA’s headquarters were actually in Springfield, Virginia, but that was an unimportant detail. “Okay,” Faith said. “So who would want them dead?”
Jessica frowned at Faith. “Before you answer that, Dr. Martinez, it’s true that you documented violations several times and were ignored.”
“Yes,” Viola replied.
“And how did that make you feel?”
Viola scoffed. “Not angry enough to murder people. Look, you’re right, I don’t have an alibi because I was at home.
I live alone, and I live in a very safe neighborhood, so I don’t have security cameras that can prove I was home.
My neighbors mind their own business, and I didn’t call anyone.
I never anticipated that I’d have to prove I didn’t kill someone, so I didn’t think about securing an alibi.
If you believe that’s enough to arrest me, I won’t resist, but I will be filing a complaint with your Bureau and seeking council to ensure I am properly redressed for this frivolous arrest.”
“That didn’t work out so well for you last time, did it?”
Viola stiffened and Faith stepped in. “We’ll give you the benefit of the doubt for now.” Jessica whirled on her, but Faith continued, “We really do need to know if you feel anyone else could be responsible for their deaths.”
Viola relaxed a little. “I don’t. The only person I know who had cause was Sandra Yeun, and she chose to take her own life instead.
And again, I don’t blame Entwhistle and Hayes for this anymore than I blame the manager of my local Starbucks because their barista made my latte wrong this morning.
When an organization focuses on cutting costs rather than properly training their employees, mistakes are made.
Unfortunately in the case of the TSA, those mistakes are costlier than a disappointing latte. ”
Faith nodded. “I see. Thank you for your time, doctor.”
Jessica took a deep breath and said firmly, “Don’t try to leave town.”
“Of course not,” Viola replied with great dignity. “As I have done nothing wrong, I don’t see why I should be expected to flee my home and business.”
The three of them left the office. As soon as they were in the car, Jessica said, “What the hell was that? You totally derailed my line of questioning.”
“We weren’t going to get anywhere,” Faith explained, “and be honest. Do you really think she was lying to us?”
Jessica frowned. “No,” she admitted reluctantly, “but I still think we needed to do our due diligence.”
“I agree,” Faith said, “but I think we’re doing that diligence the wrong way. We’ve been chasing every butterfly that flutters across our path. I think we need to climb a tree and look at the entire park.”
Jessica looked at her. “Okay. Sounds good. Can I ask exactly what you mean?”
“Exactly what I said. We’re still missing the forest for the trees. So let’s look at the forest.”