Chapter 11
“I called Jake, he’s on his way,” Erica said soothingly as she pulled the thick blanket from the back of the sofa and wrapped it around Olivia.
“Where is he?” Olivia sipped her tea. “I expected him to be at the police station.”
“Salem.”
“What’s he doing in Salem?” She frowned.
“Fool’s errand.” Erica’s lips thinned. “Looks like Walcott wanted Jake out of the way because of his friendship with you.”
“Damn it,” she muttered staring at the flames dancing merrily in the fireplace. “Jake’s wanted to be a cop ever since we were kids. The last thing I want is to cause him trouble with his job.”
“Olivia, none of this is your fault,” Erica stated bluntly. “Jake’s a big boy. Trust me, he can look after himself.”
“Doesn’t stop me feeling bad.”
Erica nodded in sympathy. “I know.”
Olivia dropped her head against the back of the sofa and blew out a deep breath. “So, you and Jake, huh?”
“Not really.” Erica shrugged and gave a small smile. “We’re both married to our jobs. We just have a casual ‘whatever’ going on. What about you?”
“What about me?”
Erica settled more comfortably into the couch and lifted her mug of coffee. “No guy pining for you because you moved back to Mercy?”
Olivia took another sip of her tea. “I don’t do relationships.”
“Because?”
“Just because.” She really wished she hadn’t brought the subject up in the first place.
Erica opened her mouth to speak again but paused when she heard a knock at the door. “That’s probably Jake. I’ll get it.”
Dropping her head back against the sofa, Olivia stared into the flickering flames of the fireplace.
She’d always found fire soothing, maybe because it was her element, but as she watched the flames separate into strands of gold, red, and yellow, her breathing and heartbeat slowed.
Her mind drifted and she felt peace for the first time in days.
“Olive.” Jake shook her gently.
“Sorry,” she murmured, blinking to focus her eyes on Jake crouched in front of her, concern in his eyes. “Must’ve zoned out.”
“Are you okay?” He tugged a loose curl that had escaped the messy knot on top of her head.
“I am now.” She gave a small smile. “Thanks to Erica.”
“Now that Jake’s here, can you fill us in on what happened?” Erica glanced down at her watch. “I don’t want to rush you, but I’m supposed to be meeting another client soon.”
Olivia tapped her finger against the rim of her cup.
“I’m assuming what I say here is in confidence?
” She placed her cup down on the floor and sat up a little straighter, fixing her gaze on Jake.
“I know I’m putting you in an awkward position, Jake, but I don’t trust Chief Walcott, and there are things I don’t want him to know. ”
“Whatever you say will stay between us,” Jake promised, his expression troubled. “Something is going on with the chief, and I don’t know what. I hate to admit it, but I’m not so sure I trust him at the moment, either.”
Nodding, she took a moment to organize her chaotic thoughts. “You were right, Erica, when you said this wasn’t just about Brody Walker. Walcott brought up information about my dad, just to see how I’d react.”
“Your dad?” What has he got to do with this?”
“You know about my family history?”
Erica nodded. “I made it my business to know when I took you on as a client.”
“After my father murdered my mother and grandmother, he was sentenced to a high-security mental institution rather than prison. He ended up at a facility called Morley Ridge.”
“You kept an eye on him?” Jake murmured.
“Yeah. Self-preservation or curiosity, maybe,” Olivia replied.
“As soon as I was old enough, I found out as much as I could—about him, the murders, the trial. I guess I was looking for answers, but nothing I learned brought me any kind of understanding or peace. So I got on with my life and tried not to think about it.”
“What changed?” Erica asked.
“He escaped yesterday morning.”
“What?” Jake stood abruptly. “How?”
“He had help. Chief Walcott had security footage of the escape. It looks like everyone in the building was knocked out somehow, and my dad basically strolled right out the front door.”
“Jesus,” Jake muttered under his breath.
“It gets worse.” Olivia sighed. “The chief had the visitors log, and my name was on it. Now, he thinks I played a part in his escape.”
“You went to see your dad?” Jake’s voice softened.
“I was going to. After Aunt Evie died, I thought…” She blew out a loud breath.
“I don’t know what I was thinking. I guess I wanted some answers, so I went to see him.
I signed in and got as far as the first lot of security checks before I freaked out.
Had a massive panic attack and ran the other way.
I never saw or spoke with him. I don’t even think he knew I was there. ”
“This isn’t good.” Erica bit her lip. “What else did the chief say?”
“He told me that there was a string of murders just before my mom died and that they stopped after my dad was arrested.”
“Was your dad a suspect in the original investigation?” Erica asked, glancing across at Jake, who remained silent.
“That’s just it, I don’t think he was. But, according to Chief Walcott, Adam Miller was murdered in exactly the same way as the first victim from the original crime.
There are details from Adam’s murder that mirror the first one that were never made public and I can think of only three possible explanations.
” Olivia began to tick the items off on her fingers.
“One, the murderer has access to the police files. Two, it’s the same murderer.
Or three, the new murderer is either a partner or protégé of the original murderer. ”
Erica grimaced. “It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that Walcott has done the math on this one.”
“Yeah, except he’s putting two and two together and getting thirteen,” Jake interjected. “There’s nothing concrete to tie Charles Connell to the original murders, and he was still at Morley Ridge when Adam was killed.”
“Why has he got it so bad for Olivia, then?” Erica murmured. “I’ve never known him to be so fixated on one person, to the point where he’s ignoring all other evidence.”
“I don’t know.” Jake’s eyes narrowed as he noted Olivia’s expression. “What? What are you not telling us?”
“My father may be tied to Adam’s murder, but I’m not sure.
The security footage shows a man helping to break my father out of Morley Ridge.
He’s distinctive, probably not older than his mid-thirties, but with hair so blond it’s almost white.
I’ve seen him before. The first time was outside the pub on the night Adam was abducted.
Then I could’ve sworn I saw him outside the hospital.
It was almost like he’s watching me, and he wants me to know it. ”
“Christ, Olive.” Jake slowly let out his breath.
“What if my father was involved in the murders and this white-haired man is his partner?”
“We don’t know that for sure.” Jake rubbed the pad of his thumb across his bottom lip. “We need to get a look at the original case files from that first investigation.”
“How?” Erica interrupted. “It’s not like the chief is just going to hand over copies.”
“Chief Walcott won’t,” Jake replied, “but Chief Grady might.”
“Who’s Chief Grady?” Olivia asked.
“The former chief of police. He’s retired now, but he headed up the original investigation. He should be able to tell us what happened and who they were looking at, even suspects that didn’t make it into the case file.”
“You seem to have given this some thought,” Olivia muttered.
“The truth is, I’ve known for a couple of days about the earlier murders.
Doc Hughes mentioned it when I went by to pick up Adam’s autopsy report.
I’ve been trying to get a look at the files, but Walcott has them locked up in his desk.
He’s already taken me off the investigation into Adam’s murder, and he’s sending me on the shittiest jobs to keep me tied up and out of the station.
So I had to figure out another way to get my hands on the information. ”
Olivia tilted her head slightly as she studied him. “And you came up with Chief Grady.”
“Yeah.”
“Fine.” She pulled the throw off her legs and stood up. “Then I’m going with you.”
“The hell you are.”
“Jake, whether you like it or not, I seem to be caught in the middle of all this. I have to know how my dad is involved. After all these years, I deserve the truth.”
“Olivia.” He huffed in exasperation, torn between the desperate desire to protect her and the knowledge that she was right. “Okay, fine. As far as the department is concerned, I’m not due back from Salem for another couple of hours, so we should go now.”
“Alright then.” Erica stood up and reached for her coat. “I have to head back into the office now, but call me later and let me know what you find out.”
“We will,” Jake promised.
“Good. I’m really sorry, but I have to run.”
“Erica,” Olivia called out as her lawyer headed toward the door. “Thank you. I don’t know what I would have done if you hadn’t shown up when you did.”
“You’re welcome.” Erica smiled as she opened the front door. “Just be careful.” And with that, she was on her way.
Olivia turned to Jake. “I like her.”
He chuckled. “Come on, let’s go.”
* * *
Wallace Grady’s house was a little single-story bungalow with whitewashed walls, and a neat lawn. Jake and Olivia climbed out of the car and headed up a path flanked by neat rows of shrubbery.
“Stop fidgeting,” Jake murmured as he knocked at the door.
Olivia shifted on her feet. “I can’t help it, I’m nervous.”
The door opened to reveal a sturdy woman in her fifties. Her short, bleached-blond hair was tucked behind her ears and she wore a nurse’s uniform.
Jake nodded. “Good afternoon, ma’am. I’m Jake Gilbert with the Mercy Police Department. I was hoping to speak with Wallace Grady.”
“Sorry, he’s not taking visitors just now.”