Chapter 71
SEVENTY-ONE
Crooked Creek Police Department
Ellie started the briefing by updating the whiteboard. In order to spot problems, inconsistencies or commonalities she needed a visual picture of all factors in one place.
Each of the victims and their children’s photos stared back, begging her for answers.
She cleared her throat and addressed the team: Cord, Derrick, Deputies Landrum and Eastwood and Sheriff Bryce Waters, who was present today.
He and his deputies had been monitoring the Day of the Dead celebrations around town and the vigils being held at Midnight Ridge this week for security reasons and to be on the lookout for anyone suspicious, someone who might be their unsub.
Ellie rapped her knuckles on the table to get everyone’s attention.
“This is the latest. When I spoke to Nina Gillis’s mother, she seemed still deep in grief.
Before Nina’s death, Mrs. Gillis urged her daughter to attend counseling, but the girl fell deeper and deeper into depression.
Beneath Nina’s bed, I found a box of notes she’d written.
In one of them, she described being sexually assaulted. ”
Quiet murmurs rumbled through the room, but no one seemed shocked.
“That could have worsened her depression,” Shondra interjected. “Or caused it.”
“The Orwells claimed Jordan was depressed as well, but following the advice of the counselor who worked with her, she gave her child up for adoption.”
“Do you know the name of the adoption agency or the family where the baby was placed?” Derrick asked.
“Not yet, but I intend to interview the counselor and find out.”
“If the girls were sexually assaulted, why didn’t they come forward?” Deputy Landrum asked.
“Probably because attorneys have a way of blaming the victims,” Shondra interjected.
“Also they were afraid,” Ellie said. “In Nina’s notebook, she admitted she wanted to tell, but was afraid the man would kill her and her family if she did.”
“So she stayed quiet and he killed her anyway,” Cord said, disgust hardening his tone.
Ellie grimaced. “I’m afraid so. But he didn’t take her child, so why take Iris?”
“Because she kept her baby and Jordan allowed hers to be adopted?” Derrick suggested.
“Mrs. Orwell said that Jordan didn’t want the baby to grow up as she had, which I assume means with alcoholic parents.”
Ellie wrote the question on the board with the team’s theories.
If Derrick was right, the adoption agency might be involved.
“After meeting Minnie’s parents, I understand Minnie’s reasoning for running away.
I suspect Mr. Benton knew about the pregnancy and ordered her to leave.
Or perhaps he ran her off because she wanted to keep the baby. ”
“But you said her sister might have helped her. Why wouldn’t she have confided in her?” Sheriff Waters asked.
“Fear, just like Nina,” Shondra said. “Or shame. Often, sexually assaulted victims blame themselves. It’s not warranted, but it can be part of a victim’s mentality caused by the abuse.”
Ellie nodded. “Each of the girls was troubled before conceiving which also made them vulnerable to a predator.”
Ellie wrote the word FATHER on the board with a big question mark.
“The answer has to lie with the unknown fathers of the babies.” Her phone dinged and she checked her text message.
“It’s from the ME.” She read the message aloud.
“DNA results for Iris are in. The father’s DNA isn’t in the system and doesn’t match Marty Burgess’s sample.
Bring me a suspect’s DNA for comparison, and I might be able to pinpoint the father’s identity. ”
Derrick spoke, “Let’s send Mr. Benton’s over for comparison.”
Everyone shifted uncomfortably, understanding the implication.
“Why not just ask the wife?” Landrum asked.
Ellie sighed. “If she knows, I doubt she’d tell us the truth. I think she’s afraid of him. But if it becomes necessary, I’ll talk to her.”
“Do we have any specific suspects yet?” Sheriff Waters asked.
“No one concrete,” Ellie said. “Agent Fox, talk to the attorney who handled Minnie’s DUI. He works with Mr. Benton. Maybe he can offer insight into Benton and his relationship with his daughter and any signs of impropriety on his part.”
“On it,” Derrick agreed.
Ellie continued, “Let’s have updates on anything, no matter how small, you all learned.” She addressed Derrick first. “Any news on that child-stealing ring your partner mentioned?”
Derrick shrugged. “The Bureau’s monitoring for chatter. Nothing specific yet. But I’ll check in with Bennett again today.”
Ellie nodded. “Tilly? Anything at the AA meeting?”
“I made a list of male attendees,” Tilly answered.
Ellie pointed to the whiteboard. “Why don’t you add them to our murder board.” She drew off a section, indicating a spot where Tilly could fill in names.
Tilly stood and approached the front of the room. “Although I’ll list names, it’s possible some of the attendees used a fake name, choosing not to reveal their real identities for confidentiality purposes.
“The leader of the meeting is a thirty-something man named Gil McCoy. His appearance was neat, his manner calm and understanding. He gave the impression he really cares about the program and didn’t want to push anyone who didn’t want to share.
Of course, just attending the meeting voluntarily is the first step in recovery. ”
She took a beat. “The first person to share was a man named Bob.
His wife was killed by a drunk driver. Afterward, he started self-medicating.
One day he went to see the woman who killed his wife.
He lost control when he saw her funneling down champagne.
Said she was haughty and arrogant, and he lost his temper and grabbed her wrist. Her friends called the police, and he served time for assault.
“It was obvious he resented the fact that he was punished and the woman wasn’t. And he was in AA because it was ordered by the court as part of his parole.”
Ellie’s pulse jumped.
“That could be motive for him to kill girls with addiction problems,” Landrum suggested. “I’ll dig deeper into him.”
Ellie nodded. “Thanks.”
Tilly scribbled another name on the board. “A doctor who introduced himself as Kyle Limbach was also at the meeting. He said his addiction was triggered when he lost a couple of patients. But he’s been sober for a while now.”
“Did he say who he lost?” Ellie asked.
“No,” Tilly said. “But it’s worth looking into.”
“Who else?” Ellie asked.
“An attorney named Thomas who claimed he’s in the program because his friend committed suicide.”
“Let’s look into him as well,” Ellie said.
“Done,” Derrick agreed.
Captain Hale poked his head in. “Ellie, a 9-1-1 call came in from a woman named Rhonda Glasser. She was attacked and her daughter and granddaughter are missing. Daughter’s name is Dana Jo.”
Tilly jerked her head toward Ellie. “Ellie, Dana Jo Glasser attended the meeting last night. I made a special note of her because she mentioned she was abducted, assaulted and left for dead near Midnight Ridge a little over two years ago. But she suffered from amnesia, so doesn’t recall her attacker’s face. ”
Was Dana Jo another victim of their unsub?
Ellie’s pulse pounded. Had he struck again?