CHAPTER FIFTEEN
For the second time since arriving in Montana, Alison wished she had her gun with her.
It was in her bag, but her bag was still in Claire’s car outside the bar where they had found Dr. Laurent.
Claire had a gun, and Dr. Laurent was in no shape to cause anyone any harm, but the longer he rested, the more he would sober up, and they had no idea whether he would be a problem or not.
She paced up and down the hallway, watching Claire as she watched Steven asleep in the bed. He had started to snore.
He was pretty out of it when we found him. We have at least a few hours unit he’s of sound mind again.
Alison pulled the curtain aside when she got back to the living room.
The snow was so heavy that she couldn’t see the house across the street.
They could leave at any time, but they were somewhat trapped.
They didn't need to brave the storm if they didn't have to, and Claire was right. They couldn’t let Dr. Laurent out of their sight until they had spoken to him properly.
The effect the suicide of his patient had on him was apparent.
Alison wondered how she would react to something similar.
It would affect her deeply, but would it stop her from helping others?
It was hard to compare herself to someone else.
Everyone acted in different ways, and there was only so much that the mind could take.
She investigated the house as she wandered through it. The kitchen was messy. At least three days' worth of dirty dishes sat next to the sink, and the countertops were topped with spills and crumbs. His house was like his mind: a mess.
The rest of the place wasn’t all that bad, but it wasn’t cared for.
The killer was precise and organized. If Dr. Laurent had been drinking for the last week and his house was in the state she saw it, she didn't believe he could be the killer.
She walked around the house, and everything she saw backed that up.
He looked like a man whose life was in disarray, not a man who had taken control and was killing people.
She stopped in the living room again and spotted the laptop sitting on a small table in a corner of the room.
She went to the living room door and looked down the hallway to see Claire unmoved on the chair, and Dr. Laurent unmoved on the bed beyond her.
Alison knew she shouldn’t go snooping, but she was stuck, and there was nothing better to do.
Is that a valid excuse? Can I look through his laptop because I’ll probably get away with it?
Alison walked closer, and the closer she got to the device, the more her mind was made up.
Three people were dead, and if she could stop a fourth, then it was worth any risk.
She picked up the laptop from the small table and took it to the couch, sitting down and setting the laptop down on the coffee table.
She opened it and was surprised to find no password.
The killer would have a password on his laptop if there was something to hide within.
She didn’t need to search. The document was already on the screen. Alison scrolled back to the title: Justice For Our Failures.
The manifesto wasn’t overly long, and it didn't take long to read through it. It discussed the failures in the judicial system and made multiple allusions to people dying. While it could be read as people being killed by dangerous inmates being released too early, the wording around the topic was extremely personal. It wasn’t only a rant against the system he found himself trapped in, but a release of his emotions about his patient’s suicide onto the page.
It was part manifesto and part deeply personal essay.
It definitely showed a fractured mind, but when Alison compared the text to the man who had written it, she saw brokenness that led to self-pity and apathy more than a call to self-action.
Although it did end with a call to action: What are we willing to do about this, and how far are we willing to go for justice?
"You believe those words, don't you, and maybe you’re willing to go far, but you don't have it in you, Dr Laurent. You don't have the ability anymore to do anything other than drink yourself into a stupor."
After reading the manifesto, she felt less scared to be in his house. She didn't believe he had it in him to kill anyone.
Dr. Laurent finally woke with the dawn. It was hard to track the passing of time based on the landscape outside.
The snow had fallen thick on the ground, a foot of white covering everything.
The snow on the ground had reflected the plentiful moonlight, and the coming dawn didn't seem any brighter than the night.
Without looking at the time, it was nearly impossible to gauge whether it was night or day outside.
And still, the snow continued to fall.
Alison was sitting on the couch in an almost catatonic state, too worried and on edge to fall asleep, but her body was craving the rest.
She shot up and went to the door to see Claire standing there. Alison waited by the living room door, looking around for a weapon in case she needed one.
"What’s going on?" came the murmur from the room.
"My name is Special Agent Claire Martinez," Claire said, her hand near her gun. "We brought you home last night."
"What?" Steven’s voice was dry and raspy. "What are you doing in my house?"
"We need to talk with you, Dr. Laurent. We tried to talk to you last night at the bar, but you were in no state."
"Just leave me alone, okay? I don't have time for this."
"Why don't you have time for this?"
"Because I don't want to talk with you."
Claire stepped back and down the hallway as Steven got up from the bed and stumbled out of the room. He ignored Claire from then on as he made his way to the kitchen. Claire followed him, and Alison backtracked into the living room and toward the kitchen as she headed him off at the other side.
Steven went to the sink and ran the water, grabbing one of the glasses from beside and filling it. He gulped down the water, spilling some on his chin.
"I’m Dr. Alison Payne," Alison said.
Steven didn't turn, nor did he seem surprised by the second woman in his home,
"I’m also a criminal psychologist," she said. "We spoke to one of your colleagues last night, and I understand what you’re going through. I’ve been in the same position as you many times when I’ve questioned my decision.
I’m not going to tell you that it wasn’t your fault because you wouldn’t believe it anyway.
You need to come to that conclusion on your own.
However, we do want to talk about the three dead people in Missoula.
Dr. Kent, Dr. Hartley, and Dr. Gates were murdered.
You all worked on the same case at some point.
James Costner. Did you have any contact with any of them? "
Steven rubbed a hand over his face and swallowed loudly, looking like he might throw up.
"I don't know them. Honestly, I don't care about anything happening down in Missoula. I barely care about anything happening here. Just leave me to deal with this on my own. I know I’m self-destructing and filled with pity, but that’s a heck of a lot better than feeling any other way right now, and you don't know what it’s like. If you did, you wouldn’t be here to tell me you understood, so please get out of my house. "
"We can't do that, Dr. Laurent," Claire said from behind him. "You’ve been off work for a month. I need to know where you’ve been in that month. Give us an alibi for the three murders, and we can leave."
Steven laughed, then swallowed hard again. His shoulders sagged. "I don't even know what day it is."
‘You need to try," Claire said. "Anything you can remember from this past week. You need to focus."
"I told that cop already," Steven moaned. "He came and asked about them. He asked about that case. He wanted to know about them. I don't know anything about them."
"When was he here?" Alison asked.
"I don't know. Last week? Last month? I have no idea, okay?"
"What was the cop's name? Do you remember that?" Claire asked.
"I don't know." Steven shook his head. "Carrasco? Castro? Callahan? Something like that."
"Castellano?" Claire asked hesitantly.
"Yeah, that was the guy. Castellano."
Claire fell silent.
Alison looked over at Claire. Claire shook her head and frowned.
"What is it?" Alison asked.
"Detective Castellano was the lead on the cases connected to Dr. Kent and Dr. Hartley. After the inmates were released and killed again, he led both investigations."
"Wait, why am I only hearing about this now?" Alison asked.
"Because he died two years ago," Claire said