CHAPTER SIXTEEN
"Castellano died in the line of duty," Claire said.
"There was a drug bust that turned into a firefight, and he was hit.
It was bad luck, followed by more bad luck.
From what I heard, he had a vest on, but he was shot in the head.
At least he died quickly. It was a tragedy, and a lot of cops were shaken up about it for a long time. "
Alison rode in Claire’s car, and they followed the patrol car down to the small police station, where Dr. Laurent was put into a holding cell to sober up some more and give a proper statement. Claire explained the situation to the lieutenant at the station.
Dr. Laurent hadn’t given them much more. He had rambled incoherently at times and claimed to suffer memory loss at others. When he had tried to pour himself a glass of vodka, Claire had stepped in and cuffed him before calling local law enforcement to come and take him down to the station.
The roads were still bad, and the snow continued to fall, so they were stuck in Butte for the rest of the morning at least. The warmth of the station provided some sanctuary, and they found some hot coffee to keep them going.
"After the second murder, Castellano’s name popped up straight away," Claire said.
"I thought immediately it was a link, but when I searched his name, it showed that he was deceased—shot in the line of duty in a drug bust. That shut down that connection, and when the third murder happened, I checked into the historical case, and Castellano wasn’t connected at all. That was the end of it."
"Until now," Alison said.
"Yeah, and it makes no sense."
"What terms are you on with Captain Kent?" Alison asked.
"Fraught would be the best word."
"I’ll call him and see if they have anything on their end. He might know more about Castellano."
"All right. I’ll see how Dr. Laurent is doing. I want to speak to him formally and get out of here. He doesn’t feel like the guy, does he?"
"No," Alison admitted. "No, I don't think so."
They left the small staff area and went their separate ways. Alison found a quiet spot and called Kent.
"Hello?" the captain answered.
"Captain Kent, it’s Dr. Payne."
"I see you’re using my title now that I’m the one in charge."
Alison had a number of things she wanted to say in response to that, but none of them would be helpful, and all she wanted was to further the investigation.
"We need your help," Alison said.
"We?"
"I’m in Butte with Special Agent Martinez, and—"
"I thought you would have been on a plane back to California by now, with how she tossed you aside. What are you doing up there?"
"We were following a lead, but it seems to have come to a dead end, except for a name. The guy we spoke to up here mentioned that he was visited by police, someone by the name of Castellano."
"Castellano’s dead," Dale said. "He was shot a couple of years ago. I was at the funeral."
"I know, it doesn’t make sense, but we’re working on it. Castellano was involved in the first two cases that our killer is copying, but not the third, right?"
"Yeah, that sounds about right. I don't know exactly for the first two cases, but I was a part of the team assigned to the third case. Six bodies were found in that yard."
"But Castellano wasn’t on that case?"
"Not officially, but he was around it. It was massive at the time, and I remember talking to him about it. He was a good cop. Do you think someone is impersonating him?"
"I don't know. Maybe it’s another Castellano, but it’s not that common a name, and it’s a heck of a coincidence for that name to be used. Does he have any family?"
"I know he had a brother who was in and out of prison on misdemeanors. Let me see if there’s anything recent." The sound of the keyboard was heard down the line. "Tommy Castellan was released from jail six months ago on a domestic assault charge. He has an address listed here in Missoula."
Alison grimaced. She wanted to be the one to go after Castellano with Claire. It felt obvious that Tommy was impersonating his brother. For what reason? She didn't know that yet.
"Good," Alison said. "I assume you’ll have someone go over there and pick him up?"
"You believe he might be our guy?"
"I don't know," Alison said. "All I know is that someone visited Dr. Laurent up here asking about the three victims. Dr. Laurent worked on a case with all three at separate times over the past two years. The man who was released lives in New York, has a family, and holds a job. Four psychologists looked at his case. Three recommended keeping him in, and the fourth advocated for release. He’s the only one who’s still alive, and he has a guy visit him, pretending to be Detective Castellano. That’s too many intersections to be pure chance. We need to bring Tommy in and discover what he’s been up to and what he knows. "
"And the guy you have up there?" Dale asked.
"He’s in custody for now, sobering up. I’m sure he’s not the guy, but he’s connected now, so we need to try to get the facts from him if he remembers any of them. We’re here for a while until the storm passes. Will you keep me updated on what’s going on down there?"
"Yeah, I will. I appreciate the call, Payne. And I don't hold any grudges. You withheld information from me at the start of the case, but I’m not going to do the same. We will catch this guy."
"Yeah, I hope so," Alison said.
The call was ended, and she went off in search of Claire. They hadn't gotten anything from Dr. Laurent yet. He’d sat in his cell for the last two hours, looking down at the floor, moaning every so often.
"I sent an officer over to the bar to talk with the barman again," Claire said. "I want to get exact times from him. I just want to clear Dr. Laurent fully before we leave this place. What did you get from Kent?"
"Detective Castellano has a brother, recently released from prison. He lives in Missoula. Captain Kent will bring him in."
"Shoot!" Claire exclaimed. "If this is the lead that gets our killer, Kent’s going to take all the credit for himself. Could this be our guy?"
"Yeah, he could be," Alison admitted. "If Tommy is posing as his brother to ask questions about three victims, possibly before they were killed, then he did that for a reason. You’ve had people talk to the family of the prison guard who was killed along with the two inmates, and we’ve gotten nothing from them. Dr. Laurent is angry at the system, and that makes sense. Those connected to the system get to see it from the inside out. They can see where the mistakes are, where the weaknesses lie. I’ve considered that this is someone in law enforcement.
Possibly someone who’s been to the crime scenes. "
"Like Castellano?" Claire asked.
"Exactly. He was the lead on the first two, and from talking to Captain Kent, he was somewhat involved with the third. That might create a visceral reaction. It’s one thing to see revenge for someone who was killed, but if you’re there, in amongst it, you get a different sense of it.
That can do things to people. You see something like that, knowing it can be avoided, and it gets in your head.
Detective Castellano is dead, but what if he spoke about that to his brother?
What if the brother wants to do something about it?
Do we know the details of the Castellano death?
What if that was a mistake? What if it could have been avoided?
It might not even matter if it could, if Tommy thinks it could.
His brother talks about all these deaths that could have been avoided, and then he’s killed in the line of duty.
Tommy thinks that could have been avoided, and he remembers his brother’s words.
He’s been in and out of jail. Maybe it’s time for him to do something with his life. "
"We should be there," Claire said. "Now, we’re stuck here doing nothing."
"It was your hunch that led to the name. I’ll make sure people know that. For now, I want to know as much about both Castellanos as possible. We will get to leave soon, and I want to be ready to talk with Tommy. We’re not stuck here doing nothing, so let’s get to work."
***
Claire and Alison sat in a small office, sharing a small desk as they went through any files connected to Tommy Castellano.
"All violent crimes," Claire said.
"He assaulted a guy in a bar fight when he was eighteen, put him in the hospital for two weeks, then had time added to his sentence for attacking a guard in jail.
Four months after he was released from that, he got into a fight on the street, and the guy was in a coma for a month, but there was evidence that the other guy had started it.
Two counts of domestic assault, one of theft, dealing drugs, and one count of fraud. "
"Okay, the fraud adds something," Alison said. "He’s obviously violent, and we are looking for someone with some rage, but also someone who can control themselves. If he committed fraud, then maybe he has the mind we're looking for. Are there any psyche reports?"
"Yeah, a few from his time in prison," Claire said. He's described as very dangerous by everyone who has examined him. Violent tendencies, bouts of rage, doesn’t get on well with others, etc, etc. One doctor made a note that they believed if he was released from prison, it would only be a matter of time before he returned. He committed three more crimes after that. There is a report here that describes him as highly intelligent. Dr. Rose says, ‘Tommy Castellano hides his sharp mind behind his violent exterior. He knows exactly what he’s doing at all times, and he means everything he does.’"
"Okay, that’s more of what we are looking for," Alison said. "Kent mentioned that he was released from prison six months ago. Any record of what he’s been doing?"
"Nothing except for his registered address and his parole officer."
"Give the parole officer a call and see what he makes of Castellano."
"On it." Claire took out her phone and got up from the desk, leaving the room to make the call.
Alison was looking into Detective Arturo Castellano.
Arturo was a regular visitor at any jail where Tommy was incarcerated.
They were a little over a year apart in age, suggesting they would have been close in childhood, perhaps sharing the same friend group and doing the same things.
Arturo had visited his brother regularly, even though they were on opposite sides of the law.
You were on good terms with your brother. Arturo was a cop, but he made time to visit you regularly. What about when you were out of prison? Did you see each other a lot? Did you talk a lot to each other?
Alison found the report about Tommy’s most recent sentence.
It was different from the others. He was on his best behavior the entire time, which was a new experience for him.
She checked the start date of the sentence.
He was incarcerated a month before his brother was killed.
A rejection form was attached to the report—Tommy was unable to attend the funeral.
What happened, Tommy? You went to jail, then your brother died, and it changed your entire perspective on life? You’ve been on your best behavior since then? It must have affected you not being able to say goodbye to him. What did that do to you?
Then back to the information on Arturo. He and a small team of cops had entered a building to bust a drug ring, and it had turned into a shootout. Three were killed in total: one cop, Arturo. Multiple injuries on both sides. He'd died a hero.
Still, Arturo’s mother had sued the police department. Those files were confidential, but it looked like they had settled out of court.
Why did you sue? Negligence? Was there more to the case? Did Tommy know?
"So, what do we have?" Alison asked herself.
"A guy goes to prison, his brother is killed in the line of duty, but maybe there’s more to that?
So, you are on your best behavior, bide your time, and then are released?
To do what? Do you want to avenge him, Tommy?
You can't get justice for Arturo, so do you get justice for all the victims he spoke to you about?
Is that it? Are you out there killing people?
Does that mean we should be focusing on the cases your brother worked? "
"He hasn’t checked in for the past two weeks," Claire said as she returned to the office. "The parole officer doesn’t know where he is, and the cops have been notified about this already. A warrant is out for his arrest."
"Anything else for the parole officer?" Alison asked.
"He just said he was surprised by how easy Tommy was to work with.
He hadn't worked with him before, but from talking to his colleagues, he expected him to be trouble.
That's been the pattern every time he was released from prison, but he was the complete opposite of that.
A model parolee. Do you think he could have just changed like that? "
"I think the death of his brother changed him. We don't know exactly how that changed him, but he obviously has a plan for his life. On one side of the spectrum, that could mean getting on with his life as a way to honor his brother, and on the other side, that might mean he is out for revenge and doesn’t want to do anything to put that in jeopardy. There’s a chance there was more to Detective Castellano’s death than meets the eye.
I’d like to speak with the mother when we get back to Missoula. We’ll speak to Tommy first."
"Kent will speak to him the first chance he gets to try and take the credit for himself. I want this guy to be brought in, but I want to be the one to speak to him, and I have the feeling we’re going to need you there. I hate this. I really hate it."
"Yeah, I do, too," Alison said. "We should be back there, so let’s do it."
"What?" Claire asked.
"You’re a good driver. Are you up for going through this storm instead of waiting it out?"
"What if we crash and wipe out?" Claire asked.
"What if Kent makes the arrest and all the credit goes to him?"
"Let me get my coat," Claire said