CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
It was like driving through an ocean of white.
Snow fell all around them, and the wipers had a hard time keeping up.
Every so often, they would both be startled by a car coming in the opposite direction.
The lanes were wide, and the cars didn't come close, but they came as if from nowhere, metal ghosts. They’d only seen one car going in the same direction.
It had come from behind and was going way too fast as it overtook them and disappeared into the white. They didn't see it again.
Alison wasn’t driving, but she could feel the car sliding from side to side as Claire tried to keep them moving ahead.
She drove well under the speed limit, but it still felt far too fast. It felt like they had gone to a liminal place, not quite in the real world, but not in the afterworld either.
They drove in a place between the two, sliding across the fine line between both worlds.
They knew their intended destination. They only had to get there.
Neither woman said a word as they drove.
Claire concentrated only on the road, and Alison didn't do anything to distract her.
It had been easier to drive in Butte when there were long ruts in the road that the wheels fit into—they were a guide.
On the highway, there was only compacted snow. No lines, no road, nothing.
Alison wanted to call Derek and check in with him, hear his voice, but she didn't dare do anything other than hold onto the arms of her carseat.
The car slid a little more than usual, and Alison gasped. Claire reacted calmly, steering the car without it sliding in the opposite direction.
It felt like it took forever. The drive up to Butte had taken a little over twenty minutes. Alison checked her watch. They had been driving for an hour.
Then, a shaft of sunlight broke through the clouds, and it felt like a miracle. When Alison glanced at Claire, she was also smiling.
Then, there were more breaks in the clouds, and the snow didn't fall as heavily. The road became a little less slippery, and cars were visible up ahead. The tall buildings of Missoula had never looked so good.
Alison took a deep breath. "Well done."
Claire nodded, her smile tight. They drove into the city, the roads far better there than in Butte. A lot of snow had fallen, but the plows and sanders had been out all night. Claire drove them straight to the station, hoping they got there in time to be a part of the interview with Castellano.
They both shot out of the vehicle when they got to the police station.
It was cold in Missoula, but not as cold as it had been in Butte.
Claire got to the door first and held it open.
Alison almost ran through, with Claire following.
Alison expected some sort of activity that would signal where Tommy was being held, but there was nothing.
She spotted Captain Kent. He stood at a whiteboard with two officers. They were talking quickly. Something was happening. Alison went straight for him, and he broke off from the officers to head her off.
"His apartment was empty," Kent said. "He wasn’t there, and he’s not answering his home. His mother claims she doesn’t know where he is."
"What did his mother say?" Alison asked.
"She claimed she hasn’t seen him since he was released from prison, but I know she’s lying. He’s lying low somewhere, maybe plotting his next kill. I need you to help me find him."
"Okay," Alison said.
"You’re in a vehicle with me," the Captain said. He pointed at Claire. "You can follow us over there."
Alison would have much rather traveled with Claire, but she wanted to know what they had so far, and the more she shared with Kent, the more he might share with her.
The three left the precinct together and then split into two cars.
"Did you talk to the mother?" Alison asked as Kent started the car.
"No, I had someone go over there and talk with her. I will talk with her once we get done with the apartment. She’s covering for him."
"Do you know her well?" Allison asked.
They pulled out of the parking lot.
"No, not really."
"She sued the department after Detective Castellano was killed in the line of duty," Alison said. "Do you know anything about that?"
"I know that it was a bunch of crap," Kent said, gripping the wheel tighter.
"Internal affairs ran the investigation, but they didn't speak to me. There were some rumors at the time that the team was sent into the building underprepared, but it was a shootout, which is basically a crapshoot. You can never prepare for that. The files are sealed, so I don't know the outcome, but it was settled out of court. Whether that means his mother got a payout or she dropped the case, I don't know. It doesn’t look like she’s living the life of luxury, so I’d go with the latter. If you ask me, I bet some lawyer thought he could make a buck from it and advised her to sue. I hate that he died; he was a good man, but it’s one of the dangers of the job. "
"Do you think his brother could be out to get revenge?" Alison asked.
"I don't know, but I made some calls about Tommy Castellano, and he’s a real piece of work. I can get the information to you when I have the official statements, but he’s manipulative and intelligent. Apparently, he ran the place when he was in jail, inmates and guards alike."
"He changed when his brother died."
"I notice that," Kent said. "They should have let him go to the funeral. That was a darn shame. I remember that funeral. It was well attended. His mother was beside herself. One son is dead, the other is in jail. Do you think that’s when he started panning all of this?"
"I want to speak to him to find out," Alison said. "We know he changed, but we don't know why. We don't know if he really changed or has been faking it this entire time. I hope I can see it in him when we do have him in custody."
"We’ll get him," Kent said. "There’s already a warrant out for his arrest, and I’ve been in contact with the Sheriff’s office.
State troopers are looking for him, and law enforcement across the state and into the neighboring states have his mugshot.
It’s only a matter of time before he pops up again. I only hope he’s our killer."
"You don't think he is?" Alison asked.
"I'm prepared to keep an open mind until we know we have the right guy, so we don't have a repeat of the Martinez fiasco."
"We wouldn’t be after Castellano if it weren’t for her," Alison said.
"She’s run a shoddy operation. I think she’s only gotten this far because you are by her side.
I don't want to step on any toes here, but she hasn’t gotten us close to finding this guy.
He killed my sister, and…well, let’s just hope that I don't get any time alone in a room with him.
That would be too easy, too good for him. He deserves to rot in jail."
His grip on the steering wheel got tighter. He hadn’t lost any of his anger; he only hid it better.
"The FBI is a valuable resource," Alison told him. "I know from experience. Work with them; that’s best for everyone."
"Whatever it takes," Kent said.
He pulled to a stop suddenly, and Alison rocked forward then back in her seat.
"I want you to tell me what you get in there," Kent said. "He has stuff on the walls, just like Webb had at his cabin, but you were able to see through that. I want to know if this is our guy or if he’s a red herring. I don't want to waste time here, and you’ve proven yourself."
"All right," Alison said.
They got out of the car as Claire pulled up behind them. Alison looked up at the brick building before her. The building was old, but it was still in good shape. The cracked glass in the door and worn wood around it suggested that the exterior was in much better shape than the interior.
A uniformed officer opened the door and held it for them as they entered the building.
The smell hit Alison first. It was an acrid smell, musty, hints of urine.
It was the sort of place that criminals were allocated after they were released from prison to try to become productive members of society.
No wonder so many people reoffend. I would hate to live in a place like this.
Tommy’s apartment was on the second floor of the building. When they got there, Captain Kent ordered everyone out for Alison to take a look at it all through her eyes.
Alison looked toward Claire. She wanted to invite her in, but the tension between Kent and Claire was still obvious, and she didn't want to lose the access she had just gained, so she entered the apartment alone.
The hallway was bare. The living room that the hallway led to was a treasure trove of information.
The first thing that struck Alison was the way the documents were placed on the wall.
They were spaced evenly apart, just like at the crime scenes.
Many of the crime scene photos jumped out at Alison.
They were from the three crime scenes, the historical ones that the modern ones were based on.
There were more crime scene photos. Three more clusters of photos of dead bodies.
And beside the crime scene photos were the reports from psychologists who had helped to free the criminals.
Reports from Dr. Kent, Dr. Hartley, and Dr. Gates, along with three others.
There was no mention of Dr. Laurent. There were also maps of the area, surveillance photos of all six psychologists, schedules, recipes, everything.
Alison stood in the middle of the living room, turning around slowly. There was no doubt about it. This was the work of the killer they were looking for.
There’s nothing here about your brother. This is not about him at all, is it? Or is it? Is all of this because of what he told you?
They would need to do two things first. They needed to warn the other psychologists and reach them before one was targeted. He obviously meant to kill six of them in total. They would also need to check if Detective Castellano was connected to the other cases. Kent could help her with that.
She didn't touch anything as she got closer to the pictures on the wall.
They might not have Castellano yet, but they knew what he planned next.
That was as good as stopping him for now.
The killer was a planner. He had planned out the six kills before starting on the first one.
At the very least, he would have to take time to plan another one, to pivot in another direction, and that would give them time to find him.
Three dead in less than a week. If they hadn't found the apartment, there would likely be another one dead in the same amount of time. The killer was not behind bars, but it was a win.
Alison left the living room. She didn't need to see any more of the apartment, but she was curious about anything else they might find there. She found Kent and Claire waiting outside.
"So?" Kent asked.
Claire stood with eyebrows raised.
"I’m pretty certain that he’s the killer. The way the information is laid out in there is the same way the information was laid out at the crime scenes. And there are more possible victims that we need to contact immediately.
"Go," Kent ordered one of the officers, who ran into the apartment.
"He has the same photos as the ones placed at the crime scenes, and the same work has been done, and the information gathered on all six. They are the six intended victims, and thanks to this find, thanks to Special Agent Martinez’s hunch, we have our guy."
Claire looked satisfied until Kent said, "If she had listened to you in the first place, we might have saved one more."
Then, Kent became satisfied.
There was no point in arguing Claire’s case to Kent.
Alison would still make sure she got the appropriate credit when Castellano was caught, but that would come later.
Claire had started the investigation, and she was the one who called Alison in.
She needed to see it out, too. Alison wished for them to get lucky and for the FBI to be the ones to bring him in.
Alison was thankful to Dale Kent for some things, but she still didn't like him.
"Okay, three psychologists in the city," the officer said when he exited the apartment. "I’ll see which patrol cars are closest to bring them in for now."
"Which one is closest to here?" Claire asked. "I might as well make myself useful in some way."
The officer gave her the address.
"I’ll go with you," Alison said. "The only thing we can do with regard to Tommy is wait. We only have to hope that he didn't leave the apartment because he knew we were onto him. He might have fled the state by now."
"We’ll catch up with him eventually," Kent said.
Alison left with Claire, leaving the building and getting into her car.
"Are you sure you don't want to stay here and do some proper police work while I go and babysit a potential victim?"
"You need to stop that now," Alison warned. "I know you don’t like this, but it’s how it is for now. Don't act like a petulant child."
"And here it is, the revenge for me not believing you." She started the car and drove from the curb.
"This has nothing to do with that," Alison told her. "He wants to get under your skin and throw you off, so don't let him. Do your job, and do it well. You do realize that you’ve done most of the work on the case, and he wouldn’t be close to getting Tommy if it weren’t for you.
Don't worry, I’ll make that known in my report, but only if you start acting like the agent I know you are. "
Claire sighed. "Yeah, I’m sorry. He is getting under my skin."
"You were the one who led us here, and don't forget it. And going to pick up one of the potential victims? I can't think of anything more noble than that. So, let’s do that, and then you and I need to run an errand."
"What?" Claire asked.
"The apartment walls link him to the three homicides, and three more than now won't happen. There was nothing about his brother. I’m sure they’re close, and his change happened when his brother died.
This is connected to Detective Castellano somehow, and I want to know how, and I want to know why there was nothing connected to his brother in that living room.
After we pick up our potential victim and get them somewhere safe, I want to talk to the mother.