Chapter 48
Chapter Forty-Eight
Frustration radiated from Maggie as she and Anatoly walked back to the car.
She wasn’t about to give up so easily, not when her gut was telling her they were on to something.
The more she thought about it, the more she realized there had to be merit to this.
She got the sense Matthews had recognized the second name and that was enough confirmation for her to take further action.
She pulled her phone out and made a few calls, first to the station and then to a judge friend of hers that owed her a favor.
Anatoly played his part as well, securing Bishop Peter as a witness to give them enough probable cause.
It took a few hours, but by the time ten o’clock rolled around, she was walking back into Starry Meadow with everything she needed.
She slapped the warrant down in front of the receptionist and grinned. “Hi again.” Maggie couldn’t keep the smugness out of her tone. What could have taken days, she’d done in a night; surely she had the right to be a little proud of herself.
The receptionist must not have thought so, because she didn’t return the smile. She picked up the phone and dialed the person in charge though, which was all Maggie really cared about.
Minutes later, they were sitting in a bland office with Mr. Matthews, who had been dragged out of his house in the middle of the night and he was none too pleased.
“Is this really so pressing?” he asked in a clipped tone as they all took a seat around his desk. “I don’t see why you couldn’t wait for normal business—”
“Yes, it is,” Maggie cut him off. She was done playing nice. “All documents related to Robert Johnson’s stay here must be turned over immediately. I’ll gladly take an electronic copy or on good old-fashioned paper,” she added, her eyes glowing with authority.
Matthews glared back at her, but he complied, albeit grudgingly.
“I’m afraid the best I can do is paper,” he told her tightly as he worked at his computer.
In minutes, he had sent the records to the printer and it was just a matter of time before they were in Maggie’s hands.
It was definitely the long way, but she wasn’t about to complain.
She exchanged a glance with Anatoly and saw the earnestness on his face.
This was the first break they’d had in the case and it felt good to be progressing after so much time of banging their heads against the wall.
However, the weight of what they might find lingered over them.
It might be nothing and they’d have wasted all this effort, but Maggie was willing to take that chance.
Unable to sit still, Maggie stood up and moved to the printer, taking pages and skimming them as the machine shot them out. At first, it seemed like a lot of nonsense. Medications, therapy notes, and a demographics page, but then, amidst it all…
She let out a gasp.
“Did you find something?” Anatoly asked eagerly behind her.
Maggie nodded, a cold, sinking feeling lodging itself in the pit of her stomach. “Half of these therapy notes are from Miss Thomas,” she confirmed, but she didn’t celebrate just yet. “Anatoly, I think I know who the killer is…”
He stood up and so did Mr. Matthews, reminding Maggie of his presence. By now the printer had spit out the last few pages, and after snatching them from the tray, she stepped toward the door.
Her mind was racing as it started to connect all the dots, but she didn’t want to discuss the case in front of this douchebag. “Thanks for your cooperation, Mr. Matthews,” she told him and then she led Anatoly back out to the car.
Only when they were seated in the vehicle did she pass the papers to Anatoly for him to look over.
One page in particular had caught her eye and she pointed it out.
“Here, he mentions a Jack Richards several times throughout these notes, how he was trying to help Richards and that they were friends during their stay here.”
“You think Jack Richards is killer? Why?”
She nodded, her mouth and jaw tight. “Remember the garbage truck?”
“Da?” Confusion laced his tone.
Maggie let out a heavy sigh and fixed Anatoly with a somber stare. “I think Jack Richards left the note for me. I vaguely remember arresting him. He must have gotten sentenced to rehab instead of jail time given his history.”
“History?”
She nodded. “He was a successful medical doctor with a wife and kids before his arrest.”
“That explains why he hit you with garbage truck, but what is motive in other murders? If Father Abrams was friend, why kill him? Why kill counselor?” Anatoly’s questions were just an echo of the ones in Maggie’s mind, but that didn’t mean she had the answers to them.
She shook her head and started the engine. “Why don’t we go ask him?”