Kara shrugged. “I don’t care why. I never want to see that woman again.”
“Catherine also said they both likely enjoyed setting up the abandoned factory and creating elaborate and deadly traps, but for Garrett with his mechanical background it was a challenge, and for Clara it was more likely to watch her victims’ psychological torment.”
“Sick,” she muttered.
“Speaking of the factory,” Matt said, turning to Jim. “Catherine said you uncovered forensic evidence.”
Jim nodded. “Quite a bit. Enough to keep her in prison. They had to have spent days—maybe weeks—setting up the traps. Some were ingenious, some were basic but effective. It’s in line with Garrett’s background. He had been an engineering student at one point, and everything we’ve learned about him is that he has above average mechanical skills. Most of the traps we believe he created, but Catherine thinks they were Clara’s ideas. The Jacksonville ERT unit is staying on site to assist the sheriff’s department, and we brought in a local contractor with heavy equipment. It’s going to take another week, at least.”
“How did she make the house explode?” Kara asked. “Lily and Nathan were there for days before it went boom.”
“Arson investigators are still going over the wreckage, but from what they could determine, she had a chemical time bomb.”
“Which is—?” Kara asked.
“A plastic bottle with a tiny hole that slowly dripped out a lye solution into one of the main support beams in the basement. The lye eroded the beam, but it takes time—anywhere from three to ten days.”
“And then it explodes?”
“No, that didn’t cause the explosion. When the kitchen floor collapsed and the stove was ripped out of the wall, a spark caused the gas to ignite. There was a propane tank too close to the house—it was old and not up to code. You have a guardian angel on your shoulder, Matt.”
Kara shook her head. “She told Lily she would let them go. That lying bitch.”
Matt took her hand and squeezed it. “So there’s enough evidence to keep her behind bars?” he said.
“Oh, yeah. And Zack is still going over her finances—did Catherine tell you about the extortion?”
Matt nodded. “Good work,” he said. “Great work. You all came through during a difficult time. Tony wants a meeting with our legal rep on Wednesday. We’re going to be talking about probable cause and procedures and it’s going to be a slap that we don’t deserve. But everyone needs to be there.”
“Sloane will be back Tuesday morning,” Ryder said.
“I’m heading to Dallas,” Jim said as he got up. “Ryder was kind enough to offer to take me to the airport. I’ll be back Tuesday night. After a week like this, I need to see my family.”
The three men left, and Matt put his arm around Kara. “This case is going to weigh on all of us for a long time.”
“We’ll bounce back,” Kara said. “The team really went above and beyond.” She kissed him, then made a move to grab her keys. He pulled her back to him.
“I thought we were going to the grocery store?” Kara said.
He kissed her. “We will.” He kissed her again and backed her down the hall into her bedroom. “In an hour. Or two.”
Monday
43
Catherine sat across from Clara Dolan in the federal detention center. She had been denied bail this morning, and was now in a sour mood. Her lawyer sat next to her, a young private practice junior partner who worked for a big Florida firm. Catherine suspected they would stay with Clara as long as she could pay them; she had plenty of money, but may go through her entire trust. Already, she’d put her properties on the market. One of the LLCs—the one that had multiple men paying into it after Clara blackmailed them—had been frozen because of the extortion, but the AUSA couldn’t make the case for the other LLCs because Clara’s trust fund had been lawful.
“I don’t have to talk to you,” Clara snapped, the chains at her wrists rattling.
Clara did not look good in orange. Somehow, that pleased Catherine.
“No, you don’t,” Catherine agreed. “But I’m the forensic psychiatrist who will be an expert witness for the prosecutionat your trial. The more I know about you, the more I can determine if you’re mentally diminished or fully responsible for your crimes.”
“I’m not stupid,” Clara said.
“No, you’re not.”
Catherine waited.
