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“Cara, hey, your brother is on the news! Come quick!” Cooper Madison called out from his bedroom to Cara, who was in the kitchen pouring herself another cup of coffee.
“Jason? What happened?” she asked as she came running in, hoping that it was for a good reason.
Coop turned up the volume on the large plasma television, which was tuned to a local news show and the graphics read EPK Murders Press Conference. Chief Horace Johnston, also known as “HoJo”, was on the screen in his dress blues giving a press conference outside city hall. A very tired-looking Jason Knox and Mick McCarthy stood in the background.
“Through the tireless work of the Cleveland Police Department, especially by Commander Michael McCarthy and Detective Jason Knox, I am happy to announce that the city of Cleveland can sleep a little safer tonight. At approximately 12:35 am, after a daylong manhunt, the man we believe to be the Edgewater Park Killer was located and confronted by the two brave men standing behind me. The man, who we have identified as 53-year-old Ernest Page, admitted to the murder of Stoya Fedorov before taking his own life. Please take a moment and remember the three young women who lost their lives at the hands of this man. A man who took the cowardly way out. I will gladly take any questions you have at this time, with the understanding that it is still very early and we may not be prepared to answer all of your questions at this moment.”
A flurry of reporters took Chief Johnston up on his offer all at once and questions started flying fast.
“Did he admit to killing the other two victims?”
“Are there any other suspects?”
“Is there any link to the shootout at the alleged brothel motel yesterday?”
“Are there any other victims?”
“Does he have a wife? Is she a suspect?
“How did you determine it was him?”
“Were there any other witnesses?”
“Can we talk to the detectives?”
Out of all the answers that Chief Johnston gave to the reporters, one of the only ones that Jason was happy with was when he told the reporters that he and Mick were not available for interviews at this time.
He doesn’t want me talking…
The other questions were mostly answered vaguely or not at all. In reality, Chief Johnston knew it didn’t matter what he said. In cases like this people want justice, and justice was served.
In the hours between the self-inflicted gunshot wound that ended Ernie Page’s life and the press conference, Jason had tried to convince his boss that Ernie may not have been the EPK Killer. Chief Johnston, desperate for an ending to the nightmare that had become the EPK murders, was not having any of it.
“Just because he didn’t admit to them doesn’t mean that he didn’t kill them. This guy has all the traits of a serial killer - lonely, older, abandonment issues. It’s a slam dunk. I’m not going to waste taxpayer dollars looking for a killer that’s already dead, and neither are you, Detective,” Chief Johnston informed his detective.
“With all due respect, sir, I’m just saying that maybe the press conference can wait until we have followed up on the possibility that he isn’t the EPK,” replied Jason.
“Well, Detective Knox, with that same due respect I will gladly remind you that it’s not your job to make those decisions.”
Chief Johnston did not give Jason a chance to respond as he walked away with the confident stride of a man who was just about ready to permanently etch his name in Cleveland history forever.
After it concluded the television station cut away from the press conference to commercial. Coop changed the channel to one of the other local stations. Then another. They all were proclaiming the end of the EPK case.
“Hol-lee crap…” Cara said, her eyes fixated on the screen.
“Your brother is the MAN!” Coop exclaimed.
“I knew he’d catch that bastard. Oh my God, I’m so proud of him! I want to call him, but he’s probably exhausted. Do you think that’s what we saw yesterday?”
“Yes ma’am, I’m figuring we were right next to a real-life serial killer yesterday.”
“I have to call my mom!” Cara ran off to the kitchen to get her cell phone and called Joanne from the balcony outside.
Coop could hear her talking to her mom through the window. The pride in her voice made him happy. He wanted her to be proud of him like that someday. He glanced at the clock and realized that he only had a couple hours until he had to meet with the Cleveland Indians front office.
Then he felt it.
He wasn’t sure if it was the adrenaline from seeing Jason’s big arrest or the desire to make Cara proud, but he definitely felt it.
Cooper Madison felt the need to compete again.
