AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“That’s what she claimed,” Brogan added. “The truth is that during Regina’s teen years, Susan was a raging alcoholic. She was so furious with Regina for leaving, for choosing Russell over her, she didn’t even try to find out what happened to her, even when she went into recovery ten years later. We got that story from the officer who delivered the news to Susan.”
Kelly had been trying to understand the mix-up. “Okay, so let’s go back to 1978. Regina gets off the train from Denver. Katharine Pellico, aka Vera Lockhart, spots her. How does she recognize Regina as Russell’s daughter?”
Brogan shook her head. “I don’t see how Katharine could’ve known it was Regina until the girl started asking around town if anyone knew Russell Miller. Remember, Katharine ran the newsstand. It probably didn’t take long for gossip to reach her. There’s a girl in town asking for Russell. That likely sent up a red flag. It was the last thing Katharine wanted to hear after eight or nine years into starting a new life.”
“Then that’s who killed Gidget,” Kelly reasoned. “You guys did it. You found Gidget’s real identity and solved her murder.”
Brent pivoted back to the group. “That’s not how it went down. It’s easy to make that leap in logic, but it wouldn’t be accurate. The lab didn’t find one speck of Katharine Pellico’s DNA on Regina. What they did find in abundance belonged to Tazzie. When they swabbed Regina’s clothing—bingo—Tazzie’s DNA was all over Regina’s outfit. Tazzie must’ve grabbed Regina and held her down while Dennis and Richie assaulted her before they murdered her.”
Kelly sucked in a gasp. “You’re sure about Dennis’s and Richie’s part?”
“Oh, yeah. The lab found traces of Marshall’s semen mixed with Richie’s. If that’s not enough, they found Marshall’s DNA around Regina’s neck. Partial index fingerprints from both hands match Richie’s and Tazzie’s. Those partials were discovered on skin tissue from both of Regina’s legs.”
“Plus, we have a witness,” Brogan provided.
“Ifyou’re able to persuade him to come forward,” Brent stressed. “You never received a reply from the email you sent.”
“I figure something must’ve spooked him,” Brogan countered. Mentally drained, she finally dropped into a chair. “Will you give me twenty-four hours to contact him again before conducting an interview?”
“I’ll give you twelve. It’s been my experience that eyewitness accounts are faulty at best. Even if this person did see something that night, I’m not sure we need his statement at this point.”
“But it would be a bonus, right?”
“To a jury? Sure. They love hearing from a witness. But they love DNA even more.”
“Then I’ll take the twelve and be grateful for technology,” Brogan stressed, her voice strained from talking.
Lucien laid a hand on her shoulder. “I’m sure these assholes believed they’d gotten away with it. They didn’t count on the case ever seeing the light of day. Hats off to Brent for reopening it.”
“Absolutely.” Birk traded looks with Jade. “That’s not to say Katharine wasn’t elated when Regina turned up dead.”
“If that was the case,” Beckett prompted, “then why did Vera Lockhart seek out Marley Lennox for therapy?”
“Maybe the old bat finally had a spurt of guilt,” Kelly stated.
“But she didn’t unburden a shred of guilt for all those missing people who match up to the driver’s licenses she kept,” Lucien pointed out. “Each of those licenses represents a missing person. It’ll take us weeks, maybe months, to contact any surviving relatives and straighten this mess out.”
Brogan scanned the names listed on the whiteboard. “We don’t even know where these missing people ended up. Were they murdered in the same general vicinity from where they disappeared? Who knows? And then there’s poor Helen Driscoll. Helen was targeted like the others because Katharine Pellico needed a new identity that matched her own general description.”
“We may never know exactly why she targeted any of these victims,” Brent assessed. “Predators look for opportunity. But it’s fairly obvious that Katharine felt Helen’s overall characteristics—despite the ages not matching up—were good enough to steal, even if it was only for a short time. Which makes me wonder why Katharine settled on using the name Vera Lockhart with so many other names to choose from?”
“So are we agreed that her husband Russell Miller was her accomplice after leaving the hospital?” Lucien asked.
“I still have a hard time believing a medic would go on a violent rampage like that,” Birk stated. “Who’s to say the couple didn’t have an argument in Colorado that ended in Miller’s death? Maybe Miller wanted to stop in and see his kid on the way to California. Katharine had other ideas. Maybe the nutjob opposed making a stop in Englewood. Maybe Katharine is the one who sent the postcard to Susan Hightower taking a victory lap. ‘See? I won. You lost. Russell is dead’ kind of thing. That sounds petty, but doesn’t it fit Katharine’s mindset?”
“It’s another aspect of the truth we may never fully know,” Lucien emphasized. “There are gaps—no doubt about it. But with DNA, the advantage goes to Brent. Now we need to figure out how to approach Dennis, Tazzie, and Richie.”
“I vote that Brent goes in hard in the initial interview and scares the crap out of all of them,” Beckett suggested.
Lucien scanned the faces before landing on Brent’s. “I’m not hearing any opposition to that tactic. What about you?”
“I’m good with it. But the ball’s in your court. I’ll leave it to you guys to come up with who I interview first.”
Brogan didn’t hesitate. “Tazzie. Please let it be Tazzie you approach first. And please let me view the entire thing from that two-way mirror you guys use.”
Brent cocked a brow. “You want to be there?”
“You bet I do. I want to see Tazzie squirm. And if you give me that twelve-hour window, I’ll try and talk the witness into coming forward. What do you have to lose? Do this one thing for me, and I’ll put your boys through college. I’ll even put it in writing.”
