AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Then how come that wasn’t the end of the company?”
Gary barked out a laugh. “Maybe they had friends in high places. Not that they came away without a blemish. They were fined, and they had to pay out millions to the family of the deceased. Not long after that, Gianni took over the running of the housing construction company.” He bit his lip. “Guess his dad thought he needed a change of career.”
“What about the mystery body? Could it be identified?”
“Yes—again, eventually. And this is where things got interesting. The body was that of a male, but it was found with the remains of silicone breast implants. Given the dates of construction, a search was made for missing persons from that time. Dental records were out, obviously.”
“You think that’s why the head was removed? To prevent identification?”
“Whoever stowed that body in the space above the ceiling tiles clearly hoped it would never be discovered, but just in case? Yeah. In the end identification came down to a steel pin in the leg, which led us to only one person—Cheryl Somers, last seen late August 1992.”
Dan blinked. “Cheryl? Was she trans?”
“Yes. Born Benjamin Raskin, 1964. She’d been living as Cheryl since the age of twenty-one, in 1985. According to her medical records, the only surgeries she underwent were the insertion of that steel pin in her leg and the breast implants.”
“Who reported her missing?”
Gary peered at the notes. “Her father, Pete Raskin, and also….” He widened his eyes. “Wow. Talk about friends in high places. Senator William Cain. Apparently she had a connection with the Cain family.” He tapped on the keyboard for a moment.
“What are you doing?”
“Something I read in the notes made me curious. I just want to see….” Gary stared at the monitor. “Oh my.”
“What is it?”
“She was an artist.” He crooked his finger. “Come take a look at this. Her work is stunning.”
Dan walked around the desk and peered at the monitor. Gary scrolled, revealing amazing portraiture. There were individuals, couples, a family group, but all imbued with such vitality that they took Dan’s breath away.
“I see what you mean. So much talent.” He stiffened.
“What just occurred to you?”
Dan gazed at the screen. “It’s just a thought, but… might someone who’s worked in construction refer to a trans artist as ‘that fucking painter freak’?”
Gary’s mouth fell open. “It’s a verygoodthought.”
“Can I have a copy of the notes?”
“Of course.” Gary got up and went over to the printer-copier to feed the sheets under its lid.
“Travers is right. This is a great case to start with.”
Gary turned his head toward him and smiled. “It’s got your interest, that’s for sure.” The copier spat out the sheets, Gary tapped them into a neat pile, then handed them to Dan.
He scanned the top copy. “How far back do these go? Does she turn up in any police records before her death?”
Gary shuffled through the sheets. “Yes, in 1989. She was assaulted while on a date. Apparently the guy, one Aiden Reynolds, took exception to her being trans.” Gary glanced at the sheet. “He was twenty-seven. Worked in construction.”
Dan grinned. “Oh really? I suppose it’s too much to hope he worked for the DFF group. On a certain tunnel?”
“Yeah, wouldn’tthatbe fortunate?” Gary chuckled. “Don’t get carried away looking for more coincidences, okay?” He went back to the notes. “It says here Cheryl didn’t want to press charges but was persuaded to do so by Senator Cain. Except this was a couple of years before he became a senator.”
Dan’s mind suddenly shifted into gear. “Maybe that’s how she died. Another date, but one that went wrong? Or maybe Aiden Reynolds decided he hadn’t gone far enough and came back to finish the job.”
Gary gazed at him with wide eyes. “Three years later? I think that might be a bit of a stretch.”
Dan shrugged. “He might be the type who bears a grudge. I still think we should interview him. In fact we need to interview everyone we can find who was connected to her. People who knew her from college, friends. And here’s another idea.” Dan cocked his head to one side. “Does Benjamin Raskin appear in police records?”
