Conviction: Book 3 of the Detective Ryan Series (11 page)

Chapter 20-PM

The Puppet Master let a few days pass before deciding to make his next public appearance. Sitting in his personal office, he chose to sit and watch the screens to monitor Ali’s movements within James Thornton’s house. After the fire at the florist, he figured she would be more on edge, but she wasn’t. She walked in the door with a box in her arms.

He watched the monitors intently, trying to zoom in on what Ali was reading, but she took the file to a part of the couch not covered by cameras. The desire to know what she was focused on was strong.

“It has to be something big if she’s working from home in the middle of the day.” He continued to watch, but saw no movement from her until hours later. Once her big bad protector came home, he had no hope of knowing what she was up to, at least not while they were home.

He waited until the next morning to check the monitors again. The first image he saw was Ali passed out on the living room floor with James’ arm draped around her.

“He’s getting too close to her,” the Puppet Master growled. He knew if they got any closer, Thornton would do anything to protect her. That was something he couldn’t let happen. He glanced back at the monitor to see Ali had woken up and was gathering up the files. “That’s right, Ali. Make it easy for me to find them.”

He watched her disappear down the hall, another dead area he hadn’t anticipated on. Checking the other feeds, he was unable to pick up where Ali snuck off to with the box. His hand slammed the top of the desk. Wherever she placed it, the Puppet Master knew he would have to rip the place apart to find.

Glancing at his watch, the Puppet Master realized he was running behind and needed to hurry to the courthouse. He arrived in time to handle a few personal matters before taking a seat. The bailiff ordered everyone to rise. When he did, he saw the dark haired woman he met with countless times before.

Dr. Claire Cain, dressed in the Halloween orange jumpsuit, walked to the defense table. She locked eyes with her attorney, Ms. Rebecca Reynolds.
Being best friends with the defendant has its perks
. The Puppet Master knew Claire told her friend everything, another potential liability in his mind.

His attention quickly switched to the other attorney. She was arguing a point against her opponent to the judge. Seeing the two of them standing at opposing tables, was like watching day and night fighting each other. The two were complete polar opposites.

A.D.A. Reed was naturally tall, rigid, with short blond hair. She wore pant suits, or long skirts that fell beneath her knees. She abided by all the rules set before her, and never considered breaking the law in the slightest regard. She was cold and heartless, but respected for doing what it took to put criminals behind bars legally.

Rebecca on the other hand, had long blond hair. Her height was due to the five or six inch heels she wore on a daily basis. She wore tight, slightly revealing clothes, giving everyone something to look at in hopes of distracting a witness or the prosecution. She was cunning, but relied much of her strategy on her two biggest assets.

As the Puppet Master tossed around the possibilities of who would be a better fit for his next victim, the courtroom door closed. His attention turned towards the woman creeping up to an empty space in the row of seats.

So many victims, so little time
. The Puppet Master’s eyes darted to all the security in the room. The desire to kill all his enemies in one shot was tempting, but wouldn’t allow him the satisfaction he truly wanted.
Ali, your time is coming to an end
.
Soon you’ll know the truth; you’ll know why I chose you be the one leading this charge to find me. But by the time you know the truth, it’ll be too late
.

He continued to listen to the banter between the attorneys. The defense attempted to gain the release of her client, citing she was receiving death threats in prison. They weren’t threats, they were promises he intended to deliver on. As long as Claire continued to keep her mouth shut, the Puppet Master would let her and her friends live.

Her first betrayal came when her and her attorney called for an immediate meeting following his note. Jumping to the conclusion he would hurt her, the defense attorney stepped in to call an emergency meeting. It defied his message and warranted punishment for both women.

Hearing the judge order Claire to remain in custody until a deal could be reached, the Puppet Master knew it was only a matter of time before Rebecca Reynolds made another poor decision and forced her client to speak to the police again.

Once court was adjourned, A.D.A. Reed tore through the crowd, pulling Detective Ryan along with her. There was no way of knowing what they were saying. It wasn’t like he could eavesdrop without drawing attention to himself.

Waiting for another opportunity to slip out unnoticed, the Puppet Master snuck to the back of the room and ducked out the first time the door opened. He thought it would give him the chance to interrupt the detective and the prosecutor, but no one was there.

He slipped his spare phone from his pocket, sending a text message to a friend. I need your help. I need to send one more message. Meet me outside the courthouse in ten minutes.

The reply came back with a thumbs up, letting the Puppet Master know the meet was on.

Sitting in his car, the Puppet Master waited for his cohort to arrive. The Sonata pulled up next to his car with the window rolled down.

“We need to stop meeting like this.”

“Hopefully there won’t be too many more times when I need to ask for this type of favor.” The Puppet Master had a type-written message folded up and presented to his friend.

“This the last time. If I get caught, I could lose my job.”

“We all have something to lose, some more than others.” The Puppet Master rolled up his window and sped out of the parking lot. He hurried to Thornton’s house, hoping to break-in before either of them returned from their day.

When he pulled up to the sidewalk a few houses away, he noticed a different car was parked in front of the house. It wasn’t just some random person stopping off across the street or next door. No, it was a Dutchess County squad car. Knowing it was impossible to get past the officers inside, the Puppet Master drove past, eying up the house.

“This round goes to you, Ali. But don’t get used to it. The walls you build have surrounded you, will all come tumbling down soon enough.

Chapter 21-Ali

The moment I left the courthouse, I called the lieutenant to see if he had any updates for me. With no leads from the fire or car crash, and nothing new from Sheila’s murder, I decided to go home and dive into the box of files. No one was home, which made it easier to concentrate on the material.

Entering the closet, I pulled the step ladder into place and retrieved the box from the attic. I dragged it back to the living room and set it next to the couch before making a pot of coffee.

Opening the box, I removed the top folder, knowing full well what it contained. I decided to begin with Claire’s files, wanting to go through the material a bit more carefully than James did the night before. It wasn’t that I didn’t trust him, but there may have been something he overlooked. If I could find the link that tied Nick DeFalco and Claire Cain together, maybe I could use it to find the man that’s been stalking me and possibly set Rodney up for murder.

Digging through the files, I found reports documenting the search and seizure of video tapes from Ambrose’s house, and the hours we spent watching every debaucherous deed he did to those women. There was nothing that stuck out connecting Ambrose to Evan, so I moved onto the next file.

One by one I sorted through each folder as the sun slowly began to set. The orange glow hit the nearly empty box as I let out a sigh.

“There’s gotta be something I’m missing.”

I reached for the last two files but heard the buzz from my phone. Reaching for my cell, I recognized the number as the District Attorney’s Office.

“Is this Detective Ryan?” the man asked.

“Yes it is.”

“Detective, this is Richard Garrett with the District Attorney’s Office. Stacey Reed, forwarded your request to view the files from the Rodney Johnson case.”

“Yes, sir. I believe he is innocent and would like a chance to prove it before he stands trial.”

“Is this just a hopeful theory or do you have actual proof?”

“I am ninety-five percent sure my theory is correct. I believe those files can help me prove Rodney is innocent.”

“Come down to my office. I’ll let you look over the files and you can tell me this theory of yours.”

“I’ll be down in a bit.”

I placed my cell on the couch and heard the door open. I didn’t bother looking up from the files on my lap. I had to get through the last two before I met with the D.A.

“Don’t tell me you’re still working on those files,” James said. I looked up to see him staring at me in disbelief.

“I need to find the missing link. I need to figure out this connection and find a way to prove Rodney is innocent.”

“Ali, I get it, but you’re working yourself nonstop. You need to relax. We went through the entire box last night. We didn’t find anything.” His eyes washed over me. “And based on the mess on the floor, you didn’t find anything today either.”

“You don’t get it. If I’m right, whoever is behind this had a hand in ten deaths, killed two others, tried to kill me, took my sister hostage, killed my boyfriend and made it look like my partner did it. He’s broken into your home, and made it known he is coming after me. I plan on finding out who he is and putting an end to this before he hurts any more people.”

“I understand, but you’re pushing yourself too hard. You need to give yourself time to process the information and to rest.”

“Or what, James? Are you going to rat me out to Esposito again? Are you gonna have him remove me from the case? News flash; I’m a big girl and can take care of myself.” I grabbed the files and placed them back in the box. “And if for some reason I get taken off the case, I’ll still look into on my own whether you and Esposito like it or not.” I grabbed the box and headed for the front door.

“Where the hell are you going?”

“Somewhere I can investigate without anyone bothering me.”

I bolted from the house and placed the box of files in my trunk. With the driver’s side door open, I threw myself inside, casting an angry look up at James as he stared at me from the doorway. I didn’t know where I would go after I met with the D.A., but I knew I needed to be alone.

Walking up to the D.A.’s office, I realized it was the first time stepping foot inside, let alone meet him in person. I let the secretary know I was there to see Mr. Garrett. She called him to verify before escorting me in to see him.

“Ah Detective Ryan, please come in and have a seat.”

Richard Garrett was a tall, skinny man. Although with all the bicyclist apparel around the room, you would think he would look more athletic.

“Mr. Garrett, nice to finally meet you.”

“No it’s not,” he laughed. “No one likes to meet me. Everyone knows I’m the asshole that makes the toughest decisions, or so I hear.”

I tilted my head to hide the smirk. Richard Garrett had a horrible reputation for being ruthless in the courtroom. He had disregard for emotions, whether it be for the victim’s families or the general public. He did what was necessary to get the conviction. I was ready for that version of him, not this mildly charming man who sat behind his desk cracking jokes.

“Mr. Garrett, I don’t want to take up too much of your time.”

“No worries, Detective. Although, I am interested to hear your theory about Detective Johnson’s case.”

I went into a detailed explanation of what transpired in the last year, beginning with the Campus Killer case. I told him about the incident on the bridge and everything with my sister. When I brought up DeFalco’s final words before I pulled the trigger, Richard’s face cringed.

“So you think he was trying to tip you off about a partner or someone that controlled him?”

“I didn’t think much of it at the time, but I was brought in for an impromptu meeting with Dr. Claire Cain.”

“The case that Ms. Reed is overseeing?”

“Yes. Dr. Cain and her attorney requested the meeting to tell us she had been receiving death threats in prison. She told us she had information about the man that’s behind several investigations including the Campus Killer.”

Mr. Garrett started pacing behind the desk as I told him the backstory. “And you believe her?”

“It confirmed what DeFalco was trying to tell me. And her friend was murdered in her own home shortly after.”

“So tell me; how does this have anything to do with Detective Johnson’s case?”

“The man I have been referring to has made an attempt on my life and that of my sister. In the last few months, he broke into my car and left me flowers that night. He had the same bouquet delivered to the precinct with a card referencing an attack on my sister. We all went to my house. Rodney made it there first, but said someone attacked him. He has proof of head trauma from a physical altercation.”

“Yes, the defense has made that information available to me as well. But how are these files going to help you prove he was set up?”

“I want to check the evidence surrounding the blood spatter the bullet trajectory. I think the area might have been staged.”

“Detective, you know my reputation. You know what’ll happen once I take this to the courtroom. If you honestly feel like you can prove he was setup, then by all means, take the info and prove me wrong.”

Mr. Garrett picked up a thick folder and held it out for me to grab. “Thank you. I owe you one.”

“Yes you do, Detective. And if you fail to convince me, I will collect on it.” His sly smile indicated he had a plan formulated well before he called me.

“What exactly do you plan on collecting?”

“Dinner; just you and me.”

I didn’t know what kind of game he was playing, but I was willing to bet my dating life on Rodney’s innocence. “Alright, you got a deal.” I grabbed the folder from Mr. Garrett’s hands and smiled. “But if it was a date you wanted, all you had to do was ask.” He held up a finger to most likely ask me out on a date. “Sorry, but you’ll just have to wait to see if I can prove you wrong.” I slipped out of the office before he could speak another word.

I now held all the information the D.A. and our collective police departments had on all three cases. Somewhere in those files held the proof of Rodney’s innocence and hopefully a lead to the man pulling everyone’s strings.

I drove around for an hour and a half trying to think of a place I could go. Nothing seemed appealing. The precinct wasn’t private, James’ house was out of the question, and Rodney’s house would be a huge conflict of interest. There was only one place I could go that I knew no one would think to find me. I decided to go home.

Coming up to the place I called home for so long felt a bit foreign. The house had been placed on the market to sell right after I closed the Campus Killer case. It never sold, but I was urged to stay away from it due to it becoming widely known as the house Detective Ali Ryan lived in.

I slid the key into the lock and opened the door. It had been nearly eight months since the last time I stepped foot inside the house. Even when it went up on the market, I let Matthew go inside with the realtor. Inside was darkness, but I remembered everything about the place. I remembered where the furniture was placed and how much I loved coming back after a long day of work. I remember spending nights curled up on the couch with Matthew and the late nights, binge watching movies I rented with Amanda. It was home to me, and was the perfect place to look over Rodney’s case files.