Deadfall (24 page)

“Assuming there is something to compare it to.” Todd leaned back in his chair.

“That is a concern, Mr. Gaynes. Hopefully it's not twenty feet underwater or sawed up and dumped.”

Kevin cleared his throat as a signal to Mac to back off. They needed to be careful not to give the family members any ideas. They couldn't eliminate anyone at the table or within Brad's circle of friends without a thorough investigation. The truth was always stranger than fiction. Kevin had experienced meetings with grieving family members before, only to end up arresting one of them down the road. “The topic of the firearm leads me to ask a rather uncomfortable question,” Kevin said. “Do any of you own a handgun?”

Rachael and Kip looked immediately at Todd.

“Yes.” Todd folded his arms, his jaw set. “I have two deer rifles and keep a handgun in my bedside table. If you're suggesting I killed my son, you're crazy.”

Vicki smoothed her slacks over her thighs with both hands.

“Why don't you go and get them, Todd? They're only doing their job.”

“Would you mind showing us?” Kevin asked. “It will only take a few minutes.”

“Sure, come on upstairs.” Todd pushed back his chair and seemed none too happy. Kevin followed him.

“Anyone else?” Mac directed the question toward Kip and Rachael.

“We don't own a gun,” Rachael said.

“How about Brad?”

“I don't think so,” Vicki answered. “Um . . . do you know about his arrest record?”

“Yes, the arrest for drug possession?”

“That's a long story,” Vicki replied. “But yes, he was arrested for drug possession. Because of the felony conviction, he couldn't possess any firearms. To my knowledge, he and Jessica didn't have any guns in the house.”

“Brad didn't like guns,” Rachael said. “And I won't allow one in our house. Kip would have to find a new place to live if he wanted one, especially with the baby.”

Kip's jaw moved in annoyance. Mac suspected that even though Kip didn't own or want to own a gun, he didn't like his wife telling another man what she would or wouldn't allow him to do.

Kevin and Todd returned. From Kevin's demeanor, Mac suspected that Todd's firearms were in the clear.

“Folks,” Kevin said, “you asked where we're going from here, and I'll be blunt. Speaking from a purely statistical viewpoint, most people who are murdered in our country are killed by someone they know. With that in mind, we would be negligent if we did not conduct a thorough interview with each one of you to document your stories and account for your time.”

“You're not suggesting that one of us . . .”

“We are not suggesting anything, Mrs. Gaynes. We work for Brad at this point, and we intend to do our duty. I'm sure you can see the logic in our reasoning. Mac and I need to start with Brad's family and friends before we move on to strangers.”

“I understand.” Vicki dropped her gaze to the table.

“It isn't fair.” Rachael scowled at Kevin. “We've been through so much, and then to have you question us like this . . .”

“Rachael,” her father said, “they have to get the whole story.” He returned to his seat at the table. “We were all at home when the call came from Jessica. Vicki and I met Jessica and the authorities at the falls area. I called Rachael and Kip. They wanted to come, but I told them not to. I promised I'd keep in touch, and Rachael came out the next day to help with the search. Kip stayed home with the baby.”

“It isn't that we suspect you; it's just that you may hold the key or have information that is crucial to the case without knowing it,” Kevin added, seating himself in the chair next to Mac.

Rachael nodded and looked into her cup, swirling the drink with her hands.

“Can you account for the hours prior to Jessica's call?” Kevin's tone had softened some. “He was last seen at four-thirty. Jessica didn't call until nine.”

Kip cleared his throat, anger evidenced in the color of his cheeks and the set of his jaw. “Incredible. You're thinking that we had plenty of time to find Brad and Jessica—somehow watch for Brad to leave, kill him, dump the body, and get home?” He shook his head. “I'm going up to check on Michael.”

Rachael watched him go then got up. “I'll be right back.”

Mac made a note to find out how Brad and his brother-in-law got along.

21

S
ORRY ABOUT THAT,” Vicki offered. “Kip gets a little hotheaded at times. I know how he feels. It's a stretch by any means to think any of us had anything to do with Brad's death. We loved him. You should be looking at Jessica.”

“We will, ma'am.” Kevin took a sip of his coffee. “As I said, we'll be ruling out the family and spreading out from there.”

“Sounds like you have some pretty strong feelings about Jessica,” Mac said.

“I never have liked her; she was such a drain on my Brad. Every step forward he would take, she would drag him two steps back. I suppose you know she went back to California.”

“We're aware of that, yes. Has anyone talked with her since she moved south?” Mac asked.

“Never.”Vicki spat the word out. “I've tried calling a few times, but she's never there. At least that's what her aunt tells me.”

“Would you folks mind giving us formal statements?” Kevin asked. “It would be helpful if each of you gave your account of Brad's disappearance individually.”

“Of course,” Vicki said. “You can use the front room.”

At that point, Dana decided to leave. “I have an early shift tomorrow.”

Mac gave her an I'll-see-you-later look.

Vicki hugged her. “Thanks so much for being here for us.”

“Happy to do it. You have my card, so give me a call anytime.”

Kevin and Mac split up then, interviewing Brad's relatives one by one. Kip had gotten over his anger and apologized for the scene. Mac questioned him about his relationship with Brad.

“You want the truth; I'll give it to you straight. Brad was a spoiled brat. He refused to get a decent job—I even offered to bring him into my computer business as a partner as a favor to Rachael. Don't tell any of the others I said so, but Brad's been going down the wrong road for a long time. He was irresponsible.

He drank too much and I don't know for sure, but he might have still been doing drugs too.”

“His family seems to blame Jessica for his problems.”

“Humph.” He looked around before answering. “When I first met Jessica, I thought she'd be just what Brad needed. If you ask me, it was him corrupting her.”

“Really?” Mac noted the comment on his pad. “So despite what the family says, you liked Jessica.”

“Just don't let my wife know. Todd and I have kept a low profile about her, seeing how Rachael and her mom feel. We both figured Jess was okay. Bottom line? I don't think Jessica killed Brad.”

“Do you have any ideas who might have?”

He slapped his palms on his thighs. “Not a clue. Maybe that trucker Jessica told the sheriff about. Maybe Brad did get hit with a stray bullet. Stranger things have happened.”

“That's true.” Mac nodded. “Thanks, Kip. I appreciate your being up-front with me about Jessica.”

“Look.” He stood. “I'm sorry I blew up earlier. I don't have a lot of patience with things like that.”

Mac got to his feet and shook Kip's hand. “If you think of anything that might help us with the investigation, give my partner or me a call.”

“I'll do that.”

Mac and Kevin completed their interviews in less than an hour then obtained a signed consent-to-search form for Brad's home in the Hoodland community of Brightwood.

“No one has been there since just after Jessica left.” Todd opened a kitchen drawer and withdrew a key ring. “There's one for the front and back doors. His car keys are on there too. We left the place as is and locked it up. Brad's Subaru is parked in the garage.”

Vicki leaned against her husband. “We kept making payments, in case Brad came back.”

Todd wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “Guess now we'll have to put it on the market.”

“We'll have our crime lab go out to the house tomorrow to assist us with a search,” Kevin said. “We want to make certain that there is no evidence of a crime at that location.”

Since Jessica had been the only person, thus far, who placed Brad at the waterfall, they would need to do a thorough investigation of the house and car.

“Do you need us at the house tomorrow?” Todd asked.

“You are welcome to come along.” Mac hesitated in the doorway. “It will take us about four hours to go through it.”

“Victoria and I may stop by, but again, make yourselves at home.”

Mac nodded. “You folks have my number. Call me if you think of anything else.”

“Thanks, Detective.” Vicki wrapped her arms around herself. “Just please, find whoever did this to our son. Please.”

“We'll do our best.” Mac ducked outside and headed for the car. He just hoped their best was enough.

“You ready to call it a night?” Kevin asked as Mac climbed into the car.

“You know it, partner. Tomorrow is going to come early.” Mac stretched. “My muscles are feeling the strain from yanking that old sheep around.”

“You're getting old, Mac.”

“Ha. And what does that make you?”

“Beyond old, I'm afraid.” Kevin winced as he got into the car.

He had that odd look about him again.

Before Mac had a chance to comment, Kevin asked, “Did you give Mr. and Mrs. Gaynes our numbers?”

“I gave them my card yesterday, and it has my cell and pager numbers on it. Why?”

“Just checking. I gave Vicki and Todd Gaynes one of my cards when I interviewed them.” After snapping down his seat belt, he went on. “We need to make sure we cover all the bases.”

“Well, sure. What are you getting at? Did I do something wrong?”

“No, no. Nothing like that. Even though we have a signature, the consent-to-search form could be revoked at any time. That means any evidence we find in the cabin could be suppressed.”

“I'm not sure I get your meaning.”

“Consent is only valid if the person providing the consent has the continual option of revoking the consent. A guy can't say you can search his house and then you lock him up in jail where he can't call you and take it back. The family needs our numbers so they can revoke consent at any time, in case we find condemning evidence for one of them.”

“That doesn't seem right.”

“You're telling me. Ask Philly. He was jammed up on a search of a car during a suppression hearing because the guy who gave consent was hauled off to jail. His defense attorney planted the notion in his brain after the fact. Philly nearly lost the case because of the suppressed evidence, which, by the way, was a bloody towel the stabbing suspect used to clean his hands. It's a good thing he had other evidence.”

“Hmm. I don't see the Gayneses pulling the plug on us. They seem like decent people. And they really want the killer caught.”

“What did you think of the son-in-law?” Kevin asked.

“Actually, I meant to talk to you about him. Apparently, he doesn't share Vicki and Rachael's feelings about Jessica?”

“How so?”

Mac detailed the conversation. “Did Todd say anything to you?”

“No, but then he didn't say anything negative about Jessica either. Vicki pretty much took care of that part.”

“Same with Rachael. I wonder why there's such a discrepancy there. If Jessica's as bad as Vicki and Rachael make her out to be, why didn't the guys notice anything?”

“I'm not surprised, Mac. Guys aren't always as perceptive as women. Maybe Kip had a thing for Jessica.”

Mac shrugged. “Maybe. He seemed pretty up-front about her, though. Maybe the dislike on the women's part is due to jealousy.”

“Could be.” Kevin held his hands in front of the heater, which was now blasting out almost too much hot air.

“What do you think we ought to do about Jessica?” Mac asked. “We'll need to interview her.”

“That's a tough call. Do we go to California to interview her or have a detective from down south hit her up?”

“I'm for going to California.” Mac turned the heater down. “We could use a break in this weather.”

Kevin smiled. “Ain't that the truth.”

Mac headed downtown to the OSP office, where he would drop Kevin off at his car then head home. Bed sounded good about now. Especially after the sleepless night he'd had.

Mac wondered how Linda was doing and whether he should call her. Better not to, he decided. Break-ups should be clean and quick.

“Does this case sound familiar to you, Mac?”

“Hmm?” Mac glanced at his partner.

“Remember a case our Astoria detectives had a few years back?

The one where the woman was convicted of pushing her boyfriend off the cliff at Ecola State Park?”

“Yeah, I do. In fact, that first day of the search I thought about it. Probably because we had such a similar scenario. Boy leaves girl in the park and doesn't come back. Family can't stand the girlfriend and blames her for the guy's troubles.”

“You don't suppose Brad's mother is making comparisons, do you? That could explain some of the animosity.” Kevin rubbed the back of his neck.

“She might be.” Mac said. “That Ecola State Park case got a lot of press time. I'd be surprised if she didn't know about it.”

“Two of our guys were assigned the case after the boyfriend floated up on the Washington coast several months later. That guy's girlfriend moved back to the Midwest somewhere, right after the boyfriend went missing at the beach. Our guys put together a great plan that had the victim's parents invite the girlfriend back to Oregon to attend the funeral under the guise that they were paying her way. In reality, we paid for the plane ticket and got a chance to interview her.”