Wild Justice (18 page)

46 Mike Greene had asked Fred Scofield to send him a copy of the Milton County file in the Cardoni prosecution shortly after Justine Castle s arrest. It arrived on Monday afternoon. Greene was reading the file when Sean McCarthy walked into his office a little after five. The homicide detective looked depressed. He dropped a sheaf of police reports on Greene s desk and lowered himself into a chair. Jesus, you look terrible, Greene said. You want some coffee? McCarthy dismissed the offer with a despondent wave. We have a real problem, Mike. Everything we ve got so far makes me believe that the person who committed the murders in Milton County also committed the murders at the farm. Both properties were purchased at the behest of an anonymous buyer through dummy corporations set up by a lawyer who s been in deep trouble with the bar. The crime scenes are so similar that it can t be a coincidence. Greene looked confused. Why is that a problem? If Dr. Castle murdered the victims at the farm, we screwed everything up four years ago. Then we ll make everything right. That might not be so easy. If we can t prove Cardoni s dead, the Jaffes will argue that he s returned to frame Castle. They can call Fred Scofield and Sheriff Mills as witnesses to testify that they were convinced that Cardoni murdered the victims in Milton County. Hell, Mike, they can call me and I d have to swear that I was certain that Cardoni did it. Greene thought about that. He pointed at the papers that were strewn across his desk. The evidence against Cardoni was pretty convincing. And there was none implicating Dr. Castle. Greene was lost in thought for a moment. When he turned his attention back to McCarthy he looked concerned. Have you been able to identify the victims at the farm? Are any of them connected to Castle? The poor bastard who died in the basement was a male prostitute named Zach Petrie. He showed up at the emergency room at St. Francis a week before he died, but there s no record of Castle being involved with the case. What about the others? Diane Vickers was a prostitute who was treated for a sexually transmitted disease at St. Francis, but as far as we can tell, Castle didn t treat her. David Capp was a runaway, and we can t find any link between him and St. Francis or Justine Castle. Now, no one reported Petrie, Vickers or Capp missing, but we d been treating the disappearance of Kimberly Lyons, the other female victim, as a possible homicide since she went missing a few months ago. Lyons was a student at Portland State. From what we can tell, she was abducted at the Lloyd Center mall. Her car was found there, and she told her friends that she was going to shop for a birthday present for her boyfriend. Do you think the others were also random kidnappings? McCarthy shrugged. How about taking a new look at the old victims to see if we can link them to Castle? I m already doing that. Greene smiled. Sorry, I should have assumed you would be. Anything else new? The DNA test identified the hair in the surgical cap as Castle s. I also talked to the lawyer who was representing Cardoni in his divorce. Castle went through with the divorce after Cardoni disappeared and made out like a bandit. How well? She cleared around two million dollars. Greene whistled. Two million dollars is a good motive for murdering Cardoni. The lawyer also told me Castle was certain that Cardoni had set up secret bank accounts in Switzerland and the Cayman Islands, but she never found them. When I asked when she started looking for them, he said it was well before she filed. Why is that important? Four years ago Castle testified at her husband s bail hearing. She said she left him when he raped her, but it looks like she may have been checking into his finances way before that. So what do we have, a black widow? It s beginning to look that way, Mike. If she killed Cardoni, it won t be the first time she s offed a husband. Oh? It might not even be the second time.

47 The matron closed the door to the visiting room behind Justine Castle, and Amanda motioned to the chair across from her. Justine had lost weight, and there were dark circles under her eyes. We ve got a problem, Justine, Amanda said. Justine watched Amanda warily. The DNA tests of the hair found in the surgical cap came back positive for you. Justine seemed to relax a bit, as if she d expected Amanda to say something else. I assumed it would, Justine told Amanda. Whoever planted the coffee mug and the scalpel obviously took a cap I used during surgery. There s more. Mike Greene s developing a theory that you married Vincent Cardoni for his money and killed him to get it. Justine smiled wearily. That s utterly ridiculous. Greene thinks he can prove it, and he s not simply going to describe you to the jury as a gold digger. He s going to characterize you as one of the most depraved serial killers in history. Justine leaned back in her chair. Her smile widened. Isn t that what they said about Vincent? Aren t they going to have a hard time explaining how I murdered the victims in Milton County when all of the evidence points to him? Amanda was surprised that her news had not upset Justine more. She studied her client for a moment. Justine did not blink under the scrutiny. You ve been thinking about this, haven t you? Why does that surprise you, Amanda? My life is at stake, and I have nothing but time on my hands. Well, you re right. The Milton County case hurts Mike, but he can overcome it if he has evidence that you ve killed before for money. Justine s smile faded. What are you talking about? I reread the autobiography you wrote for me. You left out some things. Like the fact that you shot your first husband to death. Amanda watched the color drain from Justine s face. And I didn t see anything in your bio about the one hundred thousand you cleared on his insurance or the several hundred thousand dollars you inherited when your second husband died a violent death within a year of marrying you. Didn t you think I would be interested in these little tidbits? I shot Gil in self-defense, Justine said, her voice barely above a whisper, and David s death was an accident. They have nothing to do with this. That isn t what Mike Greene thinks. Damn it, Justine, you can t hide something like this. I ve got to be prepared. This isn t a shoplifting case. If we make one mistake, the State is going to kill you. And you can be damn sure that the DA will find out every little secret you decide to keep from me. I m sorry. Sorry doesn t cut it. Anything you tell me is confidential. Remember me saying that? I don t care how bad it is, you tell me. No one else gets to know, but I ve got to know if I m going to save your life. Okay? Justine didn t answer. She just stared past Amanda, who let her collect herself. How did they find out? Justine finally asked. The same way Herb Cross did when my father was representing Vincent. Justine s head snapped up. Your father had me investigated? Dr. Cardoni told my father that you killed the victims in Milton County. We followed up on the accusation. How can you represent me if you think I framed Vincent? Justine asked angrily. I don t think that, and neither does my father. He never believed Cardoni. He was just doing his job. Can the DA bring up Gil s and David s deaths? He ll sure as hell try. Will it be in the papers? Of course. Even if we keep the evidence from the jury, the legal arguments will be in open court. Justine squirmed in her chair and her shoulders hunched. This is no good, she said, more to herself than Amanda. Then she looked across at her attorney. You can t let them do this, she pleaded. No one knows about my past here. The DA does. He knows that you insured Gil Manning for a hundred thousand dollars less than a year before you shot him. That was for the baby, Justine said desperately. When we got married, Gil was working construction. He wasn t making enough for us to have our own place. I had to think about how I d take care of our baby if something happened to him. You didn t cancel the policy after your miscarriage, Amanda said softly. Justine looked stunned. After my baby . . . After he . . . I . . . I wasn t thinking very clearly for some time after that happened. Alex DeVore interviewed Gil s parents. They believe you murdered Gil. Anger restored color to Justine s cheeks. She glared at Amanda. Do you know why Gil thought it was okay to use me as his private punching bag? He watched his father use his mother that way. Living in that house was like living in hell. Gil and his father were both abusive drunks, and the drinking got worse when high school ended. All of a sudden Gil wasn t a god, and neither one of them could take that. Then I lost my figure when I got pregnant, and Gil wasn t married to the most desirable girl in Carrington anymore. I became an inconvenience, except when Gil needed someone to blame for his problems. Why didn t you leave when he started to beat you? Where could I go? My parents wouldn t look at me after Gil knocked me up. I had no money. Gil s parents say you drove him to drink and tormented him until he lost his self-control. Of course they say that. There s an interview with David Barkley s parents in which they accuse you of setting him up. That s not true. I loved David. They say they warned David that you were after his money. They also say that David didn t drink. His parents didn t know the first thing about him. The autopsy showed that David s blood alcohol was point-two-oh. He hated them, and he drank because of the pressure they put on him. I loved David, but he was an alcoholic. I thought I could change him, but I couldn t and he died. The neighbors say you and David quarreled the night he died. Justine looked down at the tabletop. He was drinking too much, she said softly. We had words, and he stormed out and drove away. I couldn t stop him. You inherited David s trust fund and the proceeds of another life insurance policy when he was killed. Justine looked directly into Amanda s eyes when she said, Yes, I did. And there was another policy on Dr. Cardoni. Which the insurance company refuses to pay. Nevertheless, you see how this looks. No, Amanda, I see how the district attorney wants to make it look. I m counting on you to make a jury see the way it really is.

48 Amanda broke into a smile when the receptionist announced that a Dr. Fiori was calling on line two. Hi, Tony said. I had a great time Friday. That makes two of us. I got home late from the hospital. That s why I didn t return your message sooner. I was afraid I d wake you. Actually, I was probably up. I ve been working on Justine s case into the wee hours. Any luck at the hospital? Hey, I m a regular Dick Tracy. Not only did I come up with a list, but I ve already eliminated a few suspects. How? I followed them. Don t do that! I thought I d save you some trouble. Tony sounded hurt. I m serious, Amanda insisted. It s dangerous. Fax me the list and let my investigator do the rest. Don t panic. I m being very careful. Damn it, Tony. Promise me you ll stop. Okay, okay, I promise. Tony paused. Seeing as you re pissed, is this a bad time to ask you out for this Saturday? Amanda laughed in spite of herself. You re on, she said, but only if you behave yourself. Listen, I ve got to run. Think of something nice for Saturday and get back to me. Hey, brother, you get back to me. Anyone as aggressive as you are can take care of dinner reservations. That ll teach you to bust my balls. And it better be a nice place. What ever happened to take-charge guys? They both laughed and said goodbye. Amanda was still beaming when Frank rapped on her doorjamb. There s a Cheshire cat grin, he said. Good news, I take it? Amanda blushed. It could be worse. Well, I ve got good news of my own. Art Prochaska is willing to meet with us. When? Now. Grab your coat. The night that Berkeley won the PAC-10 swimming championships Amanda went carousing with her teammates. One of the bars they hit was a male strip joint. Amanda had cheered and hooted with her friends, but secretly she d been embarrassed. She felt even more uncomfortable when she entered the Jungle Club with Frank. Onstage, a woman with unnaturally large breasts danced unenthusiastically to a blaring ZZ Top tune. Amanda averted her eyes and followed Frank past the bar to a short hall at the end of which was an office. A man with a bull neck and massive shoulders stood outside the door. We re here to see Mr. Prochaska, Frank told him. He s expecting you. Art Prochaska was squeezed behind a desk at one end of the narrow room. He had put on weight since the motion to suppress, but he was no less intimidating. Prochaska s tailored suit gave him an air of quasi-respectability. He and Frank shook hands across the desk. It s been a while, Art. A coupla years. This is my daughter, Amanda. Amanda s hand disappeared in the gangster s massive paw. You may remember her. She assisted me during the motion in Cedar City. Nice to meetcha, Prochaska said. Then he returned his attention to Frank. Martin said you wanted to talk. And I appreciate the quick response. I ain t sure I can help, but I ll try. What can I do for you? I d like to know what happened at the cabin in Milton County four years ago, Amanda said. Prochaska looked surprised that Amanda had asked a question. When he answered, he turned away from her and spoke to Frank. I was never there. I was playing cards that night. I had five witnesses. Amanda wanted to disabuse Prochaska quickly of the idea that she was Frank s secretary. I m sure they were wonderful witnesses, Mr. Prochaska, she said firmly, but I was at the cabin, too, and I saw you drive away just as I arrived. Prochaska turned his attention back to Amanda. She met his stare and held it. You re mistaken. Probably, if you have five witnesses, Amanda answered with a smile that said that she wasn t buying his bullshit. But let s say, for the sake of argument, that I wasn t. Why would you have been at the cabin at that time of night? What would it matter? I m representing Vincent Cardoni s ex-wife, Justine Castle. She s been charged with committing several murders at a farmhouse in Multnomah County. There s a makeshift operating room in the basement of the farmhouse. Other victims were found buried in a graveyard on the farm. So? The murder scene is almost identical to the scene of the crime in Milton County. Why should I care? It s possible that Vincent Cardoni cut off his own hand four years ago to make everyone think he d been murdered. If Cardoni was trying to convince everyone that he was dead, it would be convenient for me to see you leaving the cabin just before I discovered his hand. Prochaska stared at them like a gangster Buddha. I m not interested in getting you in trouble, Mr. Prochaska. In fact, it s my understanding that Martin Breach would be very interested if Cardoni is alive. You should be too if Cardoni tried to set you up. Prochaska mulled over Amanda s information. Anything you tell us will go no further, Art, Frank assured him. When Prochaska spoke, he directed his remarks at Amanda. I was never at that cabin, understand? Amanda nodded. Prochaska leaned forward and spoke so softly that it was almost impossible to hear him over the club s loud music. Martin did some business with a doctor at St. Francis. This doctor stiffed Martin for a lot of money, and he wanted it back. Then the doctor turned up as one of the corpses the cops found at that cabin, but the money didn t show up. Martin thought Cardoni had it. Prochaska waited to see if Amanda was following him. When Amanda nodded, he continued. The night you found that hand, outa the blue Cardoni calls and says he wants a truce. He s got the dough at the cabin. Martin should send someone up. Martin sent me. As soon as I saw the hand I knew it was a setup. I got in the car and left. That s all there is to it. You didn t find the money? Amanda asked. If Cardoni set me up, there wouldn t be no money, would there? Prochaska was on the phone as soon as his visitors closed the door behind them. Guess what, Martin? Vincent Cardoni might not be dead. That s why Jaffe wanted to see you? He s representing Cardoni s ex-wife. He told Breach about the meeting with the Jaffes. Son of a bitch, Breach said when Prochaska was through. If Cardoni s back in Portland, I want him found before the cops get him.