Day of Atonement (26 page)

“Me, too. Normally, I don't take my cases personal, but I feel like a fool. Jeff played me. He got me on this case because he didn't think I would ever make the connection to him. And I didn't because I broke my own rule about everyone being a suspect until proven otherwise. Never once did I think Jeff would be involved. I didn't see this one coming, Troy.”

“None of us did.”

Like water boys sitting on the sidelines at a football game, Troy and B.K. watched as the officers did their due diligence. From the conversations taking place among those around them, Troy learned that there was a mountain of evidence inside pointing to Jeff's guilt as a member of M.A.G.G.I.E. and Elana's abductor and killer. One room had a bullet hole through the wall and Jeff had apparently done a sloppy job cleaning up the blood splatter. In addition, nude photographs were found of Elana and other girls of various ages. Jeff had a separate album for Elana filled with images from her youth to adulthood, decorated and marked with her name as a special memorabilia item. In some, she was bound and chained to a wall or bedposts. In others, she was performing lewd sexual acts. Troy didn't get a look at the photos, nor did he want to. The officers were descriptive enough during their exchanges with one another that he was able to get a clear picture. Elana was the only girl with a photo album to herself, which meant that she was probably his favorite, his prized possession and likely the one who suffered the most sexual abuse.

“I wonder if Bill knew about Jeff,” Troy spoke his thoughts out loud.

“He was in FBI custody before you and your dad came to see me. I'm guessing he would have said something at that point, but who knows. Sickos like Bill and Jeff obviously don't make logical decisions.”

Troy continued to ponder the possibility, ultimately dismissing the thought after the incident that took place at Lilly's on New Year's Eve. If Bill had been aware of Jeff's involvement, Troy was fairly certain that he would have said something when he turned himself in since it seemed like he's trying to right his past wrongs.

“Oh my gosh!” one officer yelled. Troy's eyes followed the direction of the scream into the garage where he could see a small
item in a shoe box. It was the deteriorating corpse of a newborn, a baby girl, who had been killed by a single gunshot wound execution style, similar to Elana.

Her baby,
Troy thought. As a homicide detective, he'd seen plenty of dead bodies before, even those of children, but this one knocked the wind out of him and Troy found himself grabbing hold of his knees, taking deep breaths.

“You all right?” asked B.K.

“I need to get out of here.”

“Go ahead. I'll call you if I get any new information.”

Troy sped out of the area, continuing to breathe slow and deep. The technique calmed his nerves. Of all the ways that Jeff could have killed that baby, shooting her in the head seemed excessively cruel and unusual, and pointed to the monstrous personality that Jeff had been good at masking from everyone around him. “God,” he said aloud, “I don't understand why You allow some things to occur, but…,” Troy took one more breath, “I will forever trust You.”

This was a reminder to himself that, no matter how things turned out, he would not again turn his back on God. There was a time when Troy's heart had been hardened for a few years because of all the evil he'd witnessed through his job. Last summer, he'd rededicated his life to Christ and, though he was definitely a work in progress, Troy had committed to being a godly man. There was a lot he didn't get about life, but instead of turning against God, he turned to Him, reflecting on the words of Proverbs 3:5-6,
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.”
Now, if only the Lord would direct authorities to the whereabouts of Jeff and Lilly, all would be well.

D
ays passed with no word from Jeff or Lilly. An all-points bulletin had been issued with the license plate and description of Lilly's car. Troy had learned from B.K. about other disturbing things found in Jeff's home such as the blanket, which authorities believed had been used to wrap Elana's body before dumping it. The fibers from the fleece matched those that were found on her. It was the only red linen item discovered and Troy suspected it was the same one he'd seen Lilly giving back to Jeff the day he'd taken Natalie and Nate to the airport. Only someone with a sick and twisted mind would wrap his murder victim's body in a blanket, wash it, and then use it while staying the night with the victim's mother.

Neighbors of Jeff's were shocked to learn about the truth about the man many described as kind and caring. “He kept to himself,” one woman said when interviewed by the local news, “but, he was the kind of person who would always greet you with a smile.”

“I knew something was off over there,” another woman stated. “His shades were always drawn and you never saw anyone but him go in and out of the house. I thought maybe he was, you know, liking the members of his same team and trying to keep it on the low.” Others had various opinions of him. Some were negative, most were good. The one thing they all had in common was
their disbelief that someone was held captive in their neighborhood for thirty years without them having any inclination.

Troy learned that there were several journals, thought to be Elana's, recovered from the premises. Elvin was eager to get his hands on those, but they needed to be retained to use as evidence if the case went to trial. Hopefully, Jeff would do the decent thing and plead guilty in order to spare Lilly and Elvin the burden of reliving Elana's kidnapping and sexual exploitations in court.

Though there were many unresolved feelings and much healing that still needed to take place within Troy's own family, their issues had been set aside for the time being. Troy, his mom, dad, sister, and Salome all came together in support of a very concerned Elvin who was doing everything he could to remain optimistic. It was getting harder for everyone to do so as the days continued to pass. Cheryl's relentlessness in attempting to talk to Troy wasn't making the situation any easier. There was nothing else she could do for him and he finally resorted to blocking her number until he got back home and could properly handle things.

Upon learning the latest developments in the case, Natalie had encouraged Troy to stay as long as Elvin needed him. Nearly a week after Jeff had been fingered for the crimes, Troy was at the house with his friend when authorities came knocking.

•  •  •

Natalie had stopped trying to make sense of life a long time ago. As she boarded her flight headed to Texas she again prayed Philippians 4:17, asking God to grant Elvin and his family peace in the middle of this heart-breaking situation. Thanks to Aneetra and Corrine, Natalie was able to fly solo. The two of them were sharing the responsibility of caring for Nate while Natalie joined her husband in Houston. Troy didn't know she was coming, but
he needed her. Even if he didn't, she needed to be there with him. If for no other reason than to let him know that she genuinely cared.

“Natalie?”

She looked up to see Agent Cheryl Hunter.

“I thought that was you! What a coincidence. You mind if I sit next to you?”

“No, not at all. You going to Houston as well?”

“Yeah. How could I not go to show my support after what happened? My heart goes out to Elvin for what he must be going through.”

“I know. To bury his sister before Christmas and now to start off the New Year burying his mom…I can't imagine how he must be feeling.” Natalie fought back tears as she recalled the pain in her husband's voice when he'd called her with the latest update. Lilly's car had been discovered off of I-45 not far from where Elana's body was found, but much deeper in the field. In an act of murder-suicide, Jeff had shot her and then killed himself the same night he and Lilly left the house. By the time Troy and the investigator had figured out he'd done it, they'd already been dead. “I wish Troy wouldn't be so hard on himself. He acts like the whole chain of events was his fault simply because when he accused his father, it set things in motion and his dad giving a statement probably spooked Jeff. I'm sorry. I'm telling you details you probably already know since you helped him with the case.”

“Troy told you that?”

“No. He hasn't mentioned you at all. Thank you for not telling him that I'd contacted you. I didn't want him to be upset with me for interfering. In light of everything that has happened, I feel like I was so selfish.”

Cheryl smiled. “You're welcome. And don't be too hard on
yourself. Your heart was in the right place. Is Troy picking you up from the airport?”

“No. He doesn't know I'm coming. My sister-in-law is going to get me and take me to the church.”

“I'm renting a car when I get there. Why don't you ride with me?”

“Are you sure?”

“Natalie, Troy is one of my dearest friends. I've spoken to him every day since you first asked me to contact him. I know the toll this whole situation has taken on him. The least I can do is look out for his wife.”

•  •  •

As the pilot asked the passengers to prepare for take-off, Natalie thought about Cheryl's words. Normally, she would not take so kindly to another woman telling her that she'd talked to Troy every day for the past week. Natalie hadn't even done that as there had been a couple of days when he simply wasn't in the mood to talk. She also understood that her husband would not easily ignore any business calls, especially ones from an FBI agent/friend who'd helped solve a case. The normal jealousy that she might have had over Cheryl and Troy's friendship was quickly squashed. “Thank you, Cheryl. I really appreciate you.”

T
roy and his family stood outside the church with Elvin and other members of the Campbell family waiting to proceed inside. His parents and Tracy were both dressed in traditional black attire while Salome chose more vibrant colors, lavender and green bell bottoms with a flowery top to be exact. She seemed to use her off-duty-as-an-attorney hours to showcase the more eccentric side of her personality. It was also clear that she was good at her job as there were yet any charges to be filed against their father.

Salome seemed genuinely happy to be part of their family. Troy hadn't really had time to process the situation, but his mother and sister appeared to be doing well. He was especially proud of his mom, whom he'd expected would have cursed his father up one way and down another. When Troy asked her how she'd felt about learning of Salome after all this time, she reminded him that dwelling on the past would not do anything to strengthen their future. “Besides, my issue would not be with Salome. She had nothin' to do with it. My problem would be with Raquel and since that wench is dead, I no longer have a problem.”

Troy was sure that, on some level, a psychologist would find his mother's comments disturbing. Still, he admired her resolve to make the best of the situation and enjoy whatever time she and
his father had left together. He could not wait to get home to Natalie and Nate.

“Look who's coming your way,” announced Tracy.

Troy's insides jumped with joy when he saw Natalie walking toward him. They knotted into a tumor when he spotted Cheryl behind her. “What are you doing here?” He was talking to Natalie, looking at Cheryl, wondering how they ended up together. He and Natalie embraced tightly as she explained that she was there to show her support and informed him of Nate's whereabouts without him asking.

“Cheryl and I happened to be on the same plane and she offered to bring me since we were both coming here so Tracy didn't have to pick me up. I'll need to get my bags out of her car when service is over.”

“Well, don't I get a hug, Detective?”

Homicide had never been as strong of a thought as it was when he reached down to hug Cheryl, forcing himself to act normal. “Unless you want me to be the one to tell your wife about us, I suggest you unblock my number a-sap,” she whispered viciously in his ear. She then introduced herself as his friend to Troy's parents and sisters in a sickeningly sweet manner. Afterward she thanked Natalie for keeping her company and made her way up front to speak to Elvin and his family before heading to the back of the line.

“Are you okay, honey? I hope you don't mind my being here.”

Troy held her close. “Not at all. Thank you, babe. I needed you.”

•  •  •

Atonement. That was the central message of the pastor's eulogy as he spoke about restoration, encouraging members of the Campbell family to unite in order to heal. Dysfunction had divided the
family a long time ago and Bill's confession did not help rectify things. It caused an even bigger rift between the family members who stood by him and those who thought that he should be castrated and burned.

“Some things are unexplainable,” said the pastor with tears streaming down his face. “Even if the perpetrator was here and we could ask him why he committed such heinous acts, nothing he said would make us feel better about the unnecessary pain that he has inflicted on this family. Elvin is a strong Christian man and it is his faith in God that is carrying him through this difficult journey. Jesus tells us in Matthew five that it rains on the unjust and the just. Sometimes, my dear brothers and sisters, when it rains, it doesn't just sprinkle, it pours. How many of you know that Jesus is a shelter in the time of a storm?”

“Amens” and “hallelujahs” flew to the pulpit.

“One of the things Elvin said to me is that though he doesn't understand this entire situation, he has peace in the midst of his pain. I can tell you that it wasn't anything I said that gave him peace. Lord knows that when I heard about what happened to Lilly, I did not have the words to say. As I prepared for today, the word atonement kept ringing in my spirit. For those who don't know, that word means to make reparations for a wrong or an injury. There's nothing we can do to make amends for what happened to Lilly or Elana. We can't even get justice through our legal system because of the cowardly way their offender chose to end things. But, what you
can
do is make sure that sin doesn't reign in your own lives. Back in the day, the priest was instructed to make yearly sacrifices in order to atone for the sins of Israel.”