SACRIFICES (16 page)

Brad walks to his office with a grin. Things are starting to look better. The kids are safe and everyone in danger is being watched. Mr. Howard and Mr. Stein still have double security at this time. That originally had made Brad especially nervous. Considering what the letter said about backing off with the surveillance.

Brad sits back takes a sip of his coffee and picks up the Tribune. There’s no surprise when he sees his picture on the front page. He’s getting used to it. Not that he likes the attention because actually he hates it. But if he can help catch this rapist and killer he’ll deal with it.

He reads the article and sips his coffee. Once in a while he finds some of the articles amusing. Brad chuckles at this one when it refers to him as a modern day Elliot Ness. He finds humor in the fact that the press will print
anything
when they run out of facts.

Tammy walks in and looks a little sad. Brad asks as he sits down the paper. “Why the long face sunshine?” Brad leans up from his seat.

She sits down in front of his desk and explains with a slow deliberate delivery. “Well Brad. It looks like the black sports car theory is a dead end. I just got the call from the Illinois State Police. Mr. Thomas has a solid alibi for all of the attacks except the Caruthers'sape. And that one he claims he was at a bar on Lake shore. To tell the truth Brad the police feel he’s being honest. As far as the shootings he was accounted for when all of them took place, looks like we got nothing.” Tammy explains to her boss feeling deflated.

“How good are the alibis?” Brad wonders as he leans up to his desk and places his elbows on the desk blotter.

“They think there all solid. Mr. Thomas is a highly respected
sales rep with lots of clients. And during the time of three of the attacks he was actually at meetings and dinners with some
prominent clients. And the State boys say they checked the videotape at two of the dinner meetings and sure enough it was a positive I.D. He was there.” Tammy continues.

“Let’s not get down about this Tammy. So the guy is innocent. That’s good. Anything yet on the other three we were checking?” Brad asks as he stands up and walks over to the file cabinet and takes out a file.

                            “It so happens that the schoolteacher’s husband is a cop. And just checking his log sheet he works second shift. There wasn’t much else to check after we found out he was on duty during all of the attacks except the Canton rape. The gentleman from East St. Louis works at the lab at the local hospital. He’s accounted for almost half of them. The other times he has family alibis. Nothing there to think he’s the one.” Brad interrupts.

                            “What about the other lady?” He leans back just wondering.

                            “Turns out she’s a widow and everyone we interviewed said she doesn’t have a boyfriend and isn’t dating anyone…”

                            Brad smiles and interrupts again not needing to hear anymore. “It was just a thought. I didn’t think we had anything with the other three anyway. But you get an ‘A+’ for effort. Well make a detective out of you yet. Good work honey.”

Brad walks over and gently rubs the back of her neck. “We can’t let this discourage us. It was just a possible link and it turned out to be nothing…” He grins and walks back to his desk and sits down. “…That’s 80% of police work. But when the other 20% comes together it makes it all worthwhile. Now we’ll just have to hope that Betty and Todd find something. If not we just keep digging. Sooner or later something will come up.” He smiles and winks feeling proud of the work she done on the case thus far. 

TWO HOURS LATER BRAD AND TAMMY RETURN FROM LUNCH

    
They had a nice quiet lunch at a quaint little Mexican restaurant just a few short minutes from headquarters, a popular spot with the precinct. It’s close, and the food is great. They talked a lot and joked around about some of the past investigations. Both of them enjoyed the other ones company. Brad really has a lot of respect for Tammy. She’s a sweet kid and great officer with the department, also a good friend.

He walks into his office and grabs the file that was put together by Chamfers and Todd on the husbands. He’s been over it several dozen times. Brad can’t help but think that there’s something he’s missing. Something in his gut tells him that the whole key to this case is to find out
why
some one raped these guys’ wives and then returns to execute them. After glancing at the folder, which contains about two pounds of paper work, he leans back and scratches his head.              

Feeling that the only way to solve this case is to find out
why
these particular women were raped. And why these particular men were killed later is the essence to everything. Finding out
why
is the key Brad feels, because if they can find out WHY, then the WHO will fall into place.

                            Brad slams down the folder mostly out of frustration and begins rocking back and forth. Taking a deep breath he reaches over and grabs the sports page. As he rocks he starts to look for the Major League standings and it hits him like a bolt of lightening when a bold headline jumps out at him. The headline
s
ays
:

‘CUBS VOW REVENGE AGAINST CARDS THIS WEEKEND’

                            Brad quickly bolts up and freezes. “That’s it. It’s revenge that’s why the wives were raped. Jesus Christ.”

Brad starts to quickly go through his desk. He’s looking for the letter that Betty sent him a long time ago about what she thought. He digs and pulls out folders and then he smiles. “There it is.” He starts to read it to himself. And he smiles as he thinks. ‘Betty you were right. You sly fox‘, Brad reads the part over and over to himself that she wrote him. The motive all along was a plot to
pay back the husbands for something they did, pay back the husbands for something they did, pay back the husbands for something they did.’

Brad stands up and quickly walks down to the chief’s office. He’s feeling revived and thinks that he’s finally awakened from his long sleep. It was there in front of him and for some reason he was too stupid or to distracted to see it.

“Knock, Knock, Knock.”
Brad knocks quickly and solidly.

“
Come in
.” yells the chief.

Brad walks in and sees that the chief is on the phone. So he takes a seat and begins to nervously tap his foot on the floor. He thinks the key is right in front of him and he can’t wait to open the door. The chief smiles and hangs up the phone.

“Chief, maybe I’m slipping or I’m just losing my touch. But I think the key is to find out WHY the girls were raped and WHY someone is blowing out the husband’s brains.” Brad smiles and stands up. He walks over to the board with the clippings and tells the chief as he listens with a blank confused
look on his face. “We’ve been going about this all wrong; the answer is right in front of our face,” Brad begins to talk to himself out loud. ‘I can’t believe I didn’t catch it, my God it’s so simple.’

The chief stands up and walks over to the mumbling Detective and places his hand on his back. “Are you ok son?”

Brad explains with a sigh. “I
think
the husbands killed the couple, raped the girl and hid their bodies on the land where the bond fire was held, that’s why Speck was killed there. I think they did it and now someone that knew about it has come back to pay these guys back. It kind of just hit me. But it makes perfect sense. If not, why in the hell would someone be doing this shit. Me and Todd are going to take off and go pay them two husbands a surprise visit.”

The chief stands up and says. “This is a very good theory Bradley and I think we have all thought of that as a
possibility
, but the Champaign Pd did exonerate those guys 16 years ago. So just hear me out for a minute, let’s say you’re correct, these five husbands are responsible for those missing kids and they confess. It doesn’t bring us any closer to finding the guy who’s taking his own vengeance out on their wives and using the back of their heads as target practice with a thirty-eight special. So keep that thought in your mind.” The chief sighs as Brad nods his head.

“You might be right, but if I am right, I think we’ll be able to find this guy. If I’m right it might be our
only
hope to finding this guy.” Brad smiles and starts to leave.

The chief shakes his head as he reaches into his drawer and takes out a bottle of
Peptol Bismal
and chugs it from the bottle. “You and Todd call me after you talk to those guys and fill me in.” The chief adds as he licks his lips and puts the cap back on the bottle and places it in the drawer. “Also Brad, if these guys did it, don’t expect them to ever admit it. If they got away with it for sixteen years they won’t admit it now, why would they? I know if I was them I wouldn’t.”

“We will see you in a couple days.” Brad pulls the door closed and goes to his office.

BRAD AND TODD DRIVE TO CANTON TO MEET WITH MR. STEIN

    
They leave headquarters and start their four plus hour drive to Canton Illinois, while Brad’s driving he starts to ask Todd questions about what he found out. When Todd first arrived at the office with Betty, Brad asked him to not say much until they were alone. Still paranoid, Brad feels better talking in private, away from the office.

              After picking up some snacks and something to drink for the drive Brad asks Todd. “So, did you find out anything?”

              Todd opens the lid on his Diet soda bottle and takes a quick swig to wash down his Cup Cake and responds. “That’s a good question. Most of the witnesses that the police interview all of those years ago have moved on and moved away.” He sits the bottle in the cup holder.

              Brad turns to look at Todd for a moment as he switches lanes on I-55 traveling south bound. “Tell me you talked to someone; please tell me you found out something, I mean anything.” Brad sighs in frustration.

              “Brad we talked to several people. Most where just people whom heard stories, there were a few names that came up more than once though.” Todd explains as he watches an eighteen-wheeler pass.

              Brad nods his head and says with a slight overtone of sarcasm. “AND.”

              “Some of our husband’s names came up. No one was pointing any fingers but the few who mentioned their names told us that Hill and Caruthers were the silent leaders of the group. One guy said that he told the police years ago that when he left the party in the woods there were just a few people left. It so happens that besides the five husbands he said only a small handful of others stayed after he left. And two of them were the two missing kids. The other ones besides the missing couple said basically the same thing to the police. So it almost appears that the members of the football team were the last ones to be seen with these kids before they turned up missing.” Todd explains as he digs through his brown paper sack looking for something else to munch on.

              Brad, while concentrating on the road inquires. “What did this guy think happened? I mean did he think these guys were involved? What about the others?”

              Todd grins and explains his not so promising information. “He said and I quote.
‘I’m not sure if they did it or not, its possible.’
end quote. Todd puts his pocket-sized notebook back into his shirt pocket. “I think that either a lot of people are trying to put the event out of their minds or they’re too scared to talk because this guy asks me twice if I was recording this. As far as the others we have some addresses and phone numbers of some of the last known people to be seen at the party. Betty‘s going to be checking on those leads with Dorothy.” Todd continues to look through the sack to fill his sweet tooth with junk food.

              Brad chuckles and says. “That’s a strange question to ask. Don’t you think? I mean asking if you’re recording the conversation.” He looks in his rear view mirror as he changes lanes again.

              Todd shrugs his shoulders and makes the comment. “It’s hard to say. He acted like he thought that the story was covered up. But at the same time he acted like he didn’t want to say too much. I don’t know Brad. I just don’t know.”

              Brad softly taps his palms on the steering wheel and says. “I want you to hear what I think. I already told the chief and we’re keeping this only between the three of us until we have something to back it up with...”

              Todd smiles and interrupts. “I already know what you think.”

              Brad looks at him briefly and then back at the road.

              “You think the rumors are true. You think our guys killed this couple and hid the bodies,” He smiles and says. “Am I warm?”

              Brad smiles and asks with a grin. “What makes you think that?” Brad can’t help but grin while he thinks to himself how well Todd knows him.

              Todd takes a bite of his Reese Peanut Butter cup and explains. “Why else would you and I be driving to see these guys when we haven’t even talked to them on the phone? You want to see the look on their faces when you ask them the questions. You want to read these guys. Something you can’t do during a phone conversation. Am I close?” Todd takes another bite and winks at Brad.