SACRIFICES (21 page)

              Todd casually responds with a smile. “Look Brad. This guy is going to be the key, I can tell. Sometimes you have to roll the dice. And that’s what I did. Brad this arrogant motherfucker is going to buckle, I know it, there’s no way he’s going to let a guy like me treat him like a punk. You wait and see.” Todd explains as he casually looks away feeling like he‘s on to something.    

              Brad starts to walk in a circle around Todd. He’s talking to himself and feeling nervous about what this guy is going to do. “You are a good cop and I love you like a brother,” He looks away and shakes his head. “…but what you pulled in there makes me very nervous. If this guy wants to he can press charges.” Brad start to mumble again.

              “Don’t worry. You just sit in there and don’t say a word. Let me do the talking and if it doesn’t work out the way I want it to your in the clear. I’ll take the heat and swear you had
nothing
to do with it. Ok?” Todd throws his cigarette into the yard after taking one last long drag. The two officers talk for a few minutes before they go back into the house.

              Brad sighs and follows Todd back to the kitchen after their little talk. Mr. Howard is still seated in the same spot. He hasn’t moved. It appears that he’s in shock. Todd sits down across from him and starts with. “Now, Mr. Howard I want you to think about this. Now I’m just talking here and if you pay attention to what I’m saying then maybe you’ll agree. If not, so be it.” Todd lights another cigarette.

              Brad can tell that Todd’s nervous. Not on the outside but he’s smoked more cigarettes during this short meeting than he has for a while. Something Todd does when he’s nervous.

              “The police department’s top priority is to find the guy that raped these women...” He pauses briefly. “...Now let’s play ball. I want to find this guy and put him behind bars for what he‘s done to your wife and the other mens wives, End of story. Now if I was you, and I’m glad I’m not. I’d try to negotiate something right now with us. If let’s say you can divulge the whereabouts of the couple and it matches with what Stein told us. And let’s say give us some insight as to who you might think would want to hurt your wives and then kill you guys,” Mr. Howard sighs and looks away while Brad listens feeling that maybe Todd is on to something. “I’d be willing to try and work something out with the DA as to maybe making the story at the bond fire look a little more innocent for you and Stein. So if it means letting you two get off with a slap on the wrist and allowing us to catch this guy I’d be willing to listen and consider anything you might have to say.” Todd shrugs slightly. “Now if you chose to
not
cooperate then I’ll right now arrest you on the spot and charge you with concealing a felony. I’ll use Mr. Stein’s story to put you away for life while he walks. Now that much I promise you. If you work with us I’ll help you any way I can.” Brad sighs and looks away as he listens to Todd‘s calm talking to the shaken Mr. Steve Howard.

              Todd gets up and walks over to his cabinets looking for a coffee cup while Mr. Howard remains silent and somber.

The outward appearance of this rich and powerful man is that of a man that’s scared. Both officers are hoping that Todd’s hunch pays off and they can move on with the investigation to find this guy.

              Todd finds a cup and fills it with coffee sits back down and says. “What’s it going to be Steve? Are you going to play ball or go to jail for the rest of your life? We have Stein‘s confession. With you or without you it will most likely carry a lot of weight, it will hold up in court once we find those bodies. Now if you also help us find the bodies we will work hard to get you off. I want you to tell us, it will make us know if you two guys are being honest or one of you two are lying. It will show us that you are cooperating and that means a lot in this job.” Todd is praying that his hunch about Speck being killed at the location of the bond-fire is the same location of the bodies. If that clue from the killer is correct then he’s playing with a good hand if indeed Howard confesses. If not he could loose everything.

              Mr. Howard starts to talk and Brad’s phone rings. Brad reaches into his pocket and opens the flip top phone and says. “Jostler here.” Todd and Steve sit there quiet while Brad listens on the phone.

              “What time?” They hear Brad asks. “That’s impossible. We met with the surveillance team last night.” Todd turns to look at Brad. “Oh my god, is Mrs. Stein all right?” After that comment Mr. Steve Howard perks up and stares directly at Brad. “Alright, we’ll come by on our way to Chicago.” Brad walks toward the hallway and talks in private for a few minutes and returns.

“Alright, alright...See you then.” Brad closes the phone.

              Todd quickly asks. “What happened?”

              Brad clears his throat and says. “They got Stein. He’s dead.” Brad takes a deep breath and places the phone back into his pocket. Mr. Howard swallows hard and Todd covers his face with both hands as he breathes heavily and mumbles to himself under his breath, ‘
Jesus’.

              Todd takes a drink of his coffee and looks at Brad and asks. “How did it happen? They have five officers at his house all the time just like they do here.” Todd stands up and walks back over to the coffeepot and leans against the counter with his head down.

              Brad clears his throat. “They got into the house while the cops where there, not last night but just about a half an hour ago in broad daylight. He got in and snuck up on the officer inside the house and cut his throat from ear to ear,” Howard looks away and clears his throat as he hears the details. “They must have used a silencer on the gun this time because Alex was found dead with two gunshot wounds to the back of the head in his living room. The same chair he sat in while we talked to him. Not just that, he also had a gag in his mouth. I guess this guy has changed his MO because he’s gotten more violent. The officers said that Stein had both of his eyes cut out and he was gutted. The fucking guy cut him up real bad before he blew his brains out. I guess that’s why he gagged him so he couldn’t scream.” Todd scratches his head and then sits down as he listens to the details.

              “He got out and none of the officers outside saw or heard a thing. When Officer Cameron, remember the young kid we talked too,” Todd nods his head as he remembers. “Anyway when he walked into the house to see if the two guys wanted anything to eat, he couldn’t find anyone so he pulled out his gun and looked for Officer Joseph. He looked through the house and found him on the kitchen floor with his throat cut. He then walked into the living room and he said Stein looked like something out of a horror movie. He said he was opened up like he was having surgery, his intestines and stomach, heart and lungs were all on the floor in front of his feet. He said it was like a slaughterhouse in there.” Brad exhales and says. “No one saw or heard a thing. It turns out that this guy broke into a basement window on the backside of the house with a glass cutter with police less than thirty feet away.”

              Todd takes a drink of his coffee and then reaches into his folder. He just remembered something and thinks that this might be the time to show Mr. Howard. Todd thumbs through reports and documents and says. “Here it is.” He stands up and walks over to Mr. Howard. “Now do you see this?” He holds the letter that was sent to Brad. He starts to run his finger down the page as Steve Howard looks. Todd starts to read. “...now I will, and I stress WILL kill Mr. Howard and Mr. Stein. This is a fact‘...do you see this Mr. Howard. This guy guaranteed us that he was going to kill you and Stein. Now he just fulfilled half of that promise. Now do you want to talk? If you tell us what really happened Steve maybe we‘ll be able to protect you. If you don‘t, look what has happened to your friends.” Todd leaves the letter in front of Mr. Howard and returns to his seat while Steve Howard picks up the letter and starts to read it to himself.

              Todd exhales and explains. “Steve, with Stein now dead if you verify the location of the bodies and tell us what happened that night with the couple it will make you look good in the eyes of the court. He told us his version and it didn’t make you look good. But now he’s dead. If you tell us what really happened it can only help you now,” Todd sighs. “…I just might lose Stein’s confession,” Mr. Howard quickly looks up. Todd continues. “…lets just imagine that your story is the only one that we have. Then we’d have no choice but believe what you say.” Todd shrugs.

              Brad sits there listening. Todd does the same, as the room remains silent for several minutes as Steve stares at the letter. The mood is eerie in the house. There are no sounds heard besides the elevated breathing of Mr. Howard, it’s unnerving. Mr. Steve Howard for the first time is feeling scared, really scared. He just found out that even with police ‘
in the house’
of his old college buddies that he wasn’t even safe. He looks at Todd and says. “I don’t want to die, let’s talk.” Todd perks up and looks at Brad.

              Todd reaches into his briefcase and says. “I’m going to record this. Now I’m going to turn on the recorder and I’m going to ask you if you are telling me this by your own admission and you are not being forced to do so. Do you understand?”

              Steve shakes his head and says. “Are you really going to help me? Can you protect me and my wife?” Steve swallows hard and looks like his eyes are watering.

              Todd smiles and says. “You help us, and we’ll help you, I promise.” Todd holds his hands to the side and almost pleads. “Steve you are running out of safe options.”

              After a few minutes Steve Howard is finally ready. He paced the floor in his kitchen while Todd and Brad watched. He mumbled to himself and covered his face a lot. It appears that Todd was right and it’s just a matter of time to see what he was right about. The stories he told Mr. Howard about what Stein confessed to was pure made up bullshit. Stein said nothing out loud. His expressions said it all. Todd really believed that this smooth talking lawyer was going to break if he was pushed in the right direction.

Being a lawyer he knew that the things Todd said about his right to bring him in were true. It could be that fear of being brought in mixed with the thought that now Stein was dead he had to tell them the truth to possibly save himself.

              Mr. Steve Howard stands up and asks. “Do you mind if I make myself a drink before we get started? Would you guys like a drink?” He walks over to his liquor cabinet and pulls out a bottle of Jack Daniels.

              Todd smiles as he gets his recorder ready as Brad moves his chair over next to Todd. “No thank you Steve. But you go ahead and have whatever you want.” Todd puts in a new blank tape into his mini-recorder and winks at Brad thinking to himself this is it, this is finally what they‘ve been waiting for. Neither officer is at all sure what to expect from Mr. Howard. The only things they hope to do are finding out what really happened that night and possibly find the guy who’s killing and raping at present. Only time will tell.

              Steve makes himself a Jack Daniels and Coke and retakes his seat at the table. “We can start whenever you want to.”

              Todd pushes record and sits it down on the table in front of Mr. Howard. “I’m Detective Todd Avery and I’m here with Lieutenant Detective Brad Jostler of the Chicago Police Departments fifth precinct. We are here with Mr. Steve Howard of Bloomington, Illinois in his home. It’s July 23, 2001. The time is 11:08 a.m. Mr. Howard is by his own admission and without any corrosion agreed by his own free will to talk to us today about the ongoing case involving the sexual assaults and the homicides being investigated. He will be addressing the issue of the missing kids from 1985 when the ITSU football team was questioned. Is this true Mr. Howard and if so could you tell us your name and address and social security number to verify that it is in fact Mr. Steve Howard we are talking to. And do you agree to sign an affidavit as to the fact that you are freely telling us your side of the story and the story you are telling us is in fact the truth. And you are agreeing to do so without legal representation?” Todd smiles and then Steve leans toward the recorder and says.

              “Yes all of that is true. My...name is Steve Howard. I live at 1315 N. Collier Court, in the Whispering Oaks subdivision of Bloomington Illinois. I am a lawyer and my social security number is 253-64-9694. I am telling my side of the story by my own free will,” Steve’s noticeably nervous, but he’s trying to be strong. “I have not been threatened. It is my decision to tell my story. And I will sign an affidavit and I am waving council for this testimony.” Todd smiles and nods his head.

              “Are you ready to begin Mr. Howard?” Brad smiles and so does Todd.

              “Yes I am.” Steve takes a deep breath and exhales. “Where would you like me to start?” He tilts his head from side to side as he takes another drink.

              Todd grins and says. “Why don’t you start with the allegations as to the involvement of the football teams’ players’ connection to the disappearance of the couple?”

              “This is going to be a little tough. I haven’t talked about this since it happened. And I feel that I should have talked about this years ago. I guess I’ll have to answer for my mistakes when I meet my maker.”

              Steve takes a big gulp of his strong drink and continues as Brad and Todd unsure what he’s going to say anxiously wait. Todd feels good knowing that his hunch was right. He was bluffing all the way but there was something in his eyes that told Todd he was hiding something. So at this moment it appears he was right.