The dying five, p.21
The Dying Five, page 21
Heather stood close to the man, and he put his arms around her. She threaded her hands around his waist, and they embraced. He lowered his head to hers and it appeared as if he whispered something in her ear. He had the hood up on his sweatshirt, conveniently. Suddenly, Heather pulled back from him. He must have said something disturbing because she took two more steps back. He closed in on her and she jumped on her couch, knocking over her lamp and pictures on the side table, trying to evade him in her small apartment. He left the frame. Heather must have tried to get to the door. He was likely blocking her in because they were both back in the frame. Heather tried shoving him, but he didn’t move. The man pushed Heather down and jumped on top of her. He had something in his hand, and it came down on Heather’s head. Shelly hoped he’d turn his head so they could see his face, but no dice. Shelly had to turn away from the screen. She knew what happened next. The man would bludgeon Heather to death.
“What do you think?” Stephen asked.
“I think it’s the most awful thing I’ve ever seen!” Shelly said.
“No, I mean who do you think the people were?”
“You saw what I did, Stephen. We don’t know who they were. We couldn’t see their faces.”
“That’s why I asked you what you think, not what you know. What are the possibilities?” Stephen pulled his diagram up on the monitor next to the camera feed. Shelly rubbed her eyes, which she knew must be red. She was so tired. She wondered, if she knew a few months ago how far this would go, whether she would have gone forward with the TD5 plan. It was such a heavy burden to carry.
Shelly pressed on, knowing Stephen wasn’t going to let up until she provided him some ideas. “We know the first person couldn’t have been Nadine, she was at work. Unless somehow, she got to Heather’s and back without being noticed. What time was Heather found by Mark? Sometime late afternoon?”
“Yes, at 3:30 they were quite worried about her, so he would have found her around 4:00. The medical examiner's report stated she’d been dead for hours, so she was killed the night before or early the next morning. When Mary asked the folks at Legal Earth if Nadine had been at work all day, we didn’t know the time of death. So, it’s plausible that Nadine was the one in the apartment, and then headed into work. That’s if they got the time of death correct.”
“Whoever the woman was, she didn’t kill Heather. They argued, but the woman left. It was the man who killed her.” Shelly could tell Stephen was trying not to roll his eyes since she’d just stated the obvious.
“Okay, so let’s forget about the woman for now, although the timing of the whole thing makes me wonder if they were working in tandem,” Stephen said.
“That makes sense,” Shelly said. “If we look at the men in Heather’s life who might want her dead...I’m not sure...but we know Mark was her ex-boyfriend. Maybe he didn’t like being an ex. We know he had access to the apartment. That would be unrelated to the woman’s visit, though, so not a good theory.”
“Correct, that doesn’t add up. Shana said Mark was the one who’d set up the cameras for Heather last year. He would have known there were cameras in the apartment, and if he wanted to hurt Heather, he wouldn’t have let the cameras record it, or he would have taken the cameras with him when he left.”
“Scott Peterson, maybe?”
“Possibly. The three musketeers of Peterson, Moore, and Mason could have ignored you after all, and decided to roll the dice on getting the formula pushed through. It could have been Georgia in the first frame...”
“That wasn’t Georgia. You’ve seen old pictures of her on the internet, and I’ve seen her recently. She has gained a considerable amount of weight. The woman in the video was slender.”
“Good catch,” Stephen said. Ah, finally, some validation. One point for Shelly, but they’d reached an impasse on who the two people were. Shelly needed to rest, and Stephen didn’t put up a fight when she insisted she was leaving.
On the ride home, Shelly asked Miguel what it was like to be Stephen’s driver. Was he kind to Miguel? Mr. Stephen was very kind, Miguel said, very generous. That’s good, Shelly said, because if he wasn’t, Shelly was considering stealing him away. Miguel laughed and told Shelly he’d drive her any time she wanted if he wasn’t driving Mr. Stephen somewhere. Or maybe even if he was.
Shelly leaned her head back on the supple leather headrest. She wanted to close her eyes, but the image of the man striking Heather repeatedly on the head kept surfacing. She’d only watched the first two times he hit her, but that was enough content for nightmares. Shelly decided she’d take melatonin when she got home.
Chapter Fifty-Five
I arrived ten minutes before Geoff and Nadine landed at Indianapolis International Airport and waited at baggage claim. I’d considered making one of those signs with their last names but thought that might be overdoing it. About fifteen minutes into watching people excitedly grab their bags and make their way out of the airport, I spotted Geoff and Nadine coming down the escalator. Nadine was scanning the area, which is something I would do if I had killed a man. Seeing no police, other than airport security, she returned her attention to Geoff, who was talking animatedly. Geoff looked refreshed and invigorated. Nadine looked pale and gaunt. I imagined she’d not been sleeping well these days, being a killer.
I met them as they exited the escalator. “Hi you two! How was the trip?”
“Hi Callie! What a nice surprise. The trip was wonderful,” Geoff said. “What are you doing here?” Nadine eyed me suspiciously, but I focused my eyes on Geoff.
“I wanted to give you a ride home. I assumed you had an Uber bring you. And I thought we could process your experience on the way. I’m sure you’re tired, but I wanted to give you some follow-up support.”
“That’s so kind of you, Callie. We could use a ride home.” Nadine remained quiet but flashed me a pained smile. We’d only met once, at Talia’s, and I had seen her at the funeral. She didn’t know me, but if Geoff approved, what was she going to say?
“Great. I have one of our hospice volunteer drivers waiting in the car park,” I said. “I’ll text him now to pull up while you two get your bags.” I texted Miguel we were ready. We waited what seemed an eternity for their bags to come around the conveyor belt. Miguel was arguing with the security guard when we emerged from the airport, and I heard him say “Oh here they are now!” Miguel hopped out of the SUV and helped Geoff and Nadine with their bags.
“Nice ride,” Nadine said flatly to Miguel. “Those hospice folks are getting five-star service, huh?”
“It’s my honor to serve,” Miguel said. “Courseview Hospice helped my mother, and I could never repay them for their excellent support of her and our family. It’s the least I can do.” Good, Miguel, staying right on script. Stephen knew what he was doing, hiring Miguel. I hoped the rest of this scheme would go as smoothly. Nadine seemed unsuspecting so far.
We left the terminal, and I asked Geoff and Nadine to share stories from their trip.
“It was so gorgeous out there. Nadine planned everything, thankfully, and every minute was exactly what Talia would have wanted us to see and experience. We planted four flowers in her honor, shared memories, and talked to her. Even if she can’t hear us, you know...” Geoff started to tear up. I turned around from the front seat to see Nadine place her hand on Geoff’s. He leaned into her and sobbed. “I’m sorry, I think I’m just tired.”
“Please don’t apologize,” I said, and reached back to pat their clasped hands. “You’ve been through so much. Give yourself permission to feel whatever it is you’re feeling.” Geoff nodded and grabbed a tissue from his pocket. He dabbed his eyes.
“We were standing on the beach, having just planted a flower on the hillside near Talia’s favorite spot. I could swear I heard her voice speaking to me from the waves. It was surreal,” Geoff said.
“You’ll always have her voice with you,” I said. “Her voice, her face, her laugh, her words of wisdom. You will carry her with you. And now you’ve created a sacred space for her in her favorite place in the world, and each time you visit, you’ll feel close to her.”
“Thank you, Callie. Thank you for coming. I didn’t expect to see you, but I’m grateful you decided to pick us up. By the way, I texted Felicia and told her I could still use the support group. I’ll be attending later this week.”
“I’m glad to hear that Geoff. And if either of you need anything, to talk or just to have someone present with you, don’t hesitate to reach out.” I flashed Nadine and authentic look of compassion. She averted her eyes from mine.
We all fell silent for a few minutes. Now came the critical time to get things right. I wasn’t sure how this would go. My acting skills were marginal, but Mary had practiced my lines with me.
“Goeff, we’re near your place. Would you like Miguel or I to help you with your bags?”
Geoff shook his head. “You have already been so kind. I’ll manage.”
I looked at Nadine. “We will have you home in no time. What is your address?” This was the first of several crucial moments. If Nadine were at all suspicious, she would say she wanted to disembark at Geoff’s, and would have Geoff take her home or catch an Uber. If she did not see through our act, she’d stay put.
“Seven-Seven-One Staley Court,” Nadine said. I let out a silent breath. She thought everything was on the up. Miguel punched the address into the dashboard GPS.
Geoff and Nadine hugged, he thanked her and told her he’d call her soon. Geoff grabbed his bag, and we watched as he turned and waved from his front porch. Miguel pulled away, and I heard the doors lock when he hit fifteen miles per hour. Nadine looked out the window. Miguel drove toward the direction of Nadine’s house. Stephen had already plotted the route for him and had found an abandoned business with a parking lot we could sit in where there was no surveillance. When Miguel turned the wrong way, Nadine asked him to make another turn toward her house. When he didn’t, I turned to her and said we needed to talk. Nadine’s eyes grew wide, and at the stoplight before our turn into the parking lot, she tried to let herself out of the car. Stephen’s car was well equipped for such an occasion. Nadine wasn’t getting out.
“Nadine, everything will be alright,” I assured her. “I just need to talk with you. Or we, I should clarify.”
Stephen’s voice came through on the car’s audio system. The scene made me feel like he was Charlie, and I was a Charlie’s Angel. I’d choose to be Jaclyn Smith, given an option. “Hello, Nadine,” Stephen said. “We just have a few questions. And before you try to fight your way out of the car, please hear what we have to say. Also, Miguel is trained to keep things under control, so it is in your best interest to stay calm.”
Nadine looked resigned and didn’t try to leave the car again. I kept my eyes soft and warm, hoping I could ameliorate any feeling of threat. Although she didn’t know me well, I didn’t want her to think I was someone who intended her harm. She looked different than she had the last couple of times I’d seen her. Her long blonde hair was tousled into a top knot, and she wasn’t wearing makeup. The skin around her eyes was filled in with gray, and her already slender frame was thinner. I didn’t know what to think about Nadine. Was she a villain, or was she a hero? Did she truly believe killing Eric was justified? I guess we would find out soon enough if she disclosed. That morning, I’d made it clear to Stephen he was to do the talking. I wasn’t going to be the one to interrogate Nadine. I wasn’t sure how I felt and didn’t trust myself not to become a therapist in this situation. Nadine sat quietly as I faced her but turned her head to break our eye contact.
“Nadine, we know you killed Eric. We also know you and Heather were in it together, and we know what went down the night of Peterson’s party. What we don’t know is whether you had anything to do with Heather’s death. We have camera footage from her apartment, which shows a woman coming to visit Heather, and an argument ensuing. Then, the woman leaves, and another person, presumably a man, although we cannot be one hundred percent certain, shows up and kills her. We did not see any faces. We can help you, Nadine, and put an end to all of this.” This was a real shot in the dark, no pun intended. Giving Nadine this information was based on our theory she was not the woman in the video in Heather’s apartment.
“I had nothing to do with Heather’s death,” Nadine said with less emotion than I thought she’d have. “Heather was my friend. And as far as killing Eric, I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Nadine's face and voice were empty.
“Oh no?” Stephen said. Miguel pushed a button in the console, and a screen slid down in front of Nadine. On it was one of the email chains between Nadine and Heather.
“What the hell? How did you?” Then she stopped. She was had and she knew it. There was no point in denying or arguing or resisting. Nadine’s shoulders slumped.
“I take it Geoff doesn’t know anything about this?” I asked. I had been wondering what Geoff knew, if anything. Had Talia discussed the specifics of what she’d been working on before she died? Did Nadine make any confession while on their trip? Geoff would want the children protected too, but at what cost?
Nadine shook her head. “Absolutely not. Only Heather and me. It was excruciating, learning that Eric Graham was willing to let hundreds of thousands of children and families be potentially poisoned by his secret formula,” Nadine spat out the words. “He was giving in to money and power. I know what it’s like to be a victim to these things. It is what I fight against every day. And Heather joined Green Playscapes to do the opposite. When Eric got into bed with those criminals, Peterson and Moore...”
“Why not just go to the police? Or the State Attorney? The feds?” I asked. “Surely someone would have helped.”
“Ha!” Nadine let out a snide laugh. “First, you have no idea how far this goes. It was a cover up all the way to the governor’s office. Everyone is in Mason’s pocket and is being paid off by Moore. I made sure Eric didn’t suffer, he died quickly. It was the only solution. Second, a trans woman going to the Indy police for help? That’s a hoot. I have a hard enough time as a lawyer getting them to take me seriously. Talia had an awful time in the prosecutor’s office. No thanks.”
“So, you consider yourself a hero, huh?” Stephen said accusingly. “Take Eric out, stall the project until Heather can figure out how to make the formula safe, and Green Playscapes can continue its original mission.”
Nadine didn’t respond.
“And, for your information, we know all about Mason’s involvement. We know about Peterson and Moore. But perhaps what you didn’t account for was the pressure to move their plan forward was then shifted to Elaine.” Nadine said nothing for several seconds.
“Are you going to turn me in now? Is that what this is all about? Take me to the police station?” Nadine’s tone was cool, emotionless. “At first Eric was a good guy, but I, we, just couldn’t let him do it. We just couldn’t. We had to do what was necessary to protect people.” TD5 had run through a scenario where we would turn Nadine in, but we needed her.
“Here’s what is going to happen, Nadine,” Stephen said. “You know we have the evidence to send you away for a long time. And this state has the death penalty, so that’s bad for you. Premeditation and all. For the time being, we have another plan, so listen carefully. Keep in mind that I am monitoring your every move, so don’t try to run. I’ll know every dime you spend on a credit card, money withdrawn from your bank accounts, cars you rent, or plane tickets you’ll buy. There is nowhere for you to go. So, do what we say, and we’ll talk later about your future.” I had no way of knowing if Stephen could, in fact, monitor people this way. Something told me he could, but the thought made me uneasy. But then again, weren’t we all being monitored by all the eyes in the sky, the digital gods? Nothing is private anymore.
Nadine knew she was in a corner. “What do you want me to do?”
“We need to know who Heather let into her apartment that night. The video footage didn’t show any faces, and it couldn’t have been anyone who knew she had cameras. Basically, that rules out anyone from Green Playscapes. We thought about Mark, but he installed the cameras, so that doesn’t make sense,” Stephen said.
“If I had any ideas, I would tell you,” Nadine said. “Do you think the two people were working together? Like good cop, bad cop?” Nadine’s tight shoulders and strained expression relaxed slightly.
“We don’t know. Heather argued with the first person she let in, a woman. The second person was someone she seemed to know well. There was an embrace before she was bludgeoned,” Stephen said, with emphasis on the word bludgeoned. Nadine winced. It was the first reaction I’d seen out of her since the interrogation began. The emails disappeared from the screen in front of Nadine, and as Stephen played the footage from Heather’s murder, Nadine cried out in horror. Her face dropped into her hands. I immediately felt empathy for Nadine. Would Heather still be alive if Nadine hadn’t gotten Heather involved in Eric’s murder? Was that thought torturing her? Nadine’s reaction confirmed our theory that she had nothing to do with Heather’s murder.
“Was Heather seeing anyone, you know, intimately?” I asked quietly, considering it obvious and wondering why we’d not asked Nadine that to begin with. The murderer could have been a crazed lover, and her death had nothing to do with Green Playscapes, however unlikely that seemed. “The two people who came to her apartment that night were people she let in. No one broke in, or forced their way in, from what we could see. We saw her get up from her couch twice and answer her door. I assume she has a peep hole and could see who it was.”
“Heather and I were friends, but we didn’t talk about who we were dating. She was a private person. I’m sorry I’m not much help.” Nadine’s voice wavered with emotion.
