It was already late in the day, well past shift change. Royce went over everything at our meeting with Bleu and the night shift team. They would go through Teddy’s home, search it inch by inch, and catalog everything related to the abductions and murders of Valerie, LeAnn, and the trooper. Gina was still questionable since we hadn’t recovered her remains, but in my gut, I knew she was dead. If there were more people that we didn’t know about, I would do my best to get that information when Rue and I conducted the interrogation tomorrow.
Since we were familiar with T. J., Royce promised that we could conduct the interview and find out what had prompted him and his brother to commit such heinous crimes. I assumed it was the lure of money and the carnal pleasures that cash would give two very average brothers.
I planned to ask more about their formative years tomorrow, but what Royce gathered from his call to the parents was that they hadn’t spent much time with Chase and Teddy when the boys needed them most.
That night, I would go home, give thanks that nobody else would die at the hands of Ted and Chase Jennison, and appreciate my family and loved ones.
I gave Rue a shoulder pat as we walked to our cars. “Hey, pal, why not come to my house for supper? We have a lot to be thankful for, and my family is your family. It wouldn’t be right if you celebrated alone.”
Devon grinned. “You sure?”
“Absolutely.”
“Okay, that sounds pretty nice. I’ll be right behind you.”
At home, we enjoyed a great dinner with my family and said only that our latest bad guys had been captured and were behind bars. Young kids like Chloe and Della didn’t need to hear the details. They were smitten with Rue anyway, and just having him there for supper was enough to keep them smiling.
After we ate, Devon and I sat outside on the deck and discussed tomorrow’s interrogation. We needed to ask the brothers who their buyers were, and even if they wouldn’t reveal the names, we hoped the state police would find those individuals and take them into custody.
I wanted to know why they killed. What led them to commit such hideous crimes against other human beings? I wondered if certain people were predisposed to be killers or if there was a trigger. Was one the leader and the other the follower, and what role, or lack of one, did their parents play in the brothers’ upbringing? I didn’t have those answers, but I was sure they did. Maybe they’d talk, and maybe they’d lawyer up. And last, would they tell us what they had done with Gina’s body so her family could lay her to rest?
Tomorrow would be filled with tough questions and even tougher-to-hear answers, but we needed to know everything. We would pit one brother against the other and lie to their faces to get those answers before they clammed up and demanded lawyers. The families of the victims deserved to know why their loved ones had been chosen and whether they’d suffered before dying.
It was almost ten o’clock by the time Rue rose to leave. The kids had gone to bed an hour earlier, and Mom and Marie sat at the dining room table while playing Scrabble.
“I’m heading out,” Rue said, “and thanks so much for a great supper. Good night.”
I walked out with Devon and said I’d see him in the morning.
“Have a stiff drink or two, Cannon. I know you aren’t one to fall asleep easily.”
I knuckled the car’s doorframe. “Good idea. Drive safe, partner.” I watched as Rue drove away until I couldn’t see his taillights any longer.