The shoe dropped early Wednesday morning when Gordon got a phone call at his office in Louisville, a week after Chase had received his letter. He was surprised to hear Greg Hart on the other end of the line given the man’s less-than-helpful attitude during their previous conversations.
“You busy?” the detective from Lexington asked.
Gordon laughed. “I’m always busy, you know that. What’s going on?”
“Kiely Turner’s sister received a package yesterday afternoon. Guess who it’s from?”
The words sent a cold chill across Gordon’s shoulders. “You have got to be kidding me. What was in it?”
There was a brief pause before Hart answered. “That’s the creepy part. There was an anniversary card similar to what Chase Hudson received, complete with a letter. However, Amy Lynn also got a couple of gifts in her package, and those are what freaked her out. They were things from inside her own home.”
Gordon straightened in his chair, chilled. “What do you mean ‘from inside’ her home? What kind of stuff was it?”
“Well, he took Kiely’s high school prom garter, and they think he took her diary, maybe a picture or two. The creepiest part is that he apparently went into their teenage daughter’s bedroom, because he sent the girl’s iPod along with the garter. The Bledsoes are pretty freaked out about that.”
“I can imagine. Where are the package and its contents now?” Gordon stood to pace as much as the phone cord would allow.
“I have them. The state boys brought the whole thing down last night. Since your lab is handling the other package, I wondered if you might want to process this one as well.”
“Damn straight we do. The more evidence we can get in the same lab, the better chance we’ll have at linking this guy to the other killings and catching him.”
“Can we do that without giving you jurisdiction?” the detective asked. “I’m not convinced Kiely Turner’s murder is linked to those others.”
Gordon had been afraid of that. “Yes, that shouldn’t be a problem. I guess we’re going to have to agree to disagree for now on the cases being linked. When can you get that package to me?”
“I figured I’d drive up now. So if you’re available in about an hour, I’ll meet you.”
“I can make the time. Head on up.”
Ending the call, Gordon sat down and glared at his blotter. He was impatient to see what the package contained. The past week had been a busy one, with several other cases taking precedence over the investigation into the murders. Today was his first day back in the Louisville office as he’d been sent to western Kentucky for the first part of the week.
“Shit, fuck, and damn me all to hell, this is not good.”
Deciding it might be a good idea to let his supervisor know what was up, he stood and went to her office. Fran had been in charge of the department for two years now, and Gordon respected and liked her. She was fair, sharp, and willing to stick her neck out for her agents if need be.
At his light knock, she looked up from the paperwork on her desk.
“You have a minute?”
“Sure,” Fran Connell said. “Come in.”
“Greg Hart from Lexington PD just called. The card Chase Hudson got last week? Well, the victim’s sister received one yesterday.” He told her what Hart had said about the package.
She sat back and folded her hands in her lap. “What do you need from me?”
“Permission to put this at the top of my list and keep it there. Hart doesn’t want to give up jurisdiction, and that might be a problem.”
“That could be a big problem. I know you have something else in mind. Why don’t you tell me what it is?” she suggested in a firm tone.
Gordon chuckled without humor. “You know me too well. I want to exhume Kiely’s body. I think we might get lucky and find some DNA if she’s still intact. They weren’t able to get anything at the first autopsy, but technology’s advanced since then.”
“Exhumation? Really, Gordon?” she asked skeptically. “That’s pretty extreme, don’t you think?”
“No, I don’t. Here’s why—without DNA or some other solid evidence, we aren’t going to be able to link these cases. And without that evidence, Kiely’s family is going to try to hang Chase for her murder. I can feel it.”
She went to the coffee pot she kept in her office, offering him a mug. “As often as you have these gut feelings, and as accurate as they usually are, you know I can’t take that to a judge and ask for an exhumation order.”
“I know. This is a little more complicated than just my gut feeling,” he said. “This guy is escalating. He’s bored with what he’s been doing. Killing isn’t enough of a challenge for him anymore. Now he’s drawing in family members of previous victims. So there’s that to consider.”
“Okay. Good start, but what else do you have?”
Gordon took a deep breath and closed the door. “This is between you and me and the desk,” he said, leaning forward and speaking low. “I made some calls last week, talked to some people in Lexington and in Frankfort. Bledsoe is up for Speaker this session if he wins reelection. If he can nail the SOB who killed his sister-in-law, he’s practically assured the position. That family has never made any secret of the fact that they want to see Chase swing for Kiely’s murder. With them receiving these cards and the ten-year anniversary coming up? That’s a lot of motivation for Bledsoe to push this investigation using whatever tactics he can. It won’t matter to him so much if they don’t get the right man. By the time everything is all sorted out, he’ll be cemented in the capitol.”
Her brows drew together as she perched on the edge of her desk. “What exactly do you mean by that?”
“I mean, by fair means or foul, he will see Chase Hudson prosecuted for that crime. And Chase didn’t kill Kiely. I know he didn’t.”
Fran sat forward, and he could see that she was choosing her words carefully. “Is it possible—possible, mind you—that your friendship with the man could be influencing your perception of his innocence?”
“That’s a fair question but no. As an investigator, I’ve gone back over the case file on Kiely’s murder more than once, and there’s nothing that remotely indicates Chase was responsible. He had as airtight an alibi as he could have—witnesses from the CA’s office, including the guy who’s prosecutor now. There were no physical injuries to indicate he’d gotten into an altercation with Kiely. We know from the autopsy report that she fought her killer, and there would have been evidence of that on Chase. Did he have motive? Maybe you could argue that he did, and this is where my friendship with Chase does come into play. He’d have been hurt, he’d have been furious by what happened between them, but murderously angry? No.”
“Then I’m a little confused as to why you’re worried. If his alibi is as solid as you say it is, there shouldn’t be anything to be concerned about.”
Gordon placed his coffee mug on the desk and ran a hand over his jaw. “I know there shouldn’t be, but I’m still worried. There’s a lot of chatter in Lexington, rumors that something is going on behind the scenes. And to be blunt, I’m not sure Bledsoe hasn’t got Greg Hart in his pocket and isn’t using him to plant evidence. Hell, for all we know, Greg Hart is the one sending the cards.”
Fran was stunned by the allegation. “That’s pretty harsh.”
He held up a hand. “I know. I have absolutely no proof whatsoever, so I need to be careful and watch what I say in public. I will be. But I want you to know what I’m thinking, what I’m hearing.”
She moved to stare out the window for a couple of minutes. After a hard sigh, her mouth tightened. “You have a favor you can use, if I recall correctly. From Judge Perlman?”
“I do.” Gordon had worked on a case a few months back that involved a powerful district judge and had managed to save the man significant public embarrassment by handling the case quietly and within the confines of the law. “I hate using favors like that, but I’m willing to make an exception for Chase and for Kiely. What about jurisdiction?”
Fran huffed. “Well, the letter Chase Hudson received gives us a little leverage. You can probably use it to cover yourself with the exhumation even. I’m not sure about wresting away the whole case. You might have to be satisfied with what you can get there. However, that being said, I’ll make some calls to Lexington. I have a few connections myself, and I might be able to get Hart’s supervisors to agree to letting us take point. Keep me up to date, Gordon.”
He thanked her and went back to his desk to make the call to Judge Perlman. He wanted to try to have the exhumation process started before he tipped his hand to Hart.
The decision to pursue exhumation wasn’t one Gordon had made lightly. He understood the pain and suffering, the emptiness that resulted from losing a loved one. He also acknowledged that what he was about to instigate would probably have far-reaching consequences once Kiely’s family found out about it. They would have to be notified about the exhumation, probably after it had taken place. That notification wasn’t something he was looking forward to.
But the truth was more important than preserving people’s feelings or even careers. Gordon was prepared to use every last card he had to make sure the absolute truth came out even if it meant causing more pain for those who had loved Kiely. He was that certain of Chase’s innocence and of the danger to his freedom. Additionally, focusing on Chase was distracting everyone from finding the real killer, and that was a danger to the public and community at large.
Having Kiely’s remains exhumed was a card Gordon had hoped not to have to play, but he was afraid it would turn out to be Chase’s only hope.
“You’re doing the right thing,” he told himself as he punched the judge’s private number into his cell phone. “Let’s hope the price we all pay isn’t too high.”
A couple of hours later, Gordon’s concern had morphed into full-blown alarm. Using one of the small meeting rooms at FBI Headquarters in Louisville, he and Detective Hart reviewed the contents of the package Amy Lynn had received. They were damning, and Gordon could well understand why the Bledsoes had been so upset. They had every right to be, and he couldn’t fault them for their alarm. Aside from the card and the letter, which were upsetting enough, as Hart had said, the killer had included Kiely’s garter and the daughter’s iPod.
“I have a theory about when they were taken,” Hart said. “Bledsoe and his wife held a fundraiser at their home this past week. Most of the activities were out of doors, but anyone could have sneaked into house.” He handed Gordon a document. “Here’s the guest list, and we should have the names of the staff who were present shortly.”
Gordon read through the list and was surprised by a few of the names. “What kind of fundraiser was it?”
Hart stretched his arms over his head. “Barbecue, bluegrass, and booze. Typical rustic country-club fundraiser, fifteen hundred dollars a plate. Not cheap.” When Gordon shot him an astonished look, Hart shrugged. “Apparently it was full of coal operators and old eastern Kentucky money, which are usually two sides of the same coin. You can see from the list that there were over a hundred people there.”
Gordon whistled. “The representative must be popular. Fifteen hundred a plate in this economy? For a guy no one outside Kentucky has heard of? Damn.” He glanced back at the list. “Anyone on this stand out to you?”
“Not really. Oh, there are a couple of names that I hadn’t expected to see, and a few I did expect but weren’t there, but nothing that sent up any red flags.” He laughed at Gordon’s continued amazement. “Come on, man, you can’t be that surprised at the money. How long have you worked in this office? You should know by now that some of the wealthiest people in this state live over near Ashland and Pikeville. A good chunk of them are on that list.”
“I’ve worked mainly in this division and with the field offices in the western part of the state. And yes, I’ve heard the rumors about eastern Kentucky money. Hell, I grew up there. But this is the first time I’ve really seen evidence of its existence with my own two eyes.” Gordon shook the paper for emphasis.
Hart snorted. “I guess you’ve never worked much with Kentucky politics then. That’s a whole other world, man, and the stuff that goes on in the eastern half of the state? It’d make your hair curl.” He changed the subject. “Why is it you’re so convinced Chase Hudson is innocent? You think the Bledsoes are deliberately trying to railroad him?”
“I don’t know if railroad is the right word for it. I think it’s more that Kiely’s family wants it to be Chase so badly they’re hell-bent determined to make it stick whether it’s the truth or not. Add to that the fact that a conviction wouldn’t hurt Bledsoe politically, and I’m concerned the investigation is going to go in a completely wrong direction when it’s heating up again. We can’t afford to lose traction chasing a red herring. That’s all.”
“So you really don’t think Hudson killed her?”
Gordon was shaking his head before Hart finished asking the question. “Absolutely not. My friendship with Chase aside, he has about as airtight an alibi as he could have. The night Kiely disappeared, he was working in the Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office. Several unimpeachable witnesses saw him. You’ve read the case file. What do you think?”
“I think witness statements have to be taken with a grain of salt even coming out of the CA’s office.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.” The somberness of the detective’s expression triggered Gordon’s instincts. “What aren’t you saying?”
“Take that case across the river in Indiana—the state trooper. He had eleven eyewitnesses. Didn’t do him much good,” Hart reminded Gordon as he stood. “Besides, several of the witnesses from the original investigation aren’t available anymore. Out of the six who gave statements, three are dead, and one’s so wasted on drugs she can’t remember what she had for breakfast this morning, much less a late shift she worked ten years ago.”
“That leaves two reliable witnesses,” Gordon argued as he walked the other man out. “One’s your current prosecutor.”
“It does, and he is,” Hart conceded. “However, both of those witnesses left the office for a late dinner break. They were gone for about ninety minutes, and that’s ninety minutes where your guy has no alibi.”
They were quiet as they waited for the elevator.
Once they got on and the doors closed, Gordon asked, “What are the chances you’d be willing to turn this investigation over to us?”
Hart smiled, and Gordon couldn’t help thinking the expression was a little smug. “Not great. There’s no reason for us to do that.”
“Not even if it leads to the capture of Kiely’s killer?”
The detective snorted. “And what makes you think you have a better shot at that than we do, Agent Gordon?”
“No offense, but as good as the LPD is, they don’t have the reach of the FBI.”
“No, and we also don’t have someone with a vested interest in seeing the best suspect we have walk away scot-free either.”
It was all Gordon could do to hold his tongue, and he counted to twenty, trying to calm down. He used the walk through the lobby to control his temper, not wanting to get into a screaming match.
“I could say the same thing, Detective. Except I think you probably have an interest in seeing Chase Hudson on death row. Now what exactly do you think that interest might be based around?” he drawled as they reached the street. “Money or power?”
The detective’s face turned red, and Gordon was surprised when the man let the remarks go.
“Agent, you do what you have to do, and I’ll do the same,” Hart said flatly. “You will call me with the results from the lab about this package, right? I don’t need to worry about taking it to the state crime lab?”
“No, Detective, I’ll be in touch.”
Hart turned and went to his vehicle without another word.
“Arrogant son of a bitch,” Gordon muttered as he walked back inside. “Now I know you’re up to something. If you’d been innocent, you would have bitten my head off when I called you crooked.” And that confirmation scared him more than just about anything ever had.