Twenty-Seven
It had happened hours before, but Kelly hated the way Brandon had looked at her when he basically implied she’d dropped the ball with the lawyers. She’d had no reason to ask if they’d received hate mail, and the lawyers were still breathing. Regardless, his implication was nattering at her. She prided herself on being on top of everything, being one step ahead. This case was beating her enough in that regard. She’d never have seen Banks’s murder coming even if she’d had a crystal ball.
She was driving to Clark and Mariella West’s home to see if they recognized the unsub from anywhere. It was gratifying to now potentially have the face of their son’s killer, but her experience in life told her celebrating prematurely would just doom her.
That had been the case with her mother’s release from prison. The date had been circled on Kelly’s calendar from the moment they learned she was getting out, and she’d counted off the days. She’d been twenty-one at the time and working through the FBI Academy. She had been having the time of her life, too. The future was looking bright. She had no idea the ground was about to fall out from beneath her.
Kelly had gone to the prison with her granddad. By that time, her brother was twenty-seven and they had no idea where to find him. She had hoped he’d come to the prison, but he never showed. Her mom came back home with her and Granddad, but she wasn’t there for long. Not even a week later, they woke up and her mother was gone.
Granddad tried to tell her that her mom was having a hard time adapting to life on the outside. Kelly always thought her mom had given up way too easily. As such, her mother’s abandonment had been harder on her than seeing her mother shoot her father. Maybe because she had been six years old and too young to appreciate the finality of it.
Kelly returned to the Academy and used her pain to fuel her drive to become the best FBI agent the Bureau would ever know. She got as far as graduating. The rest didn’t seem meant to be, and it was another dream that came raining down like spent fireworks.
So, yeah, she’d learned some time ago not to get excited about anything in the future, and she was determined to remain grounded in the present. It was a lot less painful way of living. The disappointments couldn’t touch you as deeply when you didn’t have expectations.
Kelly stepped onto the West’s front porch and rang the doorbell, her past weighing heavier on her than she’d have liked. It had to be because Jack was around, messing with her mind, bringing memories and emotions to the surface that were otherwise long buried.
The Wests did well for themselves. Clark was a wealthy investment banker, and the couple lived in an upscale neighborhood. One that no doubt had a committee that met about everything from how short to keep the grass trimmed to allowances on Christmas decorations. Lots of ambitious people clawed their way to make it to a place like this, but it didn’t appeal to Kelly. She preferred the freedoms associated with middle-class living.
The door opened on the two-story house. Mariella West, now a woman in her sixties, had retained her pleasant face and trim figure. She stepped back without saying a word.
Kelly went inside the house and wiped her shoes on the mat. “Sorry to have to come so late.” It was nine o’clock at night.
“Nonsense, dear. Thank you for calling. If it were midnight and you thought you found our son’s killer, you’d be welcome.” Mariella’s voice fluctuated with emotion—trepidation, perhaps. The poor woman would be lost in a world where hope and defeat took turns holding power.
Clark West came in from the grand sitting room and held out his hand to Kelly. He was a slender man, about six to eight inches taller than his wife.
“Good evening,” Kelly said to him. A few seconds of awkward silence fell between them.
“This is nuts, us standing here in the entry,” Mariella said. “Let’s go sit down, shall we? Do you want anything to drink?” She was already winding her way into the sitting room, Kelly and Clark following.
“No, thank you.” Kelly smiled and sat down on a chair she’d been in before. “I shouldn’t be here too long.”
“You’ve reopened Kent’s case?” Clark leaned forward on the couch where he now was sitting beside Mariella. He’d always been the type of man to wear his emotions on his sleeve; the corporate world had never corrupted him. Kelly respected the hell out of that. Even with the loss of his only son, he’d remained dignified and pleasant. While she was aware that the Wests had gone to marriage counseling after Kent’s death, there was no sign of any issues between them. At least they were united in wanting to nail their son’s killer.
“There has been a development,” Kelly said, wishing to avoid answering Clark’s question directly.
Mariella reached for her husband’s hand. It had been six years since their son’s murder, but the impact was still tangible.
“This is because of that woman who’s missing? That’s why you’re looking into his murder again,” Clark said, and Mariella looked at her husband. He turned to her. “It’s all over the news. The mayor’s niece. She was convicted of DUI vehicular homicide like Kent was.” His eyes glistened.
The Wests looked at Kelly, their eyes large, their souls longing for answers and closure.
“Do you think it’s the same person who killed Kent?” Mariella’s chest hitched visibly. “Is this a serial killer?”
“You heard correctly about the mayor’s niece,” Kelly said. “She is missing, and she does have a record like Kent had. Unfortunately, I’m not at liberty to comment any further as it is an open investigation.”
“But so is our Kent’s. I mean, you’re here.” Mariella squeezed her husband’s hand.
“Yes, in a way it is,” Kelly said, providing them a clue without confirming outright that their son’s killer may have Kelter. “We’ve never been able to figure out exactly where Kent was taken, and we’re trying to ascertain that, as well as how, but we do have a lead in the case.”
“We?” Clark gripped on to that.
“I’m working with the FBI.”
Mariella gasped and smiled broadly. “They’re really going to figure this out this time.” She looked at her husband, eyes wide with expectation and excitement.
“It’s probably best if we maintain realistic expectations. It has been six years since Kent’s murder.” Kelly paused, hating that there was no way around saying that dirty word. It was one she rarely gave a ton of consideration to unless she was sitting in front of a victim’s loved ones.
Clark patted the back of his wife’s hand. “We understand.”
Kelly brought up the photo array that included their unsub and gave her phone to Clark. “Take a close look at these men, and let me know if you recognize any of them.”
“You think it was one of these men?” Mariella’s face softened with sorrow while her eyes lit slightly with hope.
“We think it’s possible,” Kelly told her. “We also believe that the man who killed your son was familiar with his schedule so he knew when to abduct him. Our thinking is that you may have unknowingly seen this man lurking around.”
Mariella and Clark looked at the pictures, taking their time to pore over them. A few minutes in, Mariella started sobbing. She reached for a tissue from a box on an end table and blew her nose.
“I’m so sorry.” Mariella bunched up the tissue, and her chin quivered.
“There’s no need to be sorry, Mrs. Kent. None at all.” Kelly’s heart went out to them, but she sheltered herself from taking on their pain.
“I don’t recognize any of them, either.” Clark handed Kelly back her phone. “I wish I could say I did.” He wrapped his arm around his wife and took her hand.
Kelly dipped her head and frowned. “I wish I had better news for the both of you. Please know, the FBI and I are doing whatever we can to bring justice for Kent.”
“Thank you for always caring about him,” Clark said solemnly. “He was never just another case to you, and we’re very appreciative and grateful for that.”
Kelly swallowed the emotion that balled in her throat and stood. “If you need anything, you have my number.”
She’d seen the Wests many times over the last six years, and as sweet a couple as they were, the next time she sure as hell hoped it was with the news that she had just arrested their son’s killer.