This story is part of an ongoing series.
The chronological order of my stories is listed in WifeWatchman's biography.
Feedback and
constructive
criticism is very much appreciated, and I encourage feedback for ideas.
This story contains graphic scenes, language and actions that might be extremely offensive to some people. These scenes, words and actions are used only for the literary purposes of this story. The author does not condone murder, racial language, violence, rape or violence against women, and any depictions of any of these in this story should not be construed as acceptance of the above.
***
Part 12 - Consulting the Consultant's Cousin
Theo had rushed back into the room, and his service weapon was now aimed at Charles Westbrook. "Put your hands on your head! Now!" he ordered.
"I am unarmed. I mean you no harm, Detective Washington." said Westbrook as he raised his hands.
"Put your hands
on
your head." I said, though calmly. Westbrook did so. "Now step this way, towards us. Slowly." I said. Westbrook walked forward. After he was off the pentagram, I came forward and frisked him for weapons, finding none. "I'm going to handcuff you for our protection." I said.
"Certainly." said Westbrook, and I cuffed his hands behind his back. "Though there is no protection from the Higher Power."
"Let's go sit down in the front lobby." I said. Theo and I escorted Westbrook to the front lobby and made him sit down in a chair. I sat down in the one to the side, part facing him.
"Okay, Dr. Westbrook." I said. "Your State-issued ID lists this building as your home address. What's your real home address?"
"Why, right here." said Westbrook. "This is my earthly home."
"Where do you sleep?" I asked. "There are no beds here, no sofas."
"Really, Commander." said Westbrook. "Are you that interested in my sleeping habits?"
"As a matter of fact, I am." I said. "I'm also interested in what kind of business you're doing here. Explain that to me, Doctor."
"I guess you could say this is my church, whose sanctity you have violated." said Westbrook."
"Not at all." I said, holding up a piece of paper. "This warrant allows us to search the entire 'World Outreach Church' property, upon which this building sits. So I'll ask one more time... what is this place?"
"As I said, it's my church." said Westbrook. "A haven for the faithful, the supplicants of the Mighty One."
"Do you know a Pastor Raymond Westboro?" I asked.
"He was my cousin." said Westbrook. "My first cousin. I believe he died in your presence, Commander, though by his own hand. I'm not sure whether or not to thank you or swear vengeance upon you for his death."
"You should absolutely be thanking me." I said. "So let's quit playing games. Do you know a man named Lawrence Evans?"
"He was a member of the World Outreach Church." said Westbrook. "What of it?"
"Do you know a man named Bob Stevens?" I asked.
Westbrook sighed. "Aww. You were doing so well, Commander, and now you've strayed off the path. So I'm going to have to ask for a lawyer to be present before I answer any further questions. Why don't you take me to your Town & County Police Headquarters, and with that lawyer present I can accommodate your requests for information."
I was not fooled one bit. "Oh, I can't extradite you without the Court's permission." I said. "So we'll just have to take you to City Police Headquarters."
A moment later, City Police Officers came to the building. Theo and I exhibited badges. "Sir," said the CPD Officer, "we're here to search this property."
"Of course." I said. "And you can take this man to City Jail. He's a person of interest in the multiple deaths that occurred in the Town & County the other day. I'll come up tonight or tomorrow to interrogate him further..."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
As Theo and I drove back home, he said "I don't understand, sir. Why aren't we getting papers to bring him back home? Or at least interrogating him at City Police Headquarters?"
I said "Did you hear Westbrook actually all but ask us to take him back to TCPD HQ?" Theo nodded, and I said "Now why does he
want
to come back into our jurisdiction? Especially with the crimes having taken place there? Something's up with that, so I'm doing it in the most correctly legal way possible. We'll file for extradition the proper way." Theo nodded.
"And there's another reason, which I need you to keep on the down-low." I said. "I want to see who comes and visits him. I want to see who his lawyer is going to be, if anyone else visits him. I seriously doubt I will get satisfactory answers to that if he's at Police Headquarters or County Jail, but we may get something if he's over there in the City."
Theo began chuckling. "I see what you mean about him all but asking to come over here." he said. "But I don't know if I will ever be able to think so far ahead about leaving him in the City, and for those reasons."
I chuckled myself, then said "I admit, it's a risk. Westbrook is very much a major part of this story. But the flip side is that no one would put him at the scene of the crime at the time of the crime, and we won't be able to hold Westbrook even if we do manage to extradite him. A good lawyer would make sure of that... and I suspect he's going to have the very best..."
Part 13 - Nellie Blye Westbrook
"You left him in the City?" Chief Sean Moynahan gasped when I told him what had transpired in the City. We were in his office. "Mr. Crowbar, I very rarely question your actions, but you are going to have to ex-plaaaaaain that one."
"Yes sir." I said. I told him what I'd told Theo. "I wouldn't be surprised if I hear from Jack Muscone while we're snacking on some beef nachos and beer at the Cop Bar."
"I don't think that's going to be happeninnnng tonight, Mr. Crowbar." said the Chief. "Everyone is still trying to collect data. And I bee-lieeeeeeve they've found some things, so you're excused to go get a report from Captain Perrrrlmannn."
I got the hint and moved out smartly. Captain Perlman was in her office. I knocked on the door, then went inside. Tanya had me sit down on the loveseat sofa in front of her desk.
"We got a few data items, sir." she said. "First, one of the survivors, Arthur Young. He's an accountant, and he looks like one, too with the 'Daniel Allgood' black hair and thick black-framed glasses he's wearing. We found out that he did the books for the World Outreach Church, but he left two years ago, right at tax-filing time. We don't know why yet, and he wouldn't answer our questions, citing non-disclosure agreements."
"Sounds like we need to get a subpoena to break through that." I said. "What else?"
"Ashley Perez." said Tanya. "Turns out she was arrested by the Campus Police about six weeks ago, at the start of the University semester. We didn't find out until now because she gave the cops a fake name and ID, one 'Jennifer Jones'. They arrested her for suspicion of stalking."
Tanya: "A girl named Mary Gabriel, an 18-year-old Freshman, filed the complaint. She said Ashley was trying to get her to go to meetings of the 'Church of the Release', but Mary is a pretty devout Baptist and goes to the Baptist Center. Then Mary saw Ashley following her a couple of times, and made a complaint. The Campus Police set up a sting, and caught Ashely following Mary. Ashley denied it, but now we know she gave them a fake ID."
Tanya: "We called Mary Gabriel upon finding out this information, and then Julia went to visit her at her dorm on Campus. Mary says she thinks she's still being followed, but thought maybe it was Campus Police or she was just being paranoid. Julia showed her some of the photos we have of the survivors of the Point Hollow event, and she recognized one of them: Gary King. She was sure he was watching her, sitting on benches as she walked by. Julia told Mary to walk with others if she can, to change up her normal routes and not go the same way twice in a row, and to call us if she sees King again, or if she thinks she's being watched."
"Wow." I said. "I'd say that
we
should maintain some surveillance on her, but she might see it and think we were perps. So what do we know about Mary Gabriel?"
"Freshman, from the Pottsville area." said Tanya. "Parents are middle class. Mary has a National Merit Scholarship, and a Baptist Church-sponsored scholarship, as well. No declared major. People at the Baptist Center like her. She's also a member of the group 'Abstinence Until Marriage', or AUM. That's a self-proclaimed religious group advocating remaining chaste until marriage. They have complained about the teachings of the Sex Professor on Campus."
"My wife, eh?" I said. "Okay, then. What else?"
"Remember Sophie Westbrook, from the Blassingame case?" Tanya asked. (
Author's note: 'Unresolved', Ch. 01-02.
) I nodded, and Tanya continued: "She's a descendent of the House of Westbrook that seems to be involved in this case, but another bloodline. Joanne called her, and Sophie had no knowledge of any of that, nor of Point Hollow."
"So if Joanne was available to call her," I said, "she must've come back from the
Town & County Examiner
. Did she find anything?"
"Ah, you got ahead of me again, sir." said Tanya with her cherubic grin and a twinkle in her eye. "Yes she did, but I'm going to let her tell you the story directly."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"Have a seat." I said as Sr. Detective Joanne Warner pretty much wobbled into my office. "Looks like you're going to have a big baby, and soon."
"Yes sir," said Joanne brightly. "I'll be glad when he's here... and yes, I just gave it away, it's going to be a boy."
"Good!" I said. "How's Leo taking it?" I asked, referring to her dog, who was the firstborn son of Bowser.
"He knows something is going on, but he seems okay." Joanne said. "Seth plays with him a lot. I think Leo is Seth's dog more than mine nowadays."
I smiled. "Yeah, I pay for Bowser's food, but I have no illusions about who owns him: Carole." I said. "So, what do you have for me?"
"The
Examiner
has preserved copies of all of their front pages going back to 1867." Joanne said. "A lot of it is on microfiche and is being put in to digital data servers for preservation, as well. Alison McFarland was a great help, but she made me promise to give the