Page 41 of Stalker

“You think I’ll take it too personally.”

“What was the expression you used about Cash? Ah, yes. Like a dog to a bone, only you’d never let it go. Not even for prime filet.”

I had to laugh because he was right. “You do know me too well.”

“That’s an excellent quality to have, Cass, but in this case, I also need you on the Blackwell case. It’s important. What have you found?”

“Right now, not much of anything. They’re very private men, but they provide money to charities, are considered highly respected businessmen, and they pay more than their fair share of taxes. From what I can tell, they are upstanding citizens.”

“Then you need to dig deeper. People often hide behind money and power, their darkness overtaking a portion of their lives. They’ll do anything to keep their proclivities from being laid wide open for all to see.”

I turned toward him. “I mean no disrespect here, Mr. Wells, but it seems like there’s something or several things you aren’t telling me. It’s almost like you want to see how deep I’ll go to obtain answers.”

He smiled and shifted to face me, placing his bent arm on the iron railing. “You’re an extremely intelligent woman, perhaps too much so for an old man like me. You’re right I’ve held back on several details and yes, I wanted to see where you went with the case.”

“Well, I have a few ideas of how to clandestinely step into their world, but it’s risky and uncertain at this point. I would love to know what I’m looking for.”

He studied me for several seconds. “Alright. I’m going to email you a file, but for your eyes only.”

“What’s in it?”

“I’d rather you look at it with a very open mind.”

“Is this about the brothers or the company?”

“A little of both as well as with regards to their pasts.”

“I understand they grew up in foster care, not allowed to stay together,” I said. I was tossing out a few crumbs to see if I could get any immediate answers.

He nodded. “Yes, from a very tragic circumstance, I’m afraid. From what I understand about their upbringings, the three young boys were all subjected to the worst of the system.”

“Why weren’t they pulled out?”

“That is a question I’ve been asking myself for years.”

I cocked my head. “Years. You’ve been investigating them for that long?”

“No, but they came to my attention and a portion of the puzzle I was working on just started to fit together. Yet, I can’t seem to find the last pieces. I’m hoping your keen eye, attention to detail, dogged responses, and your investigative skills will find them.”

A cold shiver raced down my spine and only partially because of the wind.

“Why were they placed into foster care?”

“Because their father killed their mother and was sent to prison. They were dumped into the system because there were no other living relatives that could be found. It was a heinous case that almost brought Chicago to its knees.”

“A man killing his wife almost brought Chicago to its knees?” I repeated.

He suddenly had a faraway look in his eyes. “There were several murders that occurred in and around Chicago over a three-year span. The killer was smart, one of the most brilliant I’d ever seen in my career. The method of murder was different in every case, none of the witnesses linked to one another in a single way. The members of law enforcement were baffled. Finally, the killer started making fun of them, obtaining his fifteen minutes of fame by issuing clues and threats.”

A slight shiver slid down my spine. Another serial killer.

“Wow. Okay.” My thoughts drifted to the Monahan case. I knew very little about it other than what had been cited in the press, but something told me they were similar.

“Yes, wow indeed. The killer was never sloppy, never left any evidence behind.”

“Then how was the connection made from the mother’s murder to the serial killer?”

Mr. Wells shook his head. “She ratted on her husband. But one stupid police detective didn’t believe her. Instead of immediately placing her and the children in protective care, he let her walk. Two days later, she was dead.”

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