Page 37 of If She Stayed
She stepped out onto the porch and sat down in one of the wicker chairs she’d occupied earlier.She then looked to her phone and saw that it was nearing 5:30.She was already dreading the idea of stepping away from the case when there were possible new leads to identify.But she’d promised Allen… and even though she knew he’d understand and pass it off, she knew that he deserved better.The guilt and indecision was enough to open her eyes to the fact that maybe she trulycouldn’tdo this anymore.Maybe this needed to be it for her; maybe this needed to be her last case.
Her phone buzzed, derailing that particular train of thought.She looked to the display screen and saw that she was getting an incoming call from DeMarco.She answered quickly, hoping for information that would help them identify and locate Janet Klein.
"What’ve you got?”Kate asked.
“Records and Research pulled everything they could find on Janet Klein.And you're definitely going to want to hear this."
"Go ahead."
"Janet Klein, age fifty-eight, worked as an insurance claims investigator for fifteen years before leaving the profession in 2010.No current address on file, no recent employment records, no social media presence.It's like she disappeared from the system."
"What about criminal history?"
"She's got a clean record, but here's the interesting part.Records found a notation in her employment file from 2008.She was terminated from her insurance job for conduct violations, including unauthorized surveillance of policyholders and inappropriate collection of personal information."
There we go,Kate thought.There was, of course, no way to know for sure if Klein was part of the case at all, but the picture was becoming clearer.Janet Klein had a history of crossing professional boundaries—most notably of gathering information about people for reasons that went beyond legitimate business purposes.If she had joined the book club with similar motives, she could have spent decades accumulating knowledge about the members' lives and vulnerabilities.
"Thatdoesseem odd,” Kate said.“Do you have an address?”
“We do.She lives in Mechanicsville.”
Good,Kate thought.Just twenty minutes away.“Do you have any idea how much longer until the patrol units reach the other members?"
"Stevens and Dunham should have protection within ten minutes.Clark and Richardson are taking longer because they're further out, but units are en route.Clark will be coming to you."
Kate glanced at Sandra, who was listening to the conversation with growing anxiety."Stay on the line with me.I want to keep communication open until backup arrives here."
As Kate waited for additional protection to arrive, she found herself thinking about the psychology of someone who could plan revenge murders over the course of twenty years.There were certain things about Janet Klein’s past that certainly hinted that she’d be capable of such a thing, but Kate had no way of knowing if she and DeMarco were on the right trail or wasting their time chasing ghosts.
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
“All the pieces are falling into place,” DeMarco said as she pulled back out into traffic.“I just got the call confirming that as of right now, all of the surviving book club members are currently under police watch.”
“Excellent,” Kate said.
DeMarco then pointed to her phone, attached to the dashboard."Janet Klein's address is already pulled up.She's twenty-two minutes away… assuming traffic cooperates."
“I’ll call ahead and make sure she’s home.Did Records give you a phone number, too?”
“Yeah.Grab my phone.It’s in one of the most recent texts.”
Kate did as she was asked, and after sorting through all of DeMarco's multiple, active windows, she found Janet Klein's number. She then used her own phone to make the call as DeMarco navigated toward the highway.
“You think she’s our killer?”DeMarco asked.
"I don't know just yet.Her history with the club does seem a bit suspicious."Kate found the number Records had provided and dialed it."If she's innocent, she'll be cooperative.If she's involved… well, I think that will be apparent, too."
She set the phone to speaker mode, and it rang three times before a woman's voice answered."Hello?"
"Hi, is this Janet Klein?"Kate asked, as she held the phone out to make sure DeMarco could hear clearly.
"Yes, this is Janet.Who is this?"
"Ms.Klein, this is Special Agent Kate Wise with the FBI.I have my partner Agent DeMarco here with me.We'd like to speak with you about your time with the Willowbrook Book Club and your connection to some of the members."
There was a brief pause before Janet responded, her voice carrying a note of genuine puzzlement."The book club?I haven't thought about that group in years."She chuckled a bit, but then seemed to remember that there was an FBI agent on the other line.“Why would the FBI be interested in a book club from… my God… twenty years ago?"
As far as Kate was concerned, Janet's confusion seemed authentic, not the kind of defensive response they might expect from someone who had been planning murders for twenty years.
