The Last Move
Page 59
“Chess?” Kate asked.
“She was very good. I watched a game between the two of them once. She was William’s equal, if not better.”
The three talked another ten minutes before Kate and Mazur thanked the warden. Outside the prison, the warm air coaxed the chill from her bones. She was silent as she and Mazur walked toward his car.
In the SUV, she released a breath. “William and Richardson were connected. And Gloria visited William on a regular basis.” She could easily have taken instruction from William and made additional contact with Richardson.
“Was Gloria really his half sister?”
“My mother said Gloria got into trouble in high school and William’s father spoke to my father and the charges were dropped. It’s the kind of thing a father would do for his daughter.”
“That’s the kind of thing a father does do for his daughter.”
“William never said a word to me, but I do know the family was very loyal to Nina.”
He reached for his phone and typed a text. “I’m asking Palmer to check Gloria Sanchez’s birth certificate.”
“I doubt William’s father is listed, but it’s worth checking.”
“Think the Soothsayer might have been a case that Richardson studied?”
“It’s the kind of case that would appeal to him.”
“So William could have learned about the case particulars from Richardson.”
“Very possible.” Her phone rang. She noted the number was blocked. “Agent Hayden.”
“It looks like you’re visiting my old haunts.”
William’s voice slithered down her spine. She looked toward Mazur and mouthed William Bauldry’s name. “I did. The warden had some interesting things to say. Do you have a GPS on the car?”
Mazur raised his phone and mouthed, “Trace.” He got out of the car and immediately dialed a contact at the phone company for a triangulation on the incoming call as he searched around and under the car for a tracking device.
“I don’t know anything about a GPS. I wish we could talk about it, but we don’t have time. I’ve about thirty seconds. I’m guessing Detective Mazur is already tracing my call.”
Lying to him would make him angry and her look foolish. Her best play now was to make him believe he had something to prove to her. “You know how it works.”
“Why are you so determined to find me, Katie?”
“There’s so much we need to talk about. Seventeen years is a long time.”
“A lifetime.”
“I understand you and Dr. Richardson were good friends.”
“I wouldn’t call us friends. I helped him with this and that. Fascinating man.”
The calmness of his tone stoked her anger. “But the time you spent alone with him would have given him time to tell you about the women he murdered along I-35.”
“That’s a stretch, don’t you think?”
She hesitated, wishing she could see his face as she delivered this line. Quickly she ticked through the Samaritan case. She knew all five murders had been carried out with the same weapon, which had never been recovered. Had Richardson realized his mistake when he’d texted authorities from his secretary’s computer? Had he asked William to send Gloria to take it? “Did Gloria get the gun from Richardson for you?”
He was silent a beat. “You have been busy.”
The edge in his tone told her she’d struck a nerve. “She was your half sister.”
He chuckled. “Sounds like you’ve figured a few things out.”
She gripped the phone and closed her eyes, and she concentrated on keeping her tone even. “Why won’t you face me, William? We can talk like adults. I know teenagers make mistakes that they regret.”
“They do.”
“Then tell me where you are. We can talk about your life, Gloria, and Dr. Richardson. I’d like to see you.”
“I see you all the time.”
A jolt shot through her nerves as she looked around the car’s interior. “What does that mean?” She checked her watch. Could he see her now, or was he bluffing? “I want to talk to you in person.”
“We’re talking now. What do you want to know?”
Directness was a technique she used in interviews, but she understood revealing some of what she knew came with a risk. “Why kill Gloria Sanchez if she was your half sister and she stood by you all these years?”
“That’s a bold question.”
“Did you turn on her like you turned on me?”
He was silent for a moment. “Blue eyes laughin’,” he said, quoting the Elton John song. “Remember how we used to sing it? It was our silly song.”
“Why did you gun down Gloria?” She was now operating on an educated guess, doing her best to make him miscalculate.
A heavy silence lingered as she glanced down at her watch. Either give me something or just hang up.
“Blue eyes ain’t laughing now, Katie. You’re trying to get under my skin, just as you did in high school. I’m not bad. I am good.”
The line went dead, and Mazur shook his head. He held a GPS tracking device in his hand. “Found this under the back bumper.”
“He’s monitoring us.”
“We need to check your rental car.”
“Right. What about the trace?”
“The trace wasn’t successful. We have him narrowed to a few hundred miles, but that’s not going to help.”
“He’s already on the move again.” She ran her hand over her head.
“Think of this as a chess game, and you’re letting him have the small pieces while you keep your eye on winning the game.”
“I want to talk to Martin Sanchez again and see if he knows anything about these visits, then take another look at my father’s murder file.”
“Why?”
“There’re notes in the files that William wrote to me. I’d like to read them again.”
“Why?”
“Something he just said.”
Kate’s nerves were on edge from her earlier conversation with William when she and Mazur arrived at Sanchez Motors, where they found Martin in the back office. He was alone, sitting behind his wife’s desk, staring blankly at stacks of papers that had grown since their last visit.
Martin rose. “Detectives. I’ve said all I’m going to say to you. You need to leave.”
“I’m not here to talk about Rebecca. But I do have questions about Gloria’s life before she married you. What do you know about her family?” Mazur asked.
The question caught him by surprise. “Not much. She lived with her mother.”
“Did you ever visit their home?” Mazur asked.
“No. She said her mother was a domestic, and it embarrassed her. I met her mother, of course, but it was never at the house where she worked.”
“Do you remember the name of the people Nina Hernandez worked for?”
“I did some asking around because Gloria was so evasive. Nina worked for the Bauldry family. They were good people.”
“Gloria ever talk about the family?” Mazur asked.
“Never.” He tugged on his shirt cuffs.
“What about her father? Did she ever talk about him?” Mazur pressed.
“How does this have anything to do with her death?”
“It might be critical,” Kate said.
“She was very good. I watched a game between the two of them once. She was William’s equal, if not better.”
The three talked another ten minutes before Kate and Mazur thanked the warden. Outside the prison, the warm air coaxed the chill from her bones. She was silent as she and Mazur walked toward his car.
In the SUV, she released a breath. “William and Richardson were connected. And Gloria visited William on a regular basis.” She could easily have taken instruction from William and made additional contact with Richardson.
“Was Gloria really his half sister?”
“My mother said Gloria got into trouble in high school and William’s father spoke to my father and the charges were dropped. It’s the kind of thing a father would do for his daughter.”
“That’s the kind of thing a father does do for his daughter.”
“William never said a word to me, but I do know the family was very loyal to Nina.”
He reached for his phone and typed a text. “I’m asking Palmer to check Gloria Sanchez’s birth certificate.”
“I doubt William’s father is listed, but it’s worth checking.”
“Think the Soothsayer might have been a case that Richardson studied?”
“It’s the kind of case that would appeal to him.”
“So William could have learned about the case particulars from Richardson.”
“Very possible.” Her phone rang. She noted the number was blocked. “Agent Hayden.”
“It looks like you’re visiting my old haunts.”
William’s voice slithered down her spine. She looked toward Mazur and mouthed William Bauldry’s name. “I did. The warden had some interesting things to say. Do you have a GPS on the car?”
Mazur raised his phone and mouthed, “Trace.” He got out of the car and immediately dialed a contact at the phone company for a triangulation on the incoming call as he searched around and under the car for a tracking device.
“I don’t know anything about a GPS. I wish we could talk about it, but we don’t have time. I’ve about thirty seconds. I’m guessing Detective Mazur is already tracing my call.”
Lying to him would make him angry and her look foolish. Her best play now was to make him believe he had something to prove to her. “You know how it works.”
“Why are you so determined to find me, Katie?”
“There’s so much we need to talk about. Seventeen years is a long time.”
“A lifetime.”
“I understand you and Dr. Richardson were good friends.”
“I wouldn’t call us friends. I helped him with this and that. Fascinating man.”
The calmness of his tone stoked her anger. “But the time you spent alone with him would have given him time to tell you about the women he murdered along I-35.”
“That’s a stretch, don’t you think?”
She hesitated, wishing she could see his face as she delivered this line. Quickly she ticked through the Samaritan case. She knew all five murders had been carried out with the same weapon, which had never been recovered. Had Richardson realized his mistake when he’d texted authorities from his secretary’s computer? Had he asked William to send Gloria to take it? “Did Gloria get the gun from Richardson for you?”
He was silent a beat. “You have been busy.”
The edge in his tone told her she’d struck a nerve. “She was your half sister.”
He chuckled. “Sounds like you’ve figured a few things out.”
She gripped the phone and closed her eyes, and she concentrated on keeping her tone even. “Why won’t you face me, William? We can talk like adults. I know teenagers make mistakes that they regret.”
“They do.”
“Then tell me where you are. We can talk about your life, Gloria, and Dr. Richardson. I’d like to see you.”
“I see you all the time.”
A jolt shot through her nerves as she looked around the car’s interior. “What does that mean?” She checked her watch. Could he see her now, or was he bluffing? “I want to talk to you in person.”
“We’re talking now. What do you want to know?”
Directness was a technique she used in interviews, but she understood revealing some of what she knew came with a risk. “Why kill Gloria Sanchez if she was your half sister and she stood by you all these years?”
“That’s a bold question.”
“Did you turn on her like you turned on me?”
He was silent for a moment. “Blue eyes laughin’,” he said, quoting the Elton John song. “Remember how we used to sing it? It was our silly song.”
“Why did you gun down Gloria?” She was now operating on an educated guess, doing her best to make him miscalculate.
A heavy silence lingered as she glanced down at her watch. Either give me something or just hang up.
“Blue eyes ain’t laughing now, Katie. You’re trying to get under my skin, just as you did in high school. I’m not bad. I am good.”
The line went dead, and Mazur shook his head. He held a GPS tracking device in his hand. “Found this under the back bumper.”
“He’s monitoring us.”
“We need to check your rental car.”
“Right. What about the trace?”
“The trace wasn’t successful. We have him narrowed to a few hundred miles, but that’s not going to help.”
“He’s already on the move again.” She ran her hand over her head.
“Think of this as a chess game, and you’re letting him have the small pieces while you keep your eye on winning the game.”
“I want to talk to Martin Sanchez again and see if he knows anything about these visits, then take another look at my father’s murder file.”
“Why?”
“There’re notes in the files that William wrote to me. I’d like to read them again.”
“Why?”
“Something he just said.”
Kate’s nerves were on edge from her earlier conversation with William when she and Mazur arrived at Sanchez Motors, where they found Martin in the back office. He was alone, sitting behind his wife’s desk, staring blankly at stacks of papers that had grown since their last visit.
Martin rose. “Detectives. I’ve said all I’m going to say to you. You need to leave.”
“I’m not here to talk about Rebecca. But I do have questions about Gloria’s life before she married you. What do you know about her family?” Mazur asked.
The question caught him by surprise. “Not much. She lived with her mother.”
“Did you ever visit their home?” Mazur asked.
“No. She said her mother was a domestic, and it embarrassed her. I met her mother, of course, but it was never at the house where she worked.”
“Do you remember the name of the people Nina Hernandez worked for?”
“I did some asking around because Gloria was so evasive. Nina worked for the Bauldry family. They were good people.”
“Gloria ever talk about the family?” Mazur asked.
“Never.” He tugged on his shirt cuffs.
“What about her father? Did she ever talk about him?” Mazur pressed.
“How does this have anything to do with her death?”
“It might be critical,” Kate said.
