“Of course, John. Your reputation is at stake. The cat videos are passing the last El Kabong appearance in hits on YouTube.”
“It is just so, Muerto! To have cat videos get more hits than an El Kabong versus Isis video is an outrage!” John was warming up in intensity and volume when both Nick and Gus began laughing. “I do not deserve this disrespect for taking pride in my work.”
“We’ll have you back at the top of the charts in no time, John,” Nick said. “Payaso. Make sure you apply your camphor. We’re going old school.”
“Not the evisceration and bleach… c’mon, Nick. Man, that is nasty,” Gus replied. “Where in hell did you ever come up with that anyway?”
“I did it to my second grade teacher for giving me an unsatisfactory in reading,” Nick replied. “Mrs. Brindly never did that again… come to think of it… she never did anything again.”
“That’s not funny, Muerto. John believes everything you say. He’s in a coma of shock at such a heinous thing. You tell him right now Mrs. Brindly is just fine.”
“Mrs. Brindly is fine, John.”
“How can we be sure, Muerto? I’m certain you were capable of such a thing at seven.”
“That’s hurtful, John,” Nick argued with a smile as he listened to his friends’ garbled amusement. In any case, we’re punishing Gerald for his crimes, and we will be learning new facts, all a rather grim setting for justice. It is only right he be made to pay in a horrific way for his transgressions by the infamous ‘Unholy Trio’. I wish we could have brought our other partner along, Fang the Ferocious.”
“Deke’s fine where he is,” Gus replied. “Deke is too innocent to be bundled in with the likes of us. What’s the name we’re looking for? John has the satellite driven ‘Star Wars’ type laptop with him as requested. He can start doing the background checks on paths crossing between Robyn’s friend and Kensky.”
“Claudia Jannasy,” Nick answered. “Check disappearances first on a family level, John. I doubt the cops launched any search parties for a missing hooker. The family would have inquired if they knew where she was headed.”
“I’ll use MacEachern as my database query beginning. Did your friend the CIA Director check in about Kensky?”
“Paul called when he heard the news. He offered condolences for Kensky along with Robyn’s help and a Canadian CIA safe-house. It wasn’t an official sanction; but since the only place Kensky will be showing his face again is in a YouTube cartoon, I’m sure Paul will be entertained.”
“It all matches, Muerto,” John announced after only minutes of scanning through data. “Claudia had been checking in with her Mom once a week even while engaged in the oldest profession. Her Mom called and made official reports with the Seattle PD two weeks after not hearing from her daughter. The police checked her address given by the Mom, and questioned Claudia’s neighbors. They then opened an official ‘missing persons sheet’ on her. The Kensky murder and mutilation displays started shortly after with missing trophies. Claudia may have been one of his first. I have her picture, so we can refresh Gerald’s memory.”
“Nice work, John. We won’t be stumbling around in the dark with him. If there were any other victims before Claudia, they may or may not have been in the Seattle area. Do we have a good timeline for Kensky we can work on disappearances with as the police and FBI should have done? He didn’t materialize out of thin air. I would have pushed for Tim and Grace to do the timeline check cross reference if I had wanted Kensky to have a real chance of prison life.”
Ten minutes passed in quiet Route 5 driving before John spoke. “Right again. Kensky lived in Spokane before moving to Seattle. There were six disappearances during that time period. He was born and raised in Yakima. Both parents died in a car accident when he was in high school. He lived with his maternal grandmother, also in Yakima, until he moved to Spokane. She died shortly after he moved away. The rest of the family is in the Chicago, Illinois urban area. No missing persons during his time in Yakima. He’s worked construction jobs ever since high school. I’ll keep a file of pictures and names for him on the disappearances in Spokane.”
“Well boys, it appears we’ll have a busy time ahead of us. Did you get the blood out of my mask, Kabong?”
“I brought it along. I didn’t wash the nasty thing,” John replied. “Each superhero must clean his own uniform. It is in the bylaws of team action.”
“You’re making that up, Kabong. Now you’re telling me I have to wear a smelly blood stained mask? And to think I was on the verge of promoting you to official El Muerto sidekick.”
“Yes, you have been on the verge for many months. Now, Kabong has felt the sting of disappointment too long and has ceased all sucking up to El Muerto.”
“It’s about time,” Gus said. “It will be good for you to wear a bloody mask, Muerto. It will build character.”