CHAPTER 30
Late in the afternoon, Tracy and Kins returned from Kent. They’d interviewed an accountant whose fingerprint had matched a latent print that CSI had recently pulled from the motel room where Nicole Hansen had suffocated. “Did he confess?” Faz asked.
“Praise the Lord and hallelujah,” Kins said. “He’s a regular Bible-toting, psalm-spewing churchgoer who just happens to also have a proclivity for young prostitutes. He also has a rock-solid alibi for the night Hansen strangled herself.”
“So why the print?” Faz asked.
“He’d been in that room the week before with a different young lady.”
Tracy dumped her purse inside her cabinet. “You should have seen the look on his face when I said we’d need to talk to his wife to confirm he was really asleep beside her the night Hansen died.”
“Looked like he’d seen the Lord himself,” Kins said.
“That’s our job,” Faz said. “Solving murders and helping people find religion.”
“Praise the Lord.” Kins waved his hands over his head.
“You thinking of a career change?” Billy Williams stood just outside their bull pen. Williams had been promoted to Detective Sergeant of the A Team when Andrew Laub had made Lieutenant. “Because if you are, let me tell you as someone raised Baptist in the south, you’re going to need to be a lot more convincing than that to get people to open up their wallets.”
“We were just talking about another witness in the Hansen case,” Kins said.
“Anything we can work with?”
“Wasn’t there that night. Doesn’t know Hansen. Feels awful and will go forth and sin no more.”
“Praise the Lord,” Faz said.
Williams looked to Tracy. “Got a minute?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
He turned and nodded over his shoulder for her to follow him.
“Ooh, the Professor is in trouble,” Faz said.
Tracy gave them a shrug, made a face, and followed Williams to the soft interrogation room around the corner and down the hall. Williams closed the door behind her.
“What’s up?” she asked.
“Your phone’s going to ring. The brass have been meeting.”
“What about?”
“Are you helping some lawyer get the guy who killed your sister a new trial?”
She and Williams had a good relationship. As a black man, Williams could relate to the subtle and not-so-subtle discrimination Tracy had encountered as a woman in a predominantly male occupation. “It’s complicated, Billy.”
“No shit. So it’s true?”
“It’s also personal.”
“The brass are concerned about how it reflects on the department.”
“By ‘brass,’ do you mean Nolasco?”
“He’s in on it.”
“What a surprise. Vanpelt called me this morning to advise that she’s doing a story on the same subject and asking me to comment. She seemed to have a lot of details for someone who ordinarily doesn’t concern herself with facts.”
“Look, I’m not going there.”
“I’m not asking you to. I’m just telling you that Nolasco’s not concerned about how it reflects on the department; he sees it as another opportunity to bust my ass. So if I tell him ‘fuck how it reflects on the department,’ I’d appreciate a little support. Unless he’s got a problem with how I’m doing my job, this isn’t his problem or his business.”
“Don’t shoot the messenger, Tracy.”
She took a moment to check her temper. “Sorry, Billy. I just don’t need this right now.”
“Where’s the information coming from?”
“I got a hunch it’s a sheriff in Cedar Grove who’s had a twenty-year hard-on for me and doesn’t want me anywhere near this.”
“Well, whoever he is, he seems intent on making this difficult for you. Manpelt loves the personal shit.”
“I appreciate the heads-up, Billy. Sorry I snapped.”
“What’s the word on the Hansen case?”
“We’re coming up empty.”
“That’s a problem.”
“I know.”
Williams pulled open the door. “Promise me you’ll play nice.”
“You know me.”
“Yeah, that’s what I’m afraid of.”
The phone on her desk did indeed ring, and later that afternoon Tracy was last to enter the conference room she’d been summoned to. The very fact that she’d been invited to the gathering was unusual. Normally Williams would simply inform her of any decisions made by upper management. She figured Nolasco wanted her there to call her out in front of Williams and Laub and otherwise run around the room pissing on chairs.
Nolasco stood on one side of the table with Bennett Lee from the Public Information Office. Lee wouldn’t be present unless Nolasco was expecting Tracy to approve a statement for the media. She was going to disappoint him. It certainly wasn’t the first time she had over the years and likely would not be the last. She stepped to the side of the table with Williams and Laub.
“Detective Crosswhite, thanks for joining us,” Nolasco said. “Do you know why you’re here?”
“Can’t say I do.” She played the game because she did not want to reveal that Williams had tipped her off. They all took their seats. Lee had a notepad on the table, pen in hand.
“We got a call from a reporter requesting a comment for a story she’s working on,” Nolasco said.
“Did you give Vanpelt my direct line?”
“Excuse me?”
“Vanpelt called my direct line. Is she the reporter requesting a comment?”
Nolasco’s jaw stiffened. “Ms. Vanpelt is under the impression you are assisting an attorney trying to obtain a new trial for a convicted killer.”
“Yeah, that’s what she said.”
“Can you enlighten us?” Now in his late fifties, Nolasco remained lean and in good physical condition. He parted his hair down the middle. A few years back he’d started dying it an odd shade of brown, almost like rust, which stood out even more because it was a different color from the natural shade of his wedge-shaped mustache. Tracy thought he looked like an aging porn star.
“It isn’t complicated. Even a hack like Vanpelt has the basic facts correct.”
“What facts are those?” Nolasco asked.
“You already know them,” she said. Nolasco had been one of the initial screeners of Tracy’s application for admittance into the Academy. He’d also been present at her oral board exams when the board had asked about her sister’s disappearance. Tracy had been forthright in her application and that interview.
“Not everyone here does.”
She fought not to let him get under her skin and turned to face Laub and Williams. “Twenty years ago my sister was murdered. They never found her body. Edmund House was convicted on circumstantial evidence. Last month they found my sister’s remains. The forensics at the grave site conflict with evidence offered at House’s trial.” She avoided specifics, not wanting Nolasco to share any information with Calloway or Vanpelt. “His attorney has used that conflict to file a motion for post-conviction relief.” She returned her focus to Nolasco. “So, are we finished here?”
“Do you know the lawyer?” Nolasco asked.
Tracy felt herself getting angrier. “It’s a small town, Captain. I knew everyone growing up in Cedar Grove.”
“There’s an indication you’ve been conducting your own investigation,” Nolasco said.
“What indication would that be?”
“Have you been conducting your own investigation?”
“I’ve had doubts about House’s guilt since they first arrested him.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
“Twenty years ago I questioned the evidence that led to House’s conviction. It made some people in Cedar Grove less than happy with me, including the Sheriff.”
“So you have been conducting an investigation,” Nolasco said.
Tracy knew what he was driving at. Using her official position on a personal investigation would be grounds for a reprimand and perhaps suspension.
“Define ‘investigation.’?”
“I think you’re familiar with the term.”
“I’ve never used my official position as a homicide detective, if that’s what you’re asking. Anything I’ve done has been on my own time.”
“So it’s an investigation?”
“More like a hobby.”
Nolasco lowered his head and rubbed his brow, as if fighting a headache. “Did you facilitate an attorney’s access into Walla Walla to meet with House?”
“What did Vanpelt tell you?”
“I’m asking you.”
“Maybe you should just tell me the facts and save everybody a lot of time.”
Williams and Laub cringed. Laub said, “Tracy, this isn’t an inquisition.”
“Sounds like one, Lieutenant. Do I need a union rep here?”
Nolasco’s lips pinched. He was growing red in the face. “It’s a simple question. Did you facilitate an attorney’s access to speak with House?”
“Define ‘facilitate.’?”
“Did you assist in any manner?”
“I drove with the attorney to the facility in his car, on a day I was off duty. Didn’t even pay for the gas. We entered through the public access on a day scheduled for inmate visitations just like everyone else.”
“Did you use your badge number?”
“Not to get in.”
“Tracy,” Laub said. “We’re getting inquiries from the press. It’s important we’re all on the same page, saying the same thing.”
“I’m not saying anything, Lieutenant. I told Vanpelt it’s a private matter and nobody’s damn business.”
“That’s not reasonable given the public nature of the proceedings,” Nolasco said. “Whether you like it or not, it’s in the public domain, and our job is to make sure it does not reflect badly on this department. Vanpelt is asking for an official comment.”
“Who gives a shit what Vanpelt is asking for?”
“She’s the police beat reporter for the number one news station in town.”
“She’s an ambulance chaser. She’s a hack. And she’s unethical. Everyone knows that. No matter what I say, she’ll twist it to create a seeming conflict. I’m not playing her game. It’s personal. We don’t comment on personal matters. Why is this being treated differently?”
Laub said, “I think what the Captain is asking is, Tracy, do you have a suggestion for how we should respond?”
“More than one,” she said.
“Something printable?” Laub asked.
“Say it’s a personal matter and neither I nor the department will comment on ongoing legal proceedings. That’s how we handle open files. Why should this be any different?”
“Because it is not one of our files,” Nolasco said.
“Bingo,” Tracy said.
Laub turned to Nolasco. “I don’t disagree with Detective Crosswhite. We gain nothing by making a statement.”
Williams backed her too. “Vanpelt will report what she wants regardless of what we say. We’ve been down this road before.”
“She’s going to run a story that one of our homicide detectives is assisting an attorney in getting a convicted killer a new trial,” Nolasco said. “We say ‘no comment,’ it’s a tacit admission we condone it.”
“If you feel compelled to make a comment, tell her I’m interested in a thorough resolution of my sister’s murder,” Tracy said. “How does that reflect on the department?”
“That sounds good to me,” Laub said.
“There are some people in Cedar Grove who think there already was a thorough resolution twenty years ago,” Nolasco said.
“And they didn’t like me asking questions then either.”
Nolasco pointed his pen at her. She wanted to reach out and snap his finger. “If there is something to cast doubt on this man’s guilt, it should be brought to the attention of the Sheriff’s Office in Cascade County. That’s their jurisdiction.”
“Didn’t you just tell me you didn’t want me involved? Now you want me to provide the sheriff with information?”
Nolasco’s nostrils flared. “I’m saying, as a law-enforcement officer, you have a professional obligation to share information with them.”
“I tried that once; it didn’t get me very far.”
Nolasco set his pen down. “You realize that your assisting a convicted murderer reflects on the entire Violent Crimes Section.”
“Maybe it will show we’re impartial.”
Williams and Laub did a poor job suppressing smiles. Nolasco was not amused. “This is a serious matter, Detective Crosswhite.”
“Murder always is.”
“Perhaps I should ask if this is going to impact your ability to perform your job?”
“With all due respect, I thought finding murderers was my job.”
“And you should be devoting your time to finding out who killed Nicole Hansen.”
Laub intervened again. “Can we all take a deep breath? Are we at least in agreement that the department will issue a statement that neither Detective Crosswhite nor anyone else will comment on ongoing legal proceedings and refer all questions to the Sheriff’s Office in Cascade County?”
Lee started scribbling.
“You are not to use your official position or any of this department’s resources to investigate the matter. Do I make myself clear?” Nolasco was no longer trying to mask his annoyance.
Tracy said, “Are we equally clear that the department is not to put words in my mouth?”
“Nobody’s going to put words in your mouth, Tracy,” Laub said. “Bennett can put together a statement and we will review it together. Does that work for everyone?”
Nolasco did not answer. Tracy wasn’t about to capitulate without some show of good faith from him.
“I can’t protect you on this,” Nolasco finally said. “This is outside the department’s business. Something goes sideways, you’re on your own.”
Tracy wanted to laugh at the suggestion that Nolasco had ever had her back. She also wanted to scream. “I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she said.
Kins spun his chair toward her when Tracy returned to the bull pen, her adrenaline still pumping from the confrontation with Nolasco. “What’s going on?”
Tracy sat and rubbed her hands over her face, massaging her temples. She opened her desk drawer, shook out two ibuprofen, tilted back her head, and swallowed them without water. “Vanpelt wasn’t asking about the ME’s office finding Sarah’s remains,” she said. “She wanted to know if I was helping an attorney get Edmund House a new hearing. The brass got wind of it and aren’t happy.”
“So just tell them you’re not.” When she didn’t immediately respond, Kins said, “You’re not, are you?”
“You know that cold case we have, the elderly woman on Queen Anne a year ago?”
“Nora Stevens?”
“Does it bother you, Kins, not knowing?”
“Of course it bothers me.”
“Imagine how much it would bother you after twenty years, and it had been someone you loved. How far would you go to get answers?”