The other family that was unknowingly involved in the vendetta was that of Jonathon Burke, the securities officer who helped build the FBI case on Nathaniel. During the span of time between Nathaniel’s death and Rawlings ability to financially fulfill the vendetta, Burke also died of natural causes. The next in line was Allison Mason, Burke’s only child. Certain that fate wouldn’t be as kind as to help their cause again—Rawlings agreed to pay the money to ensure her demise—the network was utilized. Rawlings claimed that he didn’t know the details of the impending accident until after it occurred. Both, Allison and her husband perished.
These were people completely off the FBI’s radar. Upon further investigation, Harry learned the Mason’s deaths had been officially ruled accidental—a tragic fall from a trail, while hiking in the Grand Teton National Park. If Rawlings hadn’t admitted to knowledge of this incident, it would never have been found. Each year, about 150 people die in national parks. Most went under reported; some visitors slipped on wet trails or leaned too far over guard rails. Regardless of the incident, they made poor publicity for the nation’s national parks and received little attention. Up until that moment, no one suspected that the death of Jonathon Burke’s only daughter, Allison, and her husband were anything other than a true accident.
Soon, the FBI would contact their niece—their only surviving relative—and seek permission to exhume their graves. Tissue samples were needed to confirm the presence of actaea pachypoda.
The next people on Rawlings’ and London’s list were Emily and Claire Nichols. This was the next generation—children of children of children. Rawlings admitted to watching Claire off and on for years. He didn’t know why he was obsessed—but he was. Although a fatal accident had always been the plan, Rawlings found it unacceptable. He told Catherine that there were some fates worse than death and created the perfect storm of events for what he assumed would be Claire’s worse fate. It involved orchestrating circumstances in her life which would lead to Claire’s need for money—his one expendable asset. He coordinated her disappearance, with the intent to allow Claire to work-off her family’s debt while discrediting her credibility at the same time. When he was done, her arrest, humiliation, and incarceration would secure the payment of her debt and allow her to live. He didn’t foresee emotions derailing his plan.
Reading Rawlings’ account of his acquisition nauseated Harry. He couldn’t help but compare it to hearing Claire’s account—months earlier. The difference was the emotion. Claire recounted a private hell; Rawlings recited a well calculated plan.
Claire also answered FBI questions. Her accounts mirrored Rawlings; he’d confessed everything to her before the questioning. Never once did either one of them mention actaea pachypoda, or any connection to poison. Months ago, Harry petitioned for blood samples from Jordon Nichols and Simon Johnson. His requests finally came through. It took longer than he expected, which didn’t matter. Since Claire and Rawlings were playing house somewhere in the South Pacific, time wasn’t an issue. The results were irrefutable: Jordon Nichols’ retained blood sample tested positive for actaea pachypoda—Simon Johnson’s did not.
Interestingly, the transcripts of Rawlings’ admissions, which Agent Jackson shared with Harry, also contained information on Simon Johnson. He wasn’t associated with the Sherman Nichols’ case, yet Rawlings included Johnson in his list of confessions. He stated Johnson’s demise was simply a by-product of learning what was possible. Rawlings had learned it was possible to make people disappear. His first choice was by business. If that didn’t work, then there was always plan B. Rawlings utilized the network he’d discovered years ago. This time, he willingly paid the money to have Simon’s plane altered, forcing it to cease functioning in-flight. Rawlings knew Johnson was an accomplished pilot and said he wasn’t sure if Johnson would be able to maneuver out of the situation; nonetheless, he paid to have a job done.
When the case began, Harry thought verification would give him peace. He was wrong. It was just as Amber had said, Rawlings was still out there, and Simon was still dead. There was something else; Harry’s law enforcement gut wouldn’t drop his suspicions. The evidence didn’t match. The NTSB’s report indisputably claimed Simon’s plane was in top notch—inspection worthy—condition. No evidence of tampering was found during their investigation. Why would Rawlings confess to a crime he didn’t commit?
And Jordon Nichols? Harry had more questions than answers. Why would Rawlings admit to knowing about the plan, claim it was never fulfilled, yet have him poisoned? Could it be that Rawlings was trying to mislead Claire? But why plan an auto accident if poisoning were already on the agenda? Was Rawlings just that big on overkill—literally, or was there more?