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“No. Older guy. Sorta got the impression the older guy was actually in charge, but the kid was doin’ all the talkin’.”
Jacqueline pulled out her phone and logged onto her search engine. She scrolled for a few minutes until she found a good photo, zoomed in on it, and held her phone out for Reece Rankin to see.
“Is this the other man who paid you to kill Laura McAllister?”
The man squinted his eyes and smiled. “That’s him, no doubt about it.”
Jacqueline pulled her phone away and looked at the image of Larry Chadwick for only a moment before closing the browser and placing the phone in her bag.
“They were the ones that gave me that backpack, too,” Rankin said. “I was supposed to leave it by the girl’s body ’cause it would throw the cops off. That’s what they said.”
Jacqueline offered a smile. “Yeah, but you left more than the backpack. You left your DNA all over Laura McAllister’s body. Skin cells, pubic hair . . . your fucking semen. So, you see, dumping an innocent kid’s backpack after the fact wasn’t really going to fool anyone.”
Jacqueline stood and walked toward the door.
“So you gonna help me now that I told you all that?”
Jacqueline turned before pressing the buzzer.
“Maybe,” she said. “One more thing, though. These men who paid you to kill Laura McAllister, did they tell you to rape her, too?”
“Yeah,” he said with a shrug. “Supposed to look like a crime of passion. That’s what the kid said. I didn’t wanna do it but, you know . . . money talks. I’m just bein’ honest with you. If you’re gonna be my attorney, I gotta be honest, right?”
“Right,” Jacqueline said as she pressed the buzzer.
“You gonna help me now? Be my attorney?”
The door opened and a guard waited for Jacqueline to exit the room. Before she did, she turned back to Reece Rankin.
“You need a priest a hell of a lot more than you need a lawyer.”
CHAPTER 55
Washington, D.C. Tuesday, May 30, 2023 12:30 p.m.
ANNETTE PACKARD PULLED THROUGH TERMINAL TRAFFIC AT WASHINGTON’S Dulles airport, spotted Lane Phillips, and pulled to the curb. Lane placed his small suitcase in the backseat and climbed into the passenger’s seat.
“Thanks for the ride, Special Agent Packard.”
“Lane, good to see you,” Annette said as she checked her side mirror and pulled back into traffic. “I didn’t expect you to make a trip from Chicago just for my request.”
“I didn’t. I’m giving a presentation tomorrow for the new recruits at the BSU. I figured we could hook up and have dinner while I’m in town. I found a few interesting angles with the Quinlan girl’s case. Were you able to reach her to see if she’s available?”
“I was. She was a little gun shy. The press coverage about her case has died down over the years, but it’s not completely without life. She’s still careful with her identity and who she allows in her inner circle.”
“How did you get in?”
“I didn’t, really. She’s helping me and I’m helping her—that’s the extent of our relationship. But, yes, Alex agreed to meet you tonight. She didn’t want to do it at a restaurant, so we’re meeting at my place. Does that work?”
“Sure thing,” Lane said. “I’ll get my research together at the hotel, take a quick shower. Then, I’ll see you tonight. What time?”
“Eight.”
CHAPTER 56
Washington, D.C. Tuesday, May 30, 2023 7:45 p.m.
SHE FOUND ANNETTE PACKARD’S BUILDING IN THE COLUMBIA HEIGHTS neighborhood, worked hard to control her nerves, then climbed the steps to the building’s front door. She took one last deep breath and pressed the doorbell.
