Then I realized I had been hoping I was mistaken. I had wanted to find something that would exonerate Bobby. Or at least explain some of the things I had learned. All I had done was confirm what I had suspected.
Bobby Patel was a murderer.
Chapter 96
I was shaking as I rushed from the apartment. I sat in the Prius for a moment and texted a photo of the ring to Emily’s sister. Within a minute she confirmed that it was Emily’s ring. I told her I’d explain later.
I had been a fool. As I went over everything I had done in DC, I realized that most of the leads I had followed related to Rhea Wellmy-Steinberg had been given to me by Bobby Patel. He had been leading me around by the nose. He had been hoping I’d look at Rhea so hard, I’d never notice him. Sneaky and smart. It had almost worked.
I was pretty sure Bobby had kept Emily’s ring and phone as mementos. He probably had her ID as well. This was all I needed for now.
I had to figure out how to prove a case legally. I had managed to do my scavenger hunt in his apartment because I had no official role. But if I wanted anyone to make a case on Bobby I’d have to find more. And do it legally. That was the trick. If we weren’t going to follow laws, it would be easier to just track down Bobby and shoot him. Old-school justice. I was just about angry enough to consider it. There was no way I would let him get away with this.
I called Roberta Herring. She didn’t pick up her cell. I was desperate enough to call her office. A secretary informed me that Roberta was completely out of touch today. She was testifying in front of some impromptu judicial panel in the Senate.
The secretary told me she knew I was Roberta’s friend from the NYPD. She said Roberta had spoken highly of me. Then the secretary said, “The arrest of the Supreme Court justice’s wife has sent everyone scurrying to make sure they weren’t sitting on information that could’ve helped the investigation.”
I had seen that on almost every newsworthy case I’d ever worked. No one ever cared anything about these cases until they hit the TV. Then everyone wanted to make sure they had no information that could’ve helped the cops investigating. I was glad not to be a part of that this time.
Now I had few options.
I was almost back in DC by the time I thought of an alternative to Roberta. Already my plan was starting to slide sideways. It was still early. I was confident something would break my way.
I made one call. I decided to stack all my chips and make a wager.
Chapter 97
Even with a firm plan, a lot could go wrong. That goes for any plan that involves humans. My biggest problem was controlling my emotions. I couldn’t believe I’d fallen for Bobby’s act. Now that I realized he was a killer, it would take all my self-control not to let that slip too early.
The weather was the best I’d experienced since coming to DC. Everyone was smiling as the sun shone in the sky and the temperature was a comfortable 70 degrees. If I hadn’t been doing such serious work, I would’ve gladly been swept up in the good cheer.
I’d chosen the Lincoln Memorial for several reasons. The monument’s solemn nature was almost calming, with Abraham Lincoln cast as a marble giant. The forty-four-foot columns all around the interior put into perspective the extent of Lincoln’s contribution to history. At the same time, it made the viewer feel small. I’m not sure if that was the effect the designer had intended. I took a minute to read through the Gettysburg Address, etched into the wall. Then I turned and got ready to work.
I sat down on the top step of the descending stairs. There were about two dozen people milling around, several sitting on the ascending side of the stairs.
Everything seemed to be in place. I took a deep breath and tried to clear my head. Surprisingly, my fingers shook a little bit from nerves. I had Emily’s phone in my hand. She had given a list of passwords to her sister in case of emergency. Thank God, because there was no way I would have gotten into this iPhone otherwise. I brought up Bobby’s contact information. I imagined he was still at the FBI field office. I sent a simple text: Be at the Lincoln Memorial in twenty minutes or this phone and other evidence goes public. I’m sure we can work this out.
Almost immediately Emily’s phone rang. Bobby was trying to reach me. I let it go to voicemail. I knew how this had to be playing out in his mind. He was going crazy trying to figure out who had just texted him. He also had to worry about how someone had gotten the phone.
That was one of the reasons I had given him such a short time frame. I didn’t want him to be able to check his apartment or make any phone calls. By setting the meeting for twenty minutes out, I knew Bobby had to jump into his car immediately and race over here.