“Will do. As for notifying the family, we obviously don’t know how to reach Vince Whitaker, but he has a younger brother.”
Hal releases a loud exhale. “I remember. The kid not only got to be the old man’s punching bag, he believed his mom abandoned him.”
“Any idea how to reach him? We’re having a hard time. It looks like he was adopted. Probably changed his name.”
“Let me make some calls,” Hal says. “We should be able to get foster care information. He got placed with a nice couple, if I recall. Maybe they’ll know how to reach him. Remind me, what’s his name?”
“Christopher.”
“That’s right. I’ll get on it.” Hal sits back. “Well, Agent Badass, you’ve had a busy couple days in Union County. Tell Stan we appreciate the help, but I think we can take things from here.”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to tie up some loose ends?”
Hal scrutinizes her. “Sure. Why not? Maybe you can find Hoffa’s body while you’re at it.”
Keller debates whether to ask the next question. She regards Hal for a long beat, then says, “I have a question about the Blockbuster case.”
Hal gazes at her from over the lip of his mug, cocks an eyebrow for her to continue.
“We met with Tony Grosso.”
“Grosso? Haven’t heard that name in years. How is he?”
“Very retired.”
“That’s how he was on the job too.”
She smiles at that. “He was one of the leads on the Blockbuster case.”
“I remember.”
“We asked him about the file, and he said something interesting.”
Hal waits.
“He said that the investigative team buried something from the official file—something that might have been embarrassing to a victim’s family. He said someone on the team at the time was tight with the family.”
Hal furrows his brow. “What are you asking me, Agent Keller?”
He’s no longer calling her Agent Badass or Sarah, Keller notices.
“Grosso said one of the victims, Katie McKenzie, had been pregnant. Not when she was killed, but before. He said it was an open secret at the office, but left out of the file.”
“And you think I was aware of the ‘open secret’？”
Keller tilts her head to the side. She feels like shit, but Hal’s the only prosecutor she knows who was on the task force back in the day. Pointedly, she says, “We also think that someone left out a key detail from the investigatory file: something the killer said to Ella Monroe.”
Hal studies her again, frown lines appearing between his eyes. “This is why I recommended you to Stan, you know?”
Keller doesn’t understand.
“You don’t fuck around. I can count on one hand how many people would’ve had the stones to ask me that question.”
“Hal, I didn’t mean to—”
Hal holds up a hand. “Don’t you dare back down.”
His eyes remain fixed on hers. She forces herself not to look away. He seems pissed, but there’s also reverence in his gaze.
“To answer your question: you’re barking up the wrong tree. I didn’t—I don’t—know any of the families of the victims personally. And Ella Monroe never told me the perp said something to her. That’s not something I would’ve left out of the file for any reason.”
Keller feels heat in her face.
“Any other questions?”
Keller has some, but she decides they can wait. She shakes her head.
“Then it sounds like you’ve got some work to do. Talk to HR; they’ll have records of everybody who worked here during the investigation.”
“Thank you, Hal.”
His phone rings again, but this time he picks it up, dismissing Keller without a word.
CHAPTER 52
ELLA
“Why did you threaten Madison Sawyer?” Ella asks for the third time.
The interview room in the juvenile facility is cramped, hot, and smells of cleaning products. Next to Ella are the public defenders, Henry and Julia. The other public defender, the handsome one, didn’t come with them this morning. The lawyers have thus far been mere spectators, letting Ella do the questioning until Jesse warms up to them.
Across the table, Jesse’s arms are folded across her chest, which seems to be her favorite pose. “I didn’t threaten anyone.”
“We have the prosecution file now, Jesse. We’ve seen the texts,” Ella says. There are several angry texts. The last says: You’ll be sorry.