“We have also identified his accomplice, the man killed at the scene. His name is George Veria, Jr. He goes by Junior.”
Ethan looked over. “Dad, you were right. Remember, you read his lips? You said his name was Junior.”
I had forgotten, my alleged superpower. I nodded at Ethan, but my thoughts flashed back to Coldstream Road. It struck me that Allison’s backpack, purse, and hockey stick were still in the car. Overnight, my daughter’s belongings had become her personal effects.
“Jason, we understand that Junior Veria was shot by John Milo, not by you.”
Even if I remained angry that anyone had questioned this, I was relieved to hear that the suspicion had ended. “Good.”
“Both men were members of the George Veria Organization, or GVO, a dangerous criminal network that distributes and sells OxyContin, fentanyl, and other opiates in central and southeastern Pennsylvania.”
“Oh no,” I said, aghast. Lucinda reached for my hand. Ethan hugged Moonie, a speck of dried blood on the dog’s front paw.
“First, let me give you some background. A carjacking usually occurs for one of three reasons. Number one, the car is stolen to flee the scene of a crime. Number two, the car is stolen because it’s a specific make, as part of an auto theft ring.” Special Agent Kingston counted off on slim, nimble fingers. “Number three, the victim is in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Lucinda interjected, “Was it because they wanted a Mercedes?”
“No. We have reason to believe that they needed your car to flee another crime. There was a double homicide last night, about an hour before your daughter’s. We believe it was committed by Milo and Junior. They needed to ditch their pickup, so they took your car.”
I tried to process the information. It was hard to think about what had happened before Allison was killed.
Dad, they have guns.
I asked, “Why take a car with a family in it? Isn’t that risky?”
“They had no choice. They take what comes.”
“Where was the double homicide? Who was killed?”
Special Agent Kingston paused. “Milo and Junior killed two men in Jennersville. Their names were Walter Jersey and Gary Reid. They were retail-level drug dealers in the same organization.”
“So they killed their own men? Why?” I flashed on Milo shooting Junior. “What is it with these guys? They turn on their own?”
“Infighting is not uncommon in a criminal organization. They jockey for power.”
“But why kill lower-level men? How does that help them move up?”
“We don’t know. There are a few likely scenarios.”
“Like what?”
Special Agent Kingston pursed his lips. “It’s possible that Milo falsely accuses the other two of skimming, then kills them to curry favor with the boss. The kingpin of the organization is Junior’s father, George Veria, Sr. They call him Big George. There’s nepotism even in crime families. Junior was being groomed for the top spot. So if Milo wanted the top spot, he’d have to kill Junior.”
It made a horrific sort of sense. “Do you think Milo planned to kill Junior at our carjacking?”
“No. We believe he exploited the opportunity presented by the dog attack.”
Ethan looked down at Moonie. I hugged my son closer.
“That brings me to why we’re here.” Special Agent Kingston leaned forward intently, his dark-eyed gaze bracketed by crow’s feet that looked earned. “Obviously, Milo can’t tell Big George that he himself killed Junior. We believe Milo will say you put up a fight, disarmed Junior, and shot him. In effect, Milo will frame you for Junior’s murder.”
Lucinda gasped. Ethan looked over. I felt my chest tighten. I hadn’t seen this coming, but it was a logical assumption. It was what the Chester County detectives had believed, too.
Special Agent Kingston frowned. “Big George was very close to his son. We believe the organization will target you and your family in retaliation. We believe you’re in danger, right now.”
“Oh no!” Lucinda recoiled, her lips parting.
I struggled to process the information. “But won’t they find out from the news that Milo killed Junior?”
“No. We won’t release that information.”
“Why not? It’s the truth and it would prevent me from being framed.”
“If we reveal that Milo killed Junior, he’ll flee. It will hurt our chances of apprehending him.”
“But if you’re right, then why didn’t Milo kill me last night? Or kill all of us? He could still have lied to Big George.”
“Excellent question.” Special Agent Kingston smiled with grim approval. “We recovered only one weapon at the scene, a .45 caliber revolver. The bullet recovered from Junior’s body was a .45 caliber. We don’t have a complete ballistics report yet, but we believe it’s from Junior’s weapon. In other words, Milo shot Junior with his own gun.”
“How do you know it wasn’t from Milo’s, if you don’t have his gun?”
Special Agent Kingston hesitated. “The round recovered from your daughter was a .22 caliber. We know it came from Milo’s gun, so Milo was carrying a .22 caliber weapon.”
It was hard to hear. I willed myself to stay in control. I couldn’t imagine the horrific insult of the bullet, tearing my daughter’s neck apart.
“A logical question would be, why did Milo switch guns to kill Junior? We believe it was an abundance of caution, in case word of the ballistics leaked. Big George would never have believed you could disarm Milo, Jason. He’s big, you saw. He started with the organization as muscle and worked his way up.”
My mind reeled. “But my fingerprints aren’t on the gun.”
“Milo couldn’t do anything about that. He had to take a chance. He couldn’t go back without his own gun. He couldn’t explain that to Big George.”
“But how did Milo get Junior’s gun? We were right there.”
“We had the same question.” Special Agent Kingston’s eyes narrowed. “So let me ask you, did you see Milo shoot Junior?”
I remembered, with a sickening sensation. “No, we were with Allison. Our backs were turned to them.”
“That’s what we thought.” Special Agent Kingston glanced at Special Agent Hallman. “While you were with your daughter, Milo must have taken the gun from Junior and shot him. Later, did you notice if Milo was holding a gun in each hand?”
I thought back. “No, I saw him drop a gun. I guess I assumed there was nothing in his other hand.”
Lucinda shook her head, stricken. “I don’t remember.”
Special Agent Kingston paused. “You asked me why Milo didn’t kill you all. The reason is simple. He ran out of bullets. Junior’s gun had only one round left. He would have finished the job with his own gun but for the car coming on the scene.”
The words landed an impact of their own. My mind reeled. All of us, dead. Lucinda. Ethan. I tried to process what he was telling me. “Why would Junior carry a partially loaded weapon?”
“We believe he committed the homicides in Jennersville, using his gun.” Special Agent Kingston frowned with concern. “Bottom line, your family is in danger. You’re eyewitnesses to the murder of your daughter. You need to enter the witness protection program.”