„A few partials from the picture frames, but they were under layers of dust. We took a few from the newspaper. The prints on the newspaper could have been from anywhere, but we’re running them. None match the partial we found on Conti’s body. There was writing on the back of both pictures. One said, ‘Worth: Henry, Callie, Hank and Paul.’ The other said, ‘Hank and Genny, 1943.’ “
Abe noted it. „So Paul was the other son, which makes sense because the records clerk told us the Worth property had passed to Paul Worth when Henry the father died. And we know from the marriage certificate that Genny married some guy named Colin Barnett. We have the parish church where Genny and Barnett married and the year and a picture of Genny. I say we pursue it, because it’s the only lead we have.“
„We have Paul Worth,“ Mia inserted. „He would have had his father’s old bullet molds. We should check him out, too.“
Abe acknowledged the point with a rueful smile. „That would be more obvious than a child that may or may not have been born sixty years ago, wouldn’t it?“
„I’ll follow up on Paul Worth,“ Kristen said. „If he owns that property you found yesterday, there should be records in the tax assessor’s office.“
„Good.“ Spinnelli wrote it all on the whiteboard. „What else?“
„One more.“ From the end of the table Murphy spoke up. „Marc asked me to get the details of the Aaron Jenkins’s sealed record. Jenkins plead down to sexual imposition. He tried to rape a girl under the stairwell in middle school seven years ago. But she’s not on any of your victim lists, Kristen. I checked. Her name is June Erickson.“
Kristen searched her mind. „I’ve never heard the name. Can we talk to her?“
Murphy grimaced. „If we can find her. Her family moved soon after the complaint was filed. I found some neighbors who said the girl had a hard time in school after that. Kids pushed her around because she reported Jenkins. Apparently he was a pretty popular kid back then. I’ve got listings for people with the same names as her parents and I’ll work through them today until I find them. I’ll let you know when I have something.“
„Then we have our direction,“ Spinnelli said. „Abe and Mia, find Genny O’Reilly. Murphy, find the Erickson girl. Kristen, you find Paul Worth, but don’t leave the building without one of us. If anybody makes any deliveries to your house regarding Judge Hillman, the officer sitting in front of your house will let us know.“
„And you?“ Abe asked.
„I’ll hold off the politicians and reporters that want to tell us how to do our jobs.“
Kristen gave him her latest list. „The Hillman cases with defense attorneys and accused. Assuming there is a connection and this is his revenge, one of these guys will be next.“
Thursday, February 26,
9:30 A.M.
Father Ted Delaney of the Sacred Heart Church fancied himself a bit of a detective, having watched Columbo religiously, as it were. So when Abe told him what they were looking for, the old priest plunged into the task with an enthusiasm that made them smile.
„I wasn’t parish priest then, you understand,“ he said, adjusting his glasses on the edge of his nose. „I didn’t arrive until 1965. Father Reed was two generations before me. He was old in 1943. I think he died before the war was over.“
„We figured we wouldn’t find the priest that married them alive,“ Abe said. „Do you remember any Barnetts in this parish? His name was Colin and hers was Genny.“
„I can’t say that I do, but the parish was much bigger then.“ He looked over his half-glasses with mild reproach. „People don’t go to church like they used to.“
Abe fought the urge to stare at his shoes. „Yes, sir,“ he said. „So how about the birth records? The baby would have been born around March 1944.“
Delaney chose a bound volume and slowly flipped the pages, his fingers thick and twisted with age. Finally, he looked up. „A son. Christened Robert Henry Barnett on March 2, 1944.“
One step closer. „Did they have any other children, Father?“ Abe asked.
„If you can wait, I’ll look.“
After what seemed like hours, Delaney’s old fingers came to a stop again. „A daughter, christened Iris Anne, May 12, 1946.“ Again, his fingers crawled from page to page. „Another son christened Colin Patrick, September 30, 1949.“
„Is it possible Genny is still alive?“ Mia asked.
„She’d be close to eighty now,“ Delaney said. „The death records are in another room. If you wait here, I’ll go check.“
When he was gone, Abe turned to Mia. „They didn’t name their firstborn Colin, Junior,“ Abe said, his voice barely a whisper.
Mia lifted a brow. „Seven-month baby. Jig was up. I wonder if Colin Senior knew ahead of time, or if he was surprised by a full-term son two months early.“
„She named her firstborn Robert Henry.“
„Hank is short for Henry.“
Abe nodded. „Either Colin Senior was a most forgiving man, or Genny slid that one in on him. She gave her son his biological father’s name.“
„Let’s hope at least one of the Barnett kids still lives in Chicago.“
„When the good Father comes back, we’ll check it out.“
Thursday, February 26,
10:30 A.M.
Kristen hung up the phone, frustrated with her attempts to reach the final few people on her victim list. Some had moved, some had just disappeared.
Spinnelli approached her, his face grim. „I was waiting until you were off the phone.“
„What’s happened?“
He handed her the list she’d given him that morning. One of the names had been circled in red. „Gerald Simpson didn’t show up for court this morning.“
Kristen pursed her lips. Simpson was a dedicated defense attorney. In his mind, all offenders could be rehabilitated, and prosecutors were vindictive and power-mad, just looking to convict to hasten their promotions. He defended with great zeal, but with little compassion for the victim. „So maintaining our assumption that this is connected to Hillman, we just narrowed the field considerably. I only faced Simpson in Hillman’s courtroom six times. Are we going to put any surveillance on those six defendants?“
„Already ordered. We’ve got a bulletin posted for Simpson’s car. I’m going to go interview his wife since Abe and Mia are still in the field. Maybe Mrs. Simpson will know something.“ But his expression clearly said he expected she would not.
„I’ll call the six victims.“
Spinnelli ran a frustrated hand through his hair. „Anything on Paul Worth, the son?“
„Records is checking. They said they’d call me back when they found anything.“
Thursday, February 26,
2:30 p.m.
No Barnetts still lived in the parish, but Father Delaney had given them a list of his oldest parishioners. Viola Keene had been a member of Sacred Heart parish all her life. Church membership had done nothing to sweeten her disposition. „Sure, I remember the Barnetts. Why do you want to know?“ Viola Keene frowned at their feet. „I just mopped in here. Can you shake the snow off your feet?“
„We’re sorry, ma’am.“ Abe made an honest effort to clean his shoes and Mia did the same. „It’s slushy out there.“
„Maybe we’re gonna have a thaw,“ the old woman said irritably. She really wasn’t that old, Abe thought. She wasn’t even sixty, but she seemed older. It was the way her mouth bent in a perpetual frown. The severe hairstyle and black wardrobe didn’t help.
„One can only hope,“ Mia murmured and Abe bit back his smile.
„Well, what do you want to know?“ Keene snapped. „I got a business to run.“
She owned a small hat shop, but it appeared their privacy was assured. The layer of dust on the hats indicated Keene hadn’t had customers in quite a while. Go figure.