“A cabin? My folks have a cabin?” Royal chuckled and looked at the lawyer then back at Robert. “My parents have a house with a pool, horses, and a lake stocked with fish. We had bonfires, went swimming, and rode the horses.” He leaned back in his chair, all he mentioned was his and at his disposal.
“I see, so you hosted the parties because whatever you did at the Gorge house was not under the watchful eye of any of the parents.”
Royal thought but answered without consulting his lawyer. He nodded. “Pretty much.”
“Walter, did you attend any parties at Royal’s house in say the last two years?”
“Yes, sir, I did.”
“How many do you think you went to?”
Walter shrugged. “Probably two or three a month.”
“That many. Quite the party guy.” Robert pasted a smile on his face. “Did most of the gang go to all the parties?” This time he asked Royal.
“Yes, I guess so.”
“Was James there most of the time?”
“Pretty much.”
“How about Calvin?”
“The same. If one went, the other came too.” The comment sounded a bit disgusted.
“Did that bother you?” He turned to Walter.
“Not really.”
“So, having two homosexuals at your parties was okay with you?” He spoke to Royal, whose expression hardened a little.
“As long as they kept it out of our faces, we were cool with it.”
“So, they came together. Did any of the rest of you guys bring girlfriends to these parties?”
“Of course.”
“So, none of you were leaning to the other side along with James and Calvin.”
“Not on your life, mister. Sir,” Walter corrected himself.
“You met the Stevens family; how close would you say Calvin was to his sisters? Did he ever mention them to you?”
Walter spoke after a pause, “He sometimes had to babysit them. I don’t know why, I thought the oldest girl, Kelly, I think was her name, could have watched the others.”
“He brought the girls to the parties?”
“Oh, no. They stayed at James’ apartment,” Royal defended.
“That’s where you saw them?”
“Yes,” they both answered.
“They never came to any of your parties?” Robert addressed Royal.
“Not that I remember.”
“But he might have brought them, and you just don’t remember?” Royal shrugged and looked away.
Royal’s lawyer looked at his watch and then at Robert. “If you have no other questions that are pertinent to my client, I think this session is over.” The other lawyer stood.
“Thank you, gentlemen, for coming down here.”
When they left the room, Robert went over his notes and then gathered everything and went down the hall to the steno pool. He stopped at Barbara’s desk.
“Here is the tape from interrogation room number four. Make sure I get a copy of the transcript when it’s finished… And, um, thanks.”
She smiled at him and nodded. He went on to his office.
Jake knocked on Robert’s door, entered at his command, and sat down. “What’d you find out?”
“All of those young men met Kelly and the girls. Kelly was the only one they seemed to know well enough to remember her name and give a description of her. I think she might have been with them at the parties on more than one occasion.”
Robert handed Jake his notepad, with the pertinent information and the notes he’d made, and waited while Jake read from them.
“Michael Ramsey and Royal Kaeding said they met Kelly and her sisters at James’ apartment.”
Jake handed the card he’d written the statement on to Robert, who pinned it to the board.
“Who else saw her at James and Calvin’s apartment?” Jake pursed his lips. This could be a fascinating lead. “I think you need to make a star on it.” He handed it to Robert, who made the mark and pinned it under the previous card.
“The Kaedings have a vacation house in the foothills between Cascade Locks and The Dalles. Royal has parties there with his friends two to three times a month.”
“Now these cards are leading to some supposition. I wonder where you are going with this.” Jake grinned as he handed the last card to Robert.
“I think we’re on to something here. Lots of loose ends but maybe if we follow them, they will lead to the same ball of yarn.” Robert leaned against the board. “We have the players, but what’s the motive?”
Jake grimaced, his lips turned white with the effort. Then he just let out a burst of air “Okay, I’m just going to lay this out on the table.” He got up and opened the door and checked the squad room, then shut the door tightly. He leaned against it and spoke in a low tone.
“All of the men we mentioned are members of the elite society of Portland. We also know there are connections to the mob among this demographic of people. Some we know and some we suspect. There are connections, threads that weave through the fabric of that hierarchy. Robert, we have a mob connection. We follow the money.”
“Jake, this is what got me in trouble last time. I understand what you’re saying, and I agree. This information has to stay between the two of us. I don’t want anything to happen to you or your family.”
“Okay, I get it.” Jake warmed to his subject and returned to his chair. “Let’s ask, what if Calvin wanted his family offed? He mentions it one night and one of the boys suggest something and whatever. Then all of a sudden it happens. Maybe Calvin knew it was going to happen and said to wait until he was back east. Maybe one of the boys knew about their father’s dealings and used that connection.”
Robert rested his head in his hands. “It’s a possibility. Do you think some mob boss is going to off the Stevens family just because some kid wants it? There is no motive on the mob side. The mob doesn’t just do it for practice, even if we think so.”
“Let’s take the possibility a step further. What if the family had nothing to do with it?” Jake’s eyes gleamed with excitement. “What if they were just the payoff?”
“I’m following you, but where are you leading?” He looked up at Jake
“Let’s say, hypothetically, that you wanted a favor from a senator, a judge, a lawyer, and a police officer. It could be that you needed a dock worker to look the other way when you brought something into the country illegally, or it could be you just wanted a piece of a profitable company. If you had something you could hold over their head or offered some insurance that business would go on as usual, what would you pay for that?”
Robert held up his palm. “I get the picture. Word went out that someone wanted the Stevens family to disappear, and it happened. Why? What part did they play in this wheel?” Robert’s mind whirled, he was staring up at the board, and the card was right in front of his vision. “Bingo!
“What?”
“One of those boys got Kelly pregnant!” It was like a hen hatching her first egg. “That’s it!
Jake was silent, then a slow grin spread across his lips, “By Jove, I think you’ve got it.” He began to write on his pad. “We know the boys had been to James’ house, and the boys admitted they knew her. How well did they know her? In the biblical sense?”
Robert stared at the board. “We have our work cut out for us. Connecting them is no easy task when it comes to messing with the mob.”
Jake had opened the door when Robert called him back. “Shut the door.” His expression was serious. So serious that Jake sat down. “What?”
Robert rubbed his hand over his face. He felt the drops of sweat that had begun to bead on his forehead, but he pressed on. “Jake, I don’t want you officially to have any connection to this case. Whatever is done, especially outside this room, I want you to be out of it.”