there was certainly no love between Britta and her husband. When a position opened up with Jack Lineberry, Britta gave him a heads-up and a recommendation. So he got the gig. Straub’s ex-military. Pulled a tour in Afghanistan, then got discharged for drug use. He rehabbed himself, got into private security, and moved up from there.”
“You said he killed all those people for money?” said Blum disgustedly.
“Ten million bucks. He had used chloroform on Jenny. He was going to leave her at the base of the statue. Luckily, because we delayed the plan, the chloroform wore off.”
“Did he pick the places to leave the body or did Britta?”
“He says he did except for the last one. That way he could plan his ingress and egress.”
“How did he get inside the Drummer Boy museum?” asked Blum.
“He had dated Lily,” replied Pine. “And surreptitiously got an impression of the museum key and the security code from her.”
“And the bizarre clothes?” asked Graham.
“He dressed them up like that to throw us off, make us think it was some serial killer with a Civil War fetish. And the veil and the tux alluded to a husband and wife, the family that Britta was symbolically killing. He told me he picked the grave site of one of the Raiders because he thought it would be funny for a black guy to be left there. I really didn’t get his sense of humor.”
Pine added, “Britta knew the Quarleses and found out about Jenny from them. Straub said when Britta learned Jenny’s mother was a drug user, she thought it was best that Jenny die. She said a bad mother like that didn’t deserve a child. That Jenny would be in a better place. Straub really had to hustle to snatch her, because they always intended to kill the last victim during one of the reenactments and leave the body in the cemetery.”
Graham said, “How come Straub told you all this?”
“He did a deal with the authorities. Talk and they won’t pursue the death penalty.”
“Why would Britta do these terrible things?” asked Graham.
“Straub said Britta wanted to avenge her kids. She blamed Gillespie for Mary’s acting in porn films and getting hooked on drugs. And she blamed Hanna Rebane for being Mary’s lover in a bunch of films.”
“And Clemmons?” Blum asked. “Why did she have to die?”
“Straub was the new ‘man’ in Hanna Rebane’s life that Clemmons alluded to. That’s how he got close to her and then killed her. He was careful never to let anyone, especially Clemmons, see them together. But he eventually got worried that Rebane might have described him to Clemmons or told her some information that could help us track him down. So when we started poking around he decided she had to die.” She glanced at Laredo. “And I’m not sure Britta crashing the Pagani was an accident. Straub told me that she had planned on committing suicide when this was all over.”
“One seriously disturbed lady,” replied Laredo.
“Your real shooting skills saved the day, Eddie. But for that, Jenny would be dead.”
“Hey, that’s what partners are for.”
* * *
Later, Pine was sitting in her bedroom when Blum knocked on her door.
Blum said, “We have one mystery left to solve.”
Pine rose and looked out the window. “No, not one mystery. Several. Including where is Ito Vincenzo. And where is my mother. And, most important, what happened to Mercy. And I’m not sure I’ll ever solve them.”
“But you do think it possible that Mercy is still alive, don’t you?”
Pine came to sit on the bed again. “That’s the way I want to see it. But Ito told my father that he was responsible for one daughter being dead and the other one badly injured. So…”
“Well, if she is alive, there certainly are tools available today that might be of some use.”
“Such as?” asked Pine.
“Genealogy sites. You put in your DNA and they do what they do.”
Pine waved this off. “I’ve tried that. It’s not that simple in my case because the process they typically use wouldn’t necessarily help me find a match with Mercy.”
“But it would if the Bureau lends a hand.”
“And you think the Bureau would?”
“You just saved another little girl from certain death and solved the murders of multiple people. I would think the Bureau would give you anything you wanted at this point.”
“Why do I think you’ve already checked into this?”
“Will you trust me on this?”
Pine let out a long, troubled breath. “I suppose I’ll have to.”
Chapter 76
TWO DAYS AFTER