Chapter 29

“I don’t know nothin’. I swear.” Geoffrey held his hands up and then slumped back in his chair. His legs were spread apart but his arms were crossed and he wouldn’t look Nate in the face. He was certainly lying about something.
“You raped a little girl!” Nate wanted to place his hands around the man’s small throat and squeeze but that was not the regulation way of gathering information. And Nate didn’t want this man’s confession or words to be thrown out in court. So far he hadn’t asked for a lawyer.
“I told you man, I didn’t rape her. This guy told me she was eighteen.”
Nate had to laugh at the man’s stupidity. He was a terrible liar. “How could you possibly mistake a ten year old girl for an adult?”
“It was dark. I couldn’t see her real well and she, um, felt older. Told me she shaved.”
Yea right. “I don’t believe you for a second, Winterbrook. I think you paid someone $8,000 to sleep with a ten year old girl and now all you’re doing is lying about it. No judge or jury is going to believe your story for a second.”
“I want a lawyer.”
And just like that, Nate’s interview was over. If he asked another thing everything could get thrown out. It would have to be enough that Geoffrey admitted to having sex with a minor. It was a felony but wouldn’t get him as much time as murder which is what Nate wanted to nail him with.
Nate tapped the table and smiled at Geoffrey as though his asking for a lawyer wasn’t a big deal. Sure, sure, ask for a lawyer but I’m still gonna nail your backside. It was all there in Nate’s smile if Geoffrey knew how to look for it.
He stepped out of the interrogation room and the smile was gone. He opened the door adjacent to the interrogation room that allowed the other agents to view the interrogation by monitor and stepped inside. Eric and Annabeth were watching the monitors closely.
“He lawyered up,” Nate said as if they didn’t already know.
“We still got him on rape. The DNA evidence is solid,” Annabeth said. “I want you two to check out his place. I already have a subpoena, judge granted it in a heartbeat. See what you can find out. See if there’s any trace of the other girls there. Do it fast.”
Nate needed no more encouragement, he and Eric were out of the office and on their way. The sooner they searched the place the better. If Geoffrey had an accomplice or even a very loyal wife, vital information could be lost or deleted. Deleted files could still be recovered, of course but not if the computer landed at the bottom of a river. Forensics could work minor miracles, the major ones were left up to God.
Nate prayed for a major one on the way to the house.
“What do you think we’ll find?” Eric asked.
“I don’t buy his story completely. I know he’s hiding something I just can’t place what. I don’t believe he thought the girl was an adult. He knew she was a minor and he paid to sleep with her. The question is who he paid and why.”
“Why? He’s a pervert. Does he need a reason?” Eric only said what was on everyone’s mind.
“No, I mean, if he stole the girl then why would he have to pay to sleep with her? Unless he paid to have Jonathan Gardner killed. We don’t really know where the money is going.”
“$8,000 isn’t enough to pay someone to kill,” Eric commented. “Not for me at least. I’d need somewhere around $100,000.”
Nate smiled, “Good to know.”
“Seriously, it isn’t much.”
“For the right person it could be. For someone you already own, or who works for you or who partners with you, it would be plenty. Like a bonus,” Nate said.
“It’s possible but I think he just paid to rape a little girl. He strikes me as an idiot, not a mastermind.”
“I agree. You did your research on him?” Nate glanced over at Eric, his bald head reflecting the sun.
Eric smiled, his white teeth a sharp contrast to his dark face. “What you know is that he was arrested twice for money laundering. What you don’t know is that he was also suspected of laundering something else. Wanna guess what?”
“Why don’t you tell me,” Nate said.
“People.”
“He was suspected of laundering people?”
“Yes. From Russia mostly but also Thailand and China. Never got caught on that though.”
“The reason?”
“I think he knew the right people and had the money to make that count,” Eric said. Nate nodded as he digested the information. Geoffrey could be a very dangerous man but was he dangerous enough to have committed murder?
Nate slowed the car as he entered the parking garage attached to Geoffrey’s condominium building. From the address Nate knew Geoffrey lived on the top floor which could only mean the penthouse suite. A flash of his badge kept the guard at bay and Nate eased into the garage as the gate opened. After searching for a full twelve minutes Nate found an empty visitor’s spot and pulled into it.
Nate and Eric exited the vehicle and moved quickly to the elevators. The elevator required that they enter the lobby before they could actually enter the building. What Nate would have given for street parking. With a second flash of the badge at the lobby’s security guard Nate and Eric obtained Geoffrey’s key card and were once again on the elevator. This time they were on until the eighteenth floor give or take a floor to let someone on or off.
As the door opened Nate saw a hallway in front of him with traditional hotel carpet, flat and maroon except this carpet had a large swirling white crest with a large W. Behind the W was an ornate cherry door. Double door actually. Using the key card, Nate swiped his way into Geoffrey Winterbrook’s penthouse.
Expecting to find ornate furnishings and lush carpet, Nate was not disappointed to find cream marble floors in the entryway. The hallway led to a very open living room with ceilings that had to have been fourteen feet high. Skylights let light into the room but were unfortunately lost on the scuffed floor. One small couch sat in the middle of the living room and faced a large screen TV, the only thing that Nate could see where Geoffrey spent any money.
Sliding glass doors behind the living room opened to a balcony beyond. Blue sky greeted Nate as he stepped out on to the balcony. Looking down he could the sand and the waters lapping at the land. What Nate wouldn’t give for a view like this. This was what he loved about Florida. The heat, he hated but the beaches he couldn’t get enough of. With no furniture or any other items on the balcony of interest Nate stepped back inside.
To his right was the kitchen. To his left was a closed door that Nate assumed was the master bedroom. Nate went to the right. The kitchen was more of what Nate would expect with exquisite dark cherry cabinets that mirrored the front door. Granite countertops mirrored the cabinets. But the table that sat in the middle of expansive kitchen and on top of the hardwood floors was a small, round wooden table that appeared to be falling apart.
“It’s weird,” Nate said as Eric opened the door Nate had noticed earlier off of the living room. “It seems that everything that comes with the penthouse is ornate but everything that Geoffrey brought in is basic, almost trashy.”
“So either he wanted to hoard all his money and doesn’t care what his house looks like or he’s had to get rid of everything to keep his head above water,” Eric called back.
“I’m guessing the latter. He looked horrible when I arrested him though his clothes were certainly brand name. Could’ve been old though.”
“I have another theory,” Eric called from the room he was in.
Nate crossed the living room and entered the master bedroom as Nate had guessed correctly. The bedroom was almost as large and open as the living room. A fireplace connected the room to the bathroom beyond. While the carpet was plush under Nate’s feet the bed that took up a small part of the room was only a mattress on top of a box spring. On top of the bed was a cream quilt but on top of that is what interested Nate the most. An open suitcase lay on the bed overflowing with men’s clothes.
“He was heading out of here,” Eric said.
“But why was he at the country club?”
“He’s probably an alcoholic and needed a drink before he left.”
Nate smiled at the thought. “No, something spooked him. He was on his way out but something stopped him. But what?”
Nate backed out of the room and searched the living room for an answering machine or phone. Finding none he moved on to the kitchen. He finally found an answering machine on the counter next to a corded phone hanging on the wall. Who had a corded phone these days? Zero messages were on the machine and after pressing every button Nate could only get the outgoing message with Geoffrey’s voice. The phone did not have caller ID.
“Find anything?” Eric asked.
“Nothing. If he got a call he didn’t keep a record of it.”
“Makes sense. He got orders and he’s following them.”
“But why would my arresting him be helpful to anyone?”
“I don’t know. Keep looking.”
Nate nodded even though Eric couldn’t see his non-verbal sign. Nate went through the kitchen and to the stairs beyond leading to the second floor. At the top of the stairs was the same plush carpet as in the master bedroom. An open hallway led past the living room giving it a loft feeling. At the end of the hallway and above the master bedroom and dining room where two rooms, one to Nate’s left and one to his right. A bathroom connected the two.
Glancing to the left, Nate found nothing but an empty room. To the right, Nate found an office. A large mahogany desk sat in the middle of the room with a large leather chair behind it. A flat screened monitor sat on the desk. Nate was grateful to at least find something in the house though the monitor didn’t mean much without the computer to go with it.
Sitting in the chair, Nate was relieved to find the computer sitting underneath the desk and the keyboard on the desk in front of him waiting his command. Touching the mouse slightly the monitor sprang to life. A basic blue screen with icons greeted him.
Not being a computer guy, Nate had no idea where to go so he clicked on the icon that opened Internet Explorer. The “Yahoo” front page waited for him to make a search or click on a news link. Instead Nate looked up at the address bar and pulled down a list of websites that Geoffrey had recently been to.
Nate clicked on the first link that popped up. When the page opened he almost threw up. Although not fully displayed, small children covered the page in provocative positions. A girl no older then ten smiled at Nate. A banner strategically placed over her private parts urged him to click on her for some fun.
Nate closed quickly went to the second address on the drop down menu but came up with the same type of site. He found ten of the similar sites on a drop down menu that held fifteen. The other five included Geoffrey’s bank and what appeared to be his mortgage company. He also had an internet link to Geoffrey’s e-mail. Nate clicked on that but wasn’t surprised to find it password protected.
“Find anything?” Nate jumped at the sound of Eric’s question.
“Too much actually. Take a look at this.” Eric rounded the desk and Nate pointed out the websites he had found.
“Click on one of them,” Eric said.
“Are you nuts? It’s child pornography.”
“I know that but it’s possible that Geoffrey subscribed to these sites so that he would have full access. There may be something in there we can use.”
“Like what?” Nate asked wishing he could do what Eric requested without having to actually use his eyes.
“I don’t know, call it a hunch.”
“Fine…”
“Look, let me do it and I’ll let you know if I find anything.”
Clearly glad to oblige, Nate stood from the seat and held it out for Eric to take over. Eric sat down quickly and began tapping away at the computer. Nate did not look over his shoulder as he worked. And after seeing Eric grimace at least twelve times, Nate was glad he hadn’t.
“There. There, look at this.” Eric’s excitement made Nate curious but still he was reluctant to look back at the computer.
“What?”
“Do you see it?” Eric pointed to a small girl’s face. She couldn’t be more then twelve. Her face wasn’t clearly visible; instead she was looking away from the camera and at the girl lying next to her on the bed. Both of them were naked. How sick were these people?
“See what?” Nate asked.
“Look, this is our girl. I know it is.”
“Which one? I can hardly make out her face.”
“I know and if we were in a TV show I could enhance it for you but this is reality and that’s the best shot you’re going to get but I swear it’s her. Same blond hair and everything. This has got to be Jessica Lambert.”
Nate looked closer and though maybe if he squinted hard enough that Eric was right. And if Eric was right it meant that Jessica Lambert was still alive or at least was at the taking of this picture. The bad news was that this little girl was already being made to do horrible things and if they did find her alive it would be a long time before anything was right in her world.