Southern Heat
Chapter Thirteen
After stopping for something to eat, Rick and Kate arrive at the Celina police station within thirty minutes of leaving their hotel. Getting out, Rick walks around the vehicle and opens Kate's door before she has a chance. She looks up and smiles as he helps her out. Closing the door behind her, he puts his hand on her lower back as they walk towards the station. He opens the door for her again, holding it open and letting her walk in first.
As they walk into the front lobby, Kate looks around for Captain Mills. Rick stops behind as one of the officers asks. "May I help you?"
"Yes, I need to see Captain Mills." Kate says.
"May I ask what it's about, maybe…?"
"I'm Det. Kate Beckett. He's expecting me." She says, as the officer nods.
"Give one moment and I'll find him." The officer says, before turns around and walking to the conference room. He knocks once and then opens the door. "Captain, there is a Det. Kate Beckett…."
"Bring her in." Captain Mills says.
"Yes sir." The officer walks back over to Kate and Rick. "If you will follow me, I'll take you to him."
"Thank you." Kate replies, as she and Rick fall in behind the officer.
He opens the door and then steps to the side to allow them to enter. Kate stops for a moment when she walks into the room and finds Will sitting across from Captain Mills. "Captain Mills, we came as soon as we could." Kate says while never taking her eyes off Will.
"Thank you." Captain Mills replies. "May introduce…."
"Will?" Kate says, still watching him.
"Hello Katie…."
"It's Detective Beckett." She says,.
"Hello Rick. I see you're still following her around."
"Will. And I do more than follow…." Kate turns to him and lays her hand on his chest. He looks down and then nods slightly.
"I take it that you know each other."
"Yes." Kate says, turning her attention to Captain Mills. "Your message stated that…."
"I asked the Captain to call you in. You have to stop your investigation into Reverend Sanders." Will says.
"Excuse me." Kate says, looking at Will.
"Mr. Sanders is under a federal investigation for his connection to Livingston International."
"I know he is. He is also a person of interest in my murder case. So to answer your request Will, no I will not stop my investigation."
"Not every case is your mother's, Kate." Will says.
Kate takes a step towards Will but Rick quickly reaches out, stopping her. "How dare you Will!" She spits out, while her eyes flash fire. "
"Kate, you have always been blinded by…."
"I would not say another word." Rick says quietly.
"Still chasing…."
"I've got her." Rick says just as quietly. "If you haven't forgotten Mr. Sorenson I do have connections."
"It's Agent Sorenson, Mr. Castle and the mayor of New York as little jurisdiction in Texas. "
"Maybe, but he does have contact with your boss, I believe. And I have no qualms about advising him of your actions here. "
"I think everyone needs to take a step back." Captain Mills says. "I'm going to say that you all know each other." He says, looking at each of them.
"We've worked a few cases together." Kate says, refusing to acknowledge the personal relationship she had with Will. She looks at Will. "My case is as important as yours. I will not abandon that."
"And this is more than a simple murder. Livingston International has extensive ties to the corporate and political world. They influence…."
"That isn't my concern and my questions have no impact on your investigation. And in fact, speaking with the Reverend Sanders might be beneficial to both of us."
"And how do you figure that?"
"We use the threat of federal charges as leverage to information from the Reverend on both cases." Kate says.
"That is…." Rick says.
"Mr. Castle, you're…."
"Will, he is my partner." Kate says, before she turns to Captain Mills. "Would you mind if we used your interrogation room?"
"Not at all." He says, as Kate nods.
"Thank you." Kate says, turning to Rick. "I think we need to speak to the Reverend again. And I think it will be more beneficial for the Reverend to be brought here."
"Kate…."
"I'm not going to stop my investigation into this case so if we work together we both benefit." She says, looking at Will.
Rick steps up and says softly. "Are you ready?"
"Yes." Kate says, turning to go while Will stands there and watches them go. Lowering his head, Captain Mills smirks as Kate and Rick walk out of the room.
Jesse drives back to his home after getting the tape from Rafe. He's on alert for the car he has seen coming out of his driveway the night before. When he doesn't spot the car, he turns into his driveway. Getting out of the car, he walks into his house. Walking over to his desk, he pulls out a tape deck and slips the tape inside. Pressing play, he listens to the altered tape.
Rick opens the door for her and then walks with her to their car. Opening the door for her again, he walks around the car as Will walks into the front of the station. He looks up as he opens his car door and sees Will at the front desk. Rick pauses for a moment before he gets into the car and closes the door. "He's watching us." Rick says, reaching to start the car.
"Who's watching us?" Kate asks, glancing up from her phone.
"Agent Sorenson, he's watching us." Rick says, as he puts the car in gear. She glances up and then shrugs her shoulders.
"Honestly, I don't know what I saw in him." She says, turning her attention back to her phone.
"Do you have any new information?"
"No, I sent a text message to Espo, to have him email me a copy of the Reverend's financial and phone records. "
"So, do you want to speak with him first or to the victim's husband?"
"We can talk to both." Kate says, as they pull away from the station.
As they turn onto the main street, Rick asks. "Who to do you want to talk to first?"
She pauses for a moment before she replies. "Let's talk to the victims ex and then we'll speak with the Reverend."
Following her directions, Rick heads back out of town. When they pull up this time, there is a car in front of the trailer. After parking, Rick says. "It looks like someone is here." He says, opening his door.
Kate follows him, getting out she closes her door as he walks around the car. "Let's see if it's our victims ex." Kate says, walking towards the front door. Stepping up, she knocks on the door and then waits for whoever is inside to answer.
About a minute later, the door opens and in front of them is man about six feet tall with dark hair and muddy brown eyes. He's got a lit cigarette in one hand. He's wearing a white tank top undershirt with jean, hanging low off his hips and boots. "I think this is my lucky day." He says, slowly moving his eyes down Kate's body. "What can I do for you sweetheart?" He asks with a cocky smile. His eyes are screaming exactly what he would like to do with her.
"I'm Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD." Kate says, flashing her badge as Rick takes a step closer to her.
"You're a bit out of your jurisdiction, ain't you sweetheart?" Jesse says.
"Mr. Williams, I'm here to ask you some questions about your ex-wife Tiffany."
"Umm, okay. But I haven't heard anything from her in several years. She left me and as far as I know she's never come back. Did she break the law or something?"
"Why would you assume that she has broken the law, Mr. Williams?" Rick asks
"Well I assumed she must've done something because the police are here asking me questions about her." Jesse says with a slightly defiant tone.
"Mr. Williams, Do you mind if we come inside?" Kate asks.
He looks at them for a moment and then steps back and lets them into the place. Kate and Rick look around the front room of the house as Jess walks over the recliner sitting in front of the bar. Sitting down on a sagging couch, Kate turns her attention towards him. "I am here because your ex-wife was found dead in New York." Kate says, watching his reaction.
"She was found dead." Jesse says with no change in facial expression or tone.
"Yes sir. She was found in an alley with another victim, which we've verified to be your ex-wife's fiancé. Were you aware that she had become engaged?"
"No. Like I said, I haven't spoken with her since she left."
"And why did she leave?" Rick asks.
"I don't know. She didn't tell me she was leaving. I went to work and when I came home she wasn't here."
"Had you been having problems before she left?" Kate asks.
"No, no more than the usual problems that couples have. I wanted to keep her safe and she wanted to run around all the time."
"So, you were a bit possessive." Rick says.
"It's a husband's duty to protect what is his."
"How did she feel about that?" Kate asks.
"We had our fights, like every couple. She left without saying anything to me."
"So, you had no idea that she was going to file for a divorce before she left?"
"Of course not, if I had I would've tried to talk her out of it." Jesse says.
"Do you know a Reverend Sanders?" Kate asks
"Oh yeah, I know him. You want to talk about a man that's possessive. He's that. He makes sure that no that's involved with that "church" speaks with or associates with anyone that's not involved with the church."
"But yet you wife married you. Are you saying that you're involved…?" Kate asks.
"Hell no, I'm not. I was never involved with that group."
"If what you stated about Reverend Sanders demand that his followers have no contact with outsiders, how did you two end up married?" She asks, continuing to observe the subtle movement that Jesse makes.
"We actually had to sneak away to get married." Jesse says matter a factly.
"So you and you ex-wife got married behind the Reverend's back. How did that affect your marriage? Kate asks.
"To be honest there wasn't really that much of an issue made of the marriage.
The Reverend wasn't happy about it but he wouldn't condone a divorce either."
"So have you been in contact with Reverend Sanders since your ex-wife left?" Rick asks.
"Umm, not much, I see him around town occasionally. But we're not best buddies or anything."
"Did you know anything about your ex-wife writing any kind of manuscript?"
"No, how could I. I haven't talked to her since the night before she left."
"Thank you for your time, Mr. Williams." Kate says, standing up with Rick following her.
Jesse doesn't move as they walk to the door. Rick opens the door for her.
Taking her elbow he helps her down the steps in front. Rick closes the door. Jesse watches them as they walk towards their car. When they leave, he reaches for the recorder and his keys. Leaving the trailer, he goes to his truck and leaves.
After leaving Jesse, Rick drives back towards town while Kate checks her email. "There is a change of plans." Kate says, as Rick glances her way. "Espo emailed the financial records and phone records for Reverend Sanders. "
"Okay." Rick says, slowing down as the approach the only stop light in town. "Do I need to turn or...?
"Go to the station." Kate says, as he nods.
When they pull up in front of the police station, Rick turns the car off. He turns to her. "So how do you want to do this?"
"I'm going to speak to Captain Mills and see if he will bring Reverend Sanders in for further questioning. I think being in the interrogation room will scare him enough to get him to talk." Kate says.
"Alright."
"Do you think differently?"
"Well, we only have the records and it doesn't really prove that he had any knowledge of her murder or participated in it." She's quiet for a moment. "Do you want to bring him in because of the meeting this morning with Will?" Rick asks.
"He can block me and we may not be able to get the man responsible for your cousins…."
"I …." He pauses.
"What?"
He looks at her. "I feel… it feels wrong to say this. But this is just another case to me. I don't feel any close connection to this case because one of the victims happens to be my cousin. I feel bad for my aunt and Justine, but I have no connections to Parker. I barely remember him being at my grandfather's funeral and I think we played together but I don't have the same feelings that you had when your mother was killed. I want justice for him and Tiffany."
"But it's not going to take over your life, like my mom's murder took over mine." She says, looking at him.
"Kate, I don't mean to belittle how you feel about your mom."
"I know you don't, even if you've been right all this time. I put my mom's murder before my own life and you made me see how wrong that was." Kate looks at him for a moment and then sighs. "But you're right. This doesn't connect him to the murder or to having any knowledge of the murder."
"So what do you want to do?" Rick asks, watching her. She quiet for a while. "What are you thinking?"
"I think if we bring the Reverend to the station that it might scare him enough to force him to tell us what's going on. "
"Or he could stay quiet if he thinks that his connections to Lewis International will protect him."
"Maybe we should speak to the Reverend at the church before we…." Kate says, as her cell phone rings. She glances down and recognizes the number.
"Who is it?"
"Will." Kate says, pushing the ignore button.
"You know he's going to keep calling until you speak with him."
"I know." She sighs. "Let's go to see Reverend Sanders." She says, as he nods.
Backing out of the parking place they leave the station. When they reach the church they enter the same doors that they previously used. Reverend Sanders is speaking with a man when they walk in as they walk towards them , Reverend Sanders wraps up his conversation. "We'll discuss this at our next meeting Deacon Reynolds."
"Of course." Deacon Reynolds says, glancing at Rick and Kate before he walks away.
Once he's out of the sanctuary, Reverend Sanders turns to them. "Detective Beckett, I'm not sure why you've returned. I told you everything..."
"You lied to me Reverend." Kate says, stopping in front of him.
"Excuse me, Detective. I'm a man of God."
"Reverend that doesn't mean you can't lie." Kate says, opening her folders. "After we spoke I had a colleague run your financial and phone records. And I remember that I specifically asked you if you had spoken with my victims ex and I specifically remember you telling me that you hadn't since the victim had left town."
"That's what I said."
"Then can you explain why your phone records show numerous calls between yourself and my victim's ex-husband."
"I'm a very busy man Detective and I receive calls from many people that doesn't mean that I actually spoke to them."
"Excuse me Reverend but some of these calls are for more than an hour or more."
"And it doesn't mean that I was the one that was speaking with him. I don't care my phone with me all the time. And before you ask, I'm only in my office for a few hours each day and I'm usually with someone and I don't have my phone."
"These calls are for more than an hour Reverend. If you didn't speak with our victim's ex, then who did?" Rick asks.
"As I said, I don't always have the phone with me so I can't say who was speaking with Tiffany's ex." He says, looking at both of them. "Is there anything else?" He asks, looking at them.
Kate opens her mouth to say more but Castle lays his hand on her arm stopping her. "Reverend, thank you for your time." Rick says, as the Reverend looks at him and then nods.
He watches as they leave and when the reach the car Kate demands. "Why did you stop me?"
"He provided a plausible explanation."
"He's lying."
"True, but there's nothing we have to dispute what he just said." Rick points out before he walks over to the driver side. Kate stands there for a moment before she follows him.
Opening her door, she gets in. They both close their doors before she asks. "So what do you suggest?"
"We wait." He says, sitting back.
"What are we waiting…?" And then she thinks about the situation. The Reverend had said that he didn't always carry his phone with him. "You want to wait till he leaves and ask someone else, maybe a deacon or some body close to him to see if he told the truth." Kate says, as Rick looks at her and smiles.
After Rick and Kate left, Jesse takes the tape from the player and slips it into his pocket. Grabbing his keys, he leaves the trailer. He looks around as he walks towards his car. Getting in, he leaves. He's hyper aware of what is going on around him as he drives into town. He pulls into a driveway located a couple blocks away from the police station. Getting out, he walks up to the front door. Knocking once, he steps back. A few moments later, the door opens and Jesse walks in. "I've got something for you to deliver." Jesse says, turning to the man that opened the door.
"What is it?" The man asks.
"It's a tape. It needs to be given to the detective that is in town from New York." Jesse says.
"What if they ask where I got it from?"
"Make something up, but make sure it's given to that detective."
"What's on the tape?"
"You don't need to know that, just make sure the detective gets this." Jesse says, before he turns and leaves.
Alice stood at the windows by her bed. The weather was bright and clear for such a lonely and pain filled day. She hadn't been able to sleep much since Whitney had come to the loft to speak with her. A part of her wanted to hear what he said but another part of her didn't believe that he would ever change. There is a knock on her bedroom door. Turning, she says. "Come in."
Martha opens the door quietly. "I wanted to check on you. " She says, turning to Alice. "How are you doing?"
"I'm sort of…." She pauses for a moment. "I'm sort of numb. I can't decide what I want to do." Alice says, going over to her bed and sitting down. Martha walks over to the bed and sits down beside her.
"You don't know what to do about what?"
"Whitney, a part of me wants to hear what he has to say about everything and another part of me doesn't believe that he'll ever admit that he was wrong or that he'll change. "
Martha is quiet for a moment. "I think you need to put that out of your mind and focus on the memorial service. Focusing on that will be enough to handle without focusing on things that won't change what has happened." Martha says, putting her hand over hers and patting it gently.
"He's going to try and talk to me when we met to decide about the service." Alice says.
"I know he will. It will be up to you if you speak to him then, but if you don't feel up to it, you will have to tell him and don't let him bully you."
"You're stronger than me Martha."
"I don't know about that." Martha says with a smile. "We all have strengths and weaknesses. You put up with my brother for how many years. I've been married too many times to count."
"But you wouldn't let a man do what Whitney has done to us." Alice says as Martha smiles.
"We can go around and around about who's stronger. Put the situation with my brother to the side and focus on the memorial service." Martha says, patting her hand as Alice looks at her. "When you're ready Alexis and I will be downstairs."
"Thank you Martha." Alice says once again when reaches the door.
Turning to her, Martha smiles and then leaves the room and Alice turns back towards the window.
Several people come and go from the church at one point even Reverend Sanders comes out, Rick and Kate both hunch down in the seat so that he won't see them, but he doesn't even look their way before he walks back into the building. When the door closes, Rick glances at her and asks. "I know we're waiting to speak with someone other than the Reverend but who are we waiting on?" Kate looks at him and is about to reply when the deacon walks. "Here he is now." Kate says, opening his door as Rick looks out the window. Spotting the deacon, he nods as he opens his door, following behind Kate as he walks up to the deacon. "Hello Deacon Reynolds," She says, stopping in front of him.
He looks up. His face reflecting his surprise. "May I help you? He asks.
"I'm Detective Kate Beckett and this is my partner Richard." She says.
"You were waiting to speak with the Reverend." He says, still puzzled as to why she's speaking with him.
"Yes, there were a few questions that I wanted to follow up on."
"I'm not sure how I can assist you, if you want to know things about the Reverend, Why don't you ask him?"
"I know this is slightly uncomfortable situation. And we have spoken with Reverend Sanders but we have to confirm with he told us. I'm conducting an investigation into the death of a woman that's been linked back to this church." Kate says, as the man nods. "I'm just curious, does the Reverend have a cell phone and have you ever seen him without it."
"His phone, you want to know about his phone."
"Yes, have you ever seen him without it, or known him to leave his office with out it?"
"Actually no, I haven't. He keeps it with him pretty much all the time. In fact, several weeks ago we were taking care of some church business a couple towns over and he left his phone at the restaurant where we stopped to eat. He was actually quite frantic to go back for it. I simply assumed that he was expecting a call that he didn't want to miss."
"Does anyone else answer his calls?" Rick asks, the man glances at him.
"No, I've never known anyone else to answer his phone, personal or business lines."
"Has he ever missed or ignored a call while he was with you?" Kate asks.
"No, he always takes a call. He's polite when he does it, excusing himself if he's with someone, but he always answers if you call him."
"Thank you for your time." Kate says, as the man nods and then turns to leave as she turns to Rick. "So, he lied to us again."
"Do you want to confront him now?"
"No, I think we need to speak to a few other people before we confront him again." Kate says, turning for their car. He follows her.
Martha and Alexis are at the island when Alice comes downstairs. They look up as she comes into the kitchen. "Hello." Alexis says, not quite knowing what to say.
"Good Morning Alexis." Alice says, walking over to them.
"Is Justine coming over to help with planning the memorial service?" Martha asks.
"Yes." Alice says, sitting down on the stool beside Alexis.
"Are you hungry? I would be happy…."
"Thank you sweetheart, but I'm not hungry."
"You need to eat." Martha says, walking over to the coffee pot and pouring her a cup of coffee.
"I know I need to eat but I'm not hungry." Alice says, taking the coffee and taking at sip.
"Maybe some fruit." Alexis suggested as she gets up.
Smiling Alice replies. "I'll eat some fruit." Nodding Alexis goes to them some fruit.
Alice drinks her coffee while watching Alexis prepare a mixture of fruit. Sitting down beside her, Martha takes a drink of her coffee before she asks. "When will Justine be arriving?"
"Umm, they are releasing him later today and then we're going to arrange for him to be sent home. I suppose after that we will be going back upstate to make the arrangements for his memorial." Alice says, as she takes a piece of fruit.
"Will Whitney be there?" Martha asks.
"I will be riding back with Justine and then staying with her after the service. "
"You know that he's not going to stay away." Martha says quietly.
Sighing, Alice looks at her and then nods. "I know. But I can't think about that now. It's too much." She says, as Martha nods.
There is a knock at the door and they all turn to look at it before Alexis says. "I'll answer it." She walks over to the door, opening it. She's surprised to see a man there instead of her cousin Justine. "May I help you?" She asks.
"I would like to speak with Alice. Is she here?" Whitney asks, as Martha comes into view.
"Whit, what are you doing here?" Martha asks, as Alexis steps back.
"I would like to speak with my wife." He says, looking into the apartment as Alice walks up behind them.
"It's okay." She says, placing her hand on Martha's shoulder. Martha looks at her and then turns to leave drawing Alexis back with her. "We will be upstairs if you need us." Martha says.
"Thank you Martha." Alice says, stepping back to let Whitney in. She closes the door and then turns to face him.
"You look beautiful." Whitney says, as she walks around and goes back to her coffee. He follows her.
"Would you like some coffee?" She asks, choosing to ignore his previous comment.
"That would be nice, thank you." He says, sitting down on the stool that Alexis was sitting at. Watching as Alice walks over to the coffee maker. Opening the cupboard above, she takes out a cup and then pours him a cup and carries it over to him. Sitting it before, she picks her cup up and moves to where Martha was sitting. He notices but doesn't comment. There's a long moment of silence before Alice says. "If you're here to see if I'm riding back with you, I've arranged to ride back with Justine. I'll be staying with her as well." He looks at her and nods. "I think it would be better if we put off discussing us until everything is settled."
"I'm sorry." He says, waiting for her reply. When she doesn't he asks. "Did you hear what I said?"
"Yes, I heard you Whitney." She pauses before she continues. "And I appreciate the apology but there's more here than a simple apology will fix." She says, looking at him.
"I know I messed up and I am sorry." He says, reaching for her hand.
She pulls back and looks at him. "It's more than you just messed up. Our son is dead Whitney and a contingent reason for his death, is your attitude. He felt like he had no one to turn to and alone he came here after the love of his life left him.
Whitney looks at Alice for a moment before he sighs. "I know you blame me for Parker's death." He says quietly. "I don't know how I can make that up to you." She doesn't reply as she stares at the counter. "I only wanted what was best for him."
She looks at him, her eyes flashing with anger. "But that's the thing, who are you to decide what was the best for him."
"I am… I was his father."
"And he is… was a grown man. I've let you decide everything for everyone, including me. And you will continue to that."
"I can change." Whitney says. "I only wanted to protect him. That's why I…."
"You need to control everything and everyone in your life. That is why you have a sister that barely talks to you. You have a nephew and a great-niece that you do not know." She pauses and looks at him before she continues. "Our son is dead because of the things you said and did. And that is what you don't understand. That's why he felt like he had to choose between his family and the woman he loves… loved. And because of that choice, he's dead Whitney. So yes I blame you. He would be alive, right now with us."
"We don't know that." Whitney says weakly as there's a knock on the door.
Alice gets up as he reaches out trying to stop her from walking away, hoping they could settle this now. She avoids him, walking over to the door. She opens it to Justine and her husband. "Hello, Mother." Justine says, coming in with her husband trailing behind her. He closes the door as Justine and Alice hug.
"How are you?" Alice asks, stepping back and releasing their daughter.
"I'm better now that Stephen is here." Justine says, taking her husband's hand. He squeezes it gently before slipping his arm around her.
"You are good to her." Alice says, looking at her son-in-law. "Thank you."
"You don't have to thank, Mrs. Rogers." Stephen replies, as Whitney walks up to them.
Justine notices him immediately. "Dad." She says, looking at her mother.
"It's okay. He only came over to talk. And I think we've said all that can be said right now." Alice says, looking at Whitney.
"I was actually hoping that we could handle the arrangements together." Whitney says, still hoping that he could persuade Alice to come with him.
"Right now, I think it's best if we spend some time apart. I'm tired and I… it's just too much to deal with." Alice says, going upstairs to collect her things so that she can leave with Justine.
When Alice leaves, Justine, Stephen and Whitney stand together in front of the stairs leading upstairs. There is an awkward silence filling the room until Stephen asks. "Mr. Rogers, I am sorry for your loss."
Whitney looks at him and then says. "Thank you Stephen." He looks at Justine and then says. "I appreciate that you're here for my daughter." He glances upstairs. "…and for my wife." In the background, you can feel his continued thought of being "Because she's not allowing me to take care of her right now."
Justine catches the subtext and looks at her father. "How did you expect us to react? You turned your back on…." Stephen lays a hand on her shoulder, squeezing gently. She looks up and then looks away. She sees her mother standing on the stairs behind her father and she reads the look on her face. "No, I'm not going to remain quiet. My brother is dead because he had no one to turn to. You made him feel like he had to choose between his family and the woman he loves… loved."
"So, you blame me as well." Whitney says, sounding defeated.
"I…." I don't blame you. You're not the one that killed him, but because of your actions he was alone when he died and he didn't have to be. And there is a possibility that he wouldn't've been killed had he been back home and not in the city."
Alice looks at Justine before she walks the rest of the way down the stairs. "I think it's best if we set this aside and focus on getting the memorial service in order. Are you ready to go?" She asks, looking at Justine.
"Yes, we're ready."
"Then I am ready." Alice says, as Stephen opens the door. Stepping to the side, he allows them to leave first before following them, leaving Whitney to leave last.
Rick, Kate and Will gather Captain Mills desk as he pushes play on the tape. There is a couple seconds of silence before a voice comes on. "What are you doing here?" Captain Mills looks up.
"Who is that because that's not Reverend Sanders?" Will says, as Rick and Kate look at him. He looks away, turning his attention back to the tape. "I've got confirmation. She's interviewing former members and she's looking into your background as well as your connection to Livingston." Reverend Sanders says.
"I can't do anything about that." Jesse replies
"You're the one that forced her to leave. Do you want her to find out about her parents?" Reverend Sanders says
"We had no involvement with that accident. You and her Aunt…." Jesse says.
"Mable Green would do whatever it takes to protect herself and her family." Reverend Sanders says.
"So what do you want to do?" Jesse asks.
"We need to find her and stop that manuscript from being published. We both know that he cannot afford any un-necessary publicity right now. If the authorities begin an investigation we will both pay the price." Reverend Sanders says.
"So what do you want me to do?"
"We have to eliminate that problem by any means that will handle the issue."
"Are you talking about killing her?" Jesse asks
"If need be, of course that should be a last resort but it may become essential to protect him and this organization." Reverend Sanders says.
In the background you hear chairs scraping against the floor and then a door opening and closing and then another few moments of rustling before the tape ends. Captain Mills office is silent as they all try to absorb what they just heard. Captain Mills is the first to speak. "Did he just order her murder?" He looks at Kate and Rick.
"It certainly sounds that way." Will says, looking at Kate. "And so it looks like you've found your murderer."
"I'm not so sure." Rick says, as Kate looks at him.
"What do you mean?" Will asks, with a voice full of scorn.
"Can we listen to the tape again?" Rick asks, looking at Captain Mills and completely ignoring Will.
Captain Mills picks up the tape player as Kate asks. "What are you thinking Rick?"
"Just listen to the tape closely and tell if you hear anything unusual." Rick says, as the conversation begins. When the last question ends, Rick says. "Did you hear that?"
"What?" Will demands, looking at him like he's making no sense at all.
"Listen." Rick says, continuing to ignore Will and focusing on Kate.
"Wait, stop." She says, turning to Captain Mills.
He stops the tape and then starts it again. Kate listens closely and then looks at Rick. "There's a slight pause at the end of each piece of conversation."
"What are you talking about?" Will asks.
"Listen, Will. At the end of each statement there's a moment pause before the next person speaks."
"That is their natural pattern of speech."
"No, it's not." Rick says.
"And how do you know that?" Will asks.
"It's just a hunch but I would be willing to bet that if you have your guys analyze that tape you'll find that it's been altered to appear like Reverend Sanders ordered our victims murder."
"Why would I follow a hunch by…?"
"Will can I speak to you?" Kate says, taking his arms and dragging him out of Captain Mills's office while Rick and the Captain watch.
When the door closes, Captain Mills looks at Rick and says. "I take it that there was something between those two and now there is something between you too and he doesn't like it." Rick looks at him and then nods.
In the hallway, Kate releases Will's arm and turns to him. "Get over it Will."
"Over what?"
"Do not pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about. You know that Rick and I are together and you don't like. Well, I don't care. You left and I moved on. You have to live with it. He's a good investigator and if you would get over my dick is bigger than yours attitude you would realize that he's right. If we analyze that tape we'll find that it's been altered." Kate says, before opening the door to the Captains office and leaves Will standing in the hall alone. "Captain, would your crime lab be able to analyze that tape?"
"Umm, we don't exactly have a crime lab here. We would have to send it to Dallas and have the lab with Texas Rangers run the analysis and I'm not exactly sure how long that will take." Captain Mills says, as Will walks into the room again.
"You don't need to send it to Dallas. I can take the tape to my team and they can run the analysis much faster." Will says quietly.
Rick opens his mouth to say something but Kate nudges him and then turns to Will. "Thank you, Will." She says, as Captain Mills takes the tape from the player. He puts it into an evidence bag. He fills it out and then hands it to Will, in which he signs for it and then turns to leave.
"Will, you will let us know what the results are?" Kate asks, looking at him.
"Of course." He says, looking at her for a moment and then walking out.