Lives Ruined, Bloodshed

Chapter 27

Susan Knight's file was what Veronica expected. It was basically nothing beyond the statements of those who had been on board. There was no search ever organised since it was deemed unlikely to ever record the body. It pissed Veronica off that there were still people in charge of these types of cases that just didn't care.

The file stated:

November 26, 2007. Susan Knight, age 20, went missing during the night. Presumed drowning. Witnesses: Carrie Bishop, Gia Goodmen, Luke Halderman, Richard Casablancas, Stu Cobbler.

Witness statement reports.

Gia Goodmen: We left the dock just after six. Luke drove us out; he was the only one who knew how to drive it. We were drinking and dancing, having fun. Then Susan started crying about her baby that she gave up for adoption. Carrie took her downstairs to calm her down. I passed out with Luke and didn't hear anything after that. Carrie was the one who woke us up, she couldn't find Susan.

Luke Halderman: I drove us out. It was Carrie's dad's boat, but my dad has one similar. Carrie asked me to drive it cause she didn't want to. I didn't drink that much; I spent most of my time with my girlfriend, Gia. Susan got upset, crying about her kid. Carrie went with her to calm her down. I stayed with Gia. I passed out after we hooked up.

Richard Casablancas: I don't remember much. I think I passed out before everyone else. I remember Susan crying but not really much after that. I woke up and found Carrie in the same bed as me. I woke her up, and she panicked. Apparently, Susan had been asleep beside her. We checked the whole boat but couldn't find anything.

Carrie Bishop: I invited Susan out because she was sad. After giving up her baby, she hadn't been the same. I thought a fun night on the boat might make her feel better. But it seemed to just upset her more. We all drank a fair bit, but she just got more upset. I tried to calm her down and took her below deck. Dick came in while I was comforting her and passed out on the bed. I must have fallen asleep because when I woke up, Dick was there, but Susan was gone.

Stu Cobbler: Gia invited me on the boat. We had a good time. Everyone was having a great time until Susan had her breakdown. She wouldn't shut up about her kid. I passed out after a while, don't know the exact time. Woke up to everyone screaming for Susan.

Case Conclusion: Accidental Drowning.

The statements all seemed similar, but there were certain bits that Veronica thought were strange. The idea that every single one of them had 'passed out' seemed a little planned. Passing out normally meant someone was so drunk they wouldn't hear a thing. But the biggest thing that felt wrong was Cobb. Dick had said that Cobb was only because he had the drug supply, but how he talked about the night seemed off. There was also the way Gia, Luke, and Carrie had all referred to Susan being upset about her child. It could have given the idea of suicide.

After reading everything the file had, Veronica felt convinced something else had happened on that boat. And she didn't think Susan had fallen off or jumped off.

Veronica sat in her car beneath the FBI field office on Monday morning and called Jimmy. She wanted to get a closer look into everyone. Mainly Stu Cobbler. And Jimmy was her guy.

"Mars Bar! How are you?" answered Jimmy.

Veronica shook her head and smiled. "Jimmy, I'm good. How's Virginia?"

"Not the same without you. When you coming back?" he asked.

"I'm taking some time off," she said.

Jimmy scoffed. "Don't lie. I know you are working a case with your new friend Walsh. Pierce has told us all about your new friendship, and I must say, I'm proud of you."

Veronica laughed. "Yes, well. Thank you."

"So, what do you need help with?" asked Jimmy.

"You know me so well."

Jimmy chuckled. "I know."

Veronica said, "I actually need a favour. One where you look into some stuff for me and don't mention it to anyone."

"This about your case?"

"No. This is something else."

"Alright. What ya got?"

She explained, "I'll email you a copy of the file, but basically, Susan Knight is a young woman who drowned in 2007, supposedly. Her body was never found. I want you to look into the lives of everyone onboard the boat with her that night. See if anything stands out that perhaps someone might kill for."

"You think this woman was murdered?" asked Jimmy.

"Maybe, I'm not sure. But I don't think she fell overboard and drowned."

"Alright, no problem. I'll do some digging. We are working on our own case, though, so I don't know when I'll have some time."

"That's all good. Focus on whatever you guys are working on. Hit me back when you find anything."

"Will do. Take care of yourself."

Veronica smiled. "You too. Bye."

She really wanted Jimmy to call her back and tell her that nothing was amiss, that for once, her gut was wrong. While Veronica knew that sometimes she wasn't exactly right, she was never completely wrong. But the ideas that were running through Veronica's head about what might have actually happened weren't going to let her forget about this.

Veronica's first thought was that something had happened that night between Susan and Carrie. Carrie could have pushed Susan overboard. Maybe they fort, and Carrie accidentally killed Susan. There were plenty of things on a boat that you could kill someone with. Maybe it was self-defence; maybe Susan blamed Carrie for the loss of her child. Something like that would explain Carrie's inability to let the past go. Being guilty of someone's death drove a lot of people to develop addictions. Veronica had also considered that the others were involved, possibly Gia or Luke, but she leaned more towards Cobb. Something about him didn't sit right with her.

Veronica headed upstairs to meet Walsh, who was sitting at her desk talking to Ollie. Veronica smiled warmly as she greeted the two ladies and handed them both a coffee she had picked up for them.

"She brings caffeine," cried Ollie. "This makes me so happy. You'll make a good boss."

Walsh frowned and looked between Ollie and Veronica. Veronica sighed and shook her head.

Walsh asked, "You get a promotion or something?"

Veronica said, "I got an offer. One that I haven't taken yet."

Ollie made a small noise of disbelief. "Yes, you will. You love it here."

"What's the job?" asked Walsh.

"I would be running this place," said Veronica.

Walsh grew excited. "Really? So you'd be my boss?"

"And mine," smirked Ollie. "She would be so better than others who were after the role."

Walsh nodded. "That you would be. And you're back with Logan now; I thought coming back to California would be exactly what you want."

Veronica sighed. "It is. I hate the idea of doing long distance with Logan, and I've really reconnected with my friends. And while being transferred here is like a dream, the idea of being responsible for everyone here is kind of terrifying."

"And that is what will make you good at it," said Walsh.

"How?"

"If you weren't scared about taking the role, it means you wouldn't care. And that kind of goes for anything. If you find yourself in a situation where you hold no fear about it, then really, you just don't care about the outcome. Whether it be singing in front of people, jumping out of a plane, taking a new job. Fear, while it can suck, is there for a reason," explained Walsh.

Veronica smiled and laughed. Walsh was right; that made perfect sense.

"But you also can't let fear stop you. If you never take the leap, your life would probably be filled with regrets."

Veronica nodded. "Thanks, Walsh."

"All good. I also being somewhat selfish. I know a few of the other agents that applied for the role, and they are nothing compared to you." Walsh bumped her shoulder.

"That sounds like they'll be fun to work with."

Ollie shrugged. "Just put on your scary face, and you'll be all good. Now, who wants to know all about Jenson Kimberley?"

Veronica smiled. "I do."

Ollie nodded and grabbed her tablet. "Okay, so, Jenson Kimberley, while an asshole for cheating on his fiancé is not a murder. I found his alibi. Meet Tracey Smart; she is twenty years old, born in Washington but moved to San Diego last year."

"Kimberley is seeing her?" asked Walsh.

Ollie nodded. "Yep. And you won't guess where he met her?"

"Through Brooke Henley?" asked Veronica, being mostly sarcastic.

Ollie smirked. "You are good. Yes, he did. Miss Smart works as a receptionist at the same design company as Miss Henley. And according to Kimberley's records, he has been seeing Miss Smart for several months, and she was at his house on the night of the murder, according to her Instagram." Ollie turned the tablet around and showed them a picture of Tracey Smart giving Jenson Kimberley a very tongue inclusive kiss.

"Just because it was posted that night doesn't mean she was there," said Walsh.

"While you're right. I was able to track the location of both their phones and they were both at Kimberley's address all night until they went their separate ways in the morning. I also tracked Smart using the SDPD camera's to trace Miss Smart's journey to and from Kimberley's home." Ollie grinned widely.

"I guess we can let him go then," said Walsh.

Veronica nodded. "Let's talk to his girlfriend first. Then we'll let him go. Can we have someone pick, Miss Smart, up?"

Walsh nodded. "Sure thing, boss."

Veronica groaned while Ollie laughed.

Walsh pushed away from her desk, leaving Veronica with Ollie.

"Did you find anything about the third person Mandi was seeing?" asked Veronica.

Ollie shook her head. "No, and I tried to get the security footage, but this place wouldn't just send it to me. They said someone had to go and collect it."

Veronica nodded. "Alright, no problem. They probably still use VCH tapes. Can you send me the address of the hotel as well as the dates and times that Mandi visited?"

Ollie nodded. "Will do."

"Thanks, Ollie."

Ollie smirked. "Just don't forget about me when you take that corner office."

Veronica chuckled. "I could never forget about you."

Once Walsh had come back from sending off someone to pick up Tracey Smart, Veronica went with her to talk to Jenson. They were curious to see what he would say about his girlfriend since he failed to mention her beforehand.

An agent escorted Jenson into the interrogation room, and Jenson looked exhausted. He was sat down in the chair across from them.

"Mr Kimberley," said Walsh, "why didn't you tell us about Tracey Smart?"

Jenson's eyes widened. "What about her?"

"You were seeing her? Correct?" asked Walsh.

Jenson swallowed. "Yeah…I guess."

"You guess?" asked Veronica.

"It's complicated."

Veronica mocked. "I'm sure it is. After all, you said you loved Brooke, but you had an affair with your sister-in-law, Mandi, who you also said you loved, and now you are sleeping with another woman. Did you often get tongue-tied in bed? Is that what happened when Brooke caught you? Thinking about the wrong girlfriend?"

"I regret what happened with Brooke—"

Veronica cut him off. "But clearly not enough to have an honest relationship."

"Tracey knows about the others."

"She does?" doubted Walsh.

Jenson nodded. "Yes. She was trying to make her boyfriend jealous, I don't know who the guy was, but she wanted to rub it in his face. At first, it was just hanging out, but we got bored and fucked a few times."

"And the reason you couldn't just tell us she was with you the night your brother and his wife were murdered?" asked Veronica.

Jenson frowned. "She asked me not to tell anyone that she was there. She came over to tell me she got what she wanted and that we didn't need to pretend anymore, but she wanted one last fuck."

"Seriously?" Walsh looked astounded.

"Yes."

Veronica wanted to laugh. These people were ridiculous. "Great, thank you, Mr Kimberley. As long as Tracey confirms your story, you will be free to go." She stood up from the table and moved to the door.

Once Walsh had followed her out of the room, Veronica let out her laugh. "This is becoming ridiculous," she said.

Walsh nodded. "I thought my relationship with my ex was dramatic, but this is just becoming a bad romance novel."

"Or a bad crime novel," muttered Veronica. She rubbed the back of her neck. She would take a simple BNE or shooting any day. These complex people with their insane lives were exhausting.

Tracey Smart was brought into the office around thirty minutes later, and her story was basically the same. Except Veronica and Walsh had to listen to her burst into tears and go on about her boyfriend – her married boyfriend – who wouldn't leave his wife for him. Tracey blubbered on and on, going through a whole lot of tissues and tears before admitting that she loved her boyfriend, but she'd plan to continue to sleep with Jenson because his equipment was bigger. It had been very ridiculous and a complete waste of time.

But once they had finished with her, they released Jenson. Walsh escorted him to the elevator with Tracey, who attacked him with her mouth when they stepped into the elevator together. Veronica was glad that the crazy woman was gone.

"Remind me to ask maintenance to scrub that elevator," said Walsh.

The motel that Mandi had been meeting her third affair at reminded Veronica of the Camelot. It seemed that no matter how many nice luxury hotels popped up, people still preferred to keep their dirty business behind the doors of sleazy motels. The difference between the Camelot and the Sunrise, was that you had to sign in with ID, and they also had security cameras. Which was good for them.

The man behind the counter was a bit of a creep, leering at both Veronica and Walsh, but seemed to prefer Walsh out of the two of them. After flashing their ID's, the man pulled the security footage for the most recent date that Mandi had visited the hotel and fast-forwarded the video until the time stamp.

Veronica leant on the counter and watched as Mandi Kimberley dressed down – which was surprising – instead of up, entered the lobby. Her hair was in a messy bun, she had on jeans and a t-shirt. Not the attire you would expect a woman planning to hook up would wear unless the guy had a particular fetish. She stopped at the desk to check-in, but no one followed her in. Once she'd finished, she walked back out the door but stopped. Veronica squinted her eyes as she watched her talk to someone outside. Someone wrapped their arms around her as they stood there.

"Any camera angles that would show whose outside with her?" asked Veronica.

The man nodded and moved back to his records. He pulled another tape and repeated the process. He played the video as Mandi walked in. From the outside, you could see Mandi walk up to the counter, and then the man stepped just into the frame, except his back was to the camera. Taking in his appearance, Veronica considered who it could be. Mandi walked out of the door, and the guy stepped closer, wrapping his arms around her. The smile on Mandi's face looked like genuine happiness. The guy moved Mandi backwards and pressed her against the wall to kiss her.

The man beside Veronica chuckled as the kiss got aggressive. He said, "I had a couple go at it once right there."

Ignoring the man, Veronica watched as the man pulled back and turned his face towards the camera. She smiled and hit the pause button. She glanced at Walsh. "Look familiar?"

Thank you so much for reading.

I would love to hear what you think. Even if it's as simple as a 'can't wait' all feedback is appreciated.