Chapter Nine

All she wanted was peace and stability…that's all she wanted, Woody thought, as he was once again hauled downtown to the DA's office. His chief had called and said that Baker wanted to talk with Woody again. The chief would be by personally to pick him up. Woody groaned and wondered what that meant. He was probably going to be charged with some hyped-up warrant. He met his chief downstairs in the lobby of his apartment. They drove in silence to the DA's office. But as they were walking into the building the chief gently caught Woody by the sleeve. "Hoyt, I know this looks bad. But for what it's worth, I don't think Jordan had anything to do with Malden's murder. And I don't blame you for checking on her in Ireland. It was stupid of you not to keep me in the loop, but I understand. And just for your information, there's a lot going on that you don't know about. So keep your chin up and your eyes open." And with that, the chief let him go and they walked into the DA's office.

They were put into a conference room. Woody noted that Nigel, Dr. Macy, and Bill Crahen were there, as well as his chief, Baker, and the ADA. Baker was ranting and raving now about how the Irish authorities couldn't find Jordan…that she was gone. And he knew that someone in that room knew where she was at. In the middle of his tirade, Woody heard a secretary call out, "You can't go in there, you're not allowed…please, wait. I'll ask Mr. Baker…" Then the conference room doors burst open and in ran James….

James….Jordan's brother. Waving a gun.

All hell broke loose.

Woody hit the floor, as did most of the others. But James could have cared less about them. He was after Baker. He walked right up to the DA, and pointed the gun at him. "I hear you've been looking for my baby sister," he said. "You think she's the one that killed Malden…or helped her father to do it. Or at least you want to blame her. You've tried to railroad her for months…the same way my dad…Malden…tried to railroad me. Well, you're not going to be able to do that with my sister. Jordan's my sister… and she hasn't done anything. She tried to help me that night…in her apartment…even after Malden had drugged her. She tried to help me. She fought with him to leave me alone. But he was too strong for her…way to strong. Jordan's little, you know…"

Woody looked over at his chief, who was slowly reaching for the panic button on his radio. Woody was afraid that James would catch the movement and fire at the chief, but James was oblivious to everyone but Baker and himself.

"She tried to help me at my old apartment building…tried to keep me from jumping. Said she wanted to understand me….And I think she meant it. She was the only person in my life that I thought would really do what they said. But I couldn't put her through that…I couldn't put her through what knowing me might do to her. Even though I had only met her…I loved my baby sister…and I wanted to be a good big brother. So I am going to be. I'm going to do what's needed to be done for along time.

"You want to know who killed Malden? You're looking at him. You want to know with what?" James waved the gun in Baker's face. "With this gun. Max Cavanaugh's 'stolen' service revolver. It wasn't stolen…Mom gave it to me. That night I showed up at her house. She knew about me…she knew what Max had done…gave me to those other people because I wasn't his son … She gave me the gun because Malden was already trying to kill me…and I was only 15….just 15, and he was trying to kill me…thought it may come out one day that I was his son and ruin his career. So Mom gave me the gun to protect myself. I had never handled a gun. She was showing me how…and it went off and killed her….I took the gun and ran…I vowed then that one day, Malden would be mine…he had taken everything from me, and I was going to take everything away from him. And I did. That night in Jordan's apartment. So if you want to know who killed Malden, Baker, you're looking at him. And here's the gun. And you can have it in just…just…a minute."

James put the gun to his own head. Everyone tried to reach him at once, but it was too late….the gun went off….and James lay dying in his own blood, at the DA's feet.

Ballistics had proved it. Nigel ran them three times to verify it. The bullet that killed Malden came from the gun that James had committed suicide with. With the bad publicity that had surrounded the events in the DA's office, the case was officially closed. James had killed Malden. All the details came out. Woody made sure of it. He didn't want anything to backlash and come back on Jordan ever again. With the blame fully laid on Malden's doorstep, perhaps her life could get back to order.

If they could ever find her.

No one knew where she had gone to. Bill Crahen was just a puzzled as everyone else. He had no idea where she was or how to reach her. "I'm at her mercy, guys. She has to contact me."

Woody had called Caroline and Kathleen. They said Jordan had left abruptly. She had resigned from the university, during the week of finals. She had left her tests for the substitute and that was about it. Said there was an emergency with her family back in the States. Everyone was very understanding. She had said she would call when she was settled. "I assumed that perhaps her father had taken ill…she wouldn't give details, just left in a terrible hurry," Caroline had said. Woody hadn't figured Jordan would give her family many details…it could endanger them.

Nigel searched. Nothing. It was as if she had fallen off the face of the earth again.

Meanwhile, the DA was being asked to resign as a result of his handling of the Malden case….a disturbed man had committed suicide and he had run one of the state's best ME's out of Massachusetts. Dr. Macy let his opinion of this be heard loud and long to anyone in the press who would listen. It was one of the first times Woody could remember that Garret had willingly talked to the press whenever they asked.

The DA had waffled on his resignation. But the chief had found ties between Baker and organized crime. Seems some "dirty money" from mobs had found it's way into Baker's campaign funds. And while he had been pursuing the Malden case with great energy and gusto, he had turned a blind eye to the extortion that was rising in Boston from organized crime. However, the chief had kept up with it and had quietly launched his own investigation. He had enough evidence to charge and arrest the DA before his resignation could be tenured.

So two mysteries had been solved….Emily's murder and Malden's murder…both linked by one man…James…who was now dead. Case closed. Problem solved. Mystery over?

Not hardly. Jordan was still no where to be found.