Ashlyn looked out the large windows of her office directly at the sun-drenched city across the street to the small café. It was well attended, as it was every morning when the weather was nice, and there was only one free table left. For a moment, Ashlyn wondered if she should take a few files and continue working there. The fresh air would do her good, and a change of scenery couldn't hurt either. But before she could put the thought into action, her cell phone rang.
"Mom," she greeted her mother with a hint of a smile. "What can I do for you so early in the morning?"
"This early in the morning, you're funny," Maggie replied with a laugh, and after looking at the clock, Ashlyn immediately knew why. Maggie's day regularly starts at 7:30 a.m. with a morning meeting with her team.
"However, the reason I'm calling is less positive. I just got a call from Kate. She still had some documents but nothing that would give us any significant new information. Her notes only show what happened then and that Cantu was in charge of the youth welfare office. But we already knew that from Micaela."
"That's right," Ashlyn sighed after a moment's thought. Nothing really new, but at least it's confirmation from a different source. To be on the safe side, she asked again: "Kate probably doesn't have any other information or contacts that could give us a few more details, like the name of another employee or something?"
"I asked her," Maggie replied. "Unfortunately, she didn't have anything. The presentation and some research were still there, but she unfortunately disposed of the rest during her last move."
"Well, nothing can be done about it," Ashlyn replied, and in an attempt to find a positive side to the situation, she added, 'But at least Kate confirmed our suspicion that Cantu was involved in the case.'
"She did. And I wanted to ask you about that, too," Maggie replied. "Have you met with Micaela yet?"
"No, not yet. I still need Dominic's documents to follow Cantus' trail on the Darknet. Our informant is working on processing them so that the DA's Office can use them. It's not that easy. They don't call it the Darknet for nothing. Understandably, he doesn't want to share his secrets about how he got the data anyway. But he promised us that we would get a package from him today. And I will hand that over to Micaela myself tomorrow. And maybe we can also get something out of the youth welfare office."
xxx
Dominic stood in front of the office where he had an appointment with Monica Johnston, the head of the youth welfare office responsible for Garner's case. Contrary to his expectations—he had expected the worst after the interview in the Boston Observer—the almost forty-year-old blonde woman greeted him with a friendly smile. She was casually elegant in her dark blue jeans, light blouse, and blue blazer.
"Mr. Burke?" she asked, and when he nodded, she pointed to one of the two chairs across from her desk. 'My name is Monica Johnston, I run the local Children's Services Department. You're working with Attorney O'Laighin on Mr. Garner's case, aren't you?' she asked, apparently to ensure she had the right person in front of her.
"Yes, that's right. And thank you for taking the time to see me on such short notice."
"Well, this is quite a big deal, so of course, we'd like to help in any way we can. But please have a seat first."
After they had both sat down and Johnston had offered Dominic some water, she got straight to the point: "You already hinted on Thursday that it was about the placement of Tim Garner with his foster father at the time. I want to be completely honest with you. As much as it may reflect badly on my agency, I will do everything I can to finally solve the case. After Tim Garner's interview yesterday, anything else would be irrelevant." She paused briefly, only to correct herself if she had chosen the right words. "I mean, of course, that we would do everything we can, regardless of the interview. Either way. It would be absurd not to do it after the interview, I mean."
"Amazing," Dominic thought. She seems open and honest as if she really wants to help. On the other hand, she seems very concerned about what she says and tries to protect the interests of her agency. That makes sense. Let's see where this leads.
"I'm glad," he replied sympathetically. "And to ensure everything is in order, I've brought you a letter from Ms. O'Laighin, including a copy of Mr. Garner's power of attorney. In the letter, she requests, in the name and on behalf of Mr. Garner, to inspect all documents relating to Mr. Garner's placement with his foster father at the time.
Dominic handed the papers across the desk. Johnston reached for her reading glasses, which were lying on the left side of her desk, and briefly scanned the documents.
"Excellent, then everything is in order." She put the glasses back on and looked at the PI with determination. 'So, I'll do the following. I'll find all the documents that could have any connection to the events of that time and send them to you.'
"That sounds good," Dominic agreed. "And how long will that take, roughly?"
"Well, since the documents are only available in paper form and we first have to find the records, it will probably take us a day or two. Then we should have everything together."
"Great," Dominic replied. "That's what we'll do. And what do you think of the following idea? Send me copies of the excerpts, and call me when you've found all the files. I could then look at everything directly with you. And maybe you can also give me the contact information for one of the employees involved." He paused briefly and looked Johnston directly in the eye. "Of course, only if you find the relevant data."
Monica Johnston seemed to hesitate slightly for a moment. Then she agreed and promised to let him know. After they had said goodbye, Dominic walked down the hall towards the exit.
Unusual, he thought. I've never received help from an authority so quickly and easily. Let's see if it continues this way.
xxx
Political parties have been allowed to campaign for the upcoming election since that weekend. As always, they made full use of it this year.
Shaking his head, Marcus Cantu looked at the colorful sea of hundreds of posters, most of which showed the smiling faces of the candidates vying for votes in the respective districts. The messages they used to attract votes were arbitrary and interchangeable. A regional television station had made fun of this by randomly reading the core message of the current campaigns to passers-by and asking which party they belonged to. Over fifty percent of the answers were wrong, providing a frighteningly clear example of the quality of advertising. And the clarity of the parties' positioning. Since then, the differences between the parties have become increasingly blurred as they have listened more and more to the results of opinion polls and, depending on the respective trend, have hung their flag in the wind.
Marcus Cantu was more than aware of this fact. He knew that it was no longer the party programs that decided elections but the top candidates themselves. Moreover, most candidates did not win favor with voters by taking a stand but benefited from their opponents' mistakes—and they all made mistakes. Cantus' previous cautious tactic of keeping a low profile with polarizing statements was a complete success.
However, after the Garner interview, he knew he would not be able to get away with it for much longer, so it was time to go on the offensive.
xxx
Maggie watched with interest as she had done since the TV was installed at the front of her office last year. Since the rise of the crime wave, local Boston TV stations have been reporting an increasing number of deaths related to crime. And not infrequently, these had a direct connection to her work. If she didn't even do the autopsy herself. Although she was about to finish her work for the day, the current program caught her attention. She reached for the remote control and turned up the volume.
"And now I am delighted to introduce a special guest who has spontaneously decided to join us today: the Senator for Internal Affairs, Marcus Cantu."
"Thank you for having me here today," Cantu replied, shaking the male presenter's hand and smiling at the camera.
"Of course," replied the presenter, and the two sat on the red, semicircular sofa.
"Senator, you decided to pay us a spontaneous visit. You want to comment on the events that have dominated public discussion in Boston since yesterday. It's about the Garner case."
"Exactly," Cantu replied. "But before we talk about it, I would first like to pay tribute to Mr. Garner for bravely and openly talking about his childhood and the situation at the time. It certainly wasn't easy, and I applaud him for taking this step." Cantu paused and looked at the moderator, who nodded in agreement and then directly into the camera.
"I believe this inglorious chapter of Boston history must finally be fully investigated." He paused again, obviously to emphasize his words.
Maggie put her pen down on the table before her and listened intently.
What on earth is Cantu up to?
"And you may be surprised to hear that I have a personal interest in this case being solved," Cantu continued as if he had read Maggie's mind.
Now, it was the moderator who looked at Cantu in astonishment. 'I didn't know that, actually,' he said, looking through his moderation cards as if hoping to find a corresponding note.
"I was in a position of responsibility in the youth welfare office at the time," Cantu continued. "That was even before I decided to go into politics. Back then, there were a lot of controversial decisions. It was a different time."
The moderator raised his eyebrows, as he hadn't anticipated this turn of events. "You were involved in this case back then?" he asked. "In the Garner case?"
"Involved is perhaps not the right word," Cantu replied, calm and confident. "It would suggest that I deliberately got involved in these unfortunate incidents. Rather, it was unfortunately the case that, as the head of a department at the youth welfare office, I was ordered to participate in the Granther experiment. As much as I personally resisted it, in the end, I had to follow the instructions of my superiors. Nevertheless, some of my colleagues and I, whose commitment should not go unmentioned, did everything in our power to protect the children in our care. In the Garner case and in other cases." Cantu looked down briefly, appearing concerned and struggling momentarily to maintain his composure. Then, sternly, he looked up again, directly into the camera. "And as I have now learned, that was not enough. So I promise here and now that we, my entire team and I personally, will do everything we can to bring this matter to light. And I will ensure that all those who were wronged at the time receive redress."
Cantu nodded at the camera while he spoke, and the moderator joined in the nodding.
What a clever bastard you are, Maggie thought and shook her head. You have at least tolerated this whole thing, probably even supported or even initiated it, and now you're acting like a great enlightener. Unbelievable but clever.
When the interview ended five minutes later, Maggie turned off the TV, packed up her things, and left her office and the BPD, deep in thought.
What twist would there be in this crazy case?