The Crucifix Killer

Thirty-Three

The next day started with Hunter and Garcia taking a drive up to George Slater’s house in Brentwood.

‘Wow, this looks nice,’ Garcia said, admiring the striking building. Even by the lofty standards of Hollywood the house was impressive. It was positioned at the end of a narrow lane, shadowed by oak trees. The carved lintels and immaculate white front made the house stand out on a street of distinguished residences. On the east side of the house, overlooking a gorgeous garden was a detached double garage.

‘Being a lawyer has its advantages I guess,’ Hunter replied as he parked his car on the driveway. They made their way along the cobblestone walkway, up the small flight of stairs to the front door and pressed the ‘call’ button on the video-entry system.

‘Yes,’ the reply came just a few seconds later.

Both detectives lifted their badges to the small camera on the wall and introduced themselves.

‘Can you give me just a minute?’ The voice was soft and feminine, but Hunter detected the slight quiver that came from having cried for hours.

‘Of course, ma’am.’

They waited patiently for almost a minute before they heard the sound of approaching footsteps. The door opened to reveal a very attractive woman with golden blond hair that she had up in a slicked-back bun. Her lipstick was a pale shade of red and her make-up subtle, just not enough to disguise the dark circles under her sad hazel eyes. Hunter put her age at around thirty-two. She was wearing a light black chiffon dress that suited her body perfectly. Her grief made her looked tired and frazzled.

‘Hello!’ She had a stunning presence about her, with a sort of delicate superiority. Her posture was perfect.

‘Thank you for seeing us, Mrs Slater, I hope this is not too much of an inconvenient time.’

Catherine forced a shy smile and stepped aside. ‘Please come in.’

The house had a hint of scented candles, jasmine perhaps, but the air inside felt cold and impersonal. The walls were white and Hunter noticed the even whiter squares revealing where pictures had once hung.

She showed them into what looked to have been an office. The book shelves were now empty and the sofa and armchair were covered with large white dustsheets. The room was brightly lit as the curtain that once protected it from the sunlight had been taken down. Cardboard boxes scattered around the room completed the ‘moving away’ decoration.

‘I’m sorry about the mess,’ she said, pulling the dustsheets from over the sofa and placing them behind the large hardwood desk that stood just a few feet from the window. ‘Please have a seat.’

Hunter and Garcia took the sofa while Catherine sat in the armchair opposite them. She noticed the inquisitive look on Hunter’s face and offered an answer even before the question.

‘I’m moving back to Alabama. I’ll stay with my parents for a little while until I decide what to do. I have no business here anymore, the only reason I came to LA was so George could take a position with Tale & Josh,’ she said in a sad and fragile voice. ‘Can I get you anything to drink? Coffee, tea?’

‘No thank you. We’re OK.’

Catherine tried to renew her smile but her lips simply faded into a thin line. ‘George loved a cup of tea in the afternoon,’ she whispered.

‘How long have you lived in LA, Mrs Slater?’

‘We moved here two and a half years ago, and please, call me Catherine.’

‘And your husband had a job with Tale & Josh from the start?’

‘Yes,’ she replied with a slight nod.

‘Did he follow a common routine? I mean other than work, did he regularly go to any other places like sports clubs, bars, nightclubs?’

‘George never had much time for anything, he was always working. He would stay late in the office at least three times a week. He didn’t go to any sports club or gym. He’d never been a very physically active person.’ Catherine’s gaze wandered towards the window and she seemed to stare at nothing for a while. ‘The only social engagement he liked to keep was his Tuesday-night poker game.’ Her eyes started to get tearful and she reached for the box of tissues on the desk.

Hunter and Garcia exchanged a quick, tense look. ‘Do you know who he played poker with? Was it work friends or…?’

‘Yes, other lawyers from his firm. Maybe some other people, but I can’t be sure.’

‘Have you ever met any of them?’

‘I’ve met other lawyers from Tale & Josh, yes.’

‘I mean, have you ever met any of your husband’s poker buddies?’

‘I’ve never been to any poker night if that’s what you’re asking.’

Hunter detected a tone of arrogance in her voice. ‘Do you know where they played? Was it a club, someone’s house?’

‘George told me that every week they played in a different house. They took turns hosting it.’

‘Really? How about here? Did you ever host it?’

‘No. I wouldn’t let him.’

‘And why is that?’ Garcia asked surprised.

Catherine’s eyes still showed the signs of fought-back tears. She looked dazed and still in shock. ‘I’m a Christian, Detective Garcia, and I don’t approve of gambling. Even though George had sworn there was no money involved, I just wouldn’t have it in my house.’

‘No money?’

‘No. He said they did it for the social aspect of it.’ She pulled a new tissue from the box and softly brought it to the corner of her eyes. ‘He hasn’t gambled for many years.’

Garcia raised his eyebrows in surprise. ‘Did he used to gamble?’ he asked.

‘Years ago. But he gave it up after we met. I asked him to.’

‘Casinos?’

She hesitated for a moment as if what she was about to say embarrassed her. ‘No, dog-racing… greyhounds.’

Hunter swallowed dry. ‘Greyhounds? Are you sure?’ The surprise in his voice more than evident.

‘Yes, I’m sure.’

Garcia shivered.

‘And are you sure he’d given it up? I mean, are you sure he hadn’t been to any greyhound tracks lately?’

Catherine looked staggered by the question. ‘Yes, I’m sure. He promised me. Why would he break his promise?’ Her voice full of conviction.

‘Maybe he was betting over the internet instead of going to this poker game,’ Garcia suggested, and immediately bit his lower lip realizing the sort of accusation he’d just made.

‘What? Why would he do that?’ Catherine sounded deeply offended by Garcia’s insinuation.

‘Catherine…’ This time there was real concern in Hunter’s voice. ‘We spent most of yesterday at Tale & Josh, talking to everyone who had ever met George. From the partners themselves to the mail boy. No one knows anything about a Tuesday-night poker game.’

‘What? Of course they do, they must…’ The tremor in her voice gave away how shocked she was by Hunter’s statement.

‘Can you think of a name? Someone you think would be part of his poker group of friends?’

‘I don’t know,’ she said, visibly shaking.

‘According to everyone we talked to, no one has ever played poker with your husband and they never even knew he played on Tuesday evenings.’

‘They’re lying, they must be.’ She buried her face in her hands unable to fight the tears. When Catherine looked up again, her mascara had just started to run giving her a Gothic look. ‘Why would he lie?’

‘As Garcia said, he could’ve been gambling again and he was too embarrassed to admit it.’

‘No, I know he wouldn’t do that. He wasn’t gambling. That’s all in the past.’ Catherine was adamant.

Hunter scratched his head, uncomfortable with what he was about to ask. ‘How was your relationship with George? Could he be seeing someone?’

The shock of Hunter’s allusion made Catherine gag. ‘What are you saying? That George was having an affair? That he was lying to me so he could spend Tuesday nights with another woman?’

‘I’m sorry, but we have to look at every possibility, Catherine, and affairs are a very common thing in LA.’

‘But George wasn’t from LA. He was a good man, a good husband. He respected me. We had a good marriage.’ She had to pause for another tissue as the tears were now streaming down her face. ‘Why are you doing this to me? You should be out there looking for the monster who did that to my husband, not accusing him of being unfaithful.’

‘I’m… I’m really sorry,’ Hunter said, feeling terrible for what he’d just said. ‘I assure you, we’re doing everything we can.’

‘And then some…’ Garcia complemented Hunter’s assertion. They both sat in silence staring at Catherine. Her pain so contagious it made the room feel small and dark.

‘They told me he was murdered, that someone did that to him, but how can it be?’ she said with a hysterical edge to her voice. ‘George wasn’t shot, he wasn’t stabbed, he was infected with a deadly virus. Who kills someone like that? And why?’ Catherine broke down. Her head was back in-between her hands, her body shaking.

Hunter wished there was something he could say that would bring her some comfort. How could he tell her that he’d been after this killer for over two years and yet he had come no closer to catching him?

‘I’m truly sorry.’ Hunter could think of nothing else to say.

‘Catherine,’ Garcia took over. ‘We’re not gonna pretend we know all the answers, but I give you my word that we won’t rest until we catch this guy.’

‘I’m sorry, this has all been too much for me, I loved him very much,’ Catherine said in-between sobs.

‘We understand and we won’t take any more of your time. Just one last question,’ Hunter said, walking over to her. ‘Have you ever seen this symbol?’ He showed her a sketch of the double-crucifix.

She stared at it for a few seconds.

‘No… never… what is it?’

‘Nothing really, we found it around the park so I wondered if it meant anything to you… or George. Look, if you need anything, or if you just feel like talking, please don’t hesitate to call me.’ He handed her one of his cards.

‘Thank you,’ she whispered.

‘We’ll see ourselves out.’