BROKEN MIND CH4
👉Read Chapter 3👈
Now Chapter 4
It was well past seven o'clock in the evening when Carla and Grayson walked into the West Gables Police Department squad room. The walls seemed brighter than she remembered and so did some of the faces. After she left, she heard that a lot of the old guys dissipated. Some transferred to other squads and other regions leaving room for newer, younger faces to crop up. Looking at them, Carla wondered if she was ever looked that green. Other cops burned out and left the job altogether, including Bolton, whose leg was never the same after their last encounter with the Magic City Serial. The rest were lifers married to the job and the uniform not wanting to part with either anytime soon. To those, she nodded her greeting.
Then there was Cordell, her old lieutenant. He was always thin and wispy but had a voice that could grate rocks when he got mad.
Walking from his office grinning he belted, "Welcome back, Special Agent Genny." His emphasis on her title made her smile. He was like a proud teacher welcoming a former student.
He and Carla shook hands.
He turned his eyes and hand to Grayson. "And Dr. Baxter. Ben can't stop showing off about how one of his best students had opened up his own practice and consulting. I want to deck him but he's just too damn...nice sometimes."
Grayson grinned remembering the story of how Ben had won their bet about him and Carla. It was a particular point of pride for his mentor.
Their jovial meeting was disturbed by a loud rankling following by a thunderous yell.
"Get me the fuck out of here!"
Grayson and Carla looked at each other and then at Cordell, who exhaled heavily.
Carla asked, "Is that--"
"Caleb Johnson. He's the suspect."
"You can't be serious," Carla mumbled.
The noise abated somewhat as they went into Cordell's office and he shut the door.
"We got a call late this afternoon from someone who saw him moving a girl's body. She's another one again apparently."
"Twice in a day?" Grayson exclaimed. It was not unheard of but still extremely rare for a serial to accelerate to such an extent.
"Yeah, well this time, she's all dead. Caleb was moving the body to the side of the road. The witness spied him and called from a pay phone. Someone walking her dog and didn't want to identify herself according to dispatch. We found him kneeling over her just looking. He didn't even flinch or run but he swears he's innocent. No matter what this doesn't look good."
"I bet the chief is in sour mood over this."
Cordell snorted. "If sour is your nice way of saying pissed as shit and ready to chew iron bolts, then he's a truck load of key limes sour. He swore over and over that it wasn't one of ours, that it couldn't be and with this, the press is going to dig up every fucking time we did anything wrong and run with it."
"Not just WGPD either. All of us in law enforcement will look like enemies of the people." Carla mused. Even though it was muffled, Caleb's rankling came in intense spurts. "But Caleb? He's got his ways. But a serial?"
"A lot's changed since you moved on up, Carla. For one. Caleb's been suspended pending evaluation."
Carla's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"
Cordell slowly nodded. "Over the past few months he's been roughing up suspects and getting in the faces of fellow officers. It came to a head when he clocked one of the rookies in full view of civilians a few days ago."
"Jesus," she exclaimed.
"Had to suspend him. We agreed to start with psych evals."
"Who's the doc?" Carla asked. "Maybe we can get some insight."
Grayson spoke up, "That would be me."
Carla turned to look at him and from the corner of her eye she saw Cordell's subtle nod.
"I can't break confidentiality about what was discussed but we're rescheduling his appointment."
"What happened?" Cordell asked flatly.
"Off the record?" Grayson asked and Cordell agreed. "He stormed out." The lieutenant swore heartily as he cradled the back of his head with interlocked fingers. Grayson continued. "I'm having Janice book another appointment. I put in a report that said there was a mix up at the office. It's covered."
"It's like he's losing his mind. You two know him. Carla, you better than Grayson. Decent cop. Average with some good spots. Some bright spots."
"Nothing that would spell serial rapist or killer on the surface." Carla added.
"Exactly!" Cordell exclaimed with a swift tap of his desk.
Carla's thought for a second her eyes downcast.
"Let me have a crack at him, Lieu." She was staring at Cordell when she asked and he knew her well enough to know the look. "I want to see how far I can push him. It's no secret he's got a bitter spot when it comes to me. I can use that."
"Fine. I'll try anything at this point since all he's been saying is he's innocent. You know what to do. I'll have the guys bring him to one of the rooms."
Cordell got up and left his office to talk to one of the officers.
When he was gone, Carla looked at Grayson. "So what really happened in your session with him?"
"Like you said, he's got a bitter spot and he let it rip this morning. I think he was saving it up for that long."
Carla hissed her teeth. "He's shooting himself and throwing away a decent career, pension..."
Just as Grayson was about to respond, Cordell swiftly tapped on the door jam. "Alright Carla, you're up. He's ready for you in room B"
Carla headed for room B while Grayson and Cordell found their way to the corresponding viewing room. Through the rectangular-shaped recessed glass, they looked on.
Caleb sat in his chair, his face dark and sneering. He had been in this room many times. Knew that he was being watched and it made him even angrier. What was more insulting, his hands were cuffed at the front like some common suspect. No respect, he thought.
When Carla walked in, he let out a bitter chuckle.
"Oh great," he spat. "If it isn't the other half of the perfect dynamic duo." Carla walked up to the table and grabbed a seat.
"Un-cuff him." she ordered with a confident nod and the officer who was tasked to stand watch complied. She sat down in front of him, hands clasped together, face serious as she peered at him.
Rubbing his wrists, he peered back at her. "So what, now? You come to get me to cop to something I didn't do or to pick up where you headshrinker boyfriend left off?"
"Shut up Caleb," Carla responded sharply. "You're an idiot, yes. A narcissistic asshole. Absolutely. But I never pegged you for a murderer much less a serial."
"I didn't kill that woman, Carla," he muttered between clenched teeth. He seemed a lot more subdued now that the cuffs were off.
"Then why the hell were you pulling her body? You're smart enough to get that whole 'disturbing the scene of a crime' concept. What the hell were you thinking?"
Without waiting for the beat of a breath, Caleb yelled, leaning forward. "I was thinking that there was this woman, dead, half naked in the road" He sat back, remembering the scene. He briefly closed his eyes, trying to push it away. "She didn't deserve to look like that." His voice was quieter this time. "I just wanted to move her to the side--"
"And what cover your tracks?"
Caleb slammed his closed fist on the table as he slowly got up to tower over her. From the corner of her eye, she could see the uniformed officer make a slight move, his eyes trained, his body ready. "I didn't kill that chick."
It was a power play that she wasn't about to play into.
Carla got up slowly and stood eye to eye with him. "Sit your ass down, Caleb." He didn't move. "I won't ask you again."
He slowly complied, keeping his eyes on her.
They were locked in a familiar dance with the exception that the one being led was used to being in the lead.
"So what?" Carla spat. "You were playing good Samaritan? Trying to give her some dignity."
"Yeah."
"I don't buy it." This wasn't going anywhere, she thought. He needs a prick. "You're what, thirty three, thirty-four now." Carla sat back, slightly narrowing her eyes. "Gettin' up there, aren't you? Still single from the looks of things." Carla let her eyes survey him judgmentally, in his full view.
"What are you driving at, Genny?"
"You're set in your ways. Married to the job. Must be hard to get some girl to—"
"I get plenty of tail. I don't need to rape anyone."
"And how many of tails stick around past the morning after, Caleb? What looks good at midnight can look pretty shitty in the morning light, know what I mean?" Caleb leaned back with his arms folded, shaking his head and laughing. "Maybe you wanted more, she said no, things got out of hand--"
"No."
"You've been roughing up suspects, fellow officers, what's some woman who wanted nothing more than to run from your bed or hell, not wanting to get laid by you in the first place."
"Not even close to true. And you know it."
"Me?"
"Yes, you know I could never murder someone, like that."
"Then how would you murder them, Caleb?"
"Now you're just twisting my words."
"You said you didn't do it. Swear you wouldn't do it. So why were you there, Caleb? Why were you in that particular spot?"
He pulled back slightly, saying nothing and turning his eyes elsewhere. There it was. That wall every cop is trained to raise when things got too heated and internal affairs got involved. But she wasn't IA and this wasn't some political attack against the wall of blue.
"Help yourself, here, Caleb. You know what you're looking at. The badge you carry, used to carry, can only stretch so far."
Mentioning the badge got his attention. Caleb's lips curled as he folded his arms.
"I was just walking," he responded in a low, tight tone.
"You were just walking, happened upon a body, half-dressed in the road, decided to move her to the side and kneel over her in prayer or forgiveness or whatever? C'mon Caleb, not even you're stupid enough to believe that shit."
"I told you I didn't do it." He grounded out the words. Carla could tell he was getting annoyed.
"And your story is starting to get on my nerves. You sound like a parrot. The Caleb I know would at least lie better. You? You don't even have the balls to help yourself."
"Balls," His once downward eyes moved to hers as his voice crescendoed. "You want balls Carla? I got plenty and I bet they're bigger than your boyfriend's."
Caleb lunged at Carla. She deftly deflected as the uniformed officer grabbed him by the scruff and placing enough weight on his forearm to mute Caleb's mighty struggle. Carla grabbed the cuffs from the officer's belt and ringed Caleb's hands behind his back. Just as other officers filed in, she whispered something in Caleb's ear that made him growl even more. It took two officers to hold him steady while he writhed in frustration, his eyes wild.
Carla stepped out of the room and gathered herself. Times like this when she missed being a cop, not that MBI didn't give her her share of action at times.
She walked into the viewing room and saw Cordell's smile of approval.
Grayson's eyes, however were anything but victorious.
"I know it's your job but I don't think I'll ever get used to that." He muttered.
Carla heard relief in his breath as his eyes looked less worried.
"It's okay, Gray," she reassured. "I had it and him under control."
She looked at Caleb steadily through the glass and then turned to Cordell.
"After all that, you got what I got?"
Cordell nodded curtly. "He's definitely covering for someone he knows. He very well could have been an accessory this whole time. Right under our noses."
Carla added, "Now we need to figure out how can we break him."
