Murder Inside the Beltway - Margaret Truman [111]
Sue broke down. “I’m sorry, but this is all so difficult.”
“I understand, ma’am,” Kloss said. “Only a few more minutes, Samantha. Did they say anything that might help us know who they were or what they wanted? Did they say anything about why they took you?”
“They said it was for business,” she replied. “They said that they were going to let me go because the business was over.”
“Business? Did they say what sort of business?”
“No.” She turned to her mother. “Mommy, I’m so tired.”
“Please,” Jerry Rollins said.
“Of course,” Kloss said. “Get her to bed. We’ll talk more when she’s rested.”
As Mr. and Mrs. Rollins started up the stairs with their daughter, Kloss called after them, “Mr. Rollins, I’d like time with you once she’s tucked in.”
Kloss took Jackson and Hall aside. “What do you figure happened?” he asked. “They hold the kid for days, then drop her at a church with a cell phone to call home. No ransom demands, no nothing, just some vague comment about business being done.”
Matt and Mary looked at each other before Jackson said, “I don’t know for sure what’s going down, Detective, but I have a few ideas.”
“Lay ’em on me,” said Kloss. “I’m all ears.”
THIRTY-SIX
With Hall at his side, Jackson related to Kloss everything he’d learned about the tapes and his suspicions about Walt Hatcher’s involvement with them and with Rosalie Curzon. Kloss listened without interrupting. When Jackson finished, Kloss summed up for himself what he’d heard.
“You say that Hatcher was shaking down the murder victim and others,” he said. “Hatcher knew of the existence of the tapes, and that Governor Colgate was caught on one of them. And Hatcher threatened this other call girl, the Simmons woman, that if she talked she’d end up like her friend, Ms. Curzon?”
Jackson affirmed.
“You know, Matt, accusing a fellow officer of committing a crime carries with it an extra weight. Hatcher has had a long career with MPD, and plenty of decorations. You’d better be sure of your facts.”
“We are.”
“And you think Mr. Rollins might have used the tapes as ransom to get his daughter back.”
“I don’t know that,” Jackson quickly said, “but considering the unusual circumstances of her return, it’s a possibility.”
“If you’re right, Rollins put himself in one hell of a dilemma. What do you think, that Hatcher ended up with the tapes and passed them along to Rollins?”
“I doubt if he passed them along,” Jackson said. “Sold them, is more like it.”
“Which put Rollins between that classic rock and a hard place. Turn over those tapes to save your daughter and in the process sink your best friend’s chances of winning the White House.”
“Really no choice when it comes down to it,” Mary offered.
“No, I suppose not,” Kloss agreed. “I think we need a serious talk with Mr. Rollins when he comes down.”
Other officers had packed up the monitoring gear and their personal belongings, and departed, leaving Kloss, Jackson, and Hall to question Rollins. Kloss took the lead, while Jackson and Hall sat quietly across the dining room table. They were impressed with Kloss’s approach. There wasn’t a hint from the wily detective that he knew anything of the tapes that might have led to Samantha’s release. He was gentle, yet firm, a skilled interviewer.
“Obviously, Mr. Rollins,” Kloss said, “there’s been a happy ending to this unfortunate event.”
“Thank God,” Rollins said.
“Your daughter seems fine. I’m sure you and Mrs. Rollins were pleased to hear her say that she hadn’t been mistreated.”
“Something else to be thankful for.”
“Detectives Jackson, Hall, and I have been trying to come up with a rationale for them releasing Samantha at this particular time. Your daughter mentioned that her captors talked about some sort of business having to be concluded before they could return her.”
“Yes.”
“Do you have any idea what they meant by that, what sort of business they were referring to?”
“I haven’t the slightest idea,” Rollins replied.
“I’m sure you can understand, sir, the reason for our confusion. We’ve felt all along that the abduction was a professional job.