The Soul Catcher - Alex Kava [113]
“Pretty easy to recognize some of these good Christian boys,” Ben told them. “When I was at the District rally, Saturday night, I heard them talking about some kind of initiation they were planning in Boston Common on Tuesday. I played my hunch that it might be something interesting.”
“Funny how you didn’t mention that to me. You didn’t even mention that you had been at that rally,” Racine said.
“Didn’t seem important at the time.”
“Even though you knew you had photos of the dead girl attending the rally?”
“I took lots of photos over the weekend. Maybe I didn’t know exactly what or who I had shot.”
“Just like you didn’t know that you hadn’t turned over all the film you shot at the crime scene?”
He smiled again and shrugged.
“Was Everett in Boston?” O’Dell asked as she picked up each photo, carefully scrutinized it, then moved on to the next.
“No sign of him, but I heard them talking like maybe he was.” He pointed to Brandon in several of the Boston photos and in the District one. “This one seemed to be in charge. They were all drunk. You can see in one of the photos that they had beer bottles and were spraying the women.”
“I don’t believe this,” Racine said. “Where were the cops?”
“It was a Tuesday afternoon. Who knows? I didn’t see any around.”
“And you just watched?” O’Dell was staring at him now as if she was trying to figure him out.
“No, I took pictures. It’s my job. It’s what I do.”
“They were attacking these girls, and you just stood around and took pictures?”
“When I’m behind the lens, I’m not there as a participant. I’m there to record and capture what’s going on.”
“How could you do nothing?” O’Dell wasn’t going to give it up. He could hear the anger in her voice.
“You don’t get it. If I had put down my camera, you wouldn’t have these fucking photos so you can now go out and charge these motherfuckers.”
“If you had put down your camera and tried to stop them, maybe we wouldn’t need any photos. Maybe those girls wouldn’t have had to go through this.”
“Oh, right. Like this is my fault. Let me tell you, it takes a lot more work and planning to make news happen, Ms. FBI Agent. I record the images. I capture the emotions. I’m not a part of what happens. I’m a part of the instruments. I’m fucking invisible when I’m behind the camera. Look, you’ve got your photos. I’m outta here.”
He grabbed his duffel bag, stuffed his camera and lens inside and started to leave, expecting one of them to stop him. Instead, they were both busy examining the photos. Racine was already jotting down notes.
Fuck them! If they didn’t get it, he didn’t need to explain it. He left, a bit disappointed that even the Neanderthal wasn’t around for him to shove or at least flip off. Guess Racine won this round.
CHAPTER 59
“Do you believe this?” Racine said, standing over the pictures and shaking her head as if she was truly having a tough time believing it. “You think this is what happens to them?”
Without any more of an explanation, Maggie knew Racine was talking about the murdered women: Ginny Brier, the transient they had found under the viaduct and the floater in Raleigh. And now, after talking to Tully, they could add this poor woman whom the Boston PD had just identified as a stockbroker named Maria Leonetti to their list.
“Is it possible?” Racine continued when Maggie didn’t answer. “Could it be some savage initiation? Some rite of passage for Everett’s young male members?”
“I don’t know,” Maggie finally said. “I almost hope not.”
“It would sure answer a lot of questions. Like why they weren’t killed right away. You know. Some crazy game they play with them. And it makes sense that it would coincide with the rallies.”
“But there was no rally in Boston,” Maggie reminded her.
The two women fell silent again, standing side by side, staring at the