KENHARDT - Secrets 38

Joe looked through Irving’s file. The detective on the case back then had interviewed nearly everyone in Irving’s Life, similar to what Joe was doing now with the Anya, Haddie and Kiera. Of all the friends, family members, co - workers, and neighbours on that list, there were only a select few that were still alive and in Kenhardt.

One had died in a motorcycle accident a few years after Irving’s murder. Another had passed away of a heart attack. His family members were long gone. So that left a few friends, neighbours, and co - workers.

Joe began speaking to them one - by - one, starting with an elderly man by the name of Henry Venter. Henry had worked with Irving for five years before the murder. They became close friends through their job.

Henry said that the two would get together on weekends, have a drink or two, and hangout with some of their friends. This included other co - workers as well as the townspeople of Kenhardt. Everyone was close, Henry had said, describing the quaint, tight - knit community that Joe had become so familiar with these past eleven days.

Henry told him stories. Work disasters gone wrong, double dates ending in failures. He talked about fishing trips and boat rides, drunken nights and hangovers that lasted days. He told Joe about their dreams and aspirations. Both Mark and Henry had family roots here in Kenhardt, and while they both dreamed and imagined themselves elsewhere - living in the big city even - they both knew that they would remain in Kenhardt. For it was their home. It was what they were accustomed to. And they loved it there.

‘Was Mark ever violent? Did he show any signs of aggression?’ Joe asked.

‘Not at all,’ Henry said, taking a drag from his cigarette. They were sitting on his front porch, watching the rain pour from the sky.

‘I knew some mean men in my time, but Mark Irving was not one of them. He was a hilarious fella. Always cracking’ Jokes and entertaining’ the guys at work.’

‘And what about when he drank?’ Joe asked. ‘Maybe he had a different side to him? Got violent or angry? Maybe acted stupid?’

Again, Henry was shaking his head. ‘Not Mark. I can assure you, Detective, Mark was a good guy. Wouldn’t hurt a fly.’

There had to be something he was missing. Joe was certain that he was onto something. There was a pattern. The victims were bad men. The unsub was a vigilante. He was killing for a reason. But perhaps he was getting it wrong. Perhaps Mark Irving wasn’t angry or violent. Two of the victim’s may have been abusive, but then there was Mike Darby, who wasn’t abusive, but rather, accidentally killed a family of four and got away with it.

Joe might have been looking for the wrong signs. What everyone was saying about Mark might have been true. He was a good guy - a nice man. Friendly, charming, helpful. But underneath it all, there was a secret he was hiding, something that nobody knew about. And while that idea proved useful in Joe’s head, it had made this case even more difficult to solve. Because if Irving was as good at keeping Secrets as Joe thought, then how was he ever supposed to find out what it was exactly that he was hiding?

He needed to find out. It was the cipher to cracking this whole thing. Mark Irving was significant for a reason. He was the first victim. Overkill, Seven stab wounds to the chest. What did that mean? Why did the unsub choose him?

Joe was back at Gus’s place. It was approaching three o’clock and Joe was going over everything he had gathered today. His talk with Kristen Botha, his visit with Henry Williams and a few other’s that were friends with Irving, And still there was nothing conclusive.

Joe was looking at the photo’s of the crime scenes again, going over anything he might have missed. He was looking at Irving; the bloody mess, the stab wounds, the word written beside the body in black marker; SAD. Suddenly, Joe sat up straight, looking closer at the photo.

‘Gus,’ Joe said. “The signature,’ he handed him the photo.

‘What about it?’ Gus asked, taking the photo and examining it.

‘We had it all wrong,’ Joe said. ‘I mean, you guys did. Back then. What reason did the unsub write ‘SAD’ beside the victim’s bodies?’

‘Remorse,’ Gus said. ‘We concluded that the unsub was a sociopath who felt obligated to kill. Leaving this one word was his way of telling us that he was sorry, that he didn’t have a choice. That he in fact did feel some sort of empathy towards the victim’s. And it was also his signature to let us know that this was all him. He might have felt bad, but he still wanted credit for those murders.’

Joe nodded as a smile began to form on his face. ‘Exactly,’ he said. ‘You guys had his M.O all wrong. We now know that he wasn’t a sadistic sociopath who felt obligated to kill. This was a vigilante. He was killing for the good of society.’

Gus was nodding, following along. ‘You’re right. We Didn’t have the circumstances correct, and therefore, we concluded the signature was something completely off.’

‘So what does the signature mean then?’ Joe asked. ‘He’s not SAD. Unless he’s sad that it had to come to this. That these men were corrupt in some way.’

‘No,’ Gus said. ‘It has to be more than that. SAD isn’t an emotion - it means something else, something more personal to the unsub. There is no sadness here. He is bragging, showing off what he has done. Look, I took down the bad guys.’

It could be short for something.’ Joe suggested.

‘Sad,’ Gus said aloud. ‘Short for sadism?’

‘But he wasn’t a sadist,’ Joe said. ‘He Didn’t receive pleasure or gratification from the kills, He did it because he believed they deserved it. The killer believed that since the law wasn’t convicting these men, it was up to him.’

Gus nodded. ‘So it not sadism, what else could it be short for?’

‘Maybe not short for something,’ Joe said.

‘What about an abbreviation, What does SAD stand for?’

‘Seasonal Affective Disorder?’ Gus suggested.

‘But it was summer when the murders happened.’

Gus thought. “There are many abbreviations for SAD.

‘Singles Awareness Day,’ Joe said. They both laughed.

‘Social Anxiety Disorder,’ Gus suggested.

‘Perhaps,’ Joe said, ‘But what is the relevance?’

‘The unsub could have been suffering from anxiety and other mental illnesses.’

Joe thought about this but wasn’t convinced. ‘What about the modes of killing? Stabbing, suffocation, strangulation and shooting. They all begin with the letter S. Could that be significant?’

‘Perhaps,’ Gus said. ‘Asphyxiation, maybe. Stabbing, asphyxiation…’

‘S and A,’ Joe said. ‘But no D.’

Gus shook his head. ‘Unless you can come up with another word for suffocation or shooting.’

‘Dismembering?’ Joe suggested.

‘Drowning? No…’

‘It’s not the modes.’ Gus said. ‘But maybe something to do with the deaths. Seven men dead. Seven starts with an S.’

‘Seven Are Dead,’ Joe said.

Gus made a face. “But would he have known that from the beginning? With the first victim?’

‘IF he had the hit - list all along,’ Joe said.

They sat there in silence, thinking.

‘Search And Destroy,’ Gus suggested.

Joe turned to him, intrigued. ‘That makes more sense. Search And Destroy. SAD.’

‘It’s a military term,’ Gus said. ‘The victims are his targets. And it’s duty to seek them out and annihilate them.’

‘He could be a soldier then?’ Joe said.

‘Special ops?’

‘It could make sense,’ Gus said. ‘Given the subject matter, Although, it would be more likely he was a soldier or a seal, not special ops. The level of killing would be more advanced, more meticulous and precise. Now, the latter six were that exactly, It’s the first one that was messy and hesitant.’

‘Right,’ Joe said. ’Okay, this is good, This is progress.’

‘We don’t even know if that’s what SAD means,’ Gus said, ’It’s speculation.’

‘Yes,’ Joe said. ’But right now, speculation is all we got.’

They had been researching Kenhardt’s populace and going through files upon files. They were looking for victims, children of abuse, someone with a military background - anyone who might have had a motive to murder seven men in cold blood.

So far the search had come up empty. Only three men from Kenhardt were in the army, and two of them were dead. The third wasn’t even residing in Kenhardt during the times of the murders, Joe couldn’t even be sure that the unsub was military. Every lead they followed was guesswork, and nothing was guaranteed.

‘I don’t know who else I can talk to,’ Joe said.

‘What about that reporter?’ Gus suggested.

‘Maybe give him an update and see if he knows anything.’

Since there was nothing else that he could do, Joe grabbed his cell phone and dialled Gil Vanhorn’s phone number. He picked up after the fourth ring.

‘Hello,’ he said.

‘Gilm’ Joe said. ‘It’s detective O’Reily.’

“Ah, good to hear from you son. You crack the case yet?’

‘Not yet, I’m afraid. That’s actually why I’m calling. I wanted to bounce a few ideas off of you.’

‘Go for it.’

‘So we made a bit of a break through,’ Joe said. ‘We figured out that the unsub was a vigilante.’

‘A vigilante? don’t they go after criminals of sorts?’

‘Yes,’ Joe said. ‘Vigilante killers tend to watch from the fringes of society. They see injustices happening decide to take matters into their own hands.’

‘So how do you figure your guy was a vigilante then?’

‘Well, it turns out that Kenhardt’s Best and Brightest weren’t as good as everyone made them out to be,’ Joe said. ‘I found things that they were hiding. - Secrets and vices that no one else knew about. So far I’ve got stuff on three of them, but I bet if I keep digging, I can find more.’

‘What kind of stuff are we talking about here?’ Gill asked.

‘Two were abusive to their wives and kids. The other, Darby, was involved in a cover - up back in ‘54. Drunk driving accident where he killed a family of four.’

‘You Don’t say…’

‘It’s definitely not what I expected,’ Joe said.

The line was quiet for a moment, ‘You speak to anyone from that family that was killed? Could it be connected somehow?’

‘That’s what we thought too, but no luck there, I was trying to track down more people with a direct correlation to Darby, but the family of the brother that died didn’t even know Darby’s name.’

‘Okay,’ Gil said. ‘So where are you at now>‘

‘Now, we’re on the signature, Tell me again - what was the purpose of leaving ‘SAD’ behind at the crime scenes.?’

‘A sign of remorse. His signature.’

‘Right,’ Joe said. ‘Well, now that we know we’re dealing with a vigilante, that means nothing. No remorse here.’

‘Interesting,’ Gil remarked, ‘So what does ‘SAD’ mean then?’

‘That’s what we’re trying to figure out. Could be short for something. Or an abbreviation. Any ideas?’

Gil exhaled. ‘I have no idea.’

‘Gus Francis thinks it could be an abbreviation for Search And Destroy. Our guy could be military.’

‘Could be,’ Gil said, ‘You’ll need to go through all the OLD records.’

‘We have been,’ Joe said. ‘No luck. That’s why I thought I’d give you a ring. Did you know anyone in Kenhardt during that time that was in the army? Or Maybe not even that, but anyone that was a good upstanding citizen? Someone who may have wanted to bring justice to the people?’

‘It was so long ago, Kid. Gus would have more answers than I would.’

Joe was quiet.

‘I’m sorry.’ Gil said. ‘That I couldn’t be more help. I’ll give you a call if I remember anything.’

‘Thanks Gil.’

Joe ended the call and looked at his watch, it was nearing six o’clock. He had gotten so caught up going through case files and talking with Gus that he had completely lost track of time. He Hadn’t even made and attempt to work on the current case at all today. Frank was going to kill him.

Day twelve: Saturday.

Joe had avoided going back to the Kenhardt station last night. He really didn’t feel like getting an earful from Frank. Joe had spoken With Vivian yesterday, hoping to find anything useful, but that didn’t lead anywhere. So, he resorted to working on the other case with Gus. There was no harm in that. At least he was doing something, rather than just sitting around idly, waiting for answers.

The dreary weather from the day prior had cleared up and the sun was trying to break through the clouds. Joe had a new idea. He wasn’t sure where this would lead him, but he had to at least try.

He gathered them all at the Taylor’s home. Although it was Saturday, George wasn’t there, He was out somewhere, keeping himself busy. On the couch in front of him sat Rosie, Vivian and Mary - Ellen.

‘I thought it would be best if we all got together in person,’ Joe said. ‘That way we can discuss the girls and all say what we need to.’

‘You still haven’t found who did this?’ Vivian asked. Mary - Ellen looked at her.

Joe took in a breath, preparing himself for how this conversation would go. ‘Mrs Barnes,’ he began. ‘I know you don’t want to hear this, but right now, we need to discuss the Elephant in the room. And that is the notion that the girls jumped.’

Vivian visibly shuttered.

‘Now, I know it’s difficult to hear.’ Joe said.

‘Especially for a mother, Nobody wants to believe that their child would commit suicide. But in all likelihood, and given the circumstances, I’d say it’s still a possibility.’

‘But we already told you everything,’ Rosie said. ‘The girls weren’t depressed or suicidal. Why on earth would they jump?’

‘Sometimes kids hide things from their parents,’ Joe said. ‘We like to think we know everything that is happening in our children’s lives, but that’s not necessarily true, All three girls could have been suffering. And they could have been good at hiding it.’

‘Why are you pushing this suicide route?’ Vivian cried. ‘Is it because everyone else is? Because the Chief thinks it will make Kenhardt a better place? Can none of you accept the fact that someone pushed our babies off a roof?’ she broke down and started sobbing.

Mary - Ellen handed her the tissue box, but somehow remained composed.

‘As I was saying,’ Joe continued. ‘Kids - especially teenage girls - are good at hiding things. For instance,’ he looked at Rosie.

‘I’m sure I don’t need to mention Haddie’s Secrets.’

Rosie scowled at him.

He turned to Mary - Ellen, ‘And there is evidence indicating that Anya was suffering from depression.’

Mary - Ellen’s face fell

‘Not only was she on Zoloft and Zoplicone, but Chloe confided to me that Anya had been acting differently the last few months. Sequestering herself away from others, getting into drugs …’

‘Anya did not do drugs,’ Mary - Ellen snapped.

‘Again,’ Joe said, ‘We have evidence. And like I said before, your daughters did not tell you everything.’ He truly didn’t mean to turn this into a witch - hunt and expose the girls to the other mother’s, but they weren’t really leaving him with any other options.

‘People have said that Haddie was acting differently these last few months as well,’ Joe said.

‘Different,’ Rosie echoed. ‘What does that even mean?’

‘I’m not exactly sure,’ Joe said. ‘It’s just what I’ve gathered from a number of people.’

The room was quiet.

Joe looked at all three of the women.

‘Now, I’ve spoken with you all regarding the topic of mental illness, and I know you all say the same thing; That the girls didn’t suffer from any…’

Mary - Ellen turned to Vivian again and made a face. The two exchanged a look in silence that Joe couldn’t decipher.

‘What is it?’ Joe said to Mary - Ellen.

She turned to Joe. ‘That’s not true.’

‘What’s not true?’ Joe asked.

‘That none of the girls had a mental illness,’ Mary - Ellen stated. ‘Kiera did.’

Vivian’s head snapped towards Mary - Ellen.

‘How dare you? Your girl was the one taking anti - depressants!’

‘He needs to know,’ Mary - Ellen, a grimace on her face, None of them faced Joe.

Finally, Mary - Ellen turned back to him and said, ‘Kiera had an Eating Disorder. That’s a mental Illness.’

‘How could you?’ Vivian cried.

‘Is this true?’ Joe said to Vivian.

She closed her eyes and waited a moment before answering. ‘Yes,’ she finally said.

‘But just because she had some issues in the past does not mean that she was suicidal. The two things aren’t even related.!’

‘Why was this not in her medical file?’ Joe asked.

‘Because she was never clinically treated for one, We were dealing with it ourselves.’

‘Was it serious?’ Joe asked.

Vivian pursed her lips but didn’t respond.

‘The poor girl was starving herself,’ Mary - Ellen said. ‘It was devastating.’

‘Like I said,’ Vivian gave Mary - Ellen another look of disgust. ‘Just because Kiera had an eating disorder, does not mean that she killed herself.’

‘You are aware of the fact that eating disorders are often associated with depression and anxiety, right?’ Joe said to her. ‘There’s a direct correlation.’ And that’s when Vivian broke down…….

Joe sat in John Richard’s office, John and Frank on one side of the desk, Kennedy, Jesse and Joe on the other. The room was silent, not one of them saying a word. John was flipping through the file in front of him.

‘So you’re declaring it a triple suicide?’ he finally said, breaking the unbearable silence. Joe hesitated a moment, then nodded.

‘How did you come to this conclusion?’ John asked.

Joe cleared his throat. ‘I spoke with all three mothers today. We discussed mental illnesses and the possibility that their daughter’s jumped. I already had probable cause to believe that Haddie and Anya jumped. The one that left doubt in my mind was Kiera. It was revealed today that Kiera had been struggling with an eating disorder for the past two years. There is a direct correlation between anorexia nervosa and depression. Once the cat was out the bag, Vivian came to terms with reality - That her daughter might have been struggling and never told anyone. That the three of them had talked about it and decided to end their lives together, It’s very tragic,’ Joe said.

‘That all three were suffering and did not seek help. I wish I had a better answer for you. And I wish that this case turned out differently, despite the popular opinion that this was suicide. I explored all avenues. There was no solid suspects, no evidence of Foul play. Any leads that we did acquire proved fruitless. Everyone was accounted for in class which meant that no one else was on the roof that day. Just the three girls…’

It was quiet in the room as all five of them took in this information.

Finally, John closed the file and placed it on his desk. ‘Well done then,’ he said. ‘It is very tragic, yes. I am deeply saddened that it had to come to this. But at least we can all sleep well tonight knowing that there is no killer in Kenhardt…’

Joe, Kennedy and Jesse were sitting in the coffee shop, going over the last twelve days. From the moment that they were called to Kenhardt - going door - to - door, interviewing neighbours and students, discovering Haddie’s pregnancy, talking with Beth Porter, Oliver, Bentley.

They went over all the possible theories, even the far - fetched Devil Worship idea implemented by Hal Davis. They compared notes, went over things twice, three times, just to be sure. When they finally finished, nearly two hours had gone by and the answer was conclusive. The girls killed themselves.

‘It’s depressing,’ Kennedy said. ‘Part of me hoped that they were pushed simply because the other option is almost too much to bear.’

‘Suicide is worse than homicide then?’ Jesse asked her.

‘Well, YEAH,’ Kennedy said. ‘It’s one thing to kill somebody else. But to kill yourself - with your two best friends? That’s horrible.’ It was silent again. They sipped their coffees. Kennedy spoke again, ‘It’s like that song - Dark Times.’

Joe was going over everything in his head. The look on the mother’s faces when they finally realized the truth. All the people he had spoken to over the past week. The Fortune Teller, The teachers, Dr Kelvin. He accepted the fact that he would never truly find out what happened around the 3rd of May - why Haddie broke things off with Bentley.

He figured she must have found out about the pregnancy around then. It scared her, She broke it off with Bentley and retreated to the comfort of Oliver. But even wasn’t enough for her. She was driven to the Edge - Literally.

Joe thought about Chloe and Kelsey - how they would never see their sisters again. How Chloe picked up on the small details, The way Kelsey had noticed her sister’s change in behaviour and discovered her Secret relationship with Oliver. He thought about the bag of Dagga in Anya’s Art room, Kiera’s diary, kept hidden in her bookshelf, The Fortune Teller ticket in Haddie’s closet.

It was as he was thinking about his search through Haddie’s room that he remembered one specific detail - her walls - covered in Hearts.

‘She loved LOVE or something?’ he has asked Rosie.

‘Oh, that,’ she took the book from Joe’s hands. ‘Her initials are HARDT, so she puts it everywhere, metaphorically. As though she is the HEART. HARDT - Haddie Anne Renee Daisy Taylor.’

Joe nodded his head. ‘I see.’

She handed him the book and he placed it back on her desk.

HARDT. It was a symbol and it was her name. It all clicked together for him at once, SAD wasn’t short for something and it wasn’t an abbreviation. It was a name.

THE SAD KILLER was leaving behind his initials……