Behind the Badge, page 12
“That’s what should have happened. You couldn’t have known it wouldn’t.” Luke’s words rang true, but they didn’t ease Crys’s guilt. Not even a little.
She filled her lungs with a deep breath, catching the scents of her spicy chili and his roast beef sandwich. “Jade’s right. I prioritize work and friends. I don’t know why. My family’s the most important thing in my life.” She blew a frustrated breath. “I was taking them for granted.” The words weren’t easy but until recently they were true. “I put my ex first and my aunt was killed.”
“Don’t make connections where none exist.” Luke’s voice was firm. “Your having dinner with your ex is separate from your aunt’s murder.”
Crys unclenched her teeth. “She was killed at the same time that we would’ve been having dinner. If I’d met her as she’d asked, she wouldn’t have been home. She wouldn’t have been murdered.”
Luke’s silence was like a vice tightening across her chest. Crys flexed her shoulders, struggling to ease the constriction.
When he finally spoke, Luke’s voice was like verbal tiptoeing. “This will be hard for you to hear. It’s hard for me to say. Whether you had dinner with your aunt that night or the next, nothing would’ve changed. Whoever wanted to hurt her would’ve kept coming back until they completed their objective.”
“Then why do I feel so guilty?”
Behind her, Luke’s chair creaked as though he’d shifted on his seat. “Because you and your sisters still don’t have closure on your aunt’s murder. You’re striking out against everyone, including yourselves, looking for someone to blame.”
The imaginary rope across her chest broke. “That’s very insightful of you, Special Agent Gilchrist.”
“I have a degree in psychology.”
That tracked.
Crys faced him.
“My sisters and I need to make amends and get back to work on our aunt’s case. According to you not only will it bring justice for our aunt, it will repair our relationship.”
“Mind if I help you?” Luke spread his hands. “An extra set of eyes and hands could be helpful.”
“Thank you.” She took her seat and found a smile for him. “Let me check with my sisters.” That would be an interesting conversation.
“One more question.” Luke held up his hand. “What happened with your ex?”
“It didn’t work out.” Crys shrugged. “He hadn’t changed. Neither had I.”
“I don’t think you need to change.” Luke looked as surprised by his comment as she felt.
Crys’s appetite returned. She hid her smile behind a spoonful of chili.
* * *
“Thanks for coming.” Jade secured the front door of the home she’d inherited from their aunt Kendra. She sounded distracted as she led Crys and Amber into her family room Monday night. “I should have come to you. I owe both of you an apology.”
Crys glanced at the collection of manila folders on the dark wood coffee table in front of the cream faux leather sofa. She dropped onto its corner closest to Jade’s armchair. Jade had texted her and Amber earlier that afternoon, asking them to meet at her home. Crys had grabbed a quick dinner. However, she hadn’t had time to change out of her forest-green slacks and beige-and-green floral shirt before picking up Amber to drive to Jade’s house.
She glanced at Amber beside her before continuing. “We understand, J. We’re all still grieving Aunt K’s death, especially since her killer hasn’t been caught.”
Cancer had taken both of their parents, which didn’t make the pain of their loss any easier, but at least they had closure. Their maternal aunt’s unsolved homicide investigation had burdened them with so many unanswered questions. Who’d killed her? Why? And when will the murderer be held accountable for their crime? Crys caught her breath at the sudden, sharp jab of grief. They owed it to Kendra, their parents and themselves to get justice for their aunt.
Sitting sideways on the sofa, Amber leaned toward Jade. “We should probably have a standing apology since this won’t be the one and only time we snap at each other during this investigation. That’s just the way we are.”
“For real.” The clouds in Jade’s eyes lingered despite her brief smile. “But it’s important you know I don’t blame either of you for Aunt Kenny’s murder. We all understand the person responsible—the only person responsible—is the killer.”
Crys’s brow furrowed. Why did Jade sound as though she was trying to convince herself of that fact? Her eyes drifted again to the coffee table, where a stack of folders grew in front of Jade.
“Don’t worry. We know that.” Amber’s warm response interrupted her thoughts.
Crys inclined her head toward the neatly arranged manila mini mountain. “What are those?”
Jade seemed to force herself to look at the stack. “This is the reason I asked you to meet me here. I didn’t want to transport all these files.” She took a breath as though trying to collect her composure. “I think there’s a strong possibility Aunt Kenny may have been killed because of an investigative report I’m working on.”
“What?” Crys looked over her shoulder at Amber. She appeared as shaken as Crys. So many questions raced across her mind. She forced herself to pick one. “What report?”
“I need to start at the beginning.” Jade unfolded herself from the armchair, turning her back to the room and crossing to her pale stone fireplace.
Amber shifted to the edge of the sofa. “Please do.”
Jade stared into the cold fireplace. She wore a gray long-sleeved T-shirt with faded, worn blue jeans. Her feet were covered in gray slipper socks. She was fit, like Crys and Amber, but several inches shorter than her sisters’ five foot seven.
“About two years ago, I met with five siblings. Both of their parents had been killed in a tragic traffic accident.” Jade turned right, pacing to the bay window overlooking her front yard. Her strides were long but jerky, not her usual confident steps. “An eighteen-wheeler had skidded on some black ice and crashed into their SUV.”
“How horrible.” Amber’s voice was thin.
“Oh, no.” Crys winced, imagining the scene. When she’d been a patrol officer, she’d assisted after some heartbreaking traffic accidents.
Jade paused before continuing. “Their mother and father were in their early sixties and in good health. They’d had separate life insurance policies. All five children were listed as equal beneficiaries on both policies. Their parents had paid the insurance premiums for more than three decades. Their accounts were in good standing. However, the insurance company denied their claim.”
“On what grounds?” Crys felt a surge of anger on behalf of the offspring.
To lose both parents suddenly and unexpectedly was bad enough. To have to battle unreasonable bureaucrats on top of that would make the grieving process even more painful.
Jade glanced at her as though she’d heard Crys’s thoughts and agreed with them. She turned to pace toward the archway that led to her Spartan dining room. “The company based its denial on the traffic accident report, which listed the calculated speed of their parents’ SUV as above the limit.”
Amber frowned her confusion. “So since the parents were suspected of speeding, the company claimed they were in some way responsible for the accident?”
“That’s right.” Jade gave a jerky nod. “It denied the siblings’ claim, because under its morality clause, deaths that occur during the commission of a crime are not eligible for life insurance benefits.”
Amber’s winged eyebrows leaped up her forehead. “That seems sketchy at best.”
Crys’s jaw dropped. “That’s outrageous.”
“Yes, it is. But this company has a history of denying claims for equally ridiculous reasons.” Jade faced Crys and Amber. “The siblings didn’t have the money or emotional bandwidth to challenge the company’s determination in court. However, one of them found a chat room started by other beneficiaries whose claims this company had denied. The company had recently lost a class action lawsuit. However, instead of paying the multimillion-dollar judgment, it claimed bankruptcy and dissolved. It then reconstituted under a new name but with the same practices. It was first founded in 2022 as Mirrabarre & Shoubern, LLC. At the time I started my investigation, the company was called Stansburrie & Fisk, LLC.”
Frowning, Amber glanced at Crys. “Stansburrie & Fisk? Isn’t that the company Aunt Kendra worked for?”
Crys’s blood went cold. Her lips were numb. She kept her eyes on Jade. “I think that’s J’s point.”
Jade crossed back to her armchair with quick, stiff strides and collapsed into it. She dropped her head into her hands. Her voice was thick with tears. “I think Aunt Kenny was killed because I asked her to be a source for my report.”
Crys dropped to her knees in front of her youngest sister and took her in her arms. Behind her, she heard Amber moving. Soon she felt her middle sister holding her and Jade.
Amber cleared her throat. “Remember what you told us. The only person to blame for Aunt Kendra’s murder is the killer.”
Crys paused to swallow the lump in her throat. “We’ll get through this together. Like we always do.”
* * *
“You think your aunt was murdered because she was going to be your source for your investigative report?” Luke skimmed several printouts Crys had shared with him.
He and Crys were meeting with Jade in one of the department’s small interview rooms Tuesday morning. The sisters had just explained their theory that the motive behind their aunt’s murder was Kendra’s connection to Jade’s investigative report. Crys and Jade had made copies of Jade’s files to share with him as evidence supporting their hypothesis.
“That’s right.” The strain in Jade’s expression telegraphed the weight of her guilt and sorrow for whatever role she mistakenly thought she’d played in her aunt’s murder. “My independent research confirmed what the families on the message board were claiming—Stansburrie & Fisk denied 30 percent more beneficiary claims than the national average. Aunt Kenny was the administrative assistant to the chief financial officer. I asked for her help with my investigation, if she could find internal memos on claim reviews and processing, anything that would shed light on financial corruption or policies that would favor the company.”
“I take it your aunt found something.” Luke turned his attention to Crys.
She sat beside Jade on the other side of the rectangular, worn and weathered dark wood desk. Her eyes were clouded with concern. But beyond the clouds, Luke detected a spark of hope. Jade’s breakthrough signaled that perhaps this event provided motive behind Kendra Chapel’s homicide. And if they had motive, they were several steps closer to solving their aunt’s cold case.
“She did.” Crys glanced at Jade before continuing. Her riot of ebony curls tumbled past her narrow shoulders. “Aunt K accessed the CFO’s hard drive. He had a folder full of executive memos reinforcing the company’s policy of incentivizing employees to deny claims. There also were email exchanges between members of the company’s administration and directors, documenting the company’s goal of increasing premium revenue while minimizing benefit payouts.”
“Incredible.” Luke shook his head in disgust.
Jade took up the recounting. “Aunt Kenny told me she was going to give me printouts of everything she’d found, but first she wanted to talk to Amber about the legal protections she would have if she were a source for my article.”
Crys met Luke’s eyes. “When she couldn’t meet with Amber, she called me, but I didn’t meet with her that night, either.” Her voice was still thick with grief.
“None of you could have known Stansburrie & Fisk were aware of your aunt’s activities.” Luke lowered his eyes to the files in his hands before turning his attention to Jade. “She took precautions to be careful, which makes me wonder. How did they know she was working with you on your report? Your copies of your communication with her show she used her cell phone to text and email you from her personal account.”
Jade shrugged restlessly. “I can only speculate that Aunt Kenny’s boss somehow realized she’d accessed his hard drive and which folders she’d gone through.”
“Did you tell anyone—maybe your editor—that she was your contact for this investigation?” Luke watched Jade closely as he waited for her response.
“Of course not.” Jade was adamant. “I protect my sources. And I wouldn’t have named her in my report. She was going to provide me with background information only.”
“She never got those files to you.” Luke made it a statement.
As distraught as the Rashaad sisters were over their aunt’s death, Luke suspected Jade would not have allowed her grief to stop her from moving forward with her exposé. Not only would the article have exposed Stansburrie & Fisk’s corruption, it also would have ensured her aunt’s efforts weren’t in vain.
Jade shook her head again. “I’ve been in her home for almost a year. I haven’t come across any thumb drives or printouts with the files she described.”
Crys sighed. “It’s possible the person who broke into her home and killed her took the drive or printouts. After all, their purpose was to make sure the company’s corrupt practices weren’t exposed. They would have wanted to destroy those documents themselves.”
Crys’s theory was the most plausible. He was angry on their aunt’s behalf. Everything she went through to try to get justice for the company’s policyholders had amounted to nothing.
Luke’s eyes lingered on his partner. “I think you have a strong theory for your aunt’s murder. If the company suspected she was going to expose them, they may have taken steps to silence her and retrieve those files, then paid Vic to stop the homicide investigation. Have you shared this information with Worchester and Snyder?”
Crys was shaking her head before he finished speaking. “I haven’t spoken with them yet. It does seem that Aunt K’s and Vic’s murders are connected. But Jade has information that also seems to link our serial killer case.”
Luke shifted his attention to Jade. Since he and Crys were having a hard time getting traction with their investigation, he was willing to entertain the podcaster’s idea. “What do you think connects our case to your aunt’s murder?”
Jade glanced at Crys. It was the first time Luke had sensed uncertainty in the younger sister. “I think the victims in the serial killer case you’re working may be connected to my report, too.”
Luke’s eyes widened with surprise. He glanced at Crys before returning his attention to Jade. “What makes you think that?”
Jade held his eyes. “Three of the victims were connected to the life insurance company.”
Luke’s frown deepened as he searched his memory. “No, they weren’t. We did deep background checks.”
Crys added her support to Jade’s argument. “Remember, the company changed names multiple times over the last four years. You and I weren’t aware of that. We weren’t looking at the companies. We were looking at the victims.”
Jade continued. “The life insurance company started in 2022 as Mirrabarre & Shoubern. After the first lawsuit, it changed its name to Stansburrie & Fisk in 2023. That’s when our aunt went to work with them. Alfred Murphy was still a director. It changed its name a second time in 2025 to Shearman & Axel. Alfred Murphy left in 2026, but Sally Stead joined the board at the end of the year when it changed its name to Pieter & Marcus. Rita Gomez joined the board in early 2026 when it became Dragon & Kelp.” Jade gestured toward the stack of journals beside the photocopied files. “The names are hard to keep track of, which I think was the administration’s goal. But these are the annual reports for each of the company’s iterations. You’ll find the victims listed as members of the boards of directors at different times.”
Luke felt a jolt of excitement. He recognized those names: Mirrabarre & Shoubern, Shearman & Axel and, of course, Dragon & Kelp. As Crys had said, when he’d first seen them on the victim profiles, he’d been focused on the people not the companies. Satisfaction rushed through him. They finally had a break in the case, a connection for their victims. Justice seemed within reach. Regardless of the motive, murder was never the answer.
He refocused on their meeting. “The killer could be someone whose claim was denied when those victims served on the board.”
Crys’s dark eyes sparkled with anticipation. “That’s what we think. Gomez, Murphy and Stead overlapped with the company in 2025. We think that’s the year we should focus on when reviewing the denied claims.”
“What about Carter Wainscott?” Luke asked. “He was a copycat victim, but do you think he has a connection to the insurance company?”
Crys leaned into the table, reaching for one of the annual reports. She flipped to a page and pointed to Carter Wainscott’s name. “He was one of the company’s lawyers in 2025. It’s possible he was killed to keep him silent—similar to Vic—but whoever killed him wanted us to blame the serial killer.”
Luke nodded. It seemed like another solid theory, one well worth pursuing. He caught Crys’s eyes. “Let’s get a subpoena for those claimant files.”
Chapter 11
The offices of Dragon & Kelp, LLC, the fourth revisioning of the life insurance company that seemed to be at the center of their serial killer investigation, were understated luxury. Luke paused beside Crys as they entered the nine-story, glass-and-silver metal structure Wednesday afternoon with four uniformed officers and a search warrant.
The lobby smelled of wood polish and wealth. Its air-conditioning system was set to a brisk temperature that yanked Luke back in time to late autumn, contradicting the calendar’s insistence that it was early spring.
Sofas, armchairs and highly polished coffee tables offered cozy conversation spaces across the black-and-white marbled flooring. A handful of healthy potted plants lined the dark wood walls, including one on either side of the glass front doors. Money trees. Subtle. Luke struggled against the negative first-impression vibes the company kept throwing at him.
