The commotion at the station is down to a dull, exhausted roar. The morning shift has clocked out, leaving the second-shift skeleton crew in charge. The sergeant and her three detectives are sitting at their desks, contemplating what Fred had claimed. Each with troubling thoughts.
Even if a fraction of what he said is true, why didn't Steven continue to file for the divorce instead of going to such extreme lengths? Sure, the process might take a lot longer, often can become quite messy and costly, but he'll get what he wants in the end. Besides, how can he conspire all of this now that he's dead? Did he have a partner? Even so, that still doesn't explain the video of Millie shooting the EMT, unless the woman in the photo is a look-alike, but why would facial recognition say it's Millie Clark?
The sergeant is pondering the thought when she hears weary footsteps shuffling past. Rachel looks up to find Millie's uncle Fred heading towards the door. After questioning him for hours, they were only told what they already knew, and he certainly couldn't tell them anything that would help them locate Mille. He seems to be on the up and up, but you never really know. Rachel recalls the recent case she'd worked on. The sergeant believed her story only to discover a few months later everything the suspect said was a lie. She tried to move past her huge mistake, but it still haunts her to this day, making her question other decisions she'd made.
"I think I found something," Jerry says, glancing up from the monitor.
The sergeant scoots her chair closer, glances over to where he's looking. "What is it, Jerr?"
"Do you remember saying William, Millie's brother, has an alibi for the time of the crime?"
Recalling the conversation between him and his wife, the sergeant nods. "He teaches ROTC on the weekends and classes during the week making it hard for him to leave."
"I just checked the campus schedule, and the classes he was supposedly teaching were canceled during the time of the crimes. I guess that had some trouble with flooding around the base."
"We did get a lot of rain that week and the week before." Kirk adds.
Rachel recalls how she thought the storms would never end. She then remembers what his wife had said and how positive she was that she was telling the truth. I'm normally a good judge of character, she thinks, replaying the Zoom call in her mind. Julia's voice remained steady, her eyes sincere. I'm certain she wasn't lying to me. "Are you sure about that, Jerr?"
"Positive." Jerry hands her a piece of paper before he continues. "The superintendent confirmed the postponement."
Rachel twists her lips, something she does when she's deep in thought. I can't believe I bought all her lies. She then recalls the suspect's release and the captain's harsh reprimand a few months back, her second mistake within a month.
"What would you like for us to do, sergeant?" Jerry asks.
The sergeant is too deep in her thoughts to hear him. I'm losing my touch. Different suspects' faces flash through her mind. Was I right about them?
She then recalls other brothers in blue, going down that same path and how it pulled them into a dark place where they thought their career was a mistake, their lives a waste and that suicide was their only means of escape. The thought sends chills down her spine.
She then pictures her loving family in her mind and how devastated they would be if she should die. I can't do that to them, I can't, she thinks, shaking her head, hoping to clear the horrid images from her mind.
Clearing his throat, the detective tries again. "Earth to Rachel, come in, Rachel."
The sergeant snaps out of her thoughts. "I'm sorry, what did you say? Jerr?"
"What would you like for us to do, sergeant?" Kirk repeats.
"I want them both brought in for questioning."
"Yes, sergeant, Kirk says, springing out of his chair.
Sharon brows lift as her former employee races past. "Where is he off to in such a hurry?" Kirk had worked with her in the lab for ten years before taking the detective exam.
"He's going to pick up a couple of suspects regarding our murder investigation."
"Speaking of your murder investigation, the man who we believed to be Steven isn't."
"I thought you said you got a match through his DNA?"
"I did, but..."
Rachel starts to rake her fingers through her hair and then jerks it down. I'm turning into Joe, she thinks, folding her hands in her lap. "So, how is that possible?"
Sharon hands Rachel a piece of paper. "This should explain everything."
Rachel glances through it, looks up with a perplexed look on her face, hands it back, and says, "Layman's terms, please?"
"In a nutshell, someone pumps their blood into someone else's veins to throw off DNA."
"And it works?"
Sharon nods. "Especially if an ME doesn't cross-check their work."
Snatching the paper back, Rachel scans the document again. A look of disgust crosses her face as she pictures it in her mind. "People actually do this?" She asks, waving the paper around.
"All of the time."
"So, who is he?"
"His name is Gorden Webber. He's a small-time business owner from upstate NY. Evidently his company was going under. So, he…"
"Posed as a double for a little extra cash."
Sharon nods. "That's my theory anyway."
"Serg, patrol stopped Josh Morris for speeding and found this in the car." The officer holds up a gun. "It's the same caliber used to shoot the victims."
"Take him to interrogation one, and I'll be right there and get the gun down to ballistics for a match."
"I just purchased the gun today," Josh protests.
"Do you have the receipt?"
"It should be in my car."
"Jerry, be sure forensics looks into that."
Nodding, the detective pushes away from his desk. "On it, Sarge."
"And Jerry, see about getting a warrant to search his home."
He pictures Millie still in bed. I have to warn her. Josh gulps. "You can't do that."
"Why are you so concerned, Mr. Jones? Is there something you don't want us to find?"
"No, but… But isn't it illegal to search someone's home without probable cause?"
"Oh, we have probable cause." She points at the gun. "You own the same type of weapon used to kill three victims."
"But I didn't do anything."
"That's not what your brother said. He claims you're the mastermind behind this."
"Wait, Jake is here?" Josh asks, glancing around.
Rache; smiles. "Yeah, and he's singing like a bird."
"Well, I… I didn't have any part in his and Millie's scheme."
"You have the murder weapon, so your connection seems pretty obvious to me."
Hearing heavy footsteps, Rachel turns to find William and his wife, Julia, being led across the floor.
"Where do you want them, Serg?" Jeff asks.
"Take him to interrogation three and her to the conference room; Joe and I will be right there."
As the two walk by, Rachel grabs hold of Julia's arm, leans in, and says, "Just so you know, creating a false alibi is a serious crime. So, I'd advise you to choose what you say a little more carefully from here on out."
The sergeant walks out of the conference room shaking her head a short while later.
"So, what did she say, Sergeant?" Her detectives ask as she makes her way to her desk.
"She claims William was away all weekend on a family emergency claiming she didn't know what the emergency was or where he went."
Kirk grabs a paper from his desk. "Forensics just confirmed the prints on the bloody box found outside of Millie's home belong to William."
"That changes everything, now, doesn't it?"
Kirk points to a photo on his screen. "And the man in the picture with Millie could easily be him.
Rachel leans in for a closer look, nods, and says, "It very well could."