“Yes, I believe so,” she said softly. She slowly raised her head and locked her gaze on mine. I knew she was lying when I saw the terror and shame in her blue eyes. I think she wanted to help us, but was afraid to do it. I didn’t want to be a dick, but her losing her job was the last thing on my mind.
“The sexual harassment allegations that were filed against him are in this file then? Including the name of the employees who filed them?” I asked. I was completely shooting from the hip, but the way she flinched told me that I’d hit a bullseye.
“There were no harassment allegations made against Mr. Renzo, Detective. I’m not sure what you’re talking…”
“Do not lie to me or I’ll make things really ugly for your company, Mr. Titus. I want to know the name of the woman, or women, who filed complaints against Mr. Titus. I want you to start with ones who no longer work here.”
Ms. James pulled out a sheet of paper from her briefcase and slid it to me. “Here’s all of them.”
“All of them?” I asked. “How many complaints of sexual harassment does it take to get a guy fired?”
“More than ten,” she said. “I wanted to fire that slimy asshole, but Mr. Titus wouldn’t let me. My hands were tied.”
“Yeah, so were the ladies that he sexually assaulted.” I looked at the names on the paper and my heart broke for them. “Which one was the most outspoken about the ordeal?” We would interview them all, but I’d start with the one who seemed boldest in her attempt to get justice.
“Kayla Hanson,” Ms. James stated. “Well, her sister Jessica, that is.”
“Her sister?” Adrian asked. I was sure he was thinking the same thing I was.
“Her name isn’t on this list,” I said.
“Kayla didn’t show up for work for a few days. I called her, but she never returned my call. Her sister finally retrieved the messages from her cell phone and called me. She explained that Kayla had been drugged and sexually assaulted. Kayla had refused to name her assailant after the police officer who responded seemed to blow her off. Asking questions about how much she had to drink or what she wore, as if either of those things made a difference.”
“If Kayla didn’t name her attacker then how did you know it was Thom?”
“She didn’t tell the police, but she told her sister. Someone”—she tipped her head toward Mr. Titus—“wouldn’t allow me to enter the complaint in Thom’s file because Kayla herself didn’t make it.”
“Now wait a minute—”
I raised my hand to cut him off. “I’m not interested in hearing your excuses. I suggest you save it for your attorney.” I turned back to Ms. James.
“How recently was Kayla’s assault?” I asked.
“A month ago, maybe six weeks.”
“So, he’s escalating his attacks,” Adrian said as he looked over the list of complaints and the dates they were filed against Renzo. “Do any of these women still work here?”
“No, but their contact info is on the sheet. Listen, Kayla has been a real mess since the incident. You might want to talk to Jessica first to arrange a time to speak with Kayla. I know where she works. We’ve become good friends.” If Ms. James had blonde hair, I might’ve suspected that she was Jessica’s accomplice.
“Where is that?”
Ms. James gave us the information we requested and we headed straight over to her office. The receptionist working the front desk looked at us in alarm but buzzed us in and told us how to navigate the maze of cubicles to find Jessica Hansen.
Jessica was the office manager and was afforded a small office in the back. The room was standard industrial white walls with beige commercial carpet and missing its sole occupant. The receptionist assured us that Jessica had just returned from lunch, so maybe she’d gone to the bathroom. It gave me the opportunity to learn a little about my prime suspect. The office was too small for all four of us to stand in, so the Kentucky patrolmen stood outside while Adrian and I entered.
The room was devoid of any character until you took in the potted blooming cactus plant and framed photos of two blonde women posing for selfies. Nothing about her office proved that she was my killer until I saw her Hellcat mousepad and an image of Captain Marvel as the wallpaper on her computer.
I looked toward the doorway when I heard someone approaching the office quickly.
“Hello, Officers,” she said, greeting Dennis and Young. Jessica Hansen didn’t even flinch when she stepped into her office and spotted Adrian and me. I could tell by the look on her face that she wasn’t that surprised. It was almost as if she expected us.
“Ms. James called you, didn’t she?”
Jessica didn’t so much as blink. Nothing in her posture or her expression gave her away. Suddenly, she released a long sigh and swallowed hard. I was certain that I was looking into the eyes of Renzo’s killer. She had saved Maegan from a horrifying fate, and I wanted to hug her. Instead, I said, “Jessica Hansen, you’re under arrest for the murder of Thom Renzo.”
She turned around and peacefully placed her hands behind her back for me to cuff. “It’s okay. I have no regrets.” I was pretty sure she was trying to make me feel better, but nothing about the situation felt right.
“You shouldn’t say anything until your attorney is present,” Adrian said.
“You haven’t read me my rights, so nothing I’ve said so far can be used against me.”
I thought it was quite possible that she would be acquitted of her crimes before a jury of her peers.
Adrian read her rights to her as we guided her out of the building and put her in the back of Adrian’s car.
“I acted alone, Detectives,” she said once he pulled out of the parking lot.
Adrian and I both knew different, but proving it might be difficultifwe wanted to.
