Page 37 of Go Alone

His lower lip trembled. He bit it firmly, and more color came to his face. “Someone stuffed his mouth with potting soil.”

Kate nodded. “Any idea what the significance of the potting soil might be?”

Dennis shook his head. “I don’t know. Some kind of fucked up joke?”

That actually could be it. As they'd said earlier, maybe the killer was making his victims choke to death on their sins. It fit very well with past Commandment Killers.

“Is this a serial killer?” Dennis asked.

Kate considered withholding that, but with the press outside and the public already provided a sketch of the lurker near the previous crime scenes, it was hardly a secret anymore that a serial killer was terrorizing central Ohio. “Yes.”

Dennis took a deep breath and released it slowly. “I don’t know why anyone would have killed him. It makes no sense.”

Kate had some thoughts, but she approached them obliquely. “What’s the story of this building?”

His brow furrowed. “Pardon?”

“Why did Raymond Brannigan elect to build an office tower in the middle of a residential neighborhood.”

"Oh." Dennis laughed. "He didn't like to drive. Owned a five-hundred-thousand-dollar Rolls-Royce, but I only ever saw it in his garage. Except for one time when he had someone drive him to the airport so he could fly to Naples to get fitted for his suit."

“He built a nine-figure office building because he didn’t like to drive?”

“Well, it was eight figures when it was built. That was twelve years ago. They finished it just before I got here.”

That still made no sense. “Do you know who the previous owners were?”

“Of the property? No idea. I know they tore down five homes for the lot. I assume they paid market value. Raymond was honest too, you know. He said he wasn’t always able to be honest, but now that he was wealthy and had a reputation, he could afford to play it straight. That’s one of the reasons he liked me. I made my way without being dishonest.”

“Dishonest how?”

Dennis smiled, showing a generous amount of contempt in the curve of his upper lip. “I’m not going to try to tell you that the world of law is populated by angels. Knowing how the law works means knowing how to get away with breaking it, and this industry attracts certain personality types. Even in our own offices, there are sleazeballs. They can’t act on it because Raymond, me, and the other partners will rain the wrath of God down on them, but they’re here.”

Well, someone rained the wrath of God down on Raymond Brannigan, Kate thought. “Did Raymond ever tell you what his specific sin was?”

“His sin?”

“His dishonesty,” Kate corrected. “Did he ever tell you about the things he did that he wasn’t proud of?”

“Oh.” Dennis blinked. “No. I never asked him. I figured it was probably shameful, and he didn’t…” His eyes widened. “Oh, God. Do you think that’s what this is? Do you think someone’s taking revenge on him for past crimes?”

As a matter of fact, that’s exactly what Kate thought, but she didn’t think there was anything to be gained telling Dennis that. If he didn’t know what that past was, then he couldn’t offer anything that would help Kate, and with the press out there hunting, it was probably better to avoid saying anything that could leak back to them.

“We’re exploring a lot of different possibilities,” Kate replied. “Is there anything else you can tell me that might help?”

Dennis shook his head, then stopped. “Oh. Someone disabled the security system for the building. The night watchman reviewed the footage, but it hasn’t recorded anything in three days. I never noticed because… Well, security always sees me. I don’t… really think about security.”

Kate’s lips thinned. She looked at the officers, and one of them—wearing a sergeant’s stripes—said, “the guard is seventy and has arthritis, so we don’t think he’s the killer.”

“I know he’s not the killer,” Kate said curtly. “What about the security system?”

He shook his head. “We’re not sure. It just stopped working.”

“Find out for sure,” she said. She turned to the other officer. “Escort Mr. Quill to his car.” She looked at Dennis. “Mr. Quill, I strongly suggest that you stay somewhere other than your home tonight. I also suggest that your only comment to the press be that you’re cooperating fully with the investigation. You’re not a suspect, but reporters are going to see a young partner and an old, now dead partner.”

“Right,” Dennis said, nodding. He looked almost all the way back now. “I won’t say anything either about the serial killer or the thing about Raymond’s past.”

“Well, the serial killer part’s probably out of the bag already,” Kate said, “but I still agree that you should limit your contact with the media for the time being. Thank you for talking to me, and I’m very sorry for your loss.”