Having no recollection of the morning (she didn’t even remember how she got her dress…somewhat…on), she couldn’t swear that she wasn’t the one who uploaded her naked pictures, even though she obviously wasn’t the one who took them. Fairly or unfairly, society had its way with her. The captions that Braden had added with only partial accuracy read “holy fuck am I wasted” and “this was after my second gang bang” and so forth. These paled in comparison to the ensuing comments. It didn’t take long for the underwriters she worked for to send her packing using her criminal record as an excuse. The garbage she had to deal with when she left her house made her become more and more reclusive until she finally found it necessary to relocate. For better or worse, she’d start over…wiser for the ware.
25. PMMC
Lynch followed the ambulances to the hospital, but not for the sake of the passengers. The gurneys were rushed into the trauma center. Lynch parked in the visitors’ lot, went in the main entrance and made a b line for the elevator which he took to the sixth floor. His partner was waiting for him with coffee in hand.
“Good bust, amigo.”
“Yeah, good bust.”
A nearby picture window displayed the east end of Main Street as if on a postcard. In contrast to everything the day had so far produced, it was a beautiful afternoon. Both detectives took a moment to breathe and enjoy the view.
Gomez still smelled like Fowler Brew.
“You stink, partner.”
“I know.”
“How’s Molly doing?”
“She’s getting looked at downstairs.”
“Did Leo get here yet?”
Gomez nodded and motioned toward the ICU with his elbow. Lynch stepped back from the window and took a look down the corridor. June Reilly and Father Leo Pascucci were seated facing each other on one of the sectional couches. They were praying. Lynch spoke to his partner.
“This is your territory, Ernie. What do you think?”
“Is Carrie coming?”
“Not for a while. She’s still working on Ian.”
“Then we should walk down there, and you should talk to the grieving mother.”
Lynch’s feet suddenly became very heavy.
“You sure about that? She likes you; she doesn’t like me.”
“She needs facts, Jaime, and you’re closest to the case next to Carrie. Father Leo will take care of the comfort part, and you know I’ve got your back.”
Gomez held out his coffee cup for his partner to “clink.” Lynch looked down at it, then forward again.
“You know I’m not doing that.”
“Aw, man. I thought we were having a moment there.”
“Shut up. Let’s do this.”
It was a short hallway. Lynch wanted to rehearse what he was going to say, but he only had time to get it started in his head.
Mrs. Reilly, your son, Kevin, was heavily affected by the murder of Bishop Ryan. He acted irrationally and decided to use his resources as a cop and a Reilly to make sure the murderer was appropriately punished. He went to Father O’Rourke to get what proved to be inaccurate information on the killer’s whereabouts. Kevin knew he would be missed at the station so he called Ian and asked him to handle it.
I need to be clear that, at this point, there is no proof that Kevin asked his brother to kill anyone, nor is there proof that Ian went to the barn intending to commit murder. It all could have been simple scare tactics. The unfortunate truth, however, is that the action sparked a war between Ian and…
The only two meaningful words he would use from his inner monologue were “unfortunate truth.: When the time came, June Reilly asked one question before giving Lynch a chance to speak.
“What will happen to my son?”
Lynch was a breath away from responding the worst way possible (“Which son do you mean?”), but he caught himself.
“Honestly, I can’t offer much comfort on that front. Ian believes being a Reilly in Potterford will spare him the brunt of the regular process. He’s admitted to what he did, but he won’t help us with his accomplices. He’s fed us a far-fetched story about a couple of homeless. There’s little chance it will pan out. I’m afraid the unfortunate truth is he’s going to wind up taking the rap for Jeremy Sokol’s murder all by himself. That will be after a trial that he feels he can beat. He won’t. We have a solid witness and blood evidence on the murder weapon. As much as everyone involved will want to let Ian off the hook, it just won’t be possible.”
Gomez was right. The woman’s heart was breaking, but behind the tears, was appreciation for the candor. Lynch swallowed the lump in his throat and continued.
“However…I believe the sympathy and leniency that everyone would have otherwise given your son will be transferred to Braden. Despite the seriousness of what he did, it’s obvious that your grandson’s plan was neither to kill nor cause any widespread damage. On top of that, all of his victims lived, and their crimes will be made very public. Braden’s actions won’t be excused, but they will be understood.
“He’ll probably spend significant of time in Youth Corrections, and he’ll definitely be required to get some intense counseling. It won’t be easy, but his life won’t be destroyed, especially with the help of his family and the likes of Father Leo here.”
Leo emphasized Lynch’s words with a reassuring smile. Gomez brought it all home simply and elegantly as was his talent.
“He’s going to be okay, abuela.”
There were no hugs. It wasn’t a time for hugs. Father Leo would spend the rest of the day in the hospital with Molly, June, and the rest of the family. Lynch and Gomez would go back to the station and help tie as much of a bow on the Sokol case as they could.
So many lives forever changed. It would have been easy to blame whoever shot Bishop Ryan, but the groundwork had been laid long before
