The Price of Justice (24 page)

Dani heard Sienna take a deep breath. “Win and I only knew each other a few months, and that was seven years ago. But I think about him all the time. I always knew he was innocent. The person I fell in love with back then wasn’t capable of rape, much less murder.”

“And of course, you were right.”

“Now, if it had been his roommate, that would be another story.”

Dani’s breath caught. “His roommate?”

“Max Dolan. He was a complete sleaze. He manhandled one of my friends in the dorm, and I’d heard he’d done it to others. She filed a complaint, but he got away with it. He claimed she wanted it rough. You know—a he-said, she-said thing.”

Dani could hardly breathe. Max Dolan, Win’s friend, the one who’d been with him at the high school the night Carly was murdered. Max Dolan, who’d left the gym after Carly had. Max Dolan—the only one who kept up his friendship after Win was convicted. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer, the saying went. It hit Dani like a thunderbolt. Greg Kincaid hadn’t killed Carly Sobol. Max Dolan had.

Dani quickly got off the phone and called Tommy. “Forget about the sex offenders. You won’t believe what I just learned.” Dani filled him in on her conversation with Sienna.

“Just because he was there that night doesn’t mean he killed Carly.”

“Of course not. But it all makes sense. Think about it. Mrs. Melton said the real killer came to her. If Kincaid had murdered Carly, would he even get access to her? Would he know to approach her and not Win’s parents? Max and Win had been friends for years. Mrs. Melton knew him well. And isn’t it more likely that Dolan—not Kincaid—wouldn’t want Win to die?”

“Dammit. You’re right. Now we need to prove it.”

C
HAPTER

43

A
s
soon as Dani arrived at work, Tommy followed her into her office. There was no time to stop for coffee and a Danish at the corner deli. They both felt an urgency now to finish what they’d started.

“I thought about it on the way in,” Dani said. “I think we have to confront Amelia Melton. Make sure we’re on the right track.”

“She won’t tell us anything. I’ve pushed her hard, and she hasn’t budged.”

“Still, we have a name to throw at her now. We’ve got to try once more.”

“Okay. But my bet is she won’t bite.”

“Then we’ll have to find another way to prove it.”

Tommy nodded, and they both strode over to Bruce’s office to fill him in on the newest development.

“Mrs. Melton can see you now,” the butler announced to Dani and Tommy. Dani had called before heading out, said they had something critical to discuss with her. She’d suggested they come when Win was at his therapy appointment.

Dani and Tommy walked into Amelia Melton’s study, and the butler closed the door behind them. Both took seats in the ladder-back chairs facing her desk.

“Thanks for seeing us,” Dani said.

“You indicated it was important.”

“I believe we’ve figured out who murdered Carly Sobol. I’m hoping you’ll confirm it.”

“And whom do you think it is?”

“Max Dolan.” Dani watched the
grand dame
’s face. It remained impassive, showing no reaction to the name. “Am I right?”

“On what do you base that belief?”

“Come on,” Dani said. “Isn’t it time to break your silence? He allowed Winston to take the fall. He allowed Winston to rot in prison for seven years. Do you think he deserves protection because he gave you information to stop the execution? He doesn’t.”

Finally, Dani saw a crack in Mrs. Melton’s rigid face. The elder woman sighed deeply, and it seemed to Dani as though her features blurred together, like a melting snowman’s. After seconds, her mask returned. “If you have some evidence that ties a person to the murder, come to me with that. Otherwise, I’m sorry. I can’t help you.”

Dani wasn’t surprised by Mrs. Melton’s silence. Dani had wondered if double jeopardy still attached if acquittal was based on a fraud. If so, Mrs. Melton was right to be concerned about revealing the name without definitive proof that he’d committed the murder. She made a mental note to research that issue.

Once they were back on the street, Tommy said, “What’s with that old bat?” Dani could practically see steam coming out of his nostrils.

“Calm down. She might have actually given us an answer. If it wasn’t Dolan, she could easily have denied it without revealing the real killer.”

“I guess the fact that she didn’t deny it might mean something,” Tommy admitted.

“That’s what I think. She promised if we come up with proof that ties him to the murder, she’ll talk.”

“So what now?”

“I want to track down the girls Dolan supposedly manhandled.”

When they got back to the office, Dani called Sienna once more and asked for the name of her friend who’d had a bad experience with Dolan.

“Her name is Karen Ballard, but I heard a rumor that the same thing happened to Liz Humphrey as well. I’m afraid I didn’t stay in touch with either of them, so I don’t know where they are now.”

Dani thanked her. Once they hung up, she hit the social-media sites, entering both their names and Princeton University. Within thirty minutes, she had enough information to track down their current homes—one in Connecticut and the other in Wisconsin.

Dani had tried reaching the two women several times during the day, only to get their voice mail. When she was home, after Jonah had gone to sleep, she tried again. The first call was to Karen Ballard, who now answered the phone. After Dani introduced herself, she asked, “Do you mind if I ask you a few questions about Max Dolan?”

There was silence on the other end of the phone. Dani could hear raspy breathing, then coughing. “Did I catch you when you’re sick?” she asked.

“No. This happens whenever I think of that bastard. What’s your interest in him?”

“I can’t tell you at this time. But it would be very helpful if you could describe your experience with him.”

“Experience? The jerk raped me. And no one did anything
about it.”

Dani was surprised. Rape was a far cry from being manhandled. Perhaps Karen had been too humiliated to tell her friend the extent of the assault. Sadly, Dani knew that it was not uncommon for a victim to feel ashamed, as though she’d brought the attack on herself.

“I’m so sorry. I’d heard that something had happened. I’m trying to see if there’s a pattern of behavior with him. Can you tell me the circumstances?”

Dani heard a deep sigh, and then a rustling movement.

“I needed to sit down for this. Okay, here’s what happened. Max was gorgeous. Big blue eyes and wavy blond hair, great body. All the girls wanted to go out with him. And it seemed he wanted to date everyone—you know, play the field. I was the fourth one in our dorm that he asked out.”

“Had you heard anything about his reputation before you went out with him?”

“You know what it’s like in a dorm. Everybody talks, and it gets passed around like wildfire. So, yeah, I’d heard he was a player. The previous girls didn’t seem to mind. I guess they were more experienced than me.”

“What happened on the date?”

“We went to a frat party. There were lots of kids and plenty of booze. I was okay with it. I was away from home for the first time and wanted to let loose. I guess I had a few drinks—well, quite a few. I started to feel dizzy, so Max took me to a bedroom and said I should lie down. Next thing I knew, he was on top of me. I tried to push him off, but he was too big for me. I’m barely five feet, and back then, I was tiny—a size zero. I was no match for him, but still, I kept struggling. It didn’t matter that I screamed. The noise was so loud in the frat house no one could hear. After a few minutes, he whipped his belt off and used it to tie my hands behind my back. Then he pulled up my skirt and ripped off my panties.”

Karen stopped. Dani could hear soft cries. She waited a few minutes before speaking. “I know this must be difficult for you.”

“It’s been seven years, and it still feels like yesterday. Just give me a moment.”

Dani waited quietly.

After a few minutes, Karen continued. “I left Princeton for a semester. I planned on transferring to another school, but after a while, I started to get angry that what he did was still controlling me. Princeton had always been my dream school. I returned the next semester with an assurance from the dean of students that he wouldn’t be in my dorm or in any of my classes.”

“Is there anything else you can tell me about the rape?”

“Let me think. You know, I’ve worked hard to try to wipe it from my memory.”

“I wouldn’t ask you if it weren’t important.”

Once again, she heard a deep sigh, and then Karen continued.

“After my hands were tied and my panties torn off, he covered my mouth with one hand and put the other around my throat. He entered me and squeezed my throat tighter. I couldn’t breathe—I thought I would die. When it was over, he untied me and was all smiles, like nothing had happened. He even had the gall to ask me how I liked it. I was too stunned to move or say anything. I was terrified of him. All I could think about was getting back to the dorm. He told me to get dressed, and after I did, he took my hand and led me back to the party. I could barely speak, my voice was so hoarse, but I managed to communicate that I wanted to go home.

“As we walked there, he asked me how I liked the choking. I just looked at him, stunned. He laughed and said it was supposed to increase sexual arousal, that the next time I should do it to him. We were close to the dorm then, and I just ran away from him, as fast as I could. I pounded on the door of the RA. Thank goodness, he was in.”

“Why didn’t you press charges?”

“I filed a complaint with the school, and they supposedly investigated. Max said I wanted it, and there were plenty of witnesses who saw me drinking a lot, and holding Max’s hand as we walked to the bedroom. The school felt there was insufficient evidence to expel him.”

“You still could have filed criminal charges.”

“No, it was too late for that. I hadn’t gone right away to a hospital so they could examine me. I just wanted to shower his filth off me and crawl into bed. By the time I thought about going to the police, his semen was gone, and the choke marks around my neck had disappeared. It would have been a repeat of his word against mine. I couldn’t bear to go through that again.”

Dani thanked her and hung up. Much of what Karen described mirrored what had happened to Carly: the panties taken off, the hands tied behind the back, the choking. Only with Carly, the choking went too far. It killed her.

Dani called Liz Humphrey next. She, too, was home and agreed to talk to her. She, too, had her hands tied behind her back and her neck choked after Max penetrated her. She had wanted to make love to Max, but when the choking began, she unsuccessfully tried to stop him. She never filed a complaint. And she made sure she was never again alone with Max Dolan.

It all added up to Dani. Max Dolan had been at the dance. He’d left the gym, and when he saw Win exit the woods alone, he quietly slipped in there himself. Maybe he hadn’t intended to kill Carly; maybe he had. It didn’t matter. Dolan belonged in prison.

While Dani was making her phone calls, Tommy had one more avenue to explore. Amelia Melton had said the killer had proof of her fraud. On a hunch, he called the hacker who’d discovered the payment to Letitia Sanders.

“Do you know what financial institution the half million came from?” Tommy asked him.

“I don’t, but I can find out.”

“Do that, please. As soon as you can.”

The hacker agreed to call him back when he had the information. Two hours later, Tommy’s phone rang.

“I got it. It was wired from the account of Independence Enterprises at the investment firm Dolan and Mahoney.”

Naturally, Tommy thought. It was where Max Dolan worked. He had the records showing the trail of money. If Amelia tried to deny it, he had the proof to hand over to the police.