"Why do you ask? Is there a problem?"
Brennan spoke of a Missouri case where a pedophile Howie had watched kill an eleven year old boy seemed to have a perfect alibi. The case was particularly traumatic as the murder occurred without warning as Howie watched. He continued to have nightmares over the incident, renewing our concerns over his fragile mental wellbeing.
"We didn't let on to this guy, Jude Bryce, about the tip but he was a close neighbor and the parents suspected he might be involved so he was in our radar. When you called in your tip, we came down on him like a shoe on a bug."
"Does he have a record? Is he a registered sex offender?" I asked.
"No on both counts but he's been a person of interest in the past, because of his associates. He's gotten more looks than a braless cheerleader but nothing has stuck. We thought we had him this time but he has receipts and papers from Chicago where he claims he attended a weekend art shindig. His lawyer is yelling harassment. His paper work checks out and he's visible but blurry a half dozen times on hotel video cameras."
"What about his signature on the registration?" I asked.
"Everything was prepaid by credit card. It was a package deal. We showed his picture around but the best answer was he looked familiar. It's a large and busy hotel. Is there anything you can do?"
Nearly two weeks had passed since the killing. However, with Howie's credibility questioned, I felt we were compelled to revisit the issue. I agreed to Brennan to give it a try and see what we could do. He provided details on the hotel, time and room number where the man allegedly stayed."
If we thought Howie was upset over the Youngblood matter, it was arsenic versus ice cream compared to how enraged he was over a challenge to his ability. There was no question he wanted to nail Mr. Jude Bryce.
It was the first time in months Quinn would attempt to position Howie back more than a day or two. Fortunately, Howie was familiar with Chicago. It was the city of his seminary training in an attempt to resurrect his past he'd visited. If Quinn didn't place him at the hotel, he felt he might locate it himself. There was no need for precision regarding the time. Howie simply wanted to see who was in the assigned hotel room sometime during the weekend.
We considered the session might take much longer than usual. Howie's record was thirty-four minutes but he felt he could extend this if needed. He was so incensed; he'd try as many times as it took. Luck was on our side. Quinn's settings placed Howie within a block and a half of the hotel. He recognized the building via a computer image Betsy provided. The room was occupied, but not by Jude Bryce.