Chapter 141 Rourke Investigates Vanessa
DETECTIVE ROURKE'S POV
I was sitting at my desk surrounded by files on Vanessa Cory. Her background. Her history. Her relationship with Collin Hayes. Something about her story was not adding up and I was determined to figure out what.
Officer Martinez walked over. "Still digging into Vanessa?" she asked.
"Yeah," I said. "There is something here. I can feel it. I just have not found it yet."
"What are you looking for exactly?" Martinez asked.
"Proof that she is lying," I said. "Proof that her claims about Caitlyn are fabricated."
"You already have proof," Martinez said. "The alibis. The financial records. The fact that Caitlyn's name is not on any documents."
"That proves Vanessa's specific claims are false," I said. "But it does not explain why she is making those claims. What is her real motive is. There is more to this story."
"You think she is working for someone?" Martinez asked.
"Maybe," I said. "Or maybe she has her own agenda. Something beyond just being angry about Collin choosing Caitlyn over her."
I pulled up Vanessa's financial records. Looked at her bank accounts. Her credit cards. Her spending patterns. Everything was normal until three months ago. Then suddenly large deposits started appearing.
"Look at this," I said to Martinez. "Fifty thousand from the tabloid for her story. That makes sense. But what about these other deposits? Twenty thousand here. Fifteen thousand there. Where is that money coming from?"
"Good question," Martinez said. "Can you trace it?"
"I am trying," I said. "The deposits are from shell companies. Corporations registered in Delaware. Hard to trace back to the actual source."
"But not impossible," Martinez said.
"Not impossible," I agreed. "Just time-consuming."
I spent the next few hours tracking down the shell companies. Making calls. Requesting records. Following the money trail. It was tedious work but finally I found something.
The shell companies were all registered to the same person. A lawyer named Richard Brennan. And Richard Brennan had connections to some of the defendants in the upcoming trials. The men Caitlyn was supposed to testify against.
"Bingo," I said. "Martinez look at this."
She came over and I showed her what I found. Her eyes went wide.
"So Vanessa is being paid by the defendants?" Martinez asked. "To discredit Caitlyn?"
"Looks that way," I said. "They are paying her to tell lies. To destroy Caitlyn's credibility. So that when the trials happen the juries will not believe her."
"That is witness tampering," Martinez said. "That is illegal."
"Very illegal," I said. "And we can use this. We can expose what they are doing. Prove that Vanessa is not acting alone. That she is part of a coordinated effort to obstruct justice."
"We need to tell DA Walsh," Martinez said.
"I know," I said. "But first I need more proof. I need to connect the dots between Brennan and the defendants. Need to show that this was intentional. Not just coincidental."
I kept digging. Looked at phone records. Email records. Meeting schedules. And there it was. Multiple meetings between Brennan and the defendants. Multiple calls. Multiple emails discussing strategy.
One email in particular caught my attention. It was from Brennan to one of the defendants. It said "Vanessa is on board. She will do the interview. This should neutralize the witness."
"The witness," I said out loud. "That is Caitlyn. They are targeting her specifically."
"This is huge," Martinez said. "This proves conspiracy. Proves they are trying to obstruct justice."
"It does," I said. "Now I need to figure out how much Vanessa knows. Is she a willing participant? Or is she being manipulated?"
I looked through more of Vanessa's records. Found therapy records. Seemed she had been seeing a psychiatrist for depression and anxiety. Started shortly after Collin died. Made sense. She was grieving.
But then I found something interesting. Her therapist was also connected to Richard Brennan. He had referred her. Paid for her sessions. Set up the whole thing.
"They are controlling her," I said. "Brennan and the defendants. They found a vulnerable woman who was grieving. Who was angry at Caitlyn? And they are using her."
"That is sick," Martinez said. "Taking advantage of someone like that."
"It is," I said. "But it also means we might be able to flip her. If we can show her that she is being used. These people do not care about her. She might cooperate with us."
"You want to talk to her?" Martinez asked.
"I do," I said. "But carefully. Do not want to spook her. Do not want her to run to Brennan."
I called DA Walsh and explained what I found. She was quiet for a moment.
"This changes everything," Walsh said. "If we can prove the defendants are paying Vanessa to lie that destroys their credibility. Helps Caitlyn's credibility. Strengthens all our cases."
"Exactly," I said. "But we need to move carefully. If Vanessa realizes we are onto her she might disappear. Or worse. These people are dangerous."
"What is your plan?" Walsh asked.
"I want to approach Vanessa," I said. "Show her the evidence. Give her a chance to cooperate. If she agrees to testify against Brennan and the defendants we can offer her immunity."
"Immunity?" Walsh said. "She lied. She damaged Caitlyn's reputation. She caused real harm."
"I know," I said. "But getting Brennan and the defendants is more important. If Vanessa cooperates we can expose the whole conspiracy. That is worth giving her a deal."
"Okay," Walsh said. "But be careful. These people are desperate. They will do anything to protect themselves."
"I will be careful," I said. "I promise."
I spent the rest of the day preparing. Gathering evidence. Building my case. Making sure I had everything I needed before approaching Vanessa. By the time I was done, it was late. Almost midnight.
I drove to Vanessa's apartment. Knocked on her door. She answered looking surprised to see me.
"Detective Rourke," she said. "What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk to you," I said. "About your relationship with Richard Brennan."
Her face went pale. "I do not know what you are talking about."
"Yes you do," I said. "Can I come in? This is important."
She hesitated then stepped aside. I walked into her apartment. It was nice. Expensive furniture. Art on the walls. All paid for by the money she got from lying about Caitlyn.
"Vanessa," I said. "I know you have been paid to lie about Caitlyn Cross. I know Richard Brennan is behind it. I know he is working for the defendants in the upcoming trials. And I know you are being used."
"I am not being used," Vanessa said. But she did not sound convinced.
"You are," I said. "These people do not care about you. They do not care about Collin. They just want to keep themselves out of prison. And they are using your grief. Your anger. To accomplish that."
"That is not true," Vanessa said. "Richard cares about me. He has been helping me."
"He has been manipulating you," I said. "Look at this."
I showed her the evidence. The shell companies. The payments. The emails discussing strategy. The plan was to "neutralize the witness." Her face crumpled as she read.
"They are using me," she said quietly. "Oh god they are using me."
"Yes," I said. "But you can make this right. You can tell the truth. Help us expose what they are doing. In exchange, I can offer you immunity. Protection. A way out."
"What if I say no?" Vanessa asked.
"Then you go to prison," I said. "For perjury. For conspiracy. For obstruction of justice. You are looking at serious time."
Vanessa sat down on her couch. Put her head in her hands. Started crying.
"I just wanted to hurt her," Vanessa said. "Hurt Caitlyn. For taking Collin away from me. I did not realize I was part of something bigger."
"I know," I said. "And I understand. But now you need to do the right thing. Tell the truth. Help us."
"If I help you they will come after me," Vanessa said. "Brennan and the defendants. They are dangerous people."
"We will protect you," I said. "Witness protection if necessary. But you have to cooperate. You have to tell the truth."