Chapter 144 Vanessa's Real Motive
DETECTIVE ROURKE'S POV
I was going through Vanessa's records again when something caught my eye. Her maiden name. Before she married and divorced. It was Volkov. Vanessa Volkov.
I knew that name. Had seen it before. I pulled up Viktor's file. His full name was Viktor Volkov. Same last name.
"Martinez," I called out. "Come look at this."
She came over to my desk. "What did you find?"
"Vanessa's maiden name is Volkov," I said. "Same as Viktor. I think they are related."
"Related how?" Martinez asked.
"I am about to find out," I said.
I pulled up birth records. Marriage records. Divorce records. And there it was. Vanessa Volkov married Viktor Volkov fifteen years ago. They were married for five years before divorcing ten years ago.
"She is Viktor's ex-wife," I said. "That is the connection."
"But why would that matter?" Martinez asked. "Viktor helped Caitlyn. He testified against Hayes. Why would his ex-wife want revenge on Caitlyn?"
"Because Viktor betrayed the organization," I said. "He cooperated with us. And Vanessa blames Caitlyn for that. Thinks if Caitlyn had not come to us Viktor would not have turned."
"That is twisted," Martinez said.
"It is," I said. "But it makes sense. Vanessa is not just angry about Collin choosing Caitlyn. She is angry about Viktor cooperating. About him helping to bring down the organization. She sees Caitlyn as the reason everything fell apart."
"We need to tell Walsh," Martinez said. "This changes everything."
I called DA Walsh and explained what I found. She was quiet for a moment.
"So Vanessa has multiple motives for lying," Walsh said. "Anger about Collin. Anger about Viktor. And money from the defendants. This is huge."
"It is," I said. "And it completely destroys her credibility. We can prove she is biased. That she has personal reasons to lie about Caitlyn."
"Can you prove she knew the defendants were paying her?" Walsh asked. "Or did she think the money was coming from somewhere else?"
"I am working on that," I said. "But I think she knew. I think she was a willing participant in the conspiracy."
"If you can prove that we can charge her," Walsh said. "Perjury. Conspiracy. Obstruction of justice. She could go to prison."
"Good," I said. "She deserves it after what she put Caitlyn through."
I spent the rest of the day building the case against Vanessa. Documenting every lie. Every payment. Every meeting with Richard Brennan. By the time I was done, I had a file three inches thick.
"This is solid," Martinez said looking through it. "Really solid. You got her."
"I hope so," I said. "Now I just need to present it to Walsh and get approval to move forward."
I drove to Walsh's office that evening. She was still there working late. I handed her the file.
"This is everything I have on Vanessa," I said. "The lies. The payments. The connection to Viktor. The conspiracy with Brennan and the defendants. It is all in there."
Walsh spent an hour going through it. When she finished she looked up at me and smiled.
"This is excellent work Rourke," she said. "Really excellent. This proves everything. Proves Vanessa was lying. Proves she was paid to lie. Proves there was a conspiracy to discredit Caitlyn."
"So what now?" I asked.
"Now we go public," Walsh said. "We release this information. Show everyone that Vanessa was lying. Clear Caitlyn's name."
"When?" I asked.
"Tomorrow," Walsh said. "I want to hold a press conference. Lay out all the evidence. Show that Caitlyn was telling the truth all along."
"What about charging Vanessa?" I asked.
"I am issuing a warrant for her arrest tonight," Walsh said. "She will be in custody by morning. Then we hold the press conference."
"Perfect," I said.
I drove to Tommy's house to tell Jason and Caitlyn. They were in the living room watching TV. I knocked and Tommy let me in.
"Rourke," Jason said when he saw me. "What are you doing here?"
"I have news," I said. "Good news. Can we talk?"
"Of course," Jason said.
Caitlyn came over holding Emma. She looked worried. "What is going on?"
"I found the connection," I said. "Between Vanessa and why she is doing this. She is Viktor's ex-wife."
"What?" Caitlyn said. "She is married to Viktor?"
"Was married," I said. "They divorced ten years ago. But she still has ties to him. And she blames you for his cooperating with us. For helping to bring down Hayes's organization."
"So all of this," Caitlyn said. "The lies. The accusations. It was because of Viktor?"
"Partly," I said. "She was also angry about Collin. And she was being paid by the defendants. But yes. Viktor cooperating was a big part of it."
"Oh my god," Caitlyn said. She sat down. "I had no idea."
"None of us did," I said. "But now we know. And we have proof. Proof that she was lying. Proof that she was paid. Proof that there was a conspiracy."
"What happens now?" Jason asked.
"Walsh is issuing a warrant for Vanessa's arrest," I said. "She will be in custody by morning. Then we are holding a press conference. Exposing everything. Clearing Caitlyn's name."
"Really?" Caitlyn asked. Tears were forming in her eyes. "You can really clear my name?"
"Yes," I said. "We have proof. Solid proof. No one will be able to deny it."
Caitlyn started crying. Jason put his arms around her. Tommy came over and patted her shoulder.
"It is over," Jason said. "Finally. It is over."
"Not quite over," I said. "There will still be trials. Still testimony. But the worst is behind you. The public will know the truth. Your reputation will be restored."
"Thank you," Caitlyn said. "Thank you so much Detective Rourke. I do not know what we would have done without you."
"You do not have to thank me," I said. "I was just doing my job. Making sure justice is served."
"You did more than your job," Jason said. "You saved us. Saved our family."
"I am glad I could help," I said.
I left feeling good. Feeling like we had finally won. Like justice was prevailing. Tomorrow the world would know the truth. Would know that Caitlyn was innocent. Vanessa was the liar.
And that felt good. Really good.
That was why I became a cop. To protect the innocent. To expose the guilty. To make sure justice was served.
And tomorrow justice would be served.