Neds supervisors said that the plate info was so vague it couldve applied to about twenty-five other states, meaning that without something more specific, they didnt want him investing much time in the check. Using the vehicle description and the plates partial sequence, Ned had the records people do an analysis and they came up with five possibilities for Denver.
Ned ran them all down, made personal visits and questioned the vehicle owners. Four were easily ruled out. And although hed ruled out the fifth, Ned told me the vehicle owner gave him a bad vibe.
Youre talking about this Jerome Fell.
Kate looked at her monitor and saw notes for Jerome Fell, aged 30, of 2909 Falstaff Street, Denver. Goodsill had scanned in Fells drivers license with a photo of a clean-shaven man with an expression of indifference staring from it. She touched her fingers to the lower part of his face, covering it and visualizing him with a beard. He could resemble Carl Nelson. She couldnt be sure. There was a time difference of at least fifteen years.
Yes. Ned had said that before he visited Fell he already knew from US border people that Fell had been to Canada around the time of the abduction and that hed returned through Eastport, Idaho. But Fell was never detained at the border and never searched.
Why?
Border people claimed that they never had any alerts about a van and partial plate, at that time. Thats something the Canadians disputed.
But Ned met with Fell?
Yes.
And had a bad vibe about him, yet he still ruled him out? Why?
When Ned questioned Fell cold, about his whereabouts for that time period, Fell acknowledged right off that hed been to Canada on vacation. He said hed been in British Columbia but not Alberta and even showed Ned motel receipts to prove it.
So then what?
Ned cleared him, but something about Fell niggled at him. Ned told me later that Fell seemed unusually well prepared, almost as if he were expecting to account for his travels for that period. Still, Neds supervisors, citing the partial-plate business, were satisfied and pulled Ned away to other investigations.
Was that the end of it?
Not quite. Ned was still bothered by Fell and not long after that suggested I do some quiet digging on him.
Whatd you do?
I never talked to Fell. I didnt want him to get suspicious. I talked to his neighbors, kept an eye on his place. I learned that he was a computer expert, a contractor, that he lived alone, kept to himself and kept up his property. See the pictures. He had a tidy little bungalow with a garage.
What did you find out?
Not much, but I figured that if this guy had kidnapped a Canadian girl and was living in Denver, this would be a huge story, so before letting it go, I decided to do a trash hit.
You stole his garbage from the curb?
Yup, I think I did it about six times under cover of night. You ever do that, Kate?
A few times.
Dirty, messy work, but the Supreme Court says its not an invasion of privacy once its on the street, Goodsill said. You can find out a lot by going through peoples garbage. At first, there was nothing that stood out in Fells trash.
Did you find anything suggesting that Jerome Fell was an alias?
No.
Youve seen the pictures of Carl Nelson. Do you think Nelson and Fell are the same person?
Well, fifteen years is a long time, but I thought about that when I saw the stories out of New York and I got to thinking that it sure is possible.
Did you find anything with the name Carl Nelson, or anything linking him to Rampart? I dont see it in the samples you sent me, in the ones Ive opened so far.
Im afraid not. A lot of junk food wrappers, empty take-out containers, pizza boxes, some bills for cable, for utilities, all to Jerome Fell, or J. Fell. A few items of mail for neighbors sent to his address. I saw that he was not kind. Instead of giving them to his neighbors he opened them and tossed them. Its all there. Ive got more coming your way, maybe forty in all.
Im not surprised you didnt find anything. I know its possible he couldve missed something. But I think he wouldve been careful not to miss anything. You think he wouldve used a shredder.
Thats what I thought, too. Maybe he shredded stuff, maybe he burned stuff, but all in all, I found nothing unusual and dropped it. Then my wife noticed something, Id missed-a couple things actually.
What?
See attachment number sixteen, the stained receipt for a bracelet kit, a Spirograph set, a bead art kit and a colored pencil set?
My wife thought those are items or toys youd buy for a young girl, especially one who might be bored.
Kates concentration sharpened on that point and she agreed.
Then my wife noticed another one. Thats number twenty-two, a small ripped receipt from a drugstore for sanitary napkins and whatnot, excuse me, but see?
Kate moved her mouse to number twenty-two and opened it.
Yes.
Now, I looked into this and most American girls get their period when they turn twelve or so, and this Canadian girl, who couldve been your sister, was about ten when she was abducted, right?
Actually, my sister wouldve been closer to eleven and a half.
Those two factors were kind of disturbing, but I said to my wife, Fell couldve had a girlfriend, who had a daughter, you know? There could be explanations. Besides there are privacy issues and I was thinking, how do I challenge him? So I gave it some thought over the next few weeks, thinking the best thing to do was talk to Ned.
What happened?
Ned suffered a heart attack and stroke. That was a big scare for my family and it took me away from things for a while. By the time I went back to check on Fell a month or so later, hed moved away. I couldnt get a new address for him.
What about the Realtors, neighbors, his employer, the post office?
I tried them all, Kate, and got nothing. It was like hed vanished.
Kate sat there staring at the items on her monitor. Several moments of silence passed before she thanked Goodsill and hung up.
For the next hour or so, Kate clicked on every attachment, examining each one for clues, anything Goodsill missed. But hed been thorough. Hed done everything that she wouldve done and as she clicked from item to item, she considered herself lucky hed helped her.
When Kate came to pictures of Jerome Fells house, her thoughts darkened.
Was Vanessa held captive here? Was Fell actually Carl Nelson? Or was she chasing another mirage?
Kate pulled up the FBI photo of a Nelson Wanted poster and positioned it next to the Jerome Fells Colorado drivers license. There was about fifteen years of time between the two images. Kate placed her notebook against her monitor so that only the eyes and top of the head of each photo were visible.
Are his eyes the same?
In both cases they had the icy veneer of a deep-seated resentment. Definitely a guy who wouldnt return your misdirected mail, Kate thought before looking at the miscellaneous attachments again, the invoices, the bills and what appeared to be a misdirected invoice or note.
Whats this?
Something from Chicago about a burial site of Krasimira Zurrn.
What could that be? Who is Krasimira Zurrn?
Shed check that out later. It was 3:45 a.m. She had to get to bed.
33
Rampart, New York
A large dry-erase board stood at one end of the Investigative Unit of the Rampart Police Department.
Ed studied it over the rim of his mug as he took another hit of black coffee. His concentration shifted to Carl Nelsons photo.
Inch by inch, were getting closer to you.
Tire impressions found at the scene were made by 10-ply radials, LT245/75R16, load range E. The same tires were on the silver Chevy 2013 Class B camper van that Carl Nelson bought in Utica. We can place that van at the scene.Now we have to locate that van.
So far, nothing had surfaced from the alerts.
Brennan rubbed his eyes. Hed been up much of the night, padding through the house, watching over his wife and son, contending with the weight of the case.
Whatre we missing?
He took another hit of coffee while reviewing the board. He stood among the half-dozen empty desks. All the units detectives had been assigned to the case.
They were out following leads.
Rampart headed the task force, supported by Riverview County, the state police, the FBI and other agencies. The case was divided into several parts. Rampart and the county had most local aspects arising from Carl Nelson. The FBI had the fugitive element. State and the FBI had the crime scene, which was still being processed. Other components crossed jurisdictions, depending on expertise and resources.
There was an update on the necklace from the manufacturer via the FBI. The model in question was no longer made and sold. During the period it was marketed, 600,000 units were sold in the US and another 700,000 units were sold globally. The maker said engraving names on the charms was common and examination of the damaged piece and the comparison piece, obtained from Kate Page, showed that both were made by the company. But insofar as to the two pieces being the exact two pieces Kates mother had bought, the finding was inconclusive.
Brennan continued to survey the board.
All work to date was up there: the pictures, names of the victims, case numbers, color arrows and the latest notes showing if warrants had been issued. There were summaries of areas canvassed, neighbors to be reinterviewed and security cameras to be checked or rechecked.
So far, eighty-three tips had been followed, prioritized or closed.
And nothing ever came of that coworker who claims he saw Carl online looking at real estate and taking notes. That ones eating at me.
The FBIs Behavioral Science Unit was developing a profile of the suspect, looking at motivation, methodology and the psychology of his actions and personality.
Brennan turned from the board. Dickson had just ended a call with the FBI.
Well, its official, Dickson said. That was the FBIs Cyber Crime team. Theyve been working with the Secret Service and two forensic teams at the DataFlow Call Center.
Did Nelson compromise their system?
Big-time. He devised and installed some type of software that allowed him to siphon everything from the companys payment processing network. He stole Social Security numbers, PINs, addresses, telephone numbers, bank and credit card information.