Cherry Two

Part 42

Chapter 40

By early evening some of the unknowns were coming together for the Port Angeles police. Terry Wolanchuk had already made a positive identification of Donna Sanford after the four bodies were removed from the Benson farm and transported to town. Her bloodstained car had been discovered on a side road a few yards from the Olympic Inn. Hollander speculated her murderer intended using it again after taking care of the grand prize—Robert Nameth. Unlike the Bensons' unreliable old Chevy, the keys to Sanford's new Taurus were still in the dead killer's pocket.

Jesus Benson had not spoken, despite every effort to persuade him. The longhaired, dark-complexioned man remained in the interrogation room with a plastic tray of food from a local burger joint, humming to himself, eating his French fries as if nothing in the world were wrong. Hollander spoke with Victoria authorities to no avail. Jesus Benson didn't have a police record on the island. His photo was being faxed to Vancouver to make sure. That only left his mother to shed some sane light on what had happened.

When told of the carnage, Jobyna Benson went into frantic denial. It wasn't until she confronted the lime-burned corpses of her parents did she burst into shrieking hysterics then collapse onto the floor of the coroner's office from hyperventilation. A nurse revived the woman, and only then did Hollander and Bearden begin to discover some of the bizarre truth.

***

Hollander returned to his office alone. Keenan just watched as the Police Captain situated himself behind his desk. For a moment no one spoke, but Keenan's face made it clear he wanted to know every detail the instant it developed.

"I now have some positive IDs," Hollander began grimly while scanning down a sheet of written notes. "The dead perpetrator is Eduardo Ramos. We're sending a photo and description to the FBI and RCMP. He is the father of Jesus Benson. Jobyna Benson confirmed it."

"Joby is here?" Calley exclaimed with a gasp.

Hollander nodded confirmation. "She came into port on the noon ferry for her mother's birthday party. Had no clue what was going on. She's a middle-aged, part Latino woman, dressed somewhat like a nun. We needed to calm her down so it's taking time. Benson lives in a religious commune with her illegitimate son on the east coast of Vancouver Island. They call themselves The Disciples of Christendom. This Jesus character was born twenty-four years ago, right here in Port Angeles.

Keenan leaned forward. "So he's an American?"

"Hmm, not any more. Both he and his mother took out Canadian citizenship about fifteen years ago. They travel on Canadian passports. We're checking on that. If their citizenship turns out to be invalid it makes very little difference. For now we are listing Jesus Benson as incompetent. I need a psyche report ASAP." Hollander slapped the sheet of paper. "But this Ramos creature was a very different kind of animal—I'm willing to bet a professional killer. Jobyna Benson originally knew him as Lino Silveria."

Calley gasped. Everyone looked at her.

"That's the name Sonia said—Lino Silvera. Joby brought him to my Dad's party."

Alain struggled to fill in the rest before Calley made things impossible. He could never explain to Hollander why a young girl visiting from England had insisted his aunt's killer was still alive. Alain skirted the awkwardness and made it sound as if Calley had been driven by insatiable curiosity, as one might be were they writing a family journal. To his relief she kept quiet, allowing him to be somewhat creative with the truth.

Hollander seemed to buy most of it, although the main question still hung in the air and refused to go away: how had Eduardo Ramos known about Robert Nameth's out-of-the-blue visit to Port Angeles? In due course the answer came together from combined interviews with Terry Wolanchuk and Jobyna Benson.