“The seal of confession. A sacred duty.”
“He couldn’t tell anyone. It went against everything he believed. But he found a compromise.” “What kind of compromise?” “After every confession, my father would bring him the victim’s things. Purses, IDs, jewelry.”
“Father Bill called them ‘tokens of sin.’ He believed that by keeping them on holy ground, he was somehow helping the victims’ souls. He prayed for them. He held private services for them.” Alex listened, stunned. It was madness.
Two brothers: one committed the evil, and the other, a priest, covered for him in the name of some twisted religious logic. “And the bodies?” he asked. “How did he get rid of them?” “The crematorium. My father cremated them along with the legitimate clients. Two or three extra a day.”
“Who would count? He scattered the ashes in the common plot at the cemetery. No trace.” Now Alex understood why the Garretts were untouchable. A funeral home was the perfect cover. Access to the equipment, the process, the cemetery.
No questions asked. No evidence. “You knew all this for eight years,” he said. “Eight years. And you said nothing.” “Yes. After 2015, there were more,” Garrett nodded.
“Two. Sarah Sorrell in 2017 and Julia Vance in 2019. Julia Vance was the daughter of the district attorney.” Alex remembered. Investigator Jenkins had mentioned one victim was connected to the DA’s office. “You realize you’re an accomplice?” he asked.
“You knew and you stayed quiet. Two women died after you found out the truth. That’s on you.” “You think I don’t know?” Garrett’s voice broke. “You think I sleep?”
“Every time a girl went missing, I hoped it wasn’t him. I hoped it was someone else. And then I’d find a new entry in the journal and…” He hit the steering wheel. “I’m a coward. Do you get it? A coward.”
“I was afraid to lose everything. My career, my family, my name. I was afraid of the shame. I was afraid my mother would find out. She died in 2018 never knowing. Maybe that was for the best.”
“Why are you telling me this now?” Alex asked. “Because it’s over. You found the bags. The State Police will find the truth. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Jenkins is good. She won’t stop. And the DA… he’s been pushing for three years to find his daughter. Now that her things have been found…” Garrett shook his head.
“My father is a broken man. He’s 81, but his mind is sharp. He knows it’s the end. He called me yesterday, asking for help. Said we needed to get rid of some other things. I told him no.”
“And now?” “I’m going to give a statement. I’ll tell them everything. The journal, my uncle, the bags. Let them judge me. I deserve it.”
“But my father has to answer for what he did.” Alex looked at him with suspicion. “Why should I believe you? Maybe this is a trap. Maybe you want to see what I know and then…” “Then what? Kill you?” Garrett laughed bitterly.
“I’m not a killer, Alex. I’m a coward and a liar, but not that. And besides, what’s the point? Jenkins already knows about your sister’s earrings. The witness you found will talk. Your folder of evidence—I saw you carrying it—will be on her desk.”
“It’s already in motion. You can’t stop it.” He turned to Alex. “I’m telling you this not to clear my name. I want you to know the truth. The whole truth.”
“About what happened to your sister. You deserve that.” “And what did happen to her?” Garrett paused. “In the journal, Mary was the eleventh entry. He met her a few months before she vanished.”
“By chance. At a gas station. They talked. She told him she wanted to be an actress. He told her he knew people in the city. That he could help her with contacts.”
Alex closed his eyes. Mary was always trusting. Too trusting. “That day, he called her at work,” Garrett continued. “Said he was driving to the city on business and could give her a ride. Said there was a casting call for a commercial.”
“She left work, got into his car. And then… then he took her out of town. That’s where it happened…”
