Those empty eyes, p.1
Those Empty Eyes, page 1
Books by Charlie Donlea
SUMMIT LAKE
THE GIRL WHO WAS TAKEN
DON’T BELIEVE IT
SOME CHOOSE DARKNESS
THE SUICIDE HOUSE
TWENTY YEARS LATER
Published by Kensington Publishing Corp.
THOSE EMPTY EYES
CHARLIE DONLEA
www.kensingtonbooks.com
Table of Contents
Also by
Title Page
Copyright Page
McIntosh, Virginia January 15, 2013
PART I - The Final Witness
CHAPTER 1 - District Courthouse Thursday, September 26, 2013 3:05 p.m.
CHAPTER 2 - District Courthouse Thursday, September 26, 2013 3:30 p.m.
CHAPTER 3 - District Courthouse Thursday, September 26, 2013 3:50 p.m.
CHAPTER 4 - McIntosh, Virginia Thursday, September 26, 2013 6:08 p.m.
CHAPTER 5 - District Courthouse Friday, September 27, 2013 9:12 a.m.
CHAPTER 6 - District Courthouse Friday, September 27, 2013 10:32 a.m.
PART II - The Escape
CHAPTER 7 - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 Paris, France 1:35 p.m.
CHAPTER 8 - Tuesday, September 29, 2015 Paris, France 1:45 p.m.
CHAPTER 9 - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 Zürich, Switzerland 9:35 a.m.
CHAPTER 10 - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 Zürich, Switzerland 11:30 a.m.
CHAPTER 11 - Wednesday, September 30, 2015 Zürich, Switzerland 9:41 p.m.
CHAPTER 12 - Friday, October 2, 2015 Cambridge, England 2:15 p.m.
CHAPTER 13 - Friday, October 2, 2015 Cambridge, England 7:45 p.m.
CHAPTER 14 - Saturday, October 3, 2015 London, England 10:05 a.m.
CHAPTER 15 - Saturday, October 3, 2015 London, England 10:15 a.m.
CHAPTER 16 - Monday, October 5, 2015 London, England 11:22 a.m.
CHAPTER 17 - Thursday, October 8, 2015 London, England 4:20 p.m.
CHAPTER 18 - Thursday, October 8, 2015 London, England 5:15 p.m.
PART III - The Return
CHAPTER 19 - Manhattan, New York Sunday, January 15, 2023 8:45 p.m.
CHAPTER 20 - Washington, D.C. Friday, February 3, 2023 11:48 p.m.
CHAPTER 21 - Washington, D.C. Friday, February 3, 2023 11:56 p.m.
CHAPTER 22 - Manhattan, New York Friday, March 3, 2023 9:20 a.m.
CHAPTER 23 - Washington, D.C. Saturday, March 4, 2023 11:58 p.m.
CHAPTER 24 - Washington, D.C. Monday, March 6, 2023 9:10 a.m.
CHAPTER 25 - Washington, D.C. Monday, March 6, 2023 8:36 p.m.
CHAPTER 26 - Washington, D.C. Monday, March 6, 2023 8:36 p.m.
CHAPTER 27 - Washington, D.C. Monday, April 10, 2023 7:48 p.m.
CHAPTER 28 - Washington, D.C. Thursday, April 13, 2023 10:32 p.m.
CHAPTER 29 - Washington, D.C. Friday, April 14, 2023 6:45 p.m.
CHAPTER 30 - Washington, D.C. Friday, April 14, 2023 7:00 p.m.
CHAPTER 31 - Washington, D.C. Monday, April 17, 2023 12:20 p.m.
CHAPTER 32 - Washington, D.C. Friday, April 21, 2023 11:35 p.m.
PART IV - A Missing Persons Case
CHAPTER 33 - Washington, D.C. Saturday, April 22, 2023 11:45 p.m.
CHAPTER 34 - Manhattan, NY Tuesday, April 25, 2023 8:02 a.m.
CHAPTER 35 - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, April 25, 2023 9:15 a.m.
CHAPTER 36 - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, April 25, 2023 10:00 a.m.
CHAPTER 37 - Washington, D.C. Wednesday, April 26, 2023 10:32 a.m.
CHAPTER 38 - Washington, D.C. Friday, April 28, 2023 8:15 a.m.
CHAPTER 39 - Washington, D.C. Friday, April 28, 2023 9:00 a.m.
CHAPTER 40 - Washington, D.C. Friday, April 28, 2023 1:35 p.m.
CHAPTER 41 - Washington, D.C. Friday, April 28, 2023 2:45 p.m.
CHAPTER 42 - Washington, D.C. Friday, April 28, 2023 3:30 p.m.
CHAPTER 43 - Washington, D.C. Friday, April 28, 2023 4:05 p.m.
CHAPTER 44 - Washington, D.C. Saturday, April 29, 2023 7:15 a.m.
CHAPTER 45 - Washington, D.C. Saturday, April 29, 2023 9:20 a.m.
CHAPTER 46 - Washington, D.C. Saturday, April 29, 2023 9:50 a.m.
CHAPTER 47 - Washington, D.C. Saturday, April 29, 2023 10:30 a.m.
CHAPTER 48 - Washington, D.C. Saturday, April 29, 2023 11:35 a.m.
CHAPTER 49 - Washington, D.C. Saturday, April 29, 2023 2:30 p.m.
CHAPTER 50 - Washington, D.C. Monday, May 1, 2023 1:55 p.m.
CHAPTER 51 - Washington, D.C. Monday, May 15, 2023 10:00 a.m.
CHAPTER 52 - Washington, D.C. Monday, May 15, 2023 10:50 a.m.
CHAPTER 53 - Washington, D.C. Monday, May 15, 2023 8:30 p.m.
PART V - Revelations
CHAPTER 54 - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, May 30, 2023 10:45 a.m.
CHAPTER 55 - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, May 30, 2023 12:30 p.m.
CHAPTER 56 - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, May 30, 2023 7:45 p.m.
PART VI - The Profile of a Killer
CHAPTER 57 - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, May 30, 2023 9:32 p.m.
CHAPTER 58 - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, May 30, 2023 9:45 p.m.
CHAPTER 59 - Washington, D.C. Tuesday, May 30, 2023 11:05 p.m.
CHAPTER 60 - Wytheville, Virginia Wednesday, May 31, 2023 7:32 p.m.
CHAPTER 61 - Wytheville, Virginia Wednesday, May 31, 2023 7:35 p.m.
CHAPTER 62 - Wytheville, Virginia Wednesday, May 31, 2023 8:30 p.m.
CHAPTER 63 - Wytheville, Virginia Wednesday, May 31, 2023 9:30 p.m.
CHAPTER 64 - Wytheville, Virginia Wednesday, May 31, 2023 11:30 p.m.
CHAPTER 65 - Wytheville, Virginia Wednesday, May 31, 2023 11:35 p.m.
CHAPTER 66 - Wytheville, Virginia Wednesday, May 31, 2023 11:45 p.m.
CHAPTER 67 - Wytheville, Virginia Wednesday, May 31, 2023 11:55 p.m.
CHAPTER 68 - Wytheville, Virginia Wednesday, May 31, 2023 11:57 p.m.
PART VII - Full Circle
CHAPTER 69 - Washington, D.C. Saturday, June 10, 2023 3:32 p.m.
CHAPTER 70 - McIntosh, Virginia Monday, June 12, 2023 10:04 a.m.
CHAPTER 71 - London, England Saturday, July 1, 2023 1:05 p.m.
CHAPTER 72 - The Appalachian Mountains Saturday, October 14, 2023 9:52 p.m.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
To the extent that the image or images on the cover of this book depict a person or persons, such person or persons are merely models, and are not intended to portray any character or characters featured in the book.
KENSINGTON BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2023 by Charlie Donlea
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
The K with book logo Reg. U.S. Pat. & TM Off.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2022948697
ISBN: 978-1-4967-2717-6
First Kensington Hardcover Edition: April 2023
ISBN: 978-1-4967-2721-3 (ebook)
Follow the evidence wherever it leads, and question everything.
—Neil deGrasse Tyson
McIntosh, Virginia January 15, 2013
Sin was a mystery.
Some believed their sins went unnoticed and could be committed without consequence. Others repented in the conviction that an omnipotent God witnessed all discretions and forgave unconditionally. The shooter, dressed in boots and a long, sweeping trench coat, believed something else—that the most egregious sins should always be noticed and never forgiven, and that those who commit them should be punished.
The shooter climbed the stairs silently while the family slept. At the top of the staircase, the figure approached the bedroom and used the barrel of the shotgun to push open the door of the master suite. The hinges creaked and disrupted the otherwise quiet home. The door came to a rest with just enough space to pass through the door frame. The shooter slipped inside and walked to the foot of the bed. The soft breathing of the woman could be heard between animalistic snores from the man lying next to her. The shooter lifted the shotgun and secured it—tight to the shoulder, right cheek against the cold metal—so that the barrel pointed at the snoring man. A finger settled over the trigger, paused momentarily, and then twitched, unleashing a deafening blast. The sleeping man’s flesh exploded as buckshot tore into his chest. Disoriented, his wife sat up quickly. In her confusion, she never saw the shooter standing at the foot of the bed or the barrel of the shotgun rotating toward her. A second blast sent the woman’s torso ricocheting off the headboard.
Reaching into the pocket of the trench coat, the shooter removed three photos and dropped them onto the bed. As the ringing of the gunshots dissipated, floorboards creaked outside the bedroom. Quickly, the shooter cracked the barrel of the shotgun open, allowing the spent shells to sail into the air. With hands protected by latex gloves, the shooter retrieved two live shells from the second trench coat pocket, inserted them into the smoking chamber, and snapped the barrel closed before aiming toward the bedroom door. An eternity passed until the hinges whined again as the door opened fully to reveal a young boy standing in the door frame.
Raymond Quinlan was thirteen years old, a troubling age for the shooter—old enough to be a viable witness, but young enough to make the next decision challenging. As Raymond struggled to understand the scene before him, the shooter allowed no time for the boy to orientate himself. The barrel of the shotgun was trained at the boy’s chest, and a third deafening blast filled the home.
As the concussion ricocheted off the bedroom walls, melancholy began to settle in but was quickly brushed aside. There would be time for despondence when the mission was over. A job that moments earlier had been complete was now only three-quarters finished. The shooter walked quickly from the bedroom. Raymond lay in the hallway, an expanding pool of blood seeping across the hardwood. A quick glance back into the bedroom allowed the spent shells to stand out against the carpet where they’d landed. But they were not a worry. Nor was the gun itself. In fact, the plan had been to lay the weapon at the foot of the bed when the night was over, but Raymond had spoiled everything. Stepping over his body, the shooter hurried down the hall to the far bedroom. There was another family member in the house that now demanded attention.
Reaching the end of the hallway, the shooter used the barrel of the shotgun to push open the bedroom door. This time, however, the door did not budge. It was latched shut. Twisting the handle and finding the door locked, the shooter lifted a knee and aimed a boot heel at the doorknob. The wood splintered but did not give. A second effort burst the door open and sprung the top hinge from the frame so that the door hung crooked from the jamb. Entering the room, the shooter saw that the bed was empty but the covers were tussled. Placing a palm to the sheets, the bed was warm from where someone had been sleeping just moments earlier. As the shooter turned from the bed, attention fell to the closet. The wicker door was closed. Walking over, the shooter used the barrel of the shotgun to tap on the door.
When no answer came, the shooter turned the handle and slowly pushed the door open. But the closet, like the bed, was empty. It was then that the cold chill of night drifted across the back of the shooter’s calves, below the hem of the trench coat. Across the room, the window curtains twirled as they filled with the night air that passed over the sill. After rushing across the room, the shooter ripped the curtains to the side and pushed the window fully open. The screen lay on the walkway below, broken free from the frame when the final family member had escaped through the window.
It was a problem. A serious error created by careless miscalculation, but not the only one the shooter committed that night.
PART I
The Final Witness
“If it bleeds, it leads.”
—Garrett Lancaster
Fall 2013
CHAPTER 1
District Courthouse Thursday, September 26, 2013 3:05 p.m.
GARRETT LANCASTER WALKED TO THE COURTROOM PODIUM AS TELEVISION cameras recorded his every move and millions watched the live coverage. The defamation trial of Alexandra Quinlan versus the state of Virginia had captured the attention of the nation. Ever since the night the Quinlan family was slaughtered and the seventeen-year-old daughter was arrested for the murders, the country had been fascinated with Alexandra Quinlan. First, when she was accused of the crime and labeled a sadistic killer. And later, after she was exonerated when evidence surfaced that proved her innocence. And especially now, when Alexandra had turned around and sued the state of Virginia, claiming that the McIntosh Police Department and the Alleghany district attorney’s office had not only botched the investigation into her family’s murder, but ruined her life in the process.
Because of the media attention the Quinlan murders had received, Alexandra’s defamation case had been fast-tracked. Predicted to last two weeks, the trial was right on schedule. For the first few days—Monday through Thursday morning—the jurors had listened to testimony from a careful list of witnesses Garrett Lancaster had called in strategic order. Now, Garrett had Thursday afternoon and all of Friday to finish presenting his case. He planned to fill those hours with testimony from just two individuals, his final witnesses. If things went according to plan, the state’s defense attorneys would sit silently for the final two days of the prosecution’s case. They wouldn’t dare go after the testimony they heard today, and wouldn’t so much as think of cross-examining his witness tomorrow.
Garrett knew the untenable position he was about to put the state’s defense team in. He knew this because Garrett was usually the attorney doing the defending. It was only through a bizarre set of circumstances that he found himself in the unusual position of being the prosecuting attorney representing Alexandra Quinlan in her defamation suit against the state of Virginia. The managing partner at one of the biggest defense firms on the East Coast, Garrett was a defense attorney by trade, and therefore in the unique position of knowing his opponents inside and out.
Garrett had designed his strategy carefully. Despite the temptation to allow the jury to hear testimony from his two star witnesses earlier in the week, at the start of the trial when juries were easy to impress, he instead saved their testimony for now—Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. The plan was to wrap things up the following morning before lunch and then persuade the judge to adjourn for the weekend. Garrett wanted the testimonies from his final two witnesses—as well as their faces and tears and cracking voices—to be fresh on the jury members’ minds as they headed into the weekend. He wanted the testimony to linger for two long days before the jury reconvened Monday morning to listen to the attorneys for the state of Virginia mount their full, unfettered defense against Alexandra’s claims that the McIntosh Police Department was incompetent and that the Alleghany district attorney’s office was corrupt.
“Your honor,” Garret said after reaching the podium. Dressed smartly in a crisp navy suit and yellow tie, he carefully arranged his notes in no hurry, putting forth a sense of composure and confidence. He knew a television audience of millions was tuned in and he did not shy away from the attention. In his midfifties and handsome, Garrett knew how to use his presence to work a jury and was no amateur when it came to high-profile cases. “The prosecution calls Donna Koppel.”
The first officer to arrive at the Quinlan home on the night of January 15, Donna Koppel was the first into the house, the first up the stairs, and the first to witness the carnage in the master bedroom. The four other police officers who had responded to shots fired at 421 Montgomery Lane had already taken the stand. Garrett had expertly used the officers’ testimonies to lay out for the jury exactly what was found the night the officers entered the Quinlan home. Their testimonies were identical—they’d each described the bloodshed of a family slaughtered in the middle of the night. They’d each testified about finding a young girl, identified as Alexandra Quinlan, sitting on the floor of her parents’ bedroom holding the shotgun that had been used to kill her parents and brother. Garrett hadn’t attempted to sugarcoat or soften the officers’ recollection of the scene. In fact, he made sure each offered painstakingly detailed accounts of that evening—from arriving at the scene, to climbing the stairs, to stepping over Raymond Quinlan’s body in order to gain access to the master bedroom, where Dennis and Helen Quinlan lay dead in their bed.
It was part of Garrett’s strategy. Initiating each officer’s testimony and eliciting it in step-by-step detail had essentially diffused the defense’s cross-examination. Nothing more could be ascertained from the witnesses. Garrett had not refuted any of the officers’ testimonies about what they had seen and found when they entered the Quinlan home. Instead, Garrett took the officers’ recollection as gospel and confirmed that each officer’s testimony matched perfectly with that of the others—a gruesome night that had shocked each of them to their core, and a disturbing crime scene that had gone on to astonish the nation.
