Page 77 of Delusional

I could see the wheels turning as Spencer tried to figure out if he was doing the right thing. Then he said, “I just don’t want anything bad to happen to him. I’ve tried to get him help several times. He always avoids it.”

“You’re a good brother. You seem like a reasonable person as well. You have to decide if you could live with yourself if Tom is the person making these bombs, and if the next one he makes kills even more people. Maybe it kills some kids. Maybe he didn’t mean to but they’re collateral damage. Is that the sort of thing you want hanging over your head?”

It took a while before Spencer said, “No, that’s not something I’d like hanging over my head. I have daughters. I’d never be able to look at them again without thinking about letting that happen to someone else’s kids. You’ve made your point.”

“I’m not trying to upset you. I only want to talk to your brother.” This was a moment of truth. Had I really made my point? Was he as reasonable as he sounded? I was about to find out.

Spencer Owens let out a sigh. He nodded his head. “I’ve seen the videos. I know what he’s capable of doing.”

I asked, “How do you contact your brother when you need to talk to him?”

“He usually calls me. I have to answer every phone call I get, no matter the area code, because I never know what number Tom might be calling me from. If I want to get ahold of him, I write a letter. That’s about the only way I’ve found that works.”

“Where do you write to him? Do you know where he’s living these days?”

Spencer nodded. “I sent him a money order last week. It went to a house in Yonkers. I think it was an Airbnb.” He pulled up his phone and searched for a moment, then gave us the address.

I hit him with a few more questions. Nothing too serious. Then, like in almost every interview I did, I asked Spencer Owens if there was anything I was missing, anything that I’d forgotten to ask about.

I could tell by the look on Spencer’s face that he was thinking hard. It was almost as if he forgot he was on FaceTime with me. “Look, I don’t want anything to happen to my brother. But I have to be realistic. Nothing you’ve told me has surprised me. I just ask that you treat him carefully. One thing Tom doesn’t do is back down. He may seem like he’s giving up or giving in to someone else’s pressure. I can tell you from personal experience, all he does is use that time to figure out how to get the upper hand. He’s got issues. He doesn’t deal with them well.”

“I promise we’ll do everything we can. But first of all I have to sit down and talk to him. I promise we’ll keep you informed during the whole process.”

“That’s all that I can ask.”

I was glad Spencer Owens said that, because it was all I could offer at the moment.

CHAPTER 95

ALMOST AS SOON as our interview with Spencer Owens ended, Maggie Chin had her Impala headed toward Yonkers while I quickly tried to verify the address and see if there were any listings of it in NYPD intelligence files.

All I learned was that the house was in fact used as an Airbnb, and it was currently booked through mid-January. At least that’s what the website said.

Maggie said, “Is there anyone you can call to sit on the house until we get there?” Traffic was relatively light and I appreciated how she leaned on the gas.

“I’d be worried about a patrol car scaring Owens off. It won’t take us that long, and we can wait if he’s not there.”

“How do you want to handle the interview? Charge right ahead or see if he wants to talk to us and give up his associates?”

“I always prefer to talk to someone. Who knows what this guy has seen and heard. No one likes to have an open case on the murder of a cop. Besides, I told Abby Boyd’s mother that we’d find who set the bomb in the Office of Technology. I like to follow through on my promises.”

“I’ve noticed. I was especially impressed with your willingness to fly out to Montana and help your partner. Whatever you did out there must’ve been pretty serious to have a crazy Albanian gangster be so angry about it.”

“I was just being myself,” I said, giving her a smile.

“I’m starting to see why everyone in the city bends over backward to help you. It’s a good lesson for cops coming on the job. You catch a lot more flies with honey.”

I always felt a wave of nerves before a big arrest. Or even a big interview. I ran through some potential questions in my head. Then I turned to Maggie and said, “I know we talked about the Unabomber. Ted Kaczynski was discovered because his brother spoke to the FBI. This case seems to get more and more similar to that one.”

Maggie said, “This case is getting kind of creepy. But it’s certainly more interesting than my usual simple gun cases. This one is taking some real thought and effort.”

I chuckled. “I never thought of the ATF as working easy cases. You guys are in one of the toughest agencies out there, along with the DEA.”

“All I’m saying is that this case has more layers to it than the ones I usually work on.”

“Maybe you want to think about a career with the NYPD.”

Her smile and laugh told me I probably needed to recruit in another area.