Chapter 12
Noah stood in the observation room with his phone pressed to his ear, watching Finch through the one-way glass.
Finch sat at the table in the adjacent room with his hands folded in front of him, his posture relaxed in a way that was either genuine calm or an imitation of it.
Callie was across from him. McKenzie leaned against the far wall with his arms crossed.
“No, I’m good, Savannah. I want this,” Noah said.
"I don't know, Noah. You need to be cleared before you come back."
“There are no issues. Listen. For the most part I'll follow Callie and McKenzie's lead.
I was the one who found the bodies. If I hadn't followed that sketch, that might not have happened.
Now you know State is going to get involved.
Seven bodies. The link with my brothers working the Kara Ellison case brings this close to home. Let me take this."
Any other lieutenant might have gone by the book.
But Noah's history with Savannah allowed him leeway that few others received.
They'd worked narcotics together for three years before she moved into command, and she understood that Noah's instincts had a track record that outweighed his tendency to color outside the lines.
"If there are any problems with you..."
The observation room door opened and Ray stepped in, catching the tail end of the conversation.
"There won't be," Noah said.
"Okay. Keep me informed. I'll handle the paperwork." The line went dead.
Ray glanced at him. "Who was that?"
"Savannah. I've been cleared to work the case."
"We haven't requested State."
"The moment I found those bodies, State was involved."
Ray didn't argue it. He moved to the glass and stood beside Noah, both of them watching the room on the other side. Callie had spread several photographs across the table and was arranging them in a row in front of Garrett like cards in a hand she was about to play.
"Garrett Finch," Callie started. "So you're a photographer for Strutz."
"No. I'm a freelance photographer who at times is contracted by Strutz. Some girls come to me directly without the agency involved."
"Yeah? And they agree to this?" She tapped one of the photos.
"Sure they do. Boudoir photos. Intimate, romantic, tasteful portraits. Nothing wrong with that."
"There is when they're under eighteen and they don't have parental consent," McKenzie added from behind her.
"I wouldn't know anything about that. The IDs I see say eighteen. For all the other images I take, I get consent."
"Not for these you don't." Callie fanned out another set.
"They're clothed in lingerie," Garrett said.
"Barely." She spread out a second group, more suggestive, some showing young women in staged positions alongside male models. "And what about these?"
"Erotic photos."
McKenzie raised an eyebrow. "You're showcasing the sexuality and nudity of women who are under eighteen."
Garrett leaned back and rubbed the side of his face. "They said they were eighteen. With makeup on, most of them could pass for twenty. I'm sure you've seen a lot of college girls with fake IDs."
"What about those scratches on your arms?" Callie nodded toward his forearms, visible below his rolled sleeves.
"Cut myself lugging photography equipment around."
“Risky work, laddie,” McKenzie said. "I hope you get danger pay."
Finch rolled his eyes.
“So you admit these are your photos?” Callie said.
“I didn’t say that. My photography studio isn't just used by me. There are other freelance photographers who use it. I hold on to some of their photos.”
“Sure you do. You got names?"
"Not really. Cash-only deals."
"Convenient."
Callie opened a folder beside her. "We pulled your record. Looks like you had a domestic incident a while back."
"What can I say. My ex was crazy."
"According to her, you held her forcefully at your home. Threatened her with a knife. Told her you could make her disappear if she didn't do what you wanted."
"Lies. It was her holding the knife, not me. By the time the cops arrived the knife was on the floor and they wouldn't listen to my side of it. Anyway, the charges were dropped. She decided not to pursue it. She knew I would have proved she was the one out of control."
"This ex of yours," McKenzie said, pushing off the wall and taking a step closer. "Word is she was seventeen."
"She was a month away from turning eighteen when I met her. And she lied about her age too."
Callie nodded slowly and leaned back in her seat. "So. What can you tell us about Fiona Spence?”
"I told you. She was a no-show."
"What kind of photos did she want?" McKenzie asked. "Headshots, or..." He gestured toward the erotic shots on the table.
"No idea. Because she never showed up."
"So it's your policy to talk over what they want when they arrive? Not before?"
"At times."
“And you have never photographed her before?”
“Nope.”
"So if we go through the rest of your files, we aren't going to find Fiona Spence? Kara Ellison? Brooke Danvers?"
"Nope."
"You always shoot at your place?" Callie asked.
"Not always. We live in a scenic part of the country. Depends on the client."
Garrett straightened in his chair and put both hands flat on the table. "Look, aren't I meant to get a phone call or something? A lawyer, maybe?"
In the observation room, Noah turned to Ray. "He's the strongest lead we have so far. Fiona Spence was on her way to see him. He has a record."
"I don't think he's our guy," Ray said. His eyes stayed on the glass. "Our officers are still going through his place, but so far no weapons. No knives that match the kind used on Brooke Danvers."
"Doesn't mean he didn't dump the weapon. Until they go through every one of those photos, we won't know if he's connected to the six bodies."
"And Fiona Spence? Did you talk to her parents?"
"Parent. She lives with her father. Says she goes where she wants. Figured she was with Ethan,” Noah replied.
"Ethan?"
"Ethan was dating Fiona."
Ray turned from the glass and studied him. "Does he know?"
"He will."
"You haven't told him yet?"
"Until she shows up, there's a possibility she's just out there. Right?"
They turned their attention back to the glass just in time to hear Finch say he wasn't answering any more questions until a lawyer was present. McKenzie stepped forward and Callie gathered the photographs.
"Well," Noah said. "We can at least charge him with the underage material."
"No." Ray's voice was quiet but final. "Brooke Danvers went missing for two weeks before she showed up dead.
Which means whoever was doing this was keeping them alive.
So if Finch is behind Fiona's disappearance, she is probably still alive.
We charge him and he closes up. He won't say a word.
But if we cut him loose, he may lead us directly to her.
Or at least to wherever he's been keeping them. "
"And if he disappears?"
"He won't. We'll observe his movements. Round the clock."
"Ray."
"That's what we're doing." Ray straightened and buttoned his jacket. "In the meantime, we find out if any of the women or girls he photographed match any of the bodies from the bog."
Noah nodded and moved toward the exit.
"Noah." Ray's voice caught him at the threshold. "Are you sure you want in on this case?"
"Eventually I have to get back to work."
He pushed through into the corridor and headed for the stairs.
Callie caught up with him halfway down the hall, her boots quick on the tile.
"So I heard the lead we got on the discovery of the six bodies came from some artist in Saranac Lake." Her voice was low enough that it didn't carry, but the edge in it was sharp. "When were you going to tell me this?"
"Does it matter?"
"It does when the Brooke Danvers case is linked to the Ellison case that your brothers handled. You wouldn't be keeping things from me, would you?"
Noah stopped walking and turned to face her. "The sketch was in the Carter Lyle file. I visited the studio. I saw others that appeared to be larger versions of the same scene. I know the area. I put two and two together and got a hit. It's rare, but it happens."
"So you think Seraphine knew about those bodies?"
"No idea. Haven't spoken to her yet. But from what Ray says, she was involved in the Three Pillars Community. Their farm isn't far from that dump site."
Callie was quiet for a moment. She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall, processing it. "So you think Carter Lyle may have had someone working with him? Or wasn't involved?"
"That's the big question." Noah glanced down the corridor, confirming they were alone. "There was a rag found in Kara Ellison's exhaust. One in Brooke Danvers’. Another in Fiona Spence's. Do the math."