Chapter 39
Thirty-Nine
The chatter inside the conference room ceased the moment Jenna walked in with Kane.
The smell of fresh coffee drifted toward her with the tang of leftover takeout.
She walked up and down in front of the whiteboard and examined the names, timelines, and victims’ photos.
Her hand went absently to her face, scrubbing across her chin as she tried to pick out anything to point to the killer.
Something must link them to the victims and up to now it had eluded her.
She snapped her fingers and turned to look at the team.
“The time of death in each of these cases is very similar. They all seem to occur between nine and midnight. This would tell me whoever is our murderer has a regular job. Is not an itinerant or someone just passing through. He lives here. There are three suspects at the top of our list. I’m sure you’ve all had the opportunity to read through the interviews by now, so we’ll discuss Kitteridge.
” She tapped his name on the whiteboard.
“His interview was inconclusive really. I found him to be irritated, defensive, and threatening in a subtle way. He came across as very sure of himself and even suggested we visit the Haunted House attraction.” She ran a hand through her hair.
“The problem is we have no probable cause. Like the other suspects, there is no connection with him. No motive for killing them.”
“He doesn’t need a motive. What we’re looking at is a spontaneous killer.
” Jo leaned back in her chair, twirling her pen in her fingers.
“He may well have set up a trap for two of the murders and then just waited until someone came along and fell for his game. He didn’t care who it was.
He just wanted to kill.” She drew a long breath.
“Something triggered the first set of murders. Maybe we should be looking at the CCTV footage at the pizzeria the night the first murders occurred. From the evidence from their friends, the young couple discussed the fact that they we’re going parking.
If the killer had been waiting for a pie, he could have easily overheard the conversation.
Maybe after he purchased his pizza, something happened to trigger him.
He wanted to kill and they would be sitting ducks. ”
“I figure Kitteridge was irritated because we dragged him away from his job.” Kane stood slowly, walked over to the coffee pot, and poured two cups of coffee.
“He doesn’t like being singled out. I found him to be more evasive than anything and reluctant to answer questions.
He doesn’t scare easy, which makes me wonder if he’s hiding something. ”
Jenna sat at the head of the table. “Maybe.” She turned to Kalo. “Bobby, did you find anything on the CCTV from the Roadhouse?”
“The CCTV footage from the Roadhouse confirms he was there at the times he mentioned.” Kalo swiveled his laptop around and displayed the footage.
“As you can see from the time stamp, he walked into the gas station at nine-fifteen, purchased a bottle of something, and left. He can be seen driving away. I have a clear shot of his plate.”
Jenna watched the footage with interest. “So that part of his alibi holds for the second murder.”
“That gives him plenty of time to kill those guys and head home.” Carter waved a toothpick in the air. “As far as I’m aware, he didn’t return to work, did he? I doubt any of them work late into the night, even with a deadline to reach.”
“Have you thought he might have fabricated this stomach problem as an alibi?” Raven’s brows lifted. “He set the timer for the projection to start at a particular time. Work was running late and he needed to get away. He grabbed an ax on the way out and likely dropped it back the following morning.”
Jenna thought for a beat and then nodded. “Yeah, that’s a good point. If he was questioned and had an alibi, and it turned out to clear him, he would come across as being truthful. I’m definitely keeping him on our list.”
“That’s good.” Raven looked at Jenna and grinned. “While you were interviewing him, I got a phone planted in his truck under the seat and it’s transmitting.”
“Seems to me, our deputies are getting very careless with their phones.” Rio looked around the table and everyone laughed. “Maybe we won’t mention it to the DA when we’re hunting down an arrest warrant.”
“What phones?” Carter grinned around a toothpick.
Taking a cup of coffee Kane handed to her and having a sip, Jenna glanced at the list of names on the whiteboard. She moved to the next name. “Okay, let’s move along to Pike.”
“This guy is a possible.” Carter leaned forward, resting his arms on the table.
“He likes to intimidate people. On the night of the second murders, he left the Old Mitcham Ranch around nine and didn’t return until midnight.
He fits the timeline, drives a white pickup, and looking at the size of him, he’s more than capable of decapitating a man with one strike. ”
A cold shiver sent goose bumps down Jenna’s arms. She turned to Rowley. “How did it go with planting a phone on Durnell? I noticed he had one delivery around lunchtime.”
“It was at the Chinese restaurant, so I just walked from here and hung around until he showed.” Rowley leaned forward.
“I waited on the corner of the alleyway until he unloaded and when he went inside to get paid, I managed to plant one inside his truck.” He blew out a long breath.
“He almost caught me. I’d just turned back onto Main when I heard the bell over the restaurant door chime. ”
“You have a man who moves around the entire town without anyone noticing.” Jo glanced at her notes before raising her gaze to Jenna.
“He is very proficient with the type of ax needed to decapitate people. He has access to both attractions. I noticed on his delivery calendar that he also delivers firewood to the Old Mitcham Ranch. They have equipment lying around everywhere and it would be easy enough for him to take an item from a storeroom while he is unloading.”
“I’m seeing three men, all with access to the attractions, all with shaky alibies, and all with a potential opportunity to kill.” Carter opened his hands wide. “None of them is a clean fit.”
Standing, Jenna went back to the whiteboard. She stared at it, trying to extract the answers she needed. “Which means we keep digging.”
“What does your gut say?” Kane flicked her a glance over the top of his coffee cup.
Turning to look at her team, Jenna folded her arms across her chest. “My instinct tells me the killer is watching us. He’s confident and is likely anticipating our next move.” She looked at Jo. “When do you think he’ll strike again?”
“Looking at the profiles of the three suspects, I don’t believe you’ve frightened him off, more likely the opposite.
” Jo shrugged. “I figure he has a plan and it will play out no matter what we do. For some reason I don’t believe this is something he plans on getting away with.
This niggling feeling at the back of my mind tells me that when he’s fulfilled his need or fantasy, whatever—he’s not planning on going to prison, more likely he’ll want to go out in a blaze of glory. ”
“So what timeline are we looking at?” Kane finished his coffee and placed the cup down softly on the table.
“Very soon.” Jo frowned and her fingers ran across her notes. “Now he’s been interviewed, the rush is on for him to finish.”
Images of the victims played across Jenna’s mind, and they would be there for a long time.
She didn’t need a whiteboard to remind her.
“Okay, we’ll call it a day. Rio, Raven, monitor one of the phones each.
We’ll take the third one. I figure if anything’s gonna happen, it will be between nine and twelve.
I doubt he’ll change his pattern. If one of them is on the move, call us right away and don’t wait to see where they’re going. ”
“If it looks like a go, don’t leave home without your vests and rifles.
” Kane turned his head to look slowly around the table.
“We keep it quiet. No lights or sirens, and we’ll use our phones to communicate, as this guy seems to be able to block our coms. In the field, make sure your phones are on vibrate only. ”
Jenna watched as the team shifted into motion. She gathered her things and headed back to her office to grab her coat. She turned as Kane walked into the room with Duke on his heels. Fear shuddered through her. Would they be in time to save another victim? “Do you figure it’s going to be tonight?”
“I guess we’re going to find out.” Kane placed a hand on her shoulder. “He’s smart but we won’t fall for his smoke-and-mirror tricks. If it’s going down tonight, we’re the predators.” He cupped her cheek and smiled. “We just need to keep our heads.”