Chapter 25
“Iran Ray’s prints through the database,” Brenda said. “It came back with a double hit. Two matches. Two different socials.”
“Some kind of glitch?”
“Maybe Ray was in WITSEC, and a system update caused a glitch,” I suggested.
“I don’t think Ray Corbin was in WITSEC. He was a person of interest in a string of serial murders.”
That hung there for a moment.
"That would be unusual," I said.
"From what I can tell, the serial murders stopped after Ray Corbin's death, and the investigation went cold. It's officially closed as of now. I don't know about you, but I'm thinking Ray Corbin faked his death, then lived out his life as Ray Coleman."
"I think you might be right," I said. "Where did the original murders take place?”
"Pineapple Bay.”
"I'll look into this. Kind of frightening to think this guy has been living right under our noses this whole time.”
“15 years is a long time not to reoffend. I bet there are a few unsolved murders we might be able to attribute to him. You might want to have another look at the most recent one.”
“Abigail?”
“From what I can tell, all the girls murdered in Pineapple Bay were strangled. Of the remains that were found, that is. Their hands were folded, and a cloth or T-shirt was placed over their faces. Sound familiar? They were all killed in their homes or apartments. It’s anybody’s guess about the four unrecovered girls.
They might have been attacked and murdered out in the wild. ”
I grimaced. "Thanks for the heads up. I'll keep you posted.”
I ended the call and filled JD in on the situation. He was as astonished as I was.
We hopped into the van and headed back to the Avventura. On the boat, I got on my laptop, logged into the county portal, and started looking into the serial murders in Pineapple Bay.
I read the case reports and didn't have to dig too far online to find a plethora of articles written at the time.
Jack huddled around the computer.
"Get this," I said. “Seven girls went missing in one year. They discovered three bodies, and the other four are still missing. At this point, they’re presumed dead.
Another girl was attacked but managed to escape.
She picked Ray out of a lineup, but it looks like they didn't have anything else to corroborate her story. Ray died in a car accident before they could make a case. Investigation was essentially closed.”
Jack's face wrinkled with confusion. "Did they confirm his identity in the car crash?”
"According to this," I said, reading from the screen, "the body was burned beyond recognition, but they were able to match dental records.”
Skepticism wrinkled Jack's face. "This is definitely kind of wonky. You think he had help getting another ID?”
I shrugged. "It kinda looks that way. I mean, he managed to stay out of the system for 15 years. Now all of a sudden it's spitting out a match?”
"This has got three-letter agency written all over it," Jack said. "But why would someone help a serial murderer start fresh?”
"Maybe Ray Corbin knew something. Maybe he had dirt on somebody. Witnessed something. A prosecution might uncover a lot of secrets. With his back against the wall, Ray might have exposed something.”
It was just a theory at this point.
"So, he's in Coconut Key for 15 years and remains dormant until now, then somebody kills him,” JD said, still uncertain about the whole thing.
"Maybe he was able to hold it together for a long time. Then certain stressors came into his life, and he re-offended. It's a common pattern.”
For some, killing is an addiction. They are able to abstain for only so long before falling off the wagon.
"I'm thinking we need to have a talk with the girl who escaped.”
"Her name is Jenna Keating," I said.
"Is she here in town?”
I accessed the DMV and ran her name. A moment later, her info appeared on the screen. "She's still up in Pineapple Bay.”
"We need to pay her a visit. And I want to know why Ray was being protected.”