Chapter 29
I rolled over and stretched. My toes instantly cramped.
Ouch, ouch, ouch. Damn it, I haven’t been drinking enough water.
I reached across the nightstand, felt for my phone, and grabbed it. With blurry eyes, I tried to focus on the time. It was only five thirty, and my groan spoke for me. I needed more sleep.
But going back to sleep after my brain had a minute or two to engage was often a lost cause. I thought about the call I’d had with Renz last night when he said the image of James Smith was going on the news in Milwaukee and Manitowoc. Bill Gavin got it done.
Bill’s detectives confirmed seeing footage of the man at the marina passing through the gates to the boats at one forty-five a.m. last Sunday morning. The timeline fit with Beth’s abduction, murder, dismemberment, and the drive to Manitowoc to board the boat.
Where would he have done all of that when his driver’s license shows a liquor store address in Manitowoc?
I didn’t have a single answer, and as I had mentioned to Renz yesterday, that mystery man could have a half dozen aliases. He could live anywhere under any assumed name and easily slip through our fingers.
Go back to sleep and save your concerns for work. I’m not on the clock now, and I’m not getting overtime pay to think about the case two and a half hours before I’m at my desk.
I flopped like a fish out of water, from one side to the other, then lay flat on my back.
Balling up my pillow, squishing my face into it, and putting the other pillow on top, in essence making a sandwich out of my head, didn’t help either.
I was awake, my mind was active, and the hope for more sleep was long gone.
I was ticked off and knew I’d lost the battle with sleep. I tossed back my blankets and got up.
In my bathroom, I wet a washcloth and wiped my eyes and face, pulled my hair back in a ponytail, and put on my robe. I headed down the hall and into the kitchen, where I started the coffee.
While I waited for the coffee to brew, I turned on the TV with hopes of seeing the news segment about James Smith, but at that time of morning, nothing about him came up.
I had no idea what Bill had told the news channels about how often to air that coverage, but I would find out once I was at work.
I heard a door open down the hall and knew Amber was up. She must have heard me passing her bedroom, and of course the aroma of freshly brewed coffee was likely wafting through her half-closed door.
I glanced toward the kitchen and saw her pulling two cups out of the upper cabinet.
“Sorry I woke you, sis.”
She swatted the air. “No biggie. Why are you up?”
I shook my head. “I take after Dad.”
Amber carried the steaming cups and set them on the coffee table. She took a seat next to me then looked at the TV. “Why did you turn that on?”
“I was hoping something would come up about James Smith.”
“Doubtful, except maybe in the prime-time slots. Any other news about him?”
“No texts or calls during the night.”
“So that’s a no?”
“Yep, that’s a no. Taft is taking Renz and me off the case at the end of today if we don’t have proof that the same man killed both Della and Beth.”
“That’s tough and probably why you couldn’t sleep.”
I picked up the remote and turned off the TV. Amber and I sat there together, two sisters discussing a case that was nearly impossible to solve, and drank our coffee.
Minutes later, Kate joined us with her own freshly poured coffee. She listened to our conversation before adding her two cents.
“It sounds like the best course of action is to have the Manitowoc PD stake out that marina, especially late at night. It seems like the easiest way to catch the guy.”
“I agree and mentioned that to Renz before we left work yesterday. The intent is to call them today and see if they will. The problem is there hasn’t actually been a crime committed in their jurisdiction, and I doubt that having a personal vessel moored there is grounds for arrest. Besides that, the arm washed up in Two Rivers, not Manitowoc.
The PD doesn’t have a dog in the fight. All they have is a boat at their marina. ”
Kate continued. “Would the sheriff’s office take on that task? Both cities are in Manitowoc County.”
I shrugged. “Maybe. Having him show up on footage at one something in the morning is grounds for questioning the guy, at least I think so, whether it be by the sheriff’s office or the PD.”
Amber agreed. “Yeah, that’s a good way to get him into the police station where they can hopefully ask enough questions to trip him up.”
Glancing at the clock, I realized I had enough time for one more cup of coffee and a bagel before I showered and headed out. After thanking Amber and Kate for their input, I walked to the kitchen, where I put a bagel in the toaster and got out the cream cheese.
“You don’t want a real breakfast?”
I smiled at my sister. “I always want a real breakfast, but I never know what kind of traffic I may run into. A bagel will hold me over until lunch.”
Kate laughed as she poured a second cup. “Says the woman who will be munching on a Snickers bar at nine a.m.”