Chapter 61
Desperate for someone to bounce ideas off, Sean called Rivers and was glad she picked up.
“I appreciate you doing this,” Sean said.
“Yeah, well, I’m still snowed in, so not a whole lot to do,” Rivers replied. “Mable’s getting antsy.”
“She’s accustomed to her morning walk,” Sean said.
“So, what’s up?” Rivers asked.
Sean thought back to that first call he had made earlier this morning and to hearing someone at her house in the background.
He didn’t pry. He had a good working relationship with Rivers, but what she did on her own time, and with whom, was none of his business.
Sean figured that if she wanted to share, she’d tell him when she was ready.
“Right, well, I’m trying to find a through line with all these cases,” Sean said.
“I can’t believe you have another body,” Rivers said, and then, after a moment’s pause. “You’re not really a serial killer, are you, Sheriff? And this is some twisted game you’ve been toying with for a long time?”
“Sorry to disappoint,” Sean answered.
“Yeah, well, you said to think outside of the box,” Rivers replied. “What about the wife of your latest victim? She seems like a prime suspect.”
“She is the obvious choice,” Sean said. “But if you saw the look in her eye when she saw him dead and how she said that she had wanted to be the one to kill him… I believed her. I think you would have, too.”
“Sounds like the asshole got what he deserved,” Rivers said.
“Well, you can always question everyone again. It’s not like people can leave.
Maybe someone forgets something about their story.
It gets harder and harder for a criminal to remember the lies they’ve told, especially after a few hours.
You might be able to learn something new that way. ”
Sean had considered that, but he no longer had the luxury of time to interview everyone again.
“What I need is a steamroller,” Sean said. “Something that’s going to clear the road and get me somewhere fast.”
“Right, the deadline,” Rivers said. “Forgot about that.”
“I just don’t know what I’m missing,” Sean said.
“Hey, you remember that carjacking we worked last summer?” Rivers asked.
“Yeah, the one where it turned out to be the guy’s ex-wife?” Sean asked.
“That’s the one,” Rivers answered. “We worked that case for months. And during all the interviews we had with the family who were in the car, they all said the same thing: it was a woman pretending to be a man.”
“But they were right,” Sean said.
“Yes, but that was just about the carjacking,” Rivers replied. “The ex-wife, who wanted to scare her former husband and his new family, had also been working with that criminal. He was the one who chopped up the car and sold it for parts.”
Sean nodded, starting to see where Rivers was going with all of this.
“It wasn’t until we stopped looking for the suspect and started focusing more on the car that we were able to follow the trail,” Rivers said. “Maybe that’s what’s happening here. You’re too focused on finding the person who took the girl, instead of what they plan on using her for.”
“The ransom money,” Sean said. “But the Feds told us they couldn’t find any links for the account? The encryption was too sophisticated. That’s why those apps exist.”
“Right, but you don’t need the account information or who created it,” Rivers said. “You just need to figure out why they want the money.”
“And why they chose the method of abducting the girl to get it,” Sean said. “Why they chose Karla Grayson.”
“Yeah,” Rivers said. “Look, I know that’s kind of basic and elementary, and I’m not trying to step on your toes?—”
“No, you’re right,” Sean said.
“Well, don’t beat yourself up too bad, Sheriff,” Rivers said. “I am a genius.”
“And so modest,” Sean replied.
Rivers laughed. “I’m the whole package.”
With a new avenue to follow, Sean hoped it would lead him closer to finding Karla Grayson alive. The last thing he wanted was another body to the basement’s growing count.