CHAPTER TEN
Alison sat on a bench in the courtyard of the motel she was staying at. She was on the phone with Derek, hoping to gauge whether she was going crazy with her latest theory that Marcus Webb was not their guy.
It was cold and was about to get a lot colder.
A thin dusting of snow had fallen while she was at the station for the Webb interview, but most of that had turned to slush on the roads.
There was something calming about the cold and snow.
She'd only been in Missoula a few days, but she was used to the weather.
Still, she would be glad to get back to California.
"They say a storm is rolling in," she told Derek.
"A bad one?" he asked.
"Yeah, pretty bad. Not so bad that they’ll cancel flights or anything like that, but they’re recommending that you don't drive through the mountains at all, and if you need to, you have to have chains on your tires."
"So, you’re going to be in town a few days longer," Derek noted.
"Yeah, at least."
"But the storm is not the reason you’re sticking around, is it? You really do think he’s innocent, don't you?"
"I can't shake it," Alison admitted. "Given some time, he might have gone after the same people, but there’s a disorganization to him that doesn’t fit with what I know of the killer. He has almost everything else: the anger, motivation, aggression, desire, vengeance, strength, dedication, and ingenuity, but he’s too angry, too disorganized, and too quick to act. He doesn’t have the planning and precision. "
"So what happens next there?" Derek asked.
Alison looked up at the pale grey sky. She shivered thinking about the dump of snow that was coming.
"Special Agent Martinez thinks we have our man, and she’s getting pressure from her superiors to close this case, which will happen soon.
Webb doesn’t have an alibi, and he doesn’t seem bothered about proving his innocence.
Or maybe he’s just not able to. They’ve swept his house and cabin, and apart from the stuff on his walls, there’s nothing to tie him to either crime scene.
Still, there is enough with what was found at his cabin for this to go to trial, and I can see him acting out in court and the jury sentencing him for the crimes. "
"Which means you need to stay there to prove he’s not the killer so you can go after the real killer."
"Exactly," Alison agreed. "I’m certain he’ll kill again, but this arrest gives him the chance to disappear. I have a bad feeling that he might wait longer before his next kill, and I’ll be gone by that time.
He might keep his head down and use this arrest to his benefit.
The worst-case scenario is that he shuts it down completely and we never hear from him again. He might get away with it."
"How do you stop that from happening?" Derek asked.
"I don't know. If he kills again, then we know where we stand. If not, then I need to prove Marcus Webb is innocent, and I’m not sure there’s a way to do that.
He claims he’s spent the last week in his cabin alone, but no one can verify that.
He was not on any hiking routes, and he didn’t have any visitors.
He doesn’t have a cell phone out there that we could track.
There’s nothing so far that proves he was in the cabin for the entire last week. "
"I want you to come back home, but you’re needed out there."
Alison sighed and pulled her coat around her a little tighter.
"I’m so torn, Derek. I’m the only one fighting here.
That’s what it seems like. And you’re waiting for me to return so I can go with you to talk with Morris Bridges.
What if I’m just wasting my time here and delaying finding out more about my sister? "
"If there’s one thing I know, it’s that your hunches are most often right.
If you think they have the wrong guy, then you need to stay there and do what is right.
This is kind of like what the killer is doing, right?
He wants to kill to punish people for making mistakes.
You need to make them see their mistakes without the punishing part.
You always find a way, and I know you’ll do the same with this. "
"Maybe I can enlist the help of Dale."
"Who’s that?" Derek asked.
"The first victim’s brother. He’s an ex-detective and now a police captain. He’s been a pain in my behind so far, but he wants justice. If I can convince him that we don't have the actual killer, he might be able to influence the investigation some."
"Do what you need to do," Derek said.
Alison was glad she’d gotten Marcus’s name from Dale. She couldn’t imagine what might have gone down if he had discovered the location of the cabin and gone out there. They might never have found Marcus’s body.
"They’re already winding things down," Alison complained.
"Even if I get Dale onside, there won't be a budget, and I know local law enforcement wants to go back to normal.
They want their routines. People in the city want to know a killer is off the streets.
If Marcus is convicted and the killer stops killing, then they get what they want, but there will forever be a demon hiding in the shadows, and they could resume at any time. "
"I hate to say this, but it sounds like you are alone for now. I’m always here with you, of course, and I’ll drop everything and head straight over there if you need me, but you need to figure this out alone to get them all back onside."
"I hate to think like this, but if the killer does kill again, then we’re all back on the same team again."
"Yeah, I know," Derek agreed. "Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that."
"Yeah." Alison wanted to say more, to tell Derek she missed him and ask about his past few days, but she was dwelling in her solitude, trying to work out how she could fix the mess even though it wasn’t of her own making.
"I’m here if you need me," Derek said. "Always, okay?"
"Thank you," Alison said. "I’m going to go. I need to get some sleep, and then I’m going to pay Dale Kent a visit and see if I can sway him."
"Sleep well," Derek said.
"You, too."
***
Alison knocked on the door and waited. She knocked again and heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
When Dale Kent opened the door, he looked like he had just woken up. He looked at her with a dazed expression before frowning.
"What are you doing here?"
"I need to talk with you," she said. "I’m sorry to wake you. I thought you would be up already."
"I normally would, but with everything that’s going on, I’ve not been sleeping much. What do you need to talk to me about? I didn't think we were on friendly terms."
"I need your help," Alison said. "Can I come in?"
Dale looked her up and down before he jerked his head. "I’ll put some coffee on."
She followed him into the house and through to the kitchen. He gestured for her to sit at the kitchen table while he made the coffee. "Why do I get the impression that this is not going to be good news? Has there been a development?"
"Not exactly," Alison said. "Marcus Webb is in custody thanks to you, and while that might be the best place for him, I don't believe he’s the killer."
"What’s been found?" Dale asked. "An alibi? Something else?"
"No, nothing," Alison said. "Everyone believes he’s the killer except for me, and I have nothing concrete to base that on other than my gut. I know that sounds foolish, but I’ve been right many times before. I’m not asking you to believe me, but to keep an open mind.
Use what influence you have to keep the investigation open for a little longer.
If I’m right, then the real killer is still out there, and he will kill again.
It may be in a day, a week, a year, or longer, but he will kill again.
I know you don't want to deal with this right now, but I don't know who else to go to. "
"So, you want me to risk my reputation on a hunch you have? Is that what you’re telling me?" He turned and grabbed two mugs from the cupboard.
"Yes. That’s exactly what I’m asking of you."
Dale grunted.
"You want justice for your sister, right? I know nothing can bring her back, but if we have the wrong person, then she doesn’t get justice."
Dale brought the two mugs back to the table and slammed them loudly onto the table before going back to get the coffee.
"I don't want to antagonize you, Dale, or cause you any more pain, but don't you want to ensure we have the right guy? Do this for her." Alison didn't want to emotionally manipulate him, but she wanted to make sure they had the right guy, and at that moment, she knew they didn’t.
"Do you have any idea how hard this is for me?" Dale asked. "Do you know what it’s like to lose your sister?"
"Yeah, I do," she replied. "I lost my sister twenty years ago. They still haven’t found her killer. I would give anything to find him and bring him to justice. I want the same for you."
"I’ll see what I can do," Dale said. "Not for you, but for Rachel. I can't guarantee anything, but I’ll talk to some people."
"Thank you." Alison had thought it would be much harder to convince him to help her. She only hoped now that whatever he did worked.
"I’ll skip the coffee," she said. "I want to get back to the station to look over everything and maybe speak to Marcus before they transfer him."
Dale nodded. He was hiding his rage better that morning, but she could still see it bubbling behind his eyes. "I assume you can show yourself out."
"Yeah," Alison said. She left the kitchen table and walked back through the house. She noticed the same picture on his hallway wall as the one in Rachel’s home, the one of the two of them.
She left his house, hoping that she could make everyone see what she saw, hoping that the investigation would be reopened.
She didn't have to wait long for some minds to be changed.
Alison was on her way to her car when she got the phone call from Claire. Another body had been found