“I found Dr. Lionel Graves.” Jo stared at her tablet. “He lives on Maple, number seventy-six. I would assume he is at home as I can’t find any type of employment, only disability.”
Surprised everyone had made such progress, Jenna took a note of the details. “I’m a little concerned about Graves. From the reports, he sounds a little strange. I don’t figure we should go there without backup. Maybe we should leave this one to Rio and Rowley this afternoon?”
“I have another one.” Beth peered at her around the side of her screen. “Caleb Dorsey, the school janitor. His vacation doesn’t begin until just before Christmas, so at this time of day he should still be at the school. I cross-checked the list of people at the school for around the time that Ellie McBride was murdered and he would have been there. As he has access to all areas of the school, he would have had ample opportunity to write on the whiteboard, plant the purse, and be there when Ellie came to collect it.” She waved a hand toward the whiteboard. “The only problem I can see is that none of these menown a silver- or blue-colored SUV of the type or description that we’ve been given. I checked four members of their families as well and came up with a big fat zero.” She met Jenna’s gaze. “We could be wrong about all of them. The vehicle is a crucial part of the evidence surrounding Ellie McBride’s kidnapping.”
“All these people meet the criteria.” Kalo raised his eyebrows and gestured with his hands. “People, especially criminals, obtain vehicles from anywhere so, if you’re trying to hinge the case on using this one vehicle, you’re making a mistake. The CCTV footage of the suspected vehicle isn’t very clear. We assume it is an SUV, but it could be a number of brands and we have no idea what age, so we’re flying blind. I figure if you forget that vehicle for the moment and listen to the algorithms, these four suspects are your best choice.”
“I agree.” Beth glanced at the office door as voices came from the hallway. “Good, it looks like the others have finished.” She looked at Jenna. “How do you want to split the team between these four suspects for interviews this afternoon?”
“Unfortunately, I’ll need to stay behind with Carter.” Styles strolled into the room. “We’ll be liaising with the DEA and the forensic teams that have come to assist with the takedown.”
The air seemed to crackle with anticipation as the deputies and agents filed back into the room. They were looking forward to some action and the takedown of a fentanyl distributor had moved to the front of their minds right now, but she needed them out interviewing suspects without delay. “First up, I want everyone out there interviewing suspects to wear coms and Kevlar vests. We don’t know which one of them is our killer—if any. Call for backup the moment anything looks wrong. We are all close by.” She glanced down at her list of assignments. “Okay, Raven, I want you to go with Jo to hunt down and interview Sean Jones, the gardener who works for the local council. He should be at home at this time of the day and Jo will have his address.”
“Copy.” Raven grabbed his thick coat from the peg by the door and pulled it on. He motioned to his dog. “Ben, with me.”
“Let me change my shoes.” Jo hurried to push her feet into thick winter boots before dragging on her coat, hat, and gloves. “I’m ready.”
Jenna looked at Rowley. “I want you to man the office and organize any calls that come in on the hotline.” She smiled. “I’ll also need you to grab the supplies for the team going out tonight. You know what everyone needs. Maybe check the rifles and make sure there’s ammunition available for everyone.”
He nodded and took his things from the desk before heading downstairs. She turned to Rio. “Rio, I want you and Beth to handle Ethan Rourke, the IT specialist. If he is a person of interest and using technology to bypass some of the security systems, Beth will know.”
“That leaves us, and two suspects to interview.” Kane rested one hip on the edge of the desk. “Give me a rundown on the men that we’re going to speak to.”
Jenna glanced down at her tablet. “Caleb Dorsey is the school janitor. He was on the premises during the time that Ellie McBride died, and at the same time as the messages appeared. His winter vacation hasn’t begun yet, so he should be at the school. As we discussed this morning, he’s recently divorced, known to be in the building after hours, and has a minor criminal record for trespassing. He also has a history of mental illness, but I’m assuming that he’s on top of that or he wouldn’t have been able to get the job in the school.” She sighed. “The other one is Dr. Lionel Graves. He is an oddball and they can’t find anything specific about him to tie him in with the murders. He was once the local psychologist and has been a school counselor, so he knows his way around the schools and likely the Department of Social Services.”
“Why did you specifically select these two suspects for us to interview?”Kane stood slowly and went to fill two to-go cups with coffee.
Jenna grabbed her coat. “They are both in close proximity to each other, and from the reports, a little unhinged. I figured we could handle them.”
“I like it best when you delegate and we get to stay in the office in the warm.” Kane peered out of the window.
Jenna went to stand beside him and watch the snowflakes falling slowly. A brilliant white vista spread out in front of them. The pine forest climbed in an uneven moonscape of snow leading up to black mountains with whitecaps that spread almost all the way down to meet the forest. A single snowplow chugged by, a stream of vehicles following behind. She glanced at him. “We’re in luck, the snowplow has just gone through and we should be able to get to our destinations without delay.”
“Do you want to go out in the snow, Duke?” Kane peered into the basket and Duke opened one eye and then buried his head. “I figure the answer is no. He probably had his fill of the cold when he went out with Maggie. He knows to go down to the counter if he wants to go outside for a while.”
Jenna chuckled. “I wish I had the option of snuggling under a blanket for the rest of the day. It seems to me that Duke has the best of both worlds.”
TWENTY-NINE
As they drove along Stanton, Raven listened intently to Jo as she discussed the case. Happy for the opportunity to be beside one of the most talented behavioral analysts in the United States, he listened intently to every word she said. “I understand this suspect fits the profile almost too perfectly. What is your plan for the interview?”
“You should take the lead asking him his whereabouts at the time of the murders, and the note on the whiteboard.” Jo flicked him a glance. “The main reason that I want you to take the lead in the interview is because if this is the type of serial killer I’m expecting, he won’t like being questioned by a woman.” She smiled at him. “I’ll add my two cents’ worth if necessary.”
As they headed along Pine, Raven listened to the GPS to find the location of Fern. The snow had gotten heavier and built up on the wiper blades as he negotiated the tall piles of snow along each side of the road. “Every house looks exactly the same, more like igloos than cabins. There it is—the one on the left with the vehicle parked out front.”
“It doesn’t appear as if he’s left the house today.” Jo peeredout of the window as they got closer to the house. “He has six inches of snow on his hood.”
Raven pulled into the driveway and the snowplow attachment at the front of his vehicle cut a path in the snow. He glanced over the back seat to his dog. “Stay here, Ben.”
The dog wagged his tail and it thumped on the seat, his mouth hung open in a doggy smile. Ben never worried about going out in the cold. His thick coat protected him, and often during winter he became the lead dog in Raven’s sled. Making sure his deputy’s badge sat on full display on his jacket, Raven pushed open the door and stepped out into the freezing cold. Snowflakes brushed his cheeks, and he pulled down his Stetson to prevent them from sticking to the front of his sunglasses. He looked over at Jo. She had dragged her FBI windbreaker over the top of her jacket. For anyone looking from inside the house there could be no doubt that they were both law enforcement officers. Even so, he approached the front door with caution. Along the pathway, Jo slipped and windmilled her arms. He stepped closer and grabbed her, setting her gently on her feet. He stepped back, waiting for a reaction, aware that some women were very specific about their boundaries and helping might have overstepped. He indicated to the snow-packed pathway. “Walk in the snow, the bare patches are usually iced-over footprints.”
“Thanks. I appreciate your assistance.” Jo scanned his face and smiled. “My dad had old-school values but I married an idiot and moved to DC. My husband would say how he valued my independence. He’d allow me to fall flat on my face and make it a lesson to be more self-reliant.” She shrugged. “Self-reliant, in his mind, was leaving me to manage with a new baby while he cheated on me.”
Frowning, Raven shook his head in disbelief. Jo had proved herself to the world in her expertise and countless bestselling books. “What an ass.”
“Oh, it gets better.” Jo smiled. “Divorcing me and moving me to Snakeskin Gully was his girlfriend’s idea of punishing me for whatever reason, but it backfired on her. Working beside Ty Carter showed me what a real man is like. Yeah, he can run his mouth occasionally, but he holds the same values as you do, same with Kane, Styles, and Wolfe. It’s nice to feel safe. A woman needs to feel safe.”
Taken aback by her honesty, he glanced at the house and then back at her. “I wasn’t aware you and Carter were an item.”
