“Likely. That’s why we’re going to have to start at the beginning and see why this man, Jaden, was the first to die. In cases like this, there’s always a pattern, until the killer realizes that the pattern is what is going to get him or her caught. Then, they deviate to throw people off. We’ll know at that deviation that the plan is falling apart.”
Corbin was curious.
“Or escalating?”
Ethan nodded.
“There are slight differences between the two, but I’ll be able to figure them out. What we need to do is research the boat angle, and dig into the owner ofDark Spirits. Why is she being targeted if this isn’t ritualistic…yada-yada.”
Corbin had already done some legwork, along with what the cops had told him.
“The owner’s name is Esmeralda Barada to the world, but she was born Maria Barada. Apparently, she used to work for Jaden Medin.”
He wrote that on the board.
They had their first person on the board. Was she guilty? Ethan didn’t know, but they were going somewhere with it.
“Anyone else we can say piqued our interest?” Ethan asked.
Corbin raised his hand.
“Not so much as piqued, but the homicide captain was the last person to see him alive. He dropped his report there, and said he was heading out to do something.”
Honestly, Corbin couldn’t remember what he’d said. His brain was foggy from not using it as a detective for the last month.
That worked for Ethan and Gene since they could then create a timeline.
Corbin shared what he knew.
“His name is Adrian Marrero. He felt like he was on the up and up, but I know the rules,” he said, glancing over at Gene. “Pick up the lead where the last person saw the victim next,” he said, reciting it back to the man from a week ago. “Told you. Memorized.”
He laughed.
“Oh, you taught me,” he joked.
Gene let it go at that for his sanity.
“Okay, so we have two people on our suspect list, but basically just to have a list.”
Ethan nodded.
“Pretty much, but we need to start from somewhere, right?”
He had a point.
And they were starting at the beginning.
Apparently.
Will was curious.
“Do we know the gender?”
Blackhawk shook his head.
“Not yet, but because we’re having to move quicker with this one,” he said, pointing at the question marks on the board indicating there would be more, “I’m going to say male. Women, while deadly, don’t break every bone in a person’s body, and then have to carry them to a boat, load them up, and dump them in.”
Will went there.
