She steps forward for one more kiss and leaves him with a final, fierce whisper. “Go find our boy.”
CHAPTER 45
Sampson
I’M SITTING IN Anna Rizzo’s office. Dennis Chan’s cubicle was getting a little crowded, and I could tell he was ready for us all to get lost. He made Ned Mahoney promise to go home and bathe.
I stare at the two images that are now on Rizzo’s desktop screen. Same guy. Two different crime scenes. I’m wishing I had the power to reach in and grab this guy by the throat.
“What if it’s a coincidence?” asks Rizzo. “I mean, he could live and work somewhere nearby. He might just be a fire-truck chaser.”
“No way. DC is full of fire-truck chasers, but he was the only person we found at both scenes. I’m telling you—”
Our phones chime at exactly the same time. Group text message.
I look down at my screen. “From Chief Grace.”
Got you the promised info. Sorry for the brief delay, mayor had to chew on me about budgets first.
Here’s three locals we considered suspects from previous recordsor suspicions. All three names were passed along to the GBI. Probably ignored.
Good luck to you both.
Attached are three files.
Three names.
Leroy Foster
Andrew Goss
Aiden Phillips
We look at Foster’s mug shots first. He’s a fleshy guy with long black hair and a full beard.
“Doubtful it’s this guy,” says Rizzo. “Unless he started taking Ozempic recently.”
“Wrong head shape anyway. Looks like a bearded bowling ball.”
Next up is Andrew Goss. He’s skinny and bald, and his upper neck, chin, and forehead are covered with tattoos.
“Hard to disguise all that ink,” says Rizzo. “It would have shown up.”
One more to go. I’m actually crossing my fingers.
Hello, Aiden Phillips.
Rizzo sucks in her breath.
Phillips is staring defiantly into the camera.
Strong chin, prominent cheekbones, heavy eyebrows.
“What did the Palmer police bring him in for?” I ask.
Rizzo pulls up the local reports. “Let’s see … one misdemeanor assault. Looks like a bar fight. One DWI. And look! They questioned him after the explosion in the sandpit.”
“I don’t suppose they found any fertilizer in his trunk?”
