“Detective, everything you find out right now has everything to do with your cases.”
“Look. Can you please tell me what you wanted to say to me?” said Katie.
“You need to understand that these cases aren’t like any of your other cases.”
“Tell me why.”
“You’ll find out, but pay attention to the Collins family history and to what—” He stopped mid-sentence.
“And to what?”
“You’ll know.”
“Stop talking in riddles. And towhat?” Katie tried not to let her anger get the best of her.
“Detective, you need to keep focused.”
“What should I be doing besides that?”
“You are doing what you need to do—what’s expected of a police detective in several homicide investigations.”
Katie let out a loud sigh. “Why are you risking your identity and, I have a feeling, your safety as well.”
“Because it’s important.”
“Tell me what you know.”
“I told you to look at the Collinses’ history and pay attention to what my brother tells you.”
“How do you fit into all of this?”
Buck didn’t answer. He remained quiet, staring at Katie. She wasn’t sure if he wanted to tell her something important or not.
“You can trust me,” she said. “Otherwise I would have had the police department hunt you down and take you into custody for questioning.”
“I’ve been around enough military and police personnel to know who I can trust and who has integrity.”
Katie wondered if this man had anyone else who was being the eyes and ears of the investigation. She bet he already knew about the autopsies and what their next moves were.
“Please tell me what you know.”
“You can ask this question several different ways, but I’ve already told you.”
“Why jeopardize your privacy by coming here?”
“You need to understand how important the things I’ve told you are. And I wanted to remind you that you don’t need to work as hard to get to the truth. If you’re ready to believe it. It’s closer to home than you think…”
“Closer to home? My home? The department? What home?”
Buck took two steps backward and his face became concealed in the shadows.
“Please can you answer more questions?”
“Check your trail cameras.”
“Wait. How can I get a hold of you?” Katie tried one last-ditch effort to get more information about him. “Is there anything you want me to tell your brother?”
“No. It will be obvious.”
