“And you never saw this woman before Friday night?” Trent asked.
“Like I told the officer, I never saw her before. I’m sure I would have remembered if I had. Who runs with a backpack through town? And we rarely get joggers on Charmed Court anyhow. Janice at three-twenty-five sometimes. It depends on the week. She fluctuates between health kicks and bingeing on wine and chocolate.”
And there’s that… neighborhood gossip…“What about any unfamiliar vehicles driving through?” The hit woman could have staked out the house and area prior to Friday night to get the lay of the land. She was reminded of what Paris had said in the interview but wanted to see if any memory jogged loose.
“I can’t say any stuck out to me.”
“It sounds like you vividly recall what she looked like. If we showed you a picture, do you think you could tell us if it was her?” Amanda presumed she would and dug her phone out of her pocket.
“Yes, I think so.”
Amanda would show her the photograph that Nadia had sent over, along with two others of similar-looking women. This way if Paris recognized the Anaconda Killer, the identification would be more reliable. Amanda got up and walked over to Paris. “I’m going to show you three photos. Let me know if any of these women are who you saw.”
Paris met her eye and nodded.
Amanda held her screen up for Paris. “The first one. Is this the woman you saw?”
Paris took a few seconds but ended up shaking her head.
“The next picture.” Amanda shuffled to the second photo.
“That’s her!” Paris pointed at the screen.
The photo was the Anaconda Killer. “And you’re certain?”
“One hundred percent, no doubt in my mind.”
“Great, thank you.” Amanda closed the Gallery app, put her phone away, and passed a look at Trent with a slight nod.
“Where did you get that picture of her?”
“We’re not a liberty to say, ma’am.” Amanda was preparing to offer the standard “it’s an open investigation” line when Paris’s eyes widened.
“You don’t even know who she is, do you? It’s a candid shot, something taken from a security camera, in a hotel hallway from the look of it. If you knew her name, you’d have shown me her license photo.”
Amanda respected Paris’s detective skills, but there were still rules they had to follow. Disclosing details of an open investigation would strip her of the badge. “As I’ve already said, we can’t comment.”
“All right, then, it seems there’s nothing else to discuss. And I really need to get back to my jam. If you could see yourselves out…”
“No problem at all,” Amanda said. “Thank you for your time.”
“Uh-huh.”
Amanda didn’t know about Trent, but she was walking a little lighter on the way back to the car. An eyewitness had just identified the Anaconda Killer as being at their crime scene.
Now, to find this woman…
THIRTY-NINE
Amanda and Trent returned to Central and found Dominique’s laptop, along with a note for the PIN for her phone. Both were sitting on Amanda’s desk inside a clear evidence bag. Hopefully, the password to unlock the computer was here somewhere too. If not, she’d have to call over to the safehouse.
It was just after five, and she and Trent had the choice to stop for the day and or put in some overtime.
“What’s your vote?” she asked him.
“I’d prefer to go home.”
“Me too.” The heat made the days feel longer and more exhausting. She’d still chastise herself for stepping out. After all, a contract killer hunting Dominique Sharp put a ticking clock on things. But she should be safe for now with officers watching over her.
