“Where was this?”Faith asked.
“Veterans Memorial Park,” the caller replied.“They have a dog park there now, just a little one.”
Faith pumped her fist.“When was the most recent time you saw him?”
“Um… I think… last… Tuesday?No, Wednesday.”
Faith’s smile faded a little.“Wednesday two days ago?”
“No, last week.”
Faith sighed.“You didn’t see him more recently?”
“Well, I haven’t been since then.”
And just like that, Faith’s hope was renewed.“Perfect.Sergeant Meyers is going to take some information from you in case we need to follow up.Thank you very much, ma’am.”
While Meyers got the woman’s contact information, Faith stepped outside with Jessica.
"That's the third caller who's reported a suspicious man in a hoodie and work boots," Jessica said."Two at Rooster and one at Veterans.Nothing from Stafford Courthouse yet, but it's the same thing each time.A Caucasian man in his forties, tall and burly, wearing a hoodie pulled low over his head, and work boots, shows up and loiters for an hour or so.He sits on a bench with his hands folded and watches people quietly, then leaves."
“And no one thought of reporting this before?When we were interrogating people at the scenes of the murders?”
“All three callers said the same thing.They didn’t think anything of it at the time.He was just a random guy.A little weird, but they didn’t leap right to ‘this guy’s a crazy killer’.That’s just not a thing normal people think about.”
Faith pressed her lips together.Itshouldbe a thing that normal people thought about.So many times throughout her career she'd heard that excuse."I just didn't think about it.I mean, whodoesthat?”
Lots of people.And lots of people died because people didn’t allow themselves to imagine the worst-case scenarios.
But there was nothing to be gained by ranting about that right now.Their warning was working.They were getting a description of this guy.People were on the lookout for him.Meyers could send a sketch to the news media, and people would be looking specifically for their killer.
She smiled ruefully.Only minutes ago, she thought the warning was useless.Oh she of little Faith.
“Guys!”Meyers said, poking his head out of his office.“We have another call!Someone found the guy at Rooster!”
The trio of FBI agents exploded into action.Faith, Jessica, and Turk ran for Faith’s car while Meyers grabbed another deputy and headed for a cruiser.
Faith spun her tires as she peeled out of the parking lot.They’d reach Rooster Memorial Park in five minutes.They only needed the killer to be there for that long without disappearing.Then they could wrap this up before anyone else got hurt.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Faith drove her Crown Victoria as far up the dirt access rode as she dared, parking two hundred yards from where the suspicious man had been spotted.She heard shouting as soon as she stepped out of the car, a female voice screaming in rage.
Turk shot off like a rocket, easily bounding up the hill while Faith and Jessica followed as fast as they could.Meyers’s cruiser screeched to a halt behind them, and the sergeant joined the pursuit, huffing and puffing as he navigated the steep slope to the crest of the hill.
As Faith approached closer, a second voice joined the female one.This was male, lower-pitched, and not screaming.
“Where’s your dog?Where’s your dog?Where’s your dog?”
That was the female.
“I don’t have one.I told you, he—”
“Then why are you here?Are you a murderer?You’re a murderer!”
Faith reached the top of the hill and saw Turk standing about ten feet away from a red-faced woman in her late forties with short curly dyed blond hair who stood in front of a tall man in a hoodie and cheap work boots.Her feet were spread shoulder width apart, her hands on her hips when she wasn’t shaking a finger in the man’s face.
Faith approached cautiously, seeing the frown on the man’s face and feeling anger rolling off of the woman in waves.Jessica moved to the other side with Meyers looping wide to circle behind their suspect.
