“Give me a break,” Monty muttered.
Rachel sobered. “I really think the man who assaulted me was my ex-boyfriend, Captain Huck Rivers,” she said, her voice hushed, her eyes wide.
Carver nodded. “I can’t really say that Captain Rivers kidnapped you, but I can tell you that the person committing these killings is strong, methodical, and very angry at women. From the victims he’s targeted, very angry at blond women.”
Rachel swallowed and then pulled on her blond ponytail. “I would never have thought I’d be a victim.”
“You’re not. You’re a survivor,” Carver said instantly.
Rachel straightened and gingerly touched the bruise on her cheekbone. “You’re right. I am. So do you think there’s significance to his putting me in a dog crate?”
“Of course.” Carver nodded, both eyebrows up. “He thinks women are dogs.”
Laurel smacked her hand against her head. If Rachel was put in a dog crate, it was to keep her contained, for Pete’s sake. No dog hairs were found on any of the victims. “Every crime scene is the same—the use of crampons, an iced-over river, and an isolated area—except for one. I’m missing something.”
On the podcast, Rachel touched Carver’s sleeve, as if seeking a connection. “So hypothetically, what if Huck Rivers is the killer? He has been arrested, you know.”
Carver stared thoughtfully into the camera. “Let’s keep in mind that we need to use the word ‘alleged.’ But if Captain Rivers committed these crimes, it would be interesting that the first victim was his mother, the mother who abandoned him.”
Rachel wiggled in her seat. “Exactly. Isn’t that the type of impetus that would propel him to start killing? When we were together, he was searching for a killer who drowned boys, and he saved one, but another died. He never got over that.”
Carver nodded wisely. “Then it would make sense that drowning would be his choice of killing, allegedly,” he added at the end. “His mother would be the first target, without question.”
Rachel shook her head. “But we broke up.”
“Yes, but you were meaningful to him at a time when he was in great pain,” Carver said gently. “He might want to end you to end that pain. Allegedly.”
Monty sighed. “Tell you what. Why don’t I go get some Fireball, and every time that moron says the word allegedly, we can take a shot?”
Laurel shook her head and sat back to watch the remainder of the show. Finally, Carver shook Rachel’s hand, and the show went to commercial.
“What a bonehead,” Monty muttered.
“I dated him,” Laurel admitted.
Monty swung to face her. “You did not date that idiot.”
She sighed. “I did. Worse yet, he broke up with me. He claimed I failed to be there for him emotionally.”
Monty laughed out loud and then looked down at his laptop. “This guy’s all over the Internet. He separated from the FBI in December and now runs his own business looking for missing persons. His initial fee is fifty grand.”
Laurel’s jaw dropped. “Fifty thousand dollars? This is a publicity stunt for him?”
“I suppose,” Monty said thoughtfully, his hands shaking. “This is a big case, andThe Killing Hourhas gone viral. He’s probably just gotten himself enough business to last the next five years. Plus, he probably didn’t mind sticking it to you a little bit, Laurel.”
Laurel studied him. “You need to rest.” The color had leached out of his face. She placed too much reliance on Monty with the absence of her team. He exhibited signs of imminent syncope, and if he passed out, she might not act quickly enough to catch him. “Go home, Monty.”
“No. I need to help Huck. Tell me what’s bugging you about the crime scenes.”
She couldn’t force him and understood his desire to help the captain. “I don’t like that the ice was broken differently in Teri Bearing’s death from the pattern at the other crime scenes.”
Monty looked back up the hallway. “You think we have a copycat?”
“The possibility has occurred to me,” Laurel said. “We want to look at Teri Bearing’s husband as well as lover. Statistically, the killer is usually close to the victim. We know the mayor is an obvious choice because of Teri’s affair with Pastor John. But perhaps Pastor John hasn’t been truthful about his plans to work with Teri to take the deal from Zeke.” Although she hadn’t discerned markers of untruthfulness from him.
“Neither man has a decent alibi,” Monty said. “But didn’t a number of people know about the affair? The cat was out of the bag, right?”
Laurel nodded. “Yes, but not publicly. Not to the point that Pastor John would be ruined nationally.”
