“Oh, yes, crampons.” He nodded. “I do know what that means. Don’t you climb icebergs with them?”
“You can,” Monty said.
Zeke didn’t look at him, keeping his focus solely on Laurel. “Isn’t that odd? Don’t serial killers often stick to their rituals?” He stared at the different photos.
Laurel pulled back the pictures and shut the file folder. “Yes, they do.”
Zeke rubbed his chin thoughtfully, as if in deep contemplation. “I don’t really have an answer, but what if somebody wanted to disturb the church? What if they wanted to stop me from going national? It would make sense to leave a body there, right?”
“Go on,” Laurel said.
“Or Pastor John was having an affair with this poor woman. He took advantage of her. I would take a hard look at him or at her husband, of course.” He shrugged. “Unless somebody just wanted to mess with me and ruin my television debut. You don’t suppose Huck Rivers had it in for me, too, do you?”
Laurel studied him. “No, I don’t suppose he did. So your theory is that Teri Bearing’s killer is either Mayor Saul Bearing, Pastor John Govern, or Captain Huck Rivers?”
Zeke held out both hands and smiled, looking her directly in the eyes. “Well, now, Laurel, who else could it possibly have been?”
* * *
Laurel’s mind spun after Zeke Caine had left her office. Her emotions might be clouding her judgment. Why would he kill Delta and Haylee, then kidnap Rachel but let her go, and possibly kill Teri Bearing but use something else to break the ice?
She couldn’t find his motivation.
The downstairs door buzzer sounded, and then heavy footsteps echoed in the hallway. Laurel took several deep breaths and sat back in her chair, keeping her shoulders straight.
Special Agent in Charge Norrs walked into her office, pulled out a chair and sat. The agent had dark circles under his eyes, which were bloodshot.
“How are the RICO cases going?” Laurel asked.
“Just concluded two of them,” he said, and then sighed. “You’re off the drowning cases, Laurel. I just spoke with Deputy Director McCromby.”
She swallowed. It wasn’t a surprise.
Norrs steepled his fingers beneath his chin. “I didn’t tell the deputy director that you’re pregnant with Captain Rivers’s baby, but you probably should give him a heads-up before he finds out from somebody else.”
She tilted her head. “Abigail?”
Norrs nodded. “We are dating.”
Now wouldn’t be the time to tell Norrs that she was fairly certain Abigail had murdered Jason Abbott. She would have to build that case on her own without his interference. He wouldn’t believe her anyway.
He sighed. “I’ll be taking over the river killings. We’re pursuing Captain Huck Rivers as our primary suspect.”
Her hands shook. “He is not a murderer.”
Norrs shook his head. “Love is blind, Snow.”
The irony of that statement struck her.
He flattened his palm on her desk. “I’m going to bring in a small team and we’re going to take over your office, okay?”
“That would be proper procedure,” she said, noting his slower than usual movements. “You require sleep first.”
He shook his head. “There’s no time for sleep.”
“The conference room is all yours. If you require additional space, you may use the first level of the building to the east. My mother is going to build a tea shop there, but it’s vacant for now because she’s out of town. You cannot have my office because I’m investigating other cases.”
“I don’t want to mess with your office. I think you should reach out to your sister for help. You’re going to need support during this very difficult time.” His gaze dropped to her abdomen and then up. “I’ve looked over the case files. We have a good case against Captain Rivers. Unless something else breaks quick and fast, he’s going to be charged, and we’re going to put him away.”
