He had long since dealt with the fact that his mother had given birth to him and dumped him on his dad more than thirty years ago; he didn’t need to go into it now. His father had passed away from cancer a while back. He’d figured it would be just him and his dog until Laurel had come into his life. Would their child inherit Laurel’s heterochromatic eyes and unusual intelligence, or be more down to earth and streetwise like him? He glanced over to make sure the color had returned to her pretty face.
“Also,” Laurel said, “I know that the state police interviewed the two snowmobilers who found the body at the scene, but Nester, I’d like you to bring them in and get your own feel for them. Okay?”
His eyebrows rose. “Really?”
“Yes. You said you wanted field experience, and Walter will be out on vacation, so let’s start with this,” Laurel said.
“Cool, thanks.” Nester disappeared.
Huck frowned. “I thought you were getting two more agents.”
Laurel lifted both hands. “We will at some point, but I’m not in any hurry. So right now, this is what we have.”
Considering her group had put away three serial killers so far, Huck thought they were doing just fine. In combination with Fish and Wildlife, they could cover every aspect of a case.
“Did you ask Dr. Ortega to put a rush on the autopsy?” Walter asked.
Laurel nodded. “I couldn’t reach him but left a message. Apparently there was a nightclub fire in his jurisdiction last night resulting in several deaths. Walter, why don’t you start filling out a murder board since you now have forty-five minutes? Just leave that board closest to you alone.”
The farthest board was turned over so nobody could see it, but Huck knew it showcased Laurel’s half sister, Abigail Caine, and notations on her suspected crimes. Like Laurel, he was aware that Abigail, as brilliant as her sister, had motivated serial killer Jason Abbott to commit atrocious acts, and she’d helped another killer hide his deeds before that. Laurel wanted to put her away, and Huck was on board.
Walter dug photographs from the scene out from his file folder and began taping them to a board.
Huck’s ears heated. That couldn’t be his mother. She just looked like Delta. He had definitely jumped the gun and hadn’t been thinking when he’d spoken. He’d been caught off guard. “You know, the likelihood of our victim being the woman who gave birth to me is unrealistic.” His body finally relaxed. “I think I just reacted to the fact that she looks familiar.”
Walter appraised him. “That’s fine. But why don’t we do some preliminary work and I’ll interview you real quick?”
“Sure,” Huck agreed.
Laurel looked away from the board. “You now have forty minutes.”
Huck nodded. “The woman gave birth to me and left town. Haven’t talked to her. Haven’t met her. Don’t know anything about her.”
Walter grimaced at his empty notepad. “That was quick. Did your father tell you anything about her?”
Huck tried to remember. “Just that she was a free spirit and liked to drink beer. That’s it.”
Walter sighed. “How about we do that DNA test?”
“No problem.” Huck’s phone buzzed, and he read a text. “Rachel Raprenzi has the story about Jason Abbott escaping custody. I hate to say it, but I think I should go on her show and alert the public to this one. People have to know to be on the lookout.”
His gut actually ached at the thought.
Chapter 4
Early afternoon, Laurel settled into her seat at the conference room table, careful not to catch her sweater on the rough edges. Walter and Ena had left for their vacation, and she calculated how to cover Walter’s excellent legwork.
“Just one more sec.” Nester typed rapidly on his laptop next to her.
She reached for her herbal tea and took a sip.
“Have you given up lattes?” he asked.
She looked down at the tea. “My mom insists I compare the new batches being released this spring. I promised to try one blend each day and give her my honest opinion.” She probably needed to tell her team about her pregnancy, but not quite yet. Of course, they’d noticed she hadn’t been drinking her normal lattes.
Moderate caffeine consumption was considered safe for most pregnant women. Yet she was aware that, as a stimulant, caffeine could cross the placenta, and a fetus couldn’t metabolize it efficiently. So she erred on the side of caution. Plus, she enjoyed her mother’s new blends and found herself agreeable to giving detailed notes at the end of every day.
“Here we go.” Nester clicked his mouse again and gestured toward the screen mounted on the far wall. “I have gone through all of the jail’s visitor logs for Jason Abbott. He was visited by both his ex-fiancée, Haylee Johnson, and Dr. Abigail Caine in the last week.” Nester pointed to the screen. “Also, attorney Melissa Cutting, who happens to be Haylee’s aunt, visited. As you know, visits with counsel are not recorded.”
