Hudson glanced back and forth from one to the other of us. “So let me get this straight. The man wasting away in prison is Samuel Wells.”
“Yes, his fingerprints would prove that.” At least that was the summation I’d come to. “The checks and balances were in place thirteen years ago. What we didn’t count on was like DNA. A brother wasn’t even considered. The man fit the descriptiongiven by the witness. He was found in a house listed in his name. There was DNA at the cabin and on the last victim since she’d only been dead for a few hours. There was no reason to believe Samuel wasn’t the killer.”
“But his brother actually handled the murders.” Kendrick had a pensive look on his face.
“What if Samuel assisted his brother? Perhaps by luring the women to being taken. That would affirm the reason his DNA was found in the cabin.” Gabriel shrugged after the suggestion. “If the killer is as highly intelligent as you’ve alluded to, he likely wore gloves.”
“Not when he was around the women, at least not with Alexia.”
“She was special,” Gabriel offered.
Yeah, special enough she’d remained on his mind. I nodded and took another sip, making a face since the taste was suddenly bitter.
“He’s a cocky son of a bitch too.”
I chuckled and took a swallow of my drink, laughing at Hudson’s description. “Why do you say that?”
“He didn’t wait to start killing again until his own brother was six feet under.”
Shifting away from the window, I mulled over his comment. “Alexia mentioned the killer was gone for days at a time, which could indicate he traveled for work or that his work was important enough he couldn’t leave at a moment’s notice. Maybe he moved. But…” I thought about what the fucker had told me. “He knew how I reacted when forced to deal with a crime scene.”
“You think he was there.” Hudson whistled.
“Maybe I’m just reaching for straws. What I do know is that he’s on the hunt again and he won’t stop with two women.” Another nagging moment hit me. The killer had known every step I’d taken in trying to track him down. That’s why I’d felt so behind the eight ball.
Chase had jumped on the computer the moment he’d set foot in my house. He looked up from the screen, his face pensive. “The bastard is a sick fuck to do that to his own brother.”
“You didn’t see him,” I said quietly. “I honestly don’t think Samuel was coerced. But I also don’t think he completely understood what he’d confessed to doing either.”
“Just so you know. I’ve yet to find any signs of gifts coming into the prison.” Chase eyed me carefully.
“Check the warden and his personal accounts. I also need to know who the fuck went to see Samuel so damn often.”
“Maybe his attorney,” Kendrick suggested.
“That was easy to check. No.” I’d called the man myself and he’d laughed at me.
“You think Warden Abbott Baker is on the take?” Kendrick asked, genuinely surprised.
“Don’t act so surprised,” Hudson told him. “Rumors have been flying around about the man for years. Including when he worked with the police department. I’ve always believed the man was dirty. He was involved with some shady cases.”
“So Samuel was treated well in prison. Abbott can’t stop the execution. In fact, he’s eager for it to be over with.” Now I was just talking out loud.
“No, which could mean Abbott is covering up for some people.”
“Who know Samuel was railroaded,” I spit out.
“Very possibly. And I don’t think the thought of losing his own brother meant anything to Samuel’s brother,” Chase threw out. “Was Samuel so enthralled by his own brother he allowed himself to be the scapegoat?”
I shook my head. The thought had been bothering me for hours. “I think there’s a chance Samuel is easily manipulated.”
“Meaning he has some mental faculty issues,” Hudson filled in.
“Yeah.” Which was even more disgusting than that he’d been used for something so heinous.
“Why don’t we start from the beginning. With another victim, I have a feeling whatever plans the bastard has in motion will be expedited.” I was more agitated than I’d been when awakened in the middle of the night. I couldn’t get the dream or the phone call from my mind. There’d been no sleep after that.
With Alexia’s help, we’d pulled out various notes, creating new thoughts and pinning them to a bulletin board. With her memories and mine, we’d once again relived the horror. And once again, I’d seen her strength.
