“Like, ‘Shit, we’re in trouble!’ or ‘Haha, we showed her.’”
“Exactly. Instead, the voice sounded angry.”
“What does that mean—that they’re a couple of incels?”
“Maybe.” Incel scumbags had murdered women using vehicles more than once. “It could also mean that it’s personal, that the attackers feel they have a score to settle with Ms. Dillon.”
“Who would have a score to settle with Sasha?”
It was time for that little talk.
“I understand that Ms. Dillon is your friend and that Scarlet Springs is a small community where everyone trusts everyone else.”
“Well, not everyone. I would never tell Rose anything that I didn’t want to be all over town before lunchtime.”
She had missed the point.
“This is acriminalinvestigation. None of us can afford to make assumptions. If you let assumptions and biases get the better of you, you risk arresting the wrong people and letting the perps get away. If you leak information, you could alert the bad guys and blow the whole case. Youdowant to solve the case, right?”
“Of course!” Deputy Marcs shot him a fiery glance.
Darius didn’t care if he’d made her angry. He knew only too well the cost when law enforcement fucked up. “Good police work demands objectivity, attention to detail—and no leaks. If you want my help with this case, you need to quit making assumptions and sharing information with the entire town. Not a word to anyone outside of law enforcement, or I’ll head back to Denver. Understood?”
Deputy Marcs muttered something that sounded likeasshole. “Got it. But if you expect me to salute, you can kiss my ass.”
Darius bit back a grin, certain he’d made his point. “No salute necessary.”
Deputy Marcs reached for her handset. “Eight-sixty-five, go ahead.”
When she ended the call, she shared the news.
“The vehicle was reported stolen from a driveway in Boulder. Forensics dusted it for prints and found five distinct sets. They’re running them through the database, but so far, nothing has popped. The SUV is an older model and isn’t equipped with Bluetooth. It couldn’t have captured identifying smartphone data.”
“Did they check for street cams?”
Deputy Marcs reached for her handset again, called in his question, and quickly got the answer. “There are no cams on the street. They’ll send someone from Boulder PD to see whether any of the neighbors have security cams.”
Darius mulled over this news. Had the perpetrators known there weren’t cameras on the street? Had they stolen the vehicle specifically to commit a crime? Ayesto either of these questions indicated premeditation, but they just didn’t have enough information to know either way.
“Where now?”
“I had more questions for Ms. Dillon, but that will have to wait.”
“You wanted to ask her about ex-boyfriends and stalkers, right?”
“Yes. Most of the time, people who commit acts of deliberate violence have some connection to the victim, even if it’s only in their heads. That’s why motivation is such an important factor. There’s usually some kind of trail online—threats, harassment, sexually suggestive comments.”
“If someone was harassing Sasha, there are two people in town who would know for sure—Nicole, her best friend, and Megs. She’s close to both of them. You just met them at Knockers.”
“I remember. Do you have their contact information?”
“They’re probably at The Cave.”
“The Cave?”
“That’s what they call Team headquarters. I’ll let them know we’re coming.”
Megs metthem at one of two large bay doors. “Welcome to The Cave. Nicole is on her way. Let me give you a quick tour.”
