Dev’s brain raced with the information, trying to process it. His thoughts came to a screeching halt. “Luongo’s wife?”
Russ nodded. “The woman’s clothing matched what his wife was wearing when she disappeared. The ME also confirmed that the decomposition is consistent with the time she’s been missing, but the police can’t act until the ME makes a positive identification.”
Likely the reason Sierra hadn’t gotten back to Dev when she had said she would. This murder investigation would take top priority and, in a way, helped Dev by putting two suspects behind bars where they couldn’t get to Kinsley.
“So Luongo and Mooney knew each other?” Reid asked.
Russ nodded. “Looks like they were partners in the shell corporation that no one discovered. Neither of the detectives had seen them together or found any communications with each other in the phone records. They believe they had burner phones and made sure they didn’t meet in public.”
Dev shook his head. “What are the odds of solving two murders like this in one place?”
“It only seems high because we didn’t know the men were connected,” Reid said. “But now that we know the connection, the odds are probably not out of order.”
“Yeah,” Dev said, but he still couldn’t wrap his mind around it. “And an arrest warrant for Luongo? Where do we stand on that?”
“Once they have the positive ID, they’ll be bringing him in for questioning and holding him for as long as possible.” Russ looked from one to the other with raised brows, as if waiting for further questions. No one spoke, and he pushed away from the fireplace. “Okay, that’s it. I’m out of here. Be sure to get on the horn to our guys and tell them these men will be taken into custody soon.”
Dev dug his phone from his pocket and called Gabe first. These calls weren’t difficult to make. Not difficult at all. Both Gabe and Micha would likely be happy to come back home. The hard part would be telling Kinsley that one of these two murderers could be their shooter. Thankfully, by Russ requesting to meet over here instead of making a call that Kinsley could listen in to, he had given Dev the chance to think about it before he had to explain it to her.
Gabe answered at the same time Dev’s phone alerted him to an incoming call from Sierra. He was tempted to take it, but he would finish up with Gabe, then call Sierra right back.
“Any action with Luongo?” Dev asked.
“Nah.” Gabe didn’t keep his disappointment out of his voice. “For such a notorious man, he leads a pretty boring life and looks like he’s in for the night.”
“He won’t be for long.” Dev shared the recent development.
“Whoa, seriously?” Gabe fell silent. “That’s shocking news.”
“It is,” Dev said as his phone dinged a voicemail alert. “I need you to stay there until the police pick him up, and then you can head back here. Text me when you leave.”
“Will do.”
“Thanks for your help, man.”
“Of course, but I have to say I was hoping to catch the guy up to no good.” Gabe laughed and disconnected.
Dev wasted no time but tapped his voicemail to play Sierra’s message.
No luck in lifting complete fingerprints from the drone, but the drone operator filmed himself and left the footage in the camera like I thought he might do. His photo matched in facial recognition. I called Russ with the details. He said he just left you at Reid’s place and wants you to meet him at your place ASAP because he’s headed there to share the info with Kinsley.
Why hadn’t Nick given them that big piece of news with the information about the drone? Could be Sierra asked him not to until she could run the photo against the database. He would have to ask her when they talked.
He fired a look at Reid. “Can you call Micha? I have to go. Looks like we have a facial recognition match for the drone operator.”
“To who?”
“I don’t know yet. Sierra’s voicemail said Russ is sharing the details with Kinsley.”
Reid made shooing motions with his hands. “Then go, but call me when you know which suspect we’re dealing with.”
“You got it.” Dev raced out into the night. He stopped on the porch to text Hayden and alert him to his and Russ’s upcoming arrival so it didn’t spook the guy and cause him to draw down on either of them.
He bolted down the steps and the hill. Good thing he’d walked. This was the fastest route, and he was dying to know who the photo matched.
The smoky night obscured his path and irritated his lungs as he raced for his cabin. At his full-speed press, he quickly reached the lake. Movement in the water caught his attention, but the smoke stopped him from clearly making it out. He slowed and inched closer. Something black and small moved toward the shore. Definitely not a watercraft but a human. A human in a dive suit approaching Dev.
Was it their suspect, coming to hurt Kinsley? Dev couldn’t let that happen. He charged down the beach to the water. Kicked off his shoes and socks. Slipped his belt with his sidearm out of the loops, buckled it, and dropped the belt over his head.
