I shrugged. "It kinda looks that way. I mean, he managed to stay out of the system for 15 years. Now all of a sudden it's spitting out a match?”
"This has got three-letter agency written all over it," Jack said. "But why would someone help a serial murderer start fresh?”
"Maybe Ray Corbin knew something. Maybe he had dirt on somebody. Witnessed something. A prosecution might uncover a lot of secrets. With his back against the wall, Ray might have exposed something.”
It was just a theory at this point.
"So, he's in Coconut Key for 15 years and remains dormantuntil now, then somebody kills him,” JD said, still uncertain about the whole thing.
"Maybe he was able to hold it together for a long time. Then certain stressors came into his life, and he re-offended. It's a common pattern.”
For some, killing is an addiction. They are able to abstain for only so long before falling off the wagon.
"I'm thinking we need to have a talk with the girl who escaped.”
"Her name is Jenna Keating," I said.
"Is she here in town?”
I accessed the DMV and ran her name. A moment later, her info appeared on the screen. "She's still up in Pineapple Bay.”
"We need to pay her a visit. And I want to know why Ray was being protected.”
26
Our first order of business was to run this by Dana and see if she had any indication that she’d been married to a serial murderer for the last 15 years.
Needless to say, when I broke the news, she had a look of shock and horror on her face. She stood in her doorway, frozen. Her operating system had crashed. She needed a full reboot.
Dana shook her head and tried to clear her mind. "I'm sorry, are you trying to tell me that my husband was not Ray Coleman? That he was a serial rapist and murderer named Ray Corbin?”
"Allegedserial rapist and murderer," I said.
She looked queasy. "I think I'm going to be sick.”
"How about we go inside and talk about this?”
She nodded, stepped aside, and we entered the foyer. She looked a little unsteady as she walked back into the livingroom. JD and I followed, and she offered us a seat on the sofa.
"I'm sorry, this is just a lot to process.”
"I understand.”
She took a minute to compose herself.
"How did you and Ray meet?”
She took a deep breath. "Oh, it was about 14 years ago. We just hit it off right away. It was a whirlwind romance. I think we were married within four months. I was pregnant within the first year with Matthew.” Dana shivered. "I'm sorry. I'm just having a hard time processing all of this. My God. To think I shared a bed with that man for all these years. I guess I'm lucky to be alive.”
"It's not uncommon for serial killers to compartmentalize their lives. Very rarely do they commit heinous acts against people they are close to. They typically target people with no connection. It's harder to close a case when the killer has no relation to the victim. That’s true in about 90% of serial murders.”
I don't think any of that made her feel better.
"Did you notice any unusual behavior over the years?”
"What do you mean by unusual?”
"Unexplained gaps in accountability. Coming and going at odd hours. Coming home with blood on his clothing. Coming home with strange jewelry?”
