“Look, I know Ray. He would never do that kind of thing. Ray didn’t have a violent bone in his body. He was the nicest guy in the world.”
“That’s what they always say about serial killers,” Jack muttered.
Wade frowned at him.
“He never confided in you about anything?” I asked.
“He confided in me about a lot of things. Never murder. I wouldn’t have hung out with him.”
“You never noticed him acting strange or having unexplained absences?”
“I didn’t live with the guy. He wasn’t accountable to me. Ask his wife.”
“We did.”
“What does she think?”
“She’s in shock.”
“This just doesn’t align with the Ray I know.”
“Is there anything else about Ray you haven’t told us?”
Wade frowned and hesitated. “Well, I didn’t want to say anything before. I didn’t think it mattered.”
I waited for him to continue.
“Ray was kind of seeing this girl on the side.”
“Kind of?” I said with a raised eyebrow.
“It had been going on for about six months. He said it just kind of happened. Dana stopped sleeping with him. Samantha started showing him a lot of attention. One thing led to another.”
“Who’s Samantha?”
“Samantha Thomas. She’s one of the Little League moms.”
I took a frustrated breath. “This would have been good to know earlier. Is Samantha married?”
“Yes,” he said in a sheepish voice.
“I’m guessing there’s a possibility she might have a jealous husband,” I said in a sardonic tone.
“I didn’t want to talk badly about Ray, and I didn’t want it to get back to Dana. She doesn’t need to know that stuff.”
“I don’t think it will bother her now. The serial killer thing is a little more shocking,” I snarked.
Anger tightened Wade’s jaw. “He’s not a serial killer. And having a little something on the side doesn’t make you one.”
It was easy to see that Wade cared about Ray. He had, perhaps, lost his only friend.
I showed him the picture of Abigail’s assailant. “You think that could be Ray?”
Wade frowned. Reluctant to admit it, he said, “I guess. Maybe.”
“Did he own a motorcycle?”
After a beat, he said, “Yeah. Dana didn’t know. He kept it here in the lot.”
