"Are you sure that's his name?”
"I'm positive.”
I took everything Larry said with a grain of salt. I thanked him for his time and wished him well.
My next step was to run background on Earl Vernon Maddox, if such a person actually existed.
34
Ifound Denise at her desk and filled her in on the situation. Her delicate fingers tapped the keys. It wasn't long before she had Earl’s information pulled up on the screen.
We both studied his criminal history and his mug shot. Earl was quite the upstanding citizen. He had a number of assault and battery charges, a domestic abuse charge, and a sexual assault charge that was later dismissed. Then one he was convicted on, for which he served 15 years.
He’d just been released a few months ago.
The date of his arrest coincided with the cessation in the string of murders in Pineapple Bay.
Denise and I shared a knowing glance.
Earl bore a striking resemblance to Ray. Fifteen years ago, they looked virtually identical. The same shaggy brown hair, pale eyes, and similar facial features. Even down to the mustache and goatee. They both had a skull tattoo on their fingers.Though Earl’s was on the right hand while Ray’s was on his left.
They weren’t identical by any stretch of the imagination. The skull on Earl's hand had wings and looked more like a ring as it wrapped around his finger. The one on Ray’s hand was a simpler skull.
Fortunately, someone had the presence of mind to photograph both their tattoos back in the day. It was common practice, but at times, those kinds of details could get overlooked.
There was no doubt in my mind Earl Vernon Maddox was responsible for these heinous acts. He was the Bay Strangler.
“Where is Earl living now?” I asked.
“According to the DMV, he’s in Coconut Key. Looks like he lives in an apartment in Jamaica Village.”
I noted the address and asked Denise to text me Earl’s mugshot. It buzzed my phone a moment later.
I texted Jenna: [I’m going to send you an image of a suspect. Tell me if that’s your assailant.]
She replied:[Okay.]
I sent her Earl’s image and waited for a reply.
She called a few moments later. “That’s him! Is that Ray?”
“No. It’s a guy named Earl.” I listed his rap sheet. “You’re positive that’s the guy?”
Jenna hesitated. "Yes. That's him.”
I thanked her for the information and told her I'd be in touch.
The next thing on my agenda was to pay Earl a visit.
I called Jack again, and this time he picked up. "Where the hell have you been?”
"Running Madelyn all around the island. We’ll be back at the boat before long."
I caught him up to speed and told him I was going to do a knock-and-talk.
"Why don't you wait for me to do something like that?”
"Somebody needs to look after Madelyn. Besides, I'm just going to ask him a few questions.”
