“More questions,” Evan agreed.
“What I don’t understand is the crime scene information. What happened to it? Altering the report is one thing, but not all of it. What did the original detective find at the crime scene?”
“Better yet, why would it benefit anyone to alter it?” Evan mused. “Who does it help if they believe Jacobs’s body was found somewhere other than where he died?”
“Maybe someone’s tryin’ to cover up where he really died. I’m gonna call Mathis,” Baz stated, pulling out his phone. He dialed the detective’s number, put the phone on speaker.
“Mathis.”
“Detective, this is Sebastian Buchanan with the OTB Task Force. I’ve got a question for you.”
“Shoot.”
“The police report for Seth Jacobs’s death states his body was found at the country club. When we spoke to the country club manager, he said that wasn’t the case. Did you work the scene?”
“I did not, no. I was out of town.”
“Who did?”
“The original detective,” Mathis said simply.
Too simply.
“And who was that?”
“I’m not at liberty to say.”
Baz frowned at Evan. What the hell kind of police department were they running?
“Look,” Mathis added, “this is being handled higher up on the food chain. I’ve been told to work the cases from the beginning. That’s what I’m trying to do.”
“Did you take a look at the crime scene after the fact?”
“I’ll admit, I haven’t had a chance yet,” he said, sounding sincerely apologetic. “It’s been a hectic day, and I’m doing my best to align all the information I’ve been given. Because there’s too much to work for one person, I’m trying to get some help here.”
Baz tried to remember that Mathis had only received these cases this morning. He knew from experience that it took time to get the information together to see what leads would shake out.
“What about Mrs. Wright?” Baz asked. “Did you talk to her?”
“I didn’t speak to her directly, no. One of the other detectives took her call. I don’t know why she didn’t show up.”
“And who was that?” he asked, hating that he sounded like a broken record.
“Phillips,” Mathis answered, as though they would possibly know who that was.
“Mind if I speak to him?”
“He’s … uh…” Mathis paused, his breaths coming in heavier, as though he was moving around. “I don’t see him, but I’ll track him down and let you know.”
“All right.” Baz sighed. “If you learn anything, will you give us a call?”
“As long as you do the same.”
“Will do,” he promised.
The call disconnected, and Baz stared blankly across the room. “What do we know so far?” he wondered aloud. “The facts.”
JJ strolled up to his desk, immediately answering his question. “We know that Cedric Hawkins spent the night with his girlfriend last night and possibly got a phone call in the middle of the night. He then drove to a convenience store where he somehow ended up with a burner phone purchased by Nancy Wright in his vehicle.”
