It’s why in your dream you always run into the bedroom.
A tinge of disappointment seeps into my chest, and I lose the motivation to take myself further. It’ll only end in disappointment when I can’t finish.
After rinsing out the conditioner, I step out of the shower, wrapping a towel around me tightly, and enter the bedroom. Jonesy is lying just as I left him, but now his eyes are closed, his hands clasped over his chest with one foot hooked over the other. The picture of relaxation with no clue that he was so close to giving me the release he’s offering.
???
We enter the bustling police station after fighting our way through the swarm of reporters hanging about outside, waiting for a hint of a story. The station is bustling, with cops power-walking between meeting rooms and offices, ready to tackle the biggest case of their lives. Well, the biggest case since Thomas Vale.
The press knows that there has been a significant development, and if I'm honest, I’m surprised the news hasn’t leaked already. Three female bodies were excavated at Connor Maddox’s house. Three. That’s just the ones they’ve found so far. I have a harrowing feeling in my gut that this wasn’t the last of what the police would find. I had the same feeling with Thomas Vale.
A battle for dominance rages within me. My gut is telling me there are more bodies to find, but also that Connor isn’t the one who did it. Which makes zero sense given the evidence stacked up against him, and the fact that I know he’s a liar. He has a history of feeling angry at women, albeit a short one. And he hadn’t been truthful about who was visiting him in prison. But it didn’t make sense as to why not? Why would he lie about who was visiting him? Especially when we could easily check the visitor’s log.
Detective Williams ushered me over to an office where he and Officer Sanchez were huddled around some papers. As soon as I entered, her eyes rolled, and she continued reading whatever it was that had them so enthralled.
“How you doing, Katie?” Anthony asks.
“Good. I got a good night’s sleep, which will help with today.”
“We’re set to interview Maddox again. Will Dr. Jones be attending?” His voice tightens as soon as he mentions Jonesy’s name.
“He’s on a call with the colonel right now. He’ll be in shortly—”
A knock at the door interrupts me, and Jonesy stands almost at attention, his army uniform crisply pressed. His broad shoulders fill the door frame, making it look like he’s walking into a hobbit hole and not the detective’s office. He shoots me a wink as he steps into the room, his hands gripping the back of the chair.
Even Officer Sanchez stops what she’s doing, her mouth slightly parted. She sits up a little straighter, and the alarm bells inside me start ringing. Is she interested in him? I see her pupils dilate, and for all the goddamn huffing and puffing she’s given me every time Anthony looks in my direction, I’m pissed that she’s now making googly eyes at Jonesy.My friend. Who is not exactly my friend but is quickly becoming less like an enemy as time goes on. Is it really only two weeks that we’ve been working together?
I rise from my seat and step toward him, which earns me another eye roll from Sanchez and a raised eyebrow from Jonesy. What am I doing? Staking my claim? On Jacob Jones? No, I don’t think so. Abort. Abort mission.
“Take a seat,” I mutter.
“Shall we get started? Sanchez, give us the rundown,” the detective says coolly.
“Yes, Detective. Three bodies have been found on Connor Maddox’s property. The excavation team is in the process of digging up additional parts of the yard that the cadaver dogs indicated—”
“Why did they bring cadaver dogs in the first place?” I ask. It wasn’t the usual process to bring the specialized team to a suspect’s residence. Not unless there was a belief that a crime had been committed there. Given that Connor Maddox was suspected of murdering a woman in the parking lot of a bar, it doesn't make sense that they would do that.
“We received an anonymous tip to take the dogs,” Detective Williams states, raising his hand to indicate for Officer Sanchez to continue.
She picks up without skipping a beat. “Our team is currently working to identify the three women and working with the missing persons team to match up the dates with women who have disappeared from the area. They’re also obtaining DNA samples, which may prove a match for those family members who provided samples during their missing persons investigation.
“As Detective Williams said, we are preparing for our interview with Connor Maddox. We’ve also brought his girlfriend into custody. Once we’ve interviewed her, you’ll be able to establish a time to evaluate her along with our transcript.
“For now, Connor Maddox is our only suspect in the murder of Jennifer Kray. We aren’tcurrently pursuing other avenues.” She turns to Detective Williams, who gives her a proud nod, leaning back into his chair; it swivels slightly.
He thinks this is a win.
“Why the change of MO?” Jonesy asks.
The detective smirks, straightening from his relaxed position. He interlinks his fingers and leans forward on the desk. “Isn’t that for you to find out?”
“Sure, but you must have some theories. This seems like a big leap. Carefully executed murders with pre-planning, enough to bury them in his backyard, to slashing someone’s throat in a parking lot, and stabbing them sixteen times. That doesn’t make sense to me.”
“Maybe he lost control. Maybe he hadn’t killed in a while,” the detective offers lazily. He’s not interested in the why. He’s interested in getting this case cleaned up quickly—putting another serial killer away will only heighten his reputation. Not that Anthony is the type of man who is overly concerned with things like that. At least he’s never given me a reason to think he is. But still, putting away one serial killer will give you a reputation. Two? That will make you a legend. People will be talking about these cases for decades. And on the tip of everyone’s tongue will be the detective who put both of them away. Detective Anthony Williams.
“We’ll have to meet with him again. We got interrupted yesterday with the development,” Isay, and the detective nods.
“What can we do in the meantime? Presumably, you’ll want us out of the way whilst you collect evidence?” Jonesy asks.
