Derrick spoke, “Let’s send Mr. Benton’s over for comparison.”
Everyone shifted uncomfortably, understanding the implication.
“Why not just ask the wife?” Landrum asked.
Ellie sighed. “If she knows, I doubt she’d tell us the truth. I think she’s afraid of him. But if it becomes necessary, I’ll talk to her.”
“Do we have any specific suspects yet?” Sheriff Waters asked.
“No one concrete,” Ellie said. “Agent Fox, talk to the attorney who handled Minnie’s DUI. He works with Mr. Benton. Maybe he can offer insight into Benton and his relationship with his daughter and any signs of impropriety on his part.”
“On it,” Derrick agreed.
Ellie continued, “Let’s have updates on anything, no matter how small, you all learned.” She addressed Derrick first. “Any news on that child-stealing ring your partner mentioned?”
Derrick shrugged. “The Bureau’s monitoring for chatter. Nothing specific yet. But I’ll check in with Bennett again today.”
Ellie nodded. “Tilly? Anything at the AA meeting?”
“I made a list of male attendees,” Tilly answered.
Ellie pointed to the whiteboard. “Why don’t you add them to our murder board.” She drew off a section, indicating a spot where Tilly could fill in names.
Tilly stood and approached the front of the room. “Although I’ll list names, it’s possible some of the attendees used a fake name, choosing not to reveal their real identities for confidentiality purposes.
“The leader of the meeting is a thirty-something man named Gil McCoy. His appearance was neat, his manner calm and understanding. He gave the impression he really cares about the program and didn’t want to push anyone who didn’t want to share. Of course, just attending the meeting voluntarily is the first step in recovery.”
She took a beat. “The first person to share was a man named Bob. His wife was killed by a drunk driver. Afterward, he started self-medicating. One day he went to see the woman who killed his wife. He lost control when he saw her funneling down champagne. Said she was haughty and arrogant, and he lost his temper and grabbed her wrist. Her friends called the police, and he served time for assault.
“It was obvious he resented the fact that he was punished and the woman wasn’t. And he was in AA because it was ordered by the court as part of his parole.”
Ellie’s pulse jumped.
“That could be motive for him to kill girls with addiction problems,” Landrum suggested. “I’ll dig deeper into him.”
Ellie nodded. “Thanks.”
Tilly scribbled another name on the board. “A doctor who introduced himself as Kyle Limbach was also at the meeting.He said his addiction was triggered when he lost a couple of patients. But he’s been sober for a while now.”
“Did he say who he lost?” Ellie asked.
“No,” Tilly said. “But it’s worth looking into.”
“Who else?” Ellie asked.
“An attorney named Thomas who claimed he’s in the program because his friend committed suicide.”
“Let’s look into him as well,” Ellie said.
“Done,” Derrick agreed.
Captain Hale poked his head in. “Ellie, a 9-1-1 call came in from a woman named Rhonda Glasser. She was attacked and her daughter and granddaughter are missing. Daughter’s name is Dana Jo.”
Tilly jerked her head toward Ellie. “Ellie, Dana Jo Glasser attended the meeting last night. I made a special note of her because she mentioned she was abducted, assaulted and left for dead near Midnight Ridge a little over two years ago. But she suffered from amnesia, so doesn’t recall her attacker’s face.”
Was Dana Jo another victim of their unsub?
Ellie’s pulse pounded. Had he struck again?
