Page 54 of Go Alone

Kate’s dating life consisted of a single makeout session with Marcus, a scattering of one-night stands, and a single sort-of boyfriend named Mike who ran a bookstore in Portland and was almost interesting enough to pull Kate’s attention away from Cox.

Again, she kept things simple. “I’m sure he was something special to sweep you off your feet, but I’m not talking about a wingman necessarily. Just anyone who might have been instrumental in getting Linus kicked out of your house and Martin moved in.”

“I just don’t get it,” Beverly said. “Linus had no friends. I was the only person who loved him, and even I didn’t love him at the end. Who could be killing people on his behalf?”

Kate closed her eyes and fought for calm. "A friend who protected you when you told him to move out. An attorney who secured your legal right to evict him. A neighbor who served as a witness during the separation proceedings."

“Well, Martin had an attorney who helped transfer primary ownership of the house to him when he and I married. He said it was to ensure that Linus didn’t force a sale. Looking back, I should have known it was all a lie. How was Linus going to force anything? He didn’t even have a social security number.”

“What was his name, Mrs. Connors? The attorney.”

“Oh, God. It’s been so long. Um… Andersen. His name was Andersen.”

“Can you spell that?” Kate wrote it down as Beverly spelled it out, then asked, “First name?”

“Um… Kirk. Or Kurt. I’m not sure which. I didn’t pay attention, to be honest. I only had eyes for Martin.”

That earned another exclamation from Mr. Connors and another gentle scolding from Beverly, who felt sufficiently guilty for her reminiscing to say, “Frank’s a far better husband than any of my past ones were. Even Linda’s father had a patronizing air about him that I didn’t care for, though he was exceptional in bed.”

That elicited the loudest exclamation of all. Kate decided to let Beverly go and do damage control so she didn’t lose yet another marriage.

“Thank you, Mrs. Connors. I’ll call you if I need anything else.”

She hung up before Beverly could offer another tangent, then immediately called Marcus. He answered immediately. “Got something?”

“Yes. An attorney who manipulated Beverly into signing the house over to Martin Cole.”

“Wonderful. I’m getting nowhere trying to figure out who not-Linus-Varne is, so I vote we find this guy and protect him instead.”

“I second the motion. The man’s name is Andersen, one s-e-n. First name is either Kirk or Kurt.”

“Kurt with a K or a C?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t ask.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Marcus said. “We’ll look for all three. I’m almost back at the café. Have you called Anita yet?”

“No, I’ll do that now.”

“Okay. See you in two minutes. Fingers crossed this lead doesn’t blow up in our faces too.”

“Thank you for putting that out into the universe, Marcus. I truly appreciate it.”

“Hey, I’m not superstitious. Are you?”

Kate wasn’t, but they had seen so much unravel while they tried to solve this case. She didn’t even want to think that this could fall apart too.

She looked in the rearview mirror and saw Marcus across the street waiting for the light to change. She checked the dash clock and flinched when she saw it was already afternoon. They’d spent hours at the café prying for more clues. Time was moving way too quickly. She wanted this solved before nightfall sent their killer on the prowl again. He’d waited three days between kills before, but she didn’t want to trust that he’d keep to that timeframe. Revenge was a dish best served cold, but the more one ate of that dish, the hungrier they got.

And right now, Linus Varne was starving.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

Anita’s heart thumped with excitement she hadn’t felt in decades. This investigation had proven by far the most challenging of her career, but it was nearing its end. She could go home to James having saved at least one life and contributed heavily to the capture of a serial killer. This would earn her accolades with the Wayne County Sheriff’s office and probably guarantee her promotion to lieutenant, but more importantly than that, it validated twenty years of choosing to stay in her small-town sheriff’s department rather than seek bigger and better things elsewhere.

And she was saving a life. Selfish reasons aside, she had put on the uniform to protect and advocate for innocent people. She was about to do that now.

She pulled her cruiser to a stop in front of Kirke Andersen’s house in Deer Creek. She, Marcus, and Kate got out and jogged up the porch to the front door. Behind them, three Columbus Police Department cruisers parked. Two officers exited one of the vehicles. They would remain with Kirke Andersen in his home. Two more of whom would remain in their vehicle and keep an eye out for their killer. The other two would wait for Anita’s word and coordinate the interagency response assuming Mr. Andersen had information that could lead to the killer.