“Terre Haute’s close to the Illinois border,” Jason said. “Where exactly was that murder?”
Gordon looked through the file. When he found the information he was looking for, he cursed. “Less than two miles from the state line, off a country road. If he wasn’t local, he could easily have thought he was still in Illinois.”
“So he doesn’t want to commit these crimes in Indiana. Why is that?” Stacy mused.
“Indiana has the death penalty,” Chase said. “That could be it.”
“So does Kentucky,” Gordon added. “No, I’d say it’s more personal than that. You know that old saying, ‘Don’t crap in your own sandbox’?”
Ethan smiled, and Gordon smiled back. “The son of a bitch is from Indiana. Has to be,” Ethan said.
Stacy joined Ethan in front of the map. “Six of the thirteen murders have been committed within an hour’s drive of Cincinnati, including his last five. I’m thinking two things. First, Kiely’s murder really was his first kill. We know the place she was found was off the beaten path, so he had to be familiar with the area.”
“Actually, ninety percent of these victims were found off the beaten path. Not so far that the victims would be hard to find, but definitely in less-traveled areas,” Gordon said.
“So he’s familiar with all these places to some extent. He’s probably not just passing through, then. He’s spending some time nearby,” Beth said. “What’s the other thing, Stacy?”
“The other thing that occurs to me is almost as significant as the first, especially with the two-year delay,” she responded. “And especially with such an organized offender. He moves around a lot, but for his first kill after Kiely, he chooses the Cincinnati area? I think he stays in the areas a few months, then moves on, but he started around Cincy. He’s come back to Cincy. If you add a pin for Chase, for the letters, it would make a weird kind of sense. I think he’s from here.”
Chapter 32
A shocked silence fell over the room. Annie recovered first. “You mean from Leroy?”
Stacy contemplated the map again and shook her head. “No, but I think he’s close. He has to be. If I had to guess, I’d put him here.” She tapped the southeastern corner of Indiana. “Aurora, Lawrenceburg, maybe even Madison.”
“Why?” Gordon leaned forward on the couch with his hands clasped between his knees.
He held her gaze with his, and Stacy slowly answered, “Because he’s been in something of a frenzy this past year. His victims are mainly at-risk women—prostitutes and drug addicts. He needs a ready supply, where he can get to them if the urge strikes. Cincinnati seems to be his preferred stalking ground of late. We think he lives in Indiana. He has to live in this area.” She tapped the map again.
Beth sucked in a breath and sank down on the arm of the couch as a thought occurring to her. Her face paled. “Oh, God. Ethan? At-risk women? Parker.”
Ethan went very still. “Okay. But what about our theory about him not wanting to commit murders in Indiana?”
“You’re talking about the body that was found this morning?” Gordon asked. Ethan nodded. “How was she killed?”
“She was in pretty rough shape. The coroner is leaning toward bludgeoning, but we won’t know until the autopsy tomorrow,” Ethan said.
Gordon considered the killer’s previous victims. “Well, the last few murders have been increasingly violent, with more mutilation than his earlier crimes. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that it could be him. When was she killed?”
“Some time Sunday night or very early Monday morning,” Ethan told him.
Gordon looked at Chase. “How fast did word get around about your questioning?”
Chase snorted. “By one o’clock this morning, Dad was calling me from Europe.”
“So a local could easily have known about it, and the killer could have learned about it last night, either through conversation or overhearing it somewhere,” Gordon mused. “We know he has some sort of an agenda where Chase is concerned. If that includes Chase being framed for murder, hearing that you weren’t arrested could have sent him over the edge.”
“So if we can figure out where the guy met Parker, that might lead us to solving the whole damned thing.” Stacy looked at Ethan. “Any leads?”
“No, not really,” Ethan admitted. “I managed to find the people Parker had been with earlier in the evening, but she’d left them about nine o’clock last night. She was talking about finding something to party with. They weren’t sure where she was headed when she left.”
Gordon sighed. “Any sign of her car?”
“No,” Ethan said. “Her car was in the shop. Wherever she went, she was walking. We were able to track her to County Line Grocery at about nine-thirty. She hung out there for a while, possibly met someone out back for money, and then left a little after ten.”
At the mention of the County Line Grocery, a collective understanding went through the room. Gordon, however, was confused. “What’s the County Line Grocery?”
Stacy answered, “It’s a convenience store slash pool hall slash gas station on the road leading out to Jefferson County, which is the road Parker was found off of. It’s about three miles from the actual county line, though.”
“Yeah, and it’s a total cesspool of humanity that late at night,” Jason added. “If it’s illegal, and you want to find it in Olman County, the County Line is the place to go.”
“Ah… every county has one,” Gordon said. “So did anyone see anything that could help us, or are all the witnesses mysteriously forgetful today?”
Ethan moved back to his seat. “Actually, they were surprisingly helpful, weren’t they, Jason?”
Jason, who had gone with Ethan to question Parker’s associates, nodded. “I was somewhat shocked by that, but apparently Parker was very well-liked among that crowd.”
“That doesn’t really surprise me,” Beth said. “For all her problems, Parker was one of the sweetest people you’d ever met. That just makes this tragedy that much sadder.”
“So where does that leave us?” Chase asked.
Gordon sighed. “Maybe nowhere we weren’t already, but then again…” he trailed off and looked over the map. “Any chance you can contact the crime lab that’s handling this murder, see if they can rush the DNA?” he asked Ethan, “now that we’ve got something to compare it to?”
Ethan didn’t answer, just took his cell phone off its clip on his belt and punched in a number. “Michelle, it’s Detective Moore. What’s the status on processing that DNA from this morning’s murder victim?” He listened to her response and frowned.
“Okay. No, no. I understand, but we have a potential suspect we’d like to rule out.” He stopped again, and the lab tech’s raised voice could be heard. Even though her words weren’t clear, her attitude was. Ethan’s brow lowered, and Beth winced.
“Oooh, that’s not good,” she told the others quietly.
Before Ethan could respond to the tech’s comments, he held the phone away from his ear. An astonished laugh escaped him, and he just stared at the cell phone.
“What did she say?” Stacy asked. “That was Michelle Dickey, right?”
“Yeah. She had plenty to say. And then she hung up on me.” He hit another number and stood, phone to his ear again as he excused himself. “Wyatt? It’s Ethan. We have a problem.” He went out on the front porch and started pacing as he talked.
Jason let out a low whistle. “Wow. Unless that lab is on fire, I’d bet someone’s going to be called on the carpet before the hour’s up.”
“She should be,” Stacy said. “We all heard what Ethan asked. Nothing out of the ordinary. Michelle’s the newest tech up there. She’s not the most popular person in the building.” The sheriff’s department had expanded its crime lab over the last few months, adding the capability to process more complex crime scenes. There were still a few kinks being worked out.
Ethan came back inside. “Wyatt’s on his way over there now to chec
k on things. We should have our results in about seventy-two hours, I’m guessing.”
“How upset is he?” Beth asked, as Ethan wrapped his arms around her.
“Oh, he always wanted a skylight in his living room, I’d say. I almost feel sorry for Michelle.” Ethan grimaced. “No, I don’t.”
“What did she say to you, anyhow?” Hannah asked.
“It’s probably best that I don’t repeat it,” he told her. “Just suffice it to say that it was inflammatory and derogatory, and if she said it in front of witnesses, she won’t work in Olman County again, at least not in any official capacity. Wyatt will see to that.”
Beth looked up at him. His tension was making his muscles rigid, and his demeanor had changed from alert but relaxed to tense. Gordon watched as a silent communication passed between them, and after a moment, Ethan's tension eased a little.
“So what now?” Chase asked.
Gordon stood and walked over to the map. He sighed and shook his head. “Now we wait.”
Chapter 33
Late that night, after everyone had left, Beth finally settled into bed. She snuggled up to Ethan, throwing her leg over his, and let out a contented sigh as his arm came around her to draw her closer.
“That went pretty well, don’t you think?” she asked. His hand rubbed her arm, and it slowed as he considered the question. When she gave a small protest, he resumed rubbing.
“Well enough,” he conceded. “We made some definite progress, I think. Whether it leads to anything concrete, that’s anyone’s guess.”
“Mmmm,” she agreed. “We did manage to embarrass the heck out of Jason, though.” She raised her head to grin at Ethan, who smiled back.
“True, true. There was that.” He brushed his free hand across her cheek. She grabbed it and pressed a kiss to his palm.
“Aside from all this stuff with Chase and Parker, what’s bothering you?” she asked. “You were very quiet tonight.”
He groaned. “It’s been a long day. I’m tired.” She moved her leg across his groin and cocked an eyebrow. He drew in a breath. “I’m tired, not dead.”
She bent down to him, and they shared a lingering kiss. After a little while, she drew back. “Somehow, I don’t think that’s all that’s bothering you.”
Seeing that she wasn’t going to give in, he sighed. “The thing with Michelle. She said some pretty nasty things. It just bothered me a little, that’s all.”
“What did she say, exactly? You never told me.”
He shrugged. “She made some remarks about my heritage, about my dad.” His father was a first-generation American, his family having moved to Texas from Mexico in the late fifties. Ricky Hernandez had killed himself when Ethan was little more than an infant. Though his mother’s second husband had adopted him, the subject of his biological father was a touchy area for Ethan.
“Oh, honey, I’m sorry,” she said. “I hate stupid people. I really do. I bet Wyatt really did just about go through the roof, then.”
“Yeah, I’d say Michelle will be looking for a new job, come tomorrow.” He pulled her close for another kiss. “Now, about what you started earlier…”
She raised her hand and touched his mouth, stopping him. “Not just yet, Detective. You were quiet before you talked to Michelle. What else is bothering you?”
Ethan gave an exasperated groan. “Beth, can’t we just… Do we have to…?” When he saw the look on her face, he stopped and sighed. “Okay, fine.” He sat up. “I saw the way you looked at Lauren and Charlie,” he admitted. “I know it bothers you, as much as you try to not let it.”
Beth didn’t pretend not to know what he was talking about. “Seeing her pregnant hurts a little, yes. But, I don’t think I’m the only person in this bed who feels that way.”
“You aren’t. We’d be parents by now if things had been different.” He reached to push her hair off her face and tuck it behind her ear. “Sometimes, when I let myself think about that, I don’t see how you can stand to look at me, Beth.”
Sitting up, she slid her arm around his back and rested her cheek against his shoulder. “No, Ethan. I don’t think that. I never have. Well, not since I came home from New Mexico.” The kidnapping and subsequent shooting the previous fall had resulted in the loss of their baby. It had been devastating, even though she hadn’t known she was pregnant.
“I do think about it,” Ethan said, his voice tortured. “How can I not? What if we never get pregnant again? How do I live with that? Knowing what we could have had?”
Beth was quiet for a minute before she answered. “Would we really have this, have each other? See, I don’t think we would.” He shot her a puzzled look, and she smiled sadly. “If I had come to you, pregnant, would you have cried with joy? Or would you have accused me of trapping you? We were in a totally different place then, Ethan. If that pregnancy had come to term, I don’t think we ever would have found each other. I don’t think we would be married, or together in any way. You weren’t ready to let your heart rule your head until after I left.” He started to protest, but stopped when he realized he couldn’t argue with what she was saying.
“You need to believe me when I say this, Ethan,” she said. “I would change nothing—nothing—even if I could. Because if I did? I might not have you. We might not have this.” She touched the gold wedding band he wore. “You’d probably still be drinking, I’d have a child to raise on my own, and we would hate each other. All the heartache, the tears, the pain? It brought you to me. I wouldn’t give that up for anything.”
“Not even a baby?” His eyes were wet when he looked at her. “Even if that child was the only child we’ll ever create together?”
She shook her head. “Not even for that child.” She waited to see if he would accept her words and, when he finally closed his eyes and nodded, she felt the tension leave his body. He pulled her close, and the kiss he gave her was intense and full of emotion.
“God, I love you.” He kept his lips against hers as he spoke. As he bore her down on the mattress and kissed her again, Beth said a silent prayer of thanks, thanks that Ethan had accepted her words, and thanks that he had apparently finally forgiven himself, as she had months ago.
Chapter 34
By midnight that night, the killer had gotten medical treatment and left the state. It had been a bit of a challenge to pull it off, but he had done it. Now he had to make sure he finished getting rid of all the incriminating evidence. That meant his truck had to disappear—permanently. He’d worked with some people a few years back who had been less than honest, and they’d taught him a few tricks of the trade. One of those tricks was how he was going to get rid of the truck, no questions asked.
The antibiotic shot he had been given was definitely starting to kick in, and the pain in his arm had started to diminish. He’d grabbed some high-test painkillers when he left the clinic, but he was managing to hold off on using them by taking the maximum dose of a couple over-the-counter medications. When he stopped for the night, he would consider taking one of the more powerful drugs, but he probably wouldn’t take the risk. He needed his mind to be as clear as possible for the next few days.
As he drove through the night, he kept thinking about Chase Hudson, and how he had managed to screw everything up. The killer had a good thing going until Chase had managed to slip through the noose he’d hung for him. Out of the generosity in his heart, he had planned on letting Annie and Beth live, just so Chase would never know when the hammer would drop. It would have been one of the best tortures he could devise, a cat toying with a mouse that wouldn’t die. However, now that Chase had messed up his plans, the killer was going to have to rethink some things. He’d take a few days to let his wounds heal, and then he’d go home. After that, all bets were off. Satisfied with his agenda, he smiled.
It had been a shame about the doctor, though.
Chapter 35
The week after Parker Riley’s body was discovered flew by, it seemed to Annie. It had been a week
full of horrible discoveries. The DNA had come back in both Kiely’s case and Parker’s, and both had matched the other eight killings. Although that should have meant Chase was in the clear, Kiely’s family was still trying to maneuver things so that Chase was blamed. Neal Bledsoe had been calling in favors left and right, but now that the DNA was back, no one was paying attention to his complaints. It was still a hassle for Chase to deal with, but the imminent threat of arrest had at least been taken out of the equation.
Gordon had managed to get his supervisor to contact the detective from the original investigation, who had confirmed the identity of Kiely’s boyfriend. Like a lot of retired law enforcement officers, he had one case that haunted him, and Kiely’s was it. Subsequently, he had kept a copy of the original case file, so finding the man’s name had been a matter of opening a box. Once confirmed, Mullins had been easy to track down. He’d been a guest of the Kentucky prison system for the past five years, convicted of manufacturing and selling methamphetamines. He admitted to writing the note and placing it in Kiely’s casket at the time of her funeral.
Adding to the stress was the disappearance and murder of a prominent doctor in Madison. When his office staff had gone in on Tuesday morning, they had found the clinic to be in complete disarray—furniture overturned, one of the examining rooms littered with bloody supplies that indicated someone had been treated, and some medications missing. They had immediately called the police, and a search had been instituted. The next day, the doctor’s body had been found in an abandoned rock quarry a few miles outside Madison. He had been shot once in the head, and even though the modus operandi was very different, the circumstances convinced law enforcement in Olman County that the person responsible was more than likely the killer they were looking for.
By narrowing down the medications he had stolen, they were able to ascertain that he had likely been treated for an infected wound. During Parker’s autopsy, the M.E. had confirmed that she had blood and tissue in her mouth that wasn’t her own. Given the inevitability of infection with a human bite, it was likely that the injury responsible for driving the killer to the clinic had been a bite.
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