47

“I’d bet overdose,” Logan said when he checked Acosta’s pupils. “But still breathing.”

Tess nodded. They’d already called for medics. She’d secured his weapon, a 9mm, and a bottle of pills—looked like oxycodone, and it was three-quarters empty. There were also a couple boxes of the drug in the man cave and several more boxes in the PSS truck, boxes that never should have been in the possession of Beto Acosta.

“Steve, can you handle the medics? I’m going to ask Gabe to search the premises. I need to go help Casey.”

He stood. “No problem. Find the girl.”

Tess climbed out of the basement, hurried to her car, and jetted back to the police station, where everyone was waiting for her.

Tess met Casey’s husband, John, and listened as he told her where he’d searched and what he’d done since he discovered his daughter missing.

“Did Kayla ever have anything to do with Beto Acosta?”

“What do you mean?” John asked, face scrunched in fear and confusion.

“Did they talk? Were they friends? Any connection at all?”

“No. He sold us the alarm, but he wasn’t the installer. I’m sure she knows who he is, but she’s only fourteen years old. What would she have to do with him?”

She folded her arms and considered this. What a strange coincidence that Kayla would be kidnapped the same time they were closing in on Acosta. Tess didn’t believe in coincidences, but that was what this appeared to be: a huge, ugly coincidence. She turned to Jeffers and the Renos; Pounder had gone to help Logan secure the man cave.

“Del, you go to the Reno house. Search everywhere and everything. I’m going to notify the sheriff. We may even need to call in the FBI.” To Casey and John, “We’ll figure this out as quickly as we can.”

Tess did all she could for the Renos and was about to make the call to the FBI when Logan phoned.

“Hey, it might not mean anything, but Acosta came to after they shot him full of Narcan. He wouldn’t answer questions, but he said we needed to find Roger Dixon. For what it’s worth, that’s all I got out of him. He’s on his way to the hospital, in custody, with Pounder. I’ll stay here and help Bender search.”

Tess thanked him and hung up, not sure if this was important. Oliver was with the Renos in the outer office. She logged in to her computer and punched in Roger Dixon’s name. There was an Oregon driver’s license, but no other record. Frowning, Tess found his number in her directory and dialed it.

“Hello?” a male voice answered, but it didn’t sound like Roger.

“Mr. Dixon?”

“Who is this?”

“Sorry; it’s Chief O’Rourke. I’m looking for Roger Dixon.”

“Are you clairvoyant?”

“Excuse me?”

“Chief, this is Victor Camus. Helen Dixon is my sister. I just got to her house. Roger emptied their bank account, slapped her around, and drugged her, then packed his things and fled. I’m getting ready to take her to the hospital; my next call was going to be to you. You’d better find him before I do.”

–––

Tess got to the Dixon house in three minutes. Helen Dixon’s face was bruised and puffy, and it looked as if her wrist was broken. She insisted she didn’t need to be fussed over. Victor was as animated as Tess had ever seen him. He was unshaven, dressed in camo gear, and angry. One thing was certain: Roger was a dead man if the hunter found him first.

“What happened, Mrs. Dixon?”

“Please, it’s Helen. It was the activity at the bank earlier today that got my attention. The branch manager called and asked me about the withdrawal. When I confronted Roger . . . well, he just said he was tired of me. When I tried to get more of an explanation, he got angry and did this.” She pointed to her face and held up her arm. “He must have also drugged me because the last thing I remember before Victor woke me up is Roger packing his suitcase.”

Victor jumped in. “She’d left a message for me when she found out about the bank account. But I was on a hunt and didn’t have service right away. As soon as I did get the message, I came straight here. Helen was out cold when I got here.”

“How long has he been gone?”

Helen looked at Victor, who shrugged. “I’m not sure,” she said. “It was after midnight when we quarreled; he’d been out all day. I didn’t confront him until he got home.”

“Do you have any idea where he went?”

“No. But I do have something you might find interesting.” Helen started to get up and Victor stopped her.

“I’ll get it. Just tell me what it is.”

“Top drawer of my desk, a brown envelope.”

Victor retrieved the envelope and pulled out a strip of paper. “Roger Marshall?”

Helen nodded. “I think that’s his real name. I don’t think he’s really Doug’s brother.”

“What?” Victor stared at his sister. “How long have you figured that?”

“You know he’s not who he says he is?” Tess tried to keep the astonishment from her face.

Helen sighed, a sheepish expression on her face. “Chief, I’m an old woman who was blinded by a younger man who claimed to be madly in love with me.” Her voice broke and tears started. Victor hugged his sister’s shoulders.

She composed herself. “We really had a good couple of years. But things have been off the last few months. I’ve been poking through his belongings. I found the name Roger Marshall on an envelope and wrote it down. I never had the courage to confront him about it.”

Tess nodded. People often believed what they wanted to when it came to love and relationships.

She told Victor she’d have someone file the report for his sister as soon as possible.

“As soon as we get back from the hospital, I’ll be at the PD.”

Tess retreated to her patrol car. She ran Roger Marshall through NCIC with the same vital statistics she had for Roger Dixon.

When his record came up, Tess felt all her blood rush to her face. She remembered the day she’d seen Dixon in the market. The young girls, he was flirting with them.

Roger Marshall/Dixon was a pedophile.