Criminal Investigation Division
11:30 a.m.
The chief had called a special briefing.
Bobbie struggled to stay focused while Holt and Owens went over the meager updates to the Parker-Manning murders and the three missing women as well as the way they appeared to intersect with Mark Hanover. There was not enough evidence to arrest Hanover for anything. As he had pointed out numerous people supported the summer youth camp. But he was the only one who’d had a dagger stolen that might have been used as a murder weapon—might being the operative word since the weapon had not been recovered. And he was the only one who kept insinuating himself into the investigation. At least until recently.
Since Nick insisted it was someone close to Hanover, she and Devine had made a list of Hanover’s closest associates. As soon as this briefing was over, they would start plowing through those names.
As hard as she tried to pay attention, images and sounds from last night kept invading. Nick hadn’t left her bed as she’d expected he would. He’d held her tucked against his body the rest of the night. She’d fallen asleep that way and roused to the feeling of him extracting his arms from around her. He’d taken D-Boy for a walk. She’d wanted to lie in bed and cocoon herself in the smell of him on her sheets. Instead, she’d hit the shower and made coffee. When he returned the awkwardness she’d feared hadn’t come. They’d shared a quick breakfast and discussed details of the case like normal people.
Except you aren’t normal, Bobbie. And neither is Nick.
Owens said something and gestured to their visitor. Bobbie blinked and reminded herself that Special Agent Anthony LeDoux had shown up for this unscheduled briefing. Maybe the briefing had been his doing. She didn’t know why he was here rather than the agent from New York, but it appeared he was taking over and wanted to be more involved in the MPD’s investigation. He’d thrown in that Vincent had been called back to the Big Apple. Really it didn’t matter as far as Bobbie was concerned. A fed was a fed—her history with LeDoux notwithstanding. Still, it seemed unusual considering Vincent had been from the White Collar Crimes Division while LeDoux was from the Behavioral Analysis Unit. Evidently the FBI had decided that the murders had less to do with Nigel Parker’s Ponzi scheme and more to do with a potential serial killer recruited by Weller. Maybe. Possibly. Jesus they needed a definite lead.
Whatever LeDoux’s reason for gracing them with his presence there wasn’t a hell of a lot to pass along in the way of updates. Every name on the list of known business associates, wronged investors and clients, family members, classmates and friends of the victims had been interviewed twice. They had absolutely zero true suspects. The Life Church connection and the dagger put Mark Hanover at the top of the persons-of-interest list. The man had an alibi for the murders and the abductions as did everyone else they could find who had ever threatened or been involved with one of the victims.
The case was back at square one except for the news she’d received shortly before the briefing about the video clip. Andy had called to say the clip Hanover provided had been altered. Part of the actual video was missing. Now, why would the man offer up a clip from his security video to supposedly help with the case if he was going to alter it? The reasonable conclusion was that he had something to hide.
There was just one thing to do: go at Hanover from a different angle.
Lieutenant Owens took the floor while Holt passed out the profile LeDoux’s team had provided. Bobbie surveyed the report. White male, twenty-five to thirty-five. Introverted. OCD. Well if they’d had this profile a few days ago they could have saved themselves a lot of time. Not a single one of the business associates or wronged investors of Nigel Parker’s, or friends and coworkers of Slade Manning’s could be called an introvert and most were older than the profile suggested. They could have ignored all the female friends and fellow students or coworkers associated with the three missing women. Hanover would have been eliminated, as well. Wow. She rolled her eyes.
“Check in with your sources,” Owens was saying. “Someone out there heard or saw something. Interview the neighbors one more time. Call on the POIs at the top of your lists again.”
Holt added, “Bauer is still going through the list of older Lincoln Town Car owners registered in the tri-county area.”
Bobbie glanced at Bauer. His jaw was bruised and his lip was split but he’d fared a hell of a lot better than the asshole who’d taken a wrench to his car. Bauer winked at her and Bobbie smiled. He’d been right about her feeling chipper this morning. She did a quick inventory and realized she didn’t feel the guilt she had expected, either. Maybe she’d turned that corner the shrink was always telling her about. A brighter day is just around the corner.
Maybe. Too early to tell, she decided.
“We have,” Owens said, dragging Bobbie’s attention forward once more, “three witnesses who saw a man in a Lincoln Town Car watching the Parker home. We need to find him. Whether he’s our killer or not, he may have seen something he doesn’t realize is relevant.”
Owens took her seat and LeDoux pushed back his chair and stood. Bobbie stared at him, hoped he noticed how much she disliked him at the moment. He’d lost weight, she noticed. Evaluating him rather than listening to him gave her a ridiculous sense of glee. Back in August when he’d returned to Montgomery to lead the task force on the Storyteller case, he hadn’t been wearing his wedding band. He still wasn’t. Evidently he’d lost his wife to the job. In addition to the weight loss, he looked as if he rarely slept. Basically he looked like hell. She recognized the face, she had looked at it in her own reflection every day for months.
As much as she wanted to hate him and blame him for his part in the loss of her family...of her life, she couldn’t. He’d lost a hell of a lot himself. More than most knew. She wondered if he’d ever told anyone what really happened in that dilapidated shack two months ago?
She had kept his secret as promised.
He droned on about all he and the Bureau were setting in motion in an effort to help MPD find the killer or killers responsible for these murders and the abductions, repeating the mantra that they must find the killer or killers before anyone else died. He highlighted the points Owens had already made.
Bobbie shifted in her seat. The chief had cast several glances at her the past few minutes. Maybe Owens had told him Nick Shade had contacted her. No, Bobbie decided, Owens wouldn’t do that. He’d likely come to that conclusion all on his own. Maybe they could talk after the briefing. She had plenty to discuss with him, but they would need privacy for her questions. Could her mother have really been friends with a man like Hanover? She’d tried to put the concept out of her head. To chalk up Hanover’s comments as nothing more than the game she knew it to be. Somehow she couldn’t.
“We’re looking more closely at the possibility that Randolph Weller is behind the events happening in Montgomery,” LeDoux was saying.
Bobbie snapped to attention. What had she missed? “Do you have evidence he’s involved?”
All eyes turned to her. She ignored the stern look from Owens and stared at LeDoux. She wanted an answer to her question.
“We’re working on that,” LeDoux said. “Unfortunately—”
“Did he provide a name?” the chief asked, appearing as surprised as Bobbie at the news.
“As I was saying,” LeDoux went on, “unfortunately we never got to those questions. Weller suffered a cardiac episode and had to be transported to Emory Hospital. He’ll be questioned again as soon as the doctor gives the okay.”
Bobbie’s ability to breathe failed her. Nick needed to know this news ASAP.
“It is our belief,” LeDoux continued, “that the unknown subject you’re dealing with is not your run-of-the-mill killer. Your department should be on high alert.”
The chief said, “I’ll expect the FBI to keep us fully informed. It’s imperative that we neutralize this threat as quickly as possible and bring those women home safe.”
“What’s Weller’s condition,” Bobbie asked as soon as the chief paused to take a breath.
LeDoux glanced at her but quickly looked away before saying, “Cautiously optimistic.”
“We have work to do, people,” Owens said. “Though our primary focus will be on the missing we still have three murders on our plate. Keep that in mind while you’re out there, but do not lose sight of the goal—we must find these women before they become homicides.”
If Weller died, would the killer he’d sent abandon his mission? Weller had looked healthy when Bobbie saw him. Every instinct warned her that this was wrong. She glared at LeDoux. She would wager there was more he wasn’t sharing.
“That’s all for now,” Owens announced.
Bobbie and LeDoux continued the stare down as chairs scooted away from the conference table. LeDoux was the first to look away.
Shake it off, Bobbie. She had questions for the chief. Then she would find Nick. She wasn’t going to waste her time trying to make LeDoux talk.
As soon as LeDoux was out the door she stopped her uncle before he could do the same. That he would have left without giving her the usual warning to be careful showed how badly this turn of events had shaken him.
“I need to ask you something.” She glanced around to ensure the room had cleared.
He looked at her with the long-suffering patience she had stretched to the limit on far too many occasions. “I don’t have a lot of time. LeDoux and I are having a conference call with the special agent in charge of the Weller situation.”
“My mother used to sing in a club over on Riveroaks called the Rusty Fiddle.”
He appeared taken aback by her statement. “Where did you hear this?” He shrugged. “Had to be thirty-two or -three years ago.”
So it was true. Jesus. “Mark Hanover showed me photos of her at this club.”
The chief held up a hand. “We’ll have to talk about this another time, Bobbie.”
“Was she having an affair?” As much as she hated voicing the question, she couldn’t let this go until she understood whether her mother and Hanover were more than acquaintances.
The chief’s eyebrows reared up. “Your mother wanted a career in the music industry.” He shrugged. “She had a beautiful voice. She was a beautiful woman. Her dreams of breaking into country music put a strain on her relationship with your father. That’s true. Hanover must have seen her sing at that club. To my knowledge she hardly knew the man. They weren’t friends and certainly weren’t in an intimate relationship. Making a career in the music industry was just a fleeting dream before you were born.”
The realization of what his words meant hit Bobbie hard as she did the math and put the time frame together. “She gave up her dream because she got pregnant with me.”
“Yes.”
The word hung in the air like an ax about to fall. She had stolen her mother’s dream. Why had she never mentioned it? Why hadn’t she gone on to pursue her dream after Bobbie was born?
Because some people put their child before their careers...but not you, Bobbie.
“We’ll talk about this again,” the chief assured her. “For now, understand that Hanover is a vile man. He’s made it his mission in life to find the vulnerabilities of those he targets and then he crushes them. He’s a person of interest in this complicated investigation. He’s toying with you, Bobbie.” His brow furrowed with worry. “Perhaps you should allow another detective to pursue his involvement in this case.”
“LeDoux’s waiting,” she reminded him. No way was she letting this go with Hanover.
When the chief was gone Devine appeared at the door. “You all right?”
She exiled the old memories and the new hurt. Whatever choices her mother had made, didn’t matter now. “I’m great. I just need to use the ladies’ room. Give me a minute.”
Bobbie didn’t wait for his response. She hurried to the bathroom and leaned against the door inside. Hands shaking, she called Nick’s number. She waited through two rings, her heart racing.
“Hey.”
Just hearing his voice was oddly reassuring. “There was a briefing. LeDoux was there.” She took a deep breath and said the rest. “Weller suffered what he called a cardiac episode and they moved him to Emory Hospital.”
For a moment Nick said nothing. “They should’ve let him die.”
Before Bobbie could decide how to respond he said, “I have to go. Be careful.”
She stared at her phone. Would he go to Atlanta to see Weller? The idea of him leaving tore at her. She put her phone away. Focus, Bobbie.
She had three missing women and a killer to find.
Bobbie exited the bathroom and found her partner. “Let’s go see a man about a dagger.”
“We’re going to see Hanover again? I thought Owens wanted—”
“I have more questions for him,” Bobbie said, cutting her partner off.
Devine shrugged as they moved toward the door. “He hasn’t exactly given us anything useful so far.”
“That’s because we’ve been asking the wrong questions.”