dumpster wrapped in plastic. But she forced her eyes to return to the screen each time, if only for the briefest of moments.
" Wait!" She pointed. "Go back to that last picture." She came in and gripped Dan by the shoulders. "I don't believe it!"
Jake scanned the photo on the screen. It was a police barricade with one of the victims, a little boy, lying on the ground. Professional men stood around the body as bystanders watched with intense expressions.
" What do you see, Holly?"
She stabbed at the screen. "There! The man in the yellow shirt. I know him. That's my roommate’s boyfriend!"
Chapter 15
Angela Grant stood when the detective came out of the interrogation room. He set his coffee mug on one desk and his butt on another.
The edges of his mouth disappeared into his bushy mustache. "If this is the guy, he is the best actor I've ever seen, and the most nerved up basket-case I've ever seen. He's already confessed to three crimes unrelated to this case, and I'm sure if I pressed him, he'd confess to a dozen more, even if he didn’t do them."
" So what’d he do?"
" Well, he thought you were after him for driving migrant workers up from Boston."
" He's helping illegals? That's why he ran?"
" Yup, and he confessed to possession of marijuana."
" So he’s not the guy."
" Not unless your killer is a nervous spaz with a trust fund and entitlement issues."
Perez came in from the break room. "This isn't the guy?" he said in his husky voice.
She pursed her lips. "Nope. He ran for other reasons."
" So what's next?"
" Did you talk with Holly's roommate Amber yet?"
" Yeah. She didn't have much to say. Her job with the airline keeps her away most of the time, and when she is here she’s usually in Dedham with her grandmother."
" Has she brought anyone home in the last year?"
" She couldn't remember bringing anyone back to the apartment except a guy named Gary Carter. She’s been dating him for a little over a year. He's lived in Sunbury for twelve years at an apartment complex called The Schoolhouse. So unless the serial killer has come home to roost, he's not our guy."
" Talk to him anyway."
" We're already on it."
" How about that list of Holly's friends, how far have we gotten with that?"
" It's like shining a flashlight into a sewer. The rats don't like the light."
" O-kay. Well, we have a lot of ground to cover, and a lot of people to talk to, so let's get on it." She looked at the detective. "Thank you for your assistance."
" Anytime. You have the complete cooperation of the Sunbury police department. Let us know if we can be of any further help."
She gave him a salutatory nod and left out the door with Agent Perez.
Chapter 16
The blurry man in the photo wore sunglasses and a baseball cap, and his body was hidden from the chest down. His expression looked neutral, but Jake didn't know for sure because of the harsh lighting and the poor quality of the photo. It could have been anyone with a mustache, beard, and baseball cap.
Jake pulled himself away from the screen. "Are you sure?"
" It's him," she said.
" It's kinda blurry."
" It's definitely him. I've even seen him wear that cap."
Jake looked again. "A lot of people have a Yankees cap."
" Jake. He's been here a dozen times. That's him. Same beard, same round face, same sloping shoulders. That's Amber's boyfriend, Gary. I'm sure of it."
" Then we need to call Agent Grant."
Holly stepped back, crossed her arms, and bit her lip. Jake knew his sister well enough to pick up on her nervous ticks. She was clearly unhappy about the FBI coming back.
" It's all right, Holly."
Her eyebrows shot up. "What?"
He didn't bother to pursue it. Half the time he was either flat out wrong about how she was feeling, or she twisted things to make him think he was wrong. He shrugged it off. "I'll call Agent Grant and let her know what we found." He pulled out the card the Agent had given him. It was a switchboard number, but they transferred him to her cell
" Wait!" She pointed. "Go back to that last picture." She came in and gripped Dan by the shoulders. "I don't believe it!"
Jake scanned the photo on the screen. It was a police barricade with one of the victims, a little boy, lying on the ground. Professional men stood around the body as bystanders watched with intense expressions.
" What do you see, Holly?"
She stabbed at the screen. "There! The man in the yellow shirt. I know him. That's my roommate’s boyfriend!"
Chapter 15
Angela Grant stood when the detective came out of the interrogation room. He set his coffee mug on one desk and his butt on another.
The edges of his mouth disappeared into his bushy mustache. "If this is the guy, he is the best actor I've ever seen, and the most nerved up basket-case I've ever seen. He's already confessed to three crimes unrelated to this case, and I'm sure if I pressed him, he'd confess to a dozen more, even if he didn’t do them."
" So what’d he do?"
" Well, he thought you were after him for driving migrant workers up from Boston."
" He's helping illegals? That's why he ran?"
" Yup, and he confessed to possession of marijuana."
" So he’s not the guy."
" Not unless your killer is a nervous spaz with a trust fund and entitlement issues."
Perez came in from the break room. "This isn't the guy?" he said in his husky voice.
She pursed her lips. "Nope. He ran for other reasons."
" So what's next?"
" Did you talk with Holly's roommate Amber yet?"
" Yeah. She didn't have much to say. Her job with the airline keeps her away most of the time, and when she is here she’s usually in Dedham with her grandmother."
" Has she brought anyone home in the last year?"
" She couldn't remember bringing anyone back to the apartment except a guy named Gary Carter. She’s been dating him for a little over a year. He's lived in Sunbury for twelve years at an apartment complex called The Schoolhouse. So unless the serial killer has come home to roost, he's not our guy."
" Talk to him anyway."
" We're already on it."
" How about that list of Holly's friends, how far have we gotten with that?"
" It's like shining a flashlight into a sewer. The rats don't like the light."
" O-kay. Well, we have a lot of ground to cover, and a lot of people to talk to, so let's get on it." She looked at the detective. "Thank you for your assistance."
" Anytime. You have the complete cooperation of the Sunbury police department. Let us know if we can be of any further help."
She gave him a salutatory nod and left out the door with Agent Perez.
Chapter 16
The blurry man in the photo wore sunglasses and a baseball cap, and his body was hidden from the chest down. His expression looked neutral, but Jake didn't know for sure because of the harsh lighting and the poor quality of the photo. It could have been anyone with a mustache, beard, and baseball cap.
Jake pulled himself away from the screen. "Are you sure?"
" It's him," she said.
" It's kinda blurry."
" It's definitely him. I've even seen him wear that cap."
Jake looked again. "A lot of people have a Yankees cap."
" Jake. He's been here a dozen times. That's him. Same beard, same round face, same sloping shoulders. That's Amber's boyfriend, Gary. I'm sure of it."
" Then we need to call Agent Grant."
Holly stepped back, crossed her arms, and bit her lip. Jake knew his sister well enough to pick up on her nervous ticks. She was clearly unhappy about the FBI coming back.
" It's all right, Holly."
Her eyebrows shot up. "What?"
He didn't bother to pursue it. Half the time he was either flat out wrong about how she was feeling, or she twisted things to make him think he was wrong. He shrugged it off. "I'll call Agent Grant and let her know what we found." He pulled out the card the Agent had given him. It was a switchboard number, but they transferred him to her cell
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