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Ellie believed her. She was used to people lying to her, it happened all the time. So she was good at reading the signs, and she’d wager Lisa Martin was telling the truth.

Santiago must have thought so too, for when he straightened, he said, “Maybe, but don’t take it to the bank just yet, we can get you some credit for being a cooperative witness.”

“You think so?” Lisa sounded dubious.

“I can try. Who did do it? Could it have been Margot Cameron?”

“Oh, hell no.” Lisa decisively shook her head. “She doesn’t have the guts. Otherwise he would have been dead long before that fire. Besides, I promise you her house meant a lot more to her than her husband. She’d never have burned it down, not even with whatever she got in insurance.”

“Lisa, can you give us the names of the other children you remember during the time you were with the Camerons?” Ellie wasn’t rash enough to make any such promises as possible freedom and she wanted to jab her partner in the ribs and tell him he didn’t have any business doing that either, but the list would be valuable.

“I can do that.” The age-old weariness was gone from her voice. “A couple of them have come to see me here. But he’d been fostering for a long time. I don’t know who was there before me.”

But social services would have a record.

It was a start.

“I’ve got to make a call and I can’t use my cell in here.” Santiago flashed Lisa a smile and fairly sprinted from the room.

“He’s kind of cute.” Lisa watched the still moving curtain. “And not an asshole, for a cop.”

Ellie responded dryly, “Cute, maybe, but not an asshole? Get to know him better before you make that judgment.” She looked directly at Lisa. “We can’t talk about the investigation we have going, nor can I give you any assurances it will help you even if we catch the person we are looking for right now, but it might. If I can give you my word on anything, we won’t forget you, okay?”

“That would be a nice first.” Lisa shifted, her tone not really as resentful as resigned. “If anything happens, can you work on getting me a new lawyer? I know I don’t have any money, but I sure don’t want the same one I had when I went to court this last time.”

“Not my call, but I can ask.”

“Will you?”

This girl had been let down countless times. Ellie could see it in the resignation in her face and her disillusioned expression. She smiled and said, “I will.”

“Thanks.” Short, simple, and without expectations.

Ellie tried to not wince as she left the secured area.

Santiago, on the other hand, was jubilant, especially when they climbed into the car. “I think we’re getting somewhere.”

Ellie was driving and she started her Toyota, went past the gates, and onto the highway, heading back toward the metro area, glancing in the side mirror as she gained the thoroughfare. “I don’t disagree. We’ve got what … twelve hours left according to the chief?”

“Forget Metzger. He was just pissed at having to get out of bed.”

“Easy for you to say since you aren’t new on the job.”

He glanced at her then, a sardonic look. “Really? At least you aren’t skating the line. It’s no secret you’re supposed to soften my rough edges. Fuck me; all I’ve ever done is the job.”

“Then you should be fine.” She wasn’t going to address this now. The case was breaking, or so she hoped. “We need information … court records, something to tell us who else it could have been.”

“I’m on it. All those kids fed through his house.” He sprawled in the seat, legs outstretched, his jubilance fading to a moody expression. “I called and asked for forensics to try and bring up records but we might have to wait for the main office tomorrow. Let’s see how soon they come through. I don’t know if Metzger will have his suspect in the time frame, but he’ll have him soon.”

“Margot Cameron. Let’s talk to her.”

“She’ll shut us down. You heard Lisa.”

“She might, but we’ve got to do it. I know you liked Lisa—I did too basically—but let’s give Mrs. Cameron a chance to tell her side. Most sociopaths are charming. I no longer trust my instincts when it comes to people who don’t feel guilt. They can’t feel it, so we can’t sense it in them. As simple as that.”

“Is that how it was with the Northwoods Killer?”

She wasn’t quite sure how to answer. “I suppose,” she said slowly, thinking it out. “We’d questioned him before, but not as a suspect.”

“Mrs. Cameron is in Utah. All we can do is talk to her on the phone.”

“But who is more likely to remember those kids, especially if she is the one who took care of them?”

“I suppose that’s a good point.”

“We know one of them wouldn’t mind killing him whether she did or she didn’t. Lisa didn’t try to hide that.”

Santiago said nothing, cars passing them, his eyes on the road even though she was driving.

“I take it back,” Ellie said quietly. “It isn’t simple at all.”

Chapter 20

I
would never make the mistake of underestimating my enemies.

Never.

It was a small war, yes, and I started it, but a war nonetheless, and however ironic it might be, we as human beings do fight for small casualties as much as we do for larger losses.

No one likes to lose.

So I reconnoitered and rethought my strategy.

Just one target left, but I had the feeling opposing forces might be closing in. That was the hum, the murmur, the reverberation.

And honestly, with everything else, I just couldn’t let it happen
.

I’d prepared for it, of course. I’m not stupid. I don’t even believe I am psychotic, even though logic can sometimes be dictated by the creature. That I was ready for the worst didn’t translate to me wanting to pursue that course if it was at all possible to avoid it.

It would all be dependent on how thorough they are when it comes to connecting the dots.

Luckily, I would be one of the first to know.

*   *   *

“Come in.
Sit
down.”

Ellie followed the instructions and took a chair in front of Fergusson’s desk. Santiago trailed in behind her a little more slowly and almost immediately she understood why.

Lieutenant Fergusson was probably almost sixty, beefy and well dressed, his expression benign but his eyes hard and shrewd. He exuded the aura of a hard-nosed cop, and by all accounts, he was one. Being summoned to his office was rarely a sign of good things to come, and Ellie was no stranger to the hierarchy of the inner workings of the police department, especially with Metzger’s ultimatum hanging over their heads. The head detective ran the way investigations were assigned and supervised the results. Metzger was probably thrilled to have him back in town, especially with all that was happening. What a week to be on vacation.

Before he could even say anything, she deflected the lecture by saying, “We have a lead.”

He exhaled. “That is music to my ears. All right, Detective. I know for sure you’ve met Chief Metzger, and we’d all like to make him happy. Talk to me. While I was in Michigan visiting my mother-in-law, which wasn’t the vacation I’d prefer for your information, apparently all hell broke loose here. I am right now unhappy on all fronts.”

His office was plain, smelled like a deli infused with the odor of stale coffee, and she’d heard more than once he was a very good investigator, which was probably why he was the lead detective. He’d been gone before this all started, like just about everyone else in the state as far as she could tell, so he was just getting up to speed.

Ellie nodded. “We have a link and are pursuing it. The young woman—she was barely legal at the time—who was accused of killing Reverend Cameron in a case I am told you will remember. It’s similar to the ones we are currently pursuing, and she gave us some interesting information and it undeniably matches. We just got back from questioning her.”

“I remember that case. She was arrested, but we couldn’t prove it and she walked. Go on.”

“She says she didn’t do it.”

“Exactly as I recall it. And you believe her … because?” Fergusson’s brows elevated.

“For more than one reason.” Ellie squared her shoulders. “Not to be too simplistic, but how the heck could she ever have heaved him on top of that table? He was twice her size. Besides, she admitted she damaged her own defense. She was essentially a kid, so I really don’t doubt that part all that much. As the crimes going on now mirror what happened five years ago, I just have to wonder if we don’t have a repeat offender.”

“That is hardly a lead. It sounds more like you’ve come to the conclusion that she is innocent, but still have no idea who it might be instead. That just sounds like trouble to me. Grasso?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“He tip you off?”

She might have denied it except she was really tired and Fergusson was asking her a direct question and he was right.

Luckily, she had Santiago. “Lieutenant,” her partner said politely enough but with inferred criticism, still standing behind her chair, “if you recognized the similarities in the cases, it might have been nice of you to tip us off yourself. Just thinking.”

The lieutenant did not look amused. “I didn’t really make a connection until you just pointed it out. Believe it or not, I don’t remember the details of every single homicide in this city, and can we focus on how I was gone? Luckily, Grasso helped you with that. I smelled him all over this.”

She said calmly, “Lieutenant, we have reason to believe that the same person who might be committing the recent set of burnings could be linked to the homicide he investigated years ago involving Lisa Martin. We hardly have an unimpeachable witness, but she did provide us with a thread we can at least follow. We came back to the station to do that when we heard you wanted to see us. Now, we can hash over it here, or we can go investigate. Which is what I assume you want us to do.”

“What thread?”

“Cameron had kids in foster care.”

“That’s been looked at, I’m sure.”

“We’re going to look at it again.”

“Very diplomatic, MacIntosh.”

It probably wasn’t prudent to be confrontational with the lead detective in the division, but she could hear a clock ticking in her brain. Luckily, he nodded and dipped his head toward the door, and she was up and out before she heard Santiago make whatever idiotic remark he might offer.

“He’s not bad but Metzger owns his ass,” her partner said as they walked down the hall.

“Metzger owns all of us,” she retorted in staccato tones. “Any idea at all
when
social services is going to get back to us?”

“I’m hoping it has already happened,” Santiago said and to her surprise, actually opened the door for her.

Go figure.

*   *   *

“Do you want
to take a week up north?”

Bryce glanced over. He’d just changed lanes and they were skirting the edge of the lake, the water a little rough, but the breeze was still hot, even off the water, and the sunset was starting to spread in glorious vermillion hues over the water.

“What?”

Ellie settled her shoulders against the seat. He was hardly dressed up but looked nice in a cotton shirt and khaki shorts and though she was aware of how women looked at him, maybe that recent encounter with Suzanne had brought that realization to the surface. She didn’t think of herself as insecure, but she was fairly sure there wasn’t anyone on the planet that didn’t have a few doubts now and then.

“We could stay at my house. It has shown a few times but nothing yet, so I still own it. It will be quiet, remote, away from the city. We can just relax. I’ll just tell my real estate agent to not schedule anything during that time.”

We could talk
.

She wanted to mention they
should
talk. About the relationship. About what he wanted and what she wanted, and perhaps Suzanne’s name should be brought up.

It bothered her he hadn’t told her yet that he’d seen his ex-wife.

“We could.” Bryce changed lanes, his expression not showing very much. “But you are pretty deep in this case. I assume you mean once it’s over.”

“Just a long weekend. You could fish. We’ll take out the canoe.”

My father’s precious canoe. I don’t offer that to everyone.

“The city getting to you?”

She looked at the skyline and wondered how to answer. After a moment of consideration, she shook her head. “No, not really. No place is perfect. I admit the congestion and bustle isn’t exactly what I’m used to but that isn’t it. I just wouldn’t mind getting away for a bit.”

“I don’t disagree.”

She looked back at his profile. Her tone was deliberately light. “It’s a date then?”

“Fine … Ellie, is it just what’s going on or is something else wrong?” He looked puzzled, his hands competent on the wheel, but his gaze shifting over to her.

She lied. “No.”

Chapter 21

It wasn’t difficult to predict the outcome. It was a dream to imagine the smooth process, uninterrupted and unhindered, but in the end, I knew I’d have to make choices.

The police department was like a slow-moving overweight animal in the zoo. It stirred, it glanced your way, and finally it got up and took notice.

I really did not want that final step in the process. That animal had large pointed teeth that could sever a limb, or even end your life.

The air was hot and smelled like rain, but the predicted storms hadn’t happened yet. I slid into the passenger seat, adjusted the belts, made sure it was all secure, and then slipped out.

JULY 11

“We have a
positive identification on one of our victims. I thought you should see this right away.”

Jason glanced up. “Seriously?”

Dr. Reubens looked positively animated, his good-natured face alight. He set down a sheaf of papers and on the top there was a photograph. “Believe it or not, I am. Dental records. Her name was Elizabeth Blake. Fifty-eight years old. Here’s her address, which I don’t think is where you found the body and that puzzles me, but that, my friend, is your provenance.”