The room fell silent again.Kari could feel the weight of what she was suggesting pressing down on the group—the idea that someone within their community, someone who shared their passion and their culture, might be systematically murdering their friends.
"Is there anything else?"she asked."Anything unusual that any of the victims mentioned in the weeks before they disappeared?Strange encounters, unexpected messages, anything that seemed off?"
Rachel stirred."Actually, I just remembered something Jessica said about a week before she vanished.We were doing a training run together, and she said she'd gotten some advice from another runner about a route she should try.She seemed excited about it—said the guy really knew the desert, had given her some insights about heat management that she hadn't heard before."
Kari's attention sharpened."Did she say who this person was?"
"No.I got the impression it was someone she'd connected with online, through one of the running forums.She was going to try his suggested route that weekend."Rachel's face paled as she made the connection."That was the weekend she disappeared."
"Do you know which forum?Did she mention any other details about this person?"
"I'm sorry, I don't.We talked about it for maybe five minutes, and then we moved on to other things."Rachel's voice trembled."If I'd known...if I'd asked more questions..."
"You couldn't have known."Kari kept her voice gentle but her mind was racing.Someone had made contact with Jessica, had offered advice, had suggested a route—a route that had led her into the desert and to her death.If the same person had reached out to Jennifer Hayes and Jordan Rodriguez...
"One more question," she said."The Sonoran 100—how does registration work?Is there a list of participants that's publicly available?"
"The race posts a roster on their website," Connie said."Names, bib numbers, sometimes previous race results.It's meant to build community, let people know who they'll be running with."
A public list of targets.Kari made a mental note to get a copy of the registration roster as soon as possible.
She thanked the group for their time and handed out her card, asking them to call if they remembered anything else.As she headed for the door, Rachel caught her arm.
"Detective."The older woman's grip was surprisingly strong."Catch whoever's doing this.Before they kill again."
"I'm going to try."
"Don't try.Do it."Rachel's eyes burned with a mixture of grief and fury."Jessica was like a daughter to me.She had her whole life ahead of her, and someone took that away.Find them.Make them pay."
Kari held the woman's gaze."I will."
She walked out of the running store into the afternoon sun.Someone, she believed, wanted to win the Sonoran 100 very badly.So badly they were willing to kill the competition.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Ben's truck was in the driveway, but he didn't answer the door on the first knock.
Kari waited, her hand raised to knock again, listening for movement inside.The afternoon sun beat down on her shoulders, and somewhere in the distance a dog barked—a sharp, rhythmic sound that echoed across the quiet neighborhood.
She knocked again, harder this time."Ben?It's Kari."
Footsteps inside.Then the click of a lock disengaging, and the door swung open to reveal Ben Tsosie looking like he hadn't slept in days.
The bruises on his face had faded to yellow-green smudges, and the cuts had scabbed over, but something in his eyes told Kari the damage went deeper than the skin.He peered over her shoulder, studying the street before turning his attention to her.
"You should have called first," he said.
"I did.Twice.You didn't answer."
Ben grimaced and stepped back to let her in."Sorry.I've been...distracted."
The inside of the house was dim, the curtains drawn against the afternoon light.Kari noticed that the furniture had been rearranged since her last visit—the couch pushed back from the window, a chair positioned with a clear sightline to the front door.
Small changes.The adjustments of someone who expected trouble.
"How are you doing?"she asked.
"I'm vertical.That's something."Ben moved into the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water from the tap.He didn't offer her one."The doctor says I'm healing fine.Physically, anyway."
