“Oh?”
“Bumper here, flipper there. Ding, ding, ding.”
“Diego.”
“Oh, sorry. I was just thinking about how much fun those arcade games are. There’s this place in Denver that?—”
“Diego, focus.”
He cleared his throat. “Right. So your pinball guy is reportedly involved in some shady dealings. I think he issued a warning to some idiot. He posted pictures of a family in Kirkland he had killed. Jane, it’s gruesome.”
“Do you have details for me?”
“I just emailed you the info. You’ve been warned. Someone butchered the entire family then positioned them around the dining table like they’re dolls. The kids weren’t even school age yet. Who does that?”
“Someone who needs to be put away.”
“Seriously.” Diego cleared his throat. “So yeah. Chess Piece sent a warning, apparently.”
“What’s the family’s name?”
“I’m not sure. I only know it happened in Kirkland because heintentionally geotagged it. I haven’t seen anything pop up on law enforcement channels. So I don’t think anyone knows yet.”
Jane had a gut feeling. “Wait. Today’s Monday.”
“All day, even in this time zone. That’s, uh, one hour later than yours.”
“Right. But my killer strikes on Mondays. By Wednesdays, we find the bodies.”
“Well, I saw them early then. Lucky me.”
“Diego, did they have a dog, do you know?”
“Yeah. It’s weird, but the dog, a cute collie, looks fine. She’s standing next to the dining table of the damned. I think the killer took the dog because captioned under that pic, he wrote, ‘Don’t worry. The dog never dies.’ I’m not sure if that’s supposed to be funny. But after what he did to the kids and their parents… I’m not laughing. Jane, none of this makes sense.”
“No, it doesn’t.” Jane thought about it. “Did you get anything on that list of names I sent you?”
“Aside from them all being uber rich and connected? No, sorry.”
“Thanks for trying.” She paused. “Wait. Can you do me a favor?”
“Sure. But make it quick. The natives here are getting restless.”
“See if any of Louis Miller’s family resides in Kirkland.”
“Oh. Gotcha.”
She heard typing, then muttered voices.
“Um, Jane? I’m getting looks from the guys in the office, so I might not be able to answer right away, but I’ll definitely get back to you on Miller.” In a louder voice, he added, “They get pretty jealous if I share my time. Needy Feds out here in Colorado. They can’t do anything without me.”
A possible link to Louis was thin, but it wouldn’t hurt to look into him.
She heard complaints behind Diego and shook her head. “You’re just making friends all over the place, aren’t you?”
He snickered. “Always.”
“Thanks again. Any idea if or when you’re coming back this way?”
