He typed the address into a new search engine to bring up the map. The house was nothing fancy but nice enough for a family. He opened another window to look at a popular real estate site. “According to this, the house was sold three years ago.” He shook his head and sighed. “I am sure Dan sold the place as part of the divorce decree.”
“Well, it was worth a shot.” Evie sat back in her chair. “Do you remember where Dan’s family lived when we were in high school?”
He frowned. “We were never friends. I never spent any time at his house. I don’t recall him having any parties either.”
“Me either.” She looked glum. “I guess there’s nothing else we can do to find him.”
He went back to the original search command and eliminated the domestic violence terminology and hit enter. To his surprise, another article popped up on the screen about recent promotions at the Grand Haven Medical Center. “What is this about?” He clicked on the link and nearly fell off his chair at the information that appeared on the screen.
“I can’t believe it,” he said. “Evie, check this out. Dan Johnson was recently promoted to manager of the security services department at Grand Haven Medical Center.”
“Are you serious?” Evie stared at him in shock. “He’s basically Rick Thomas’s boss.”
“And since he works at the medical center, he’d have likely crossed paths with Jasmine Kramer.” He sat back, his thoughts whirling. “Evie, this changes everything. Not only does Dan Johnson have a history of violence, he knew both victims.”
“You’re absolutely right,” Evie agreed, her expression turning grim. “I hate to admit it, but I can see a guy like Dan doing something evil like killing innocent women. Maybe even because they rejected his advances.”
He could imagine it too. Then a flash of anger hit hard. “Why in the world is Rueger so focused on me? I haven’t been inside the medical center since my mother died of alcohol poisoning.” He jabbed his finger against the screen. “While Dan has been working there practically alongside Jasmine.”
Evie grasped his arm. “Maybe Rueger doesn’t really suspect you, Cam. He could be using the past as an excuse to keep you from leaving town as he pursues other suspects too.”
“Maybe.” He had to take several deep breaths to control his anger and frustration. “Or maybe he’s just as inept as we’ve been thinking all along.”
“Don’t take his comments so personally.” Evie tightened her grip on his arm. “The truth will prevail.”
He forced a nod, although the resentment toward Rueger still burned in his gut. As he covered Evie’s hand with his, he silently vowed that if Dan Johnson so much as harmed a hair on Evie’s head, he’d make sure Rueger lost his job for being blind and stupid as to the truth staring him in the face.
He’d take the detective down without an ounce of remorse.
14
The anguish and resentment in Cam’s green eyes tugged at Evie’s heart. She wished there was more she could do to support him. Having spent the past forty-eight hours with him, she knew he wasn’t a killer. He’d killed in Afghanistan, sure. But not helpless women. Maybe he was right that Rueger was just a complete idiot.
Glancing down at Bruno, she thought again that if not for the way her dog ignored the detective, she’d think Rueger was the one who’d killed Skye and Jasmine.
“Okay, I think it’s likely that either Dan Johnson or Rick Thomas is the serial killer.” Cam was speaking out loud, mostly to himself. “They both have lived here their entire lives and would have crossed paths with Skye and Jasmine. My gut is leaning toward Dan, but that’s only because of his history of mistreating women.”
She nodded slowly. “In a way, that might be too obvious. Remember Ted Bundy? He didn’t have any history of violence.” She gestured to the computer screen. “Rick has a wife and kids. Maybe he’s hiding in plain sight. The kind of guy nobody would suspect of brutally killing women.”
“You make a good point.” Cam grimaced. “If Rick happened to be driving past when either Jasmine or Skye needed a ride, they probably wouldn’t hesitate to jump in. He has that innocent guy next door look about him.”
“Yes, he does.” She shivered thinking about how she would not have thought twice about accepting a ride from Rick. Especially back when they were in high school. He was quiet, shy, and came across as completely harmless.
What did they say about a wolf in sheep’s clothing? Rick could be the wolf nobody gave a second thought to.
Cam leaned forward and pulled up the Michigan case search site again. She watched as he typed in Rick Thomas’s name and used his birth year to narrow the search. A moment later, a message appeared on the screen.
No matches to your search.
“Okay, I guess that confirms Rick doesn’t have a criminal background.” He glanced at her. “I find it interesting that Dan Johnson was able to get promoted despite being arrested for domestic violence.”
“That is unusual.” She thought about how the criminal background checks worked at her hospital. “I believe if he was honest about reporting the incident, and likely had some excuse about Loretta overreacting, the hospital administration may have downplayed the arrest.” She shrugged. “Maybe he’s a decent manager.”
“I find it hard to believe that he manages people well. Especially since our experience with him is the exact opposite.” Cam frowned, then added, “Either way, I hope that one of these guys makes a move on the motel tonight.”
She reached out to grab his arm. “You’re not leaving, right? You said you’d get Doc to sit in the motel room.”
“Yes, that’s still the plan.” He eyed his watch. “Although I wish he hadn’t gotten delayed. I would like to think this guy would wait until well after midnight to make his move, but he might be feeling impatient. If he decides to move too early, there won’t be anyone there to spring the trap.”
