Keri placed Terry’s photo on her desk before taking the new image from Hunter’s hand. As she studied the picture, Hunter studied her. Her eyes narrowed a touch as they moved around the photograph. Her lips pursed and twisted left before she, once again, bit her bottom one. There were no signs of recognition anywhere. Hunter knew the answer even before she spoke.
‘No. I’ve never seen him before. He never attended any of my group sessions. His face doesn’t look familiar at all.’
Hunter didn’t need to ask if Keri was sure. He knew she was. And that had to mean that their killer had clearly maximized his options. He didn’t stick to a single support group. Why would he? The more he moved around, the more stories he would hear. The more stories he heard, the more potential victims he would meet. But that wasn’t the only advantage of jumping from group to group. There was also the risk management side – the less that he was seen in a group… the less people tended to remember his face.
‘So we’re talking about victims here,’ Keri said, returning the photo to Hunter. Her tone was calm and confident.
Hunter locked eyes with her.
Keri gave him a subtle shrug. ‘What are the odds of two different murderers attending domestic violence support groups at the same time?’
Hunter couldn’t fault her logic. He nodded once. It was pointless denying.
Keri’s attention went back to the photo that she had placed on her desk.
‘What was his real name again?’
‘Terry Wilford.’
She shook her head at the photo and the look in her eyes turned sad. ‘Poor guy. He really was working hard to tackle his problem. He was trying to change. I remember how emotional he got at times. How much he regretted what he had done.’ She returned the photo to Hunter. ‘I really hope he had a chance to make things right, or at least a chance to say that he was sorry.’
‘Was he very vocal in the group?’ Hunter asked.
‘I encourage everyone to talk,’ Keri explained. ‘It’s the only way that group therapy works. People have to talk… they have to let things out. When they do, we all listen.’
‘I understand that, but I also know that some group members would need more encouraging than others, while some would be less shy to come forward with what they have to say.’
Keri nodded, as if she’d just picked up on Hunter’s drift. ‘You’ve been through group therapy before.’
Hunter found it easier to simply agree with a head gesture.
‘You’re right,’ she said. ‘Some group members do need a little more encouraging than others.’ There was a thoughtful pause before Keri scratched the skin between her professionally plucked eyebrows. ‘If my memory serves me right, he was what I’d call an average member. Since you’ve been to group therapy, you understand the dynamics of it, right? We go around in the circle, taking turns sharing experiences, and those experiences don’t necessarily need to deal directly with domestic abuse or violence. People might want to share something about their past, or about their childhood, or their parents, or school, or work environment… whatever they feel like sharing. Some choose to pass when theirturn comes, so we skip to the next member – no judging… no pressure. Terry wasn’t a “passer”. Like I’ve said, he was really trying hard to tackle his problem, and the only way to do that is by talking… by sharing… and he did so.’
‘And do you remember seeing him chatting to other group members either before the sessions, after, or during a break?’
Keri’s eyes settled on Hunter’s face and they stayed there for a few analyzing seconds. ‘You’re starting to worry me a little, Detective Hunter.’
Hunter said nothing because he could already guess what Keri’s deduction had been.
‘If you’re here asking about two possible members of my support group,’ she continued, ‘who have become murder victims in the same investigation, and the follow-up questions are about who they might’ve been talking to before, during or after the sessions, it can only mean one thing – you suspect that the killer was also a support-group member.’ Keri paused, thought about it, then corrected herself. ‘Or worse even –isalso a support-group member – because he hasn’t been caught yet.’
Keri Liftridge was clearly intelligent and a very quick thinker. Hunter knew from experience that trying to bullshit a person like her was rarely a good idea.
‘We’re trying to track back as much of Mr. Wilford’s life as we possibly can,’ he explained. ‘It’s standard investigative procedure. Every human connection he had is a possible suspect – from someone he met in a support group to a homeless guy he chatted to every now and then on the streets. We’re just trying to identify other people who could maybe give us more information on him. Every little piece matters, but yes, Mr. Wilford’s murderer could’ve been a member of your support group. Right now, he could be anyone.’
Keri seemed to appreciate Hunter’s honesty. He picked up on that and quickly brought the question back to her.
‘So do you know if he became friends with anyone in the group? Or was there someone who he chatted to more often than others?’
Keri shook her head, as she thought about it. ‘It really is hard to remember. Like I said, it was a while back and the sessions are only once a week…’ She paused and squinted at nothing at all, while lifting an index finger at Hunter, who craned his neck in her direction. ‘Hold on a second. I think there was someone. Yes, Terry always sat by the same person, and I think they did get talking. In fact, I’m sure they did.’
‘Do you remember who that person was?’ Hunter asked. ‘Does he/she still come to group sessions?’
‘He,’ Keri confirmed, before hesitating for another short moment. ‘And funny that you’ve asked, because yeah, he’s been coming to sessions for a few years now, I think.’
Hunter felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
‘But it’s on and off,’ Keri explained. ‘All group therapy members are like that. People join a group for a few sessions then disappear for one reason or another. Some try other groups… some fail to see any benefits from the sessions and quit… whatever the reason is. Since the sessions are government-funded, meaning free for all members, there’s no commitment, no specific number of sessions they need to attend either. No one has to cancel their appointments, or explain the reason why they’ll stop coming. Some come back weeks or even months later, attend a few more sessions, and then disappear again. That’s just the way it goes.’
