His face is different from earlier when hethoughthe was telling the truth. Now he almost seems scared.
An image arrives without warning.
Blood and skin in Bear’s teeth.
“Have you been bitten by a dog recently?”
Abbott’s mouth pulls down into a frown. “What does that have to do with anything?”
“Have you?” I repeat.
“No.” Abbott’s answer drags out, ending on a high note like he’s confused by my question.
I open the file and hand him the top paper. “This is a search warrant.”
“For what?” Abbott takes the paper and reads through the detailed wording. “You need to look at my body.”
“I need to check you for a dog bite,” I clarify.
Abbott sighs, dropping the warrant on the table. “If that’s what will make you believe me, fine.”
Walker comes in with keys for the handcuffs and remains in the room as Abbott removes his clothes. It doesn’t take long to search his skin.
When I come up empty, a part of me is relieved while the other part is heavy with disappointment.
“Satisfied?” Abbott snaps.
“You can put your clothes back on,” I inform him. “I’ll be right back.”
In the hall, I meet Walker and Santiago.
“Just because he doesn’t have Bear’s bite mark doesn’t mean he’s not the Debt Collector,” Walker reasons.
“But it’s a fairly strong fact that could rule him out,” Santiago debates.
Walker’s right. One missing bite mark didn't erase everything Abbott had done.
But Santiago’s right as well.
The outline we'd been building around the Debt Collector suddenly had a hole in it.
And no matter how many times I tried, Abbott no longer fit inside the frame.
“Something’s wrong,” I mutter.
Walker glances over. “What?”
I lean against the wall and rub a hand over my jaw. “We each took a theory, but I think we need to focus on the one that says Blake’s stalker and the Debt Collector are the same person.”
Neither of them says anything, so I continue.
“Think about it,” I press. “Every victim somehow circles back to Blake. Derek. Manny. Now, Neil Redford was almost shot at Silver Pines. Blake gets followed. Someone breaks into her motel room. Someone sets her car on fire.”
Santiago's brow furrows.
I look between the two of them. “What if we've been looking at this all wrong?”
Walker slowly straightens. “You think we should’ve assumed that the stalker and the Debt Collector are the same person from the beginning.”
