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“I’m taking his place. He’s going to help with this mess and deal with the deputies who keep showing up and trying to squash the line. Unsurprisingly, no one is backing down. I guess they fear a killer who has the power to skin a monster more than they fear the men who’ve had them cowering for who knows how long.”
I shake my head, leaving behind the mess.
As soon as we’re in the car, I crank it and start driving.
“Did you get ahold of Jacob Denver?” I ask.
“He’s in California on business, according to his answering machine.”
“You don’t say,” I murmur. “How very convenient. Look into it and see if there’s proof.”
“Alan confirmed the plane ticket was used and someone checked into a hotel under his name in California. He’s pulling security footage, but we both know that a ball cap will obscure most of the visible for a guy in a wheelchair. I’m guessing he planned this out carefully if he’s involved. His alibi will check out, even if it’s not really him.”
He raps his fingers on the dash like he’s nervous, and I give him a sidelong glance.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, curious.
“I have a feeling you’re not going to like the next part I tell you.”
“What part?”
He turns to face me, and I pause at a stop light.
“Alan has been getting watched closely by the director, so I had an old friend do some extra research. I found out that Jacob Denver has another business he’s basically a silent partner in.”
“Okay…”
“Remember how I told you I had a theory, but thought I was wrong? But then we found out our unsub has a partner?”
“Sure. Why is this making you so nervous?” I ask, confused.
“Does the name Kennedy Carlyle sound familiar for any reason?”
I think of it, trying to mull it over. “The name Carlyle does… Shit. That was the name of the drunk drivers who were behind the wheel of the car that killed Jasmine Evans.”
He nods slowl
y. “They orphaned a daughter who was young. Same age as Victoria, actually. Their birthdays were even close together. Her name was Kennedy.”
“What does this have to do with anything?”
He raps his fingers harder, acting more nervous than I’ve ever seen him before.
“At first I thought it was just serendipitous. I visited the hospital to ask about Victoria Evans, but when I said a sixteen-year-old girl involved in a car crash on that date, they said they’d already spoken to one FBI agent about her. I got confused, until they handed me a file on Kennedy Carlyle instead of Victoria Evans. They couldn’t show me much, but they hit the highlights.”
“You’ve lost me, Leonard,” I groan.
“Hadley Grace called them about Kennedy. Pretty typical of her.”
“Why?”
He suddenly climbs over the middle, his hip smashing into my shoulder on his way to the backseat.
“What the actual hell?” I harp, swerving when he hits my shoulder again.
“Sorry!” he calls out as he settles into the backseat. “Just wanted to make sure I’m out of hitting range.”
My eyebrows hit my hairline.
