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THIRTY
“This doesn’t add up.” Rio stacked the cartons in the back of his truck. “Everything we’ve found dates to the time Sam Bright was doing time. He can’t be kidnapping women from a jail cell. If he’d taken them before he was arrested, they’d have died while he was doing his time.”
“Unless his cousin cared for them?” Rowley pushed more boxes into the truck. “They seem pretty close, and Derek looks like a follower to me. I figure Sam told him to go and burn the evidence because he already mentioned to Kane he’d noticed the FBI in town. Maybe he believes we’re getting too close for comfort.”
“I found these picture albums.” Carter laid them on the hood of his cruiser. “It seems to me Mrs. Bright wasn’t a fancy dresser and she remained virtually the same size throughout her life. The album is filled with photographs of her, from a wedding day right up to pictures with her grandsons. She was a small woman, probably around five-three. I don’t figure she’d have any use for the clothes. None of them would have fit her or been her style. She didn’t have any daughters or female kinfolk.” He looked up at the two deputies. “These were stored here by somebody else, unless her husband was a trendy crossdresser.”
“Anything’s possible.” Rowley shrugged. “I’m sure the Bright cousins would know the answer to that question.”
Rio locked up the house and then climbed into his truck. “I’m sure Jenna will be interested in what we found but it’s not enough evidence to charge anyone. I’m not sure it’s even enough evidence to question these guys. We have no proof whatsoever that they even belong to them. I can’t find any prints on any of them, apart from the boxes the cousins previously opened. Whoever stored them in the cellar was wearing gloves. This in itself seems to link with the current murders. The killer is extra careful not to leave any evidence behind. Although that plastic bag filled with women’s underwear we found in the old nightstand at the back of the cellar might be his downfall.”
“I sure hope so.” Rowley climbed into the passenger seat. “It will be interesting to know what the autopsy showed. Let’s hope it’s a breakthrough and we see the end of this killing spree.”
“I’ll meet you back at the office.” Carter pushed the photograph albums into an evidence bag and placed them in the back of the cruiser.
When they arrived at the office, they found Jenna in the conference room with Kane and Jo. Rio waited for Jenna to finish her call with Kalo. She was intent on locating underground prison cells or similar in the Black Rock Falls area. She had a map of the county spread out on the desk and everyone’s attention was fixed on Jenna’s strained expression.
“Go way back. We might be looking at historical sites.” Jenna rubbed her temples. “Any industrial areas that might have been converted into cells at one time. I recall there was an old railroad track that went through part of the mountain and some of it was converted into places for the railway workers to live. We need all the information you can find on anything built underground in the last fifty years or even longer.” She leaned back in her chair and sighed. “Thanks, Bobby.” She looked up at Rio and nodded at Rowley. “We’ve had a breakthrough. Poppy Anderson’s DNA is all over the last victim.” She brought them up to date.
“I can’t believe she’s involved.” Rowley removed his hat and moved it around in his hands. “A victim maybe. She did go missing sudden like. Poppy doesn’t seem the type to brutally murder women—and all the victims suffered sexual abuse.”
“I’m not making any assumptions on her capabilities to murder. She could be an accomplice. I do know she doesn’t like other women. All of them are rivals to her. For all we know, this could be a trap aimed right at me and Jo.” Jenna pushed a strand of hair behind one ear and shrugged. “If she’s innocent and trying to send us a message, we’ll need to search any locations undergrounded suitable for possible jail cells—or that have been used in the past. Kalo will have a list of sites for us soon. For now, we’ll keep moving the investigation forward with the list of suspects. What have you got for me?”
Rio gave them a rundown of what they’d discovered at the house. “I figure unless Derek is involved and was keeping the victims alive while his cousin was in jail, these guys are telling the truth.”
“That’s one possible scenario.” Jenna turned to Kane. “What do you think? Are they guilty?”
“No, not a hope.” Kane scrolled through the files on his laptop. “Sam Bright was arrested and then given bail until his case went to court. A psychopath would never have risked leaving witnesses alive. He’d been arrested for indecent assault, not murder, and would have believed that part of his life was still private. Psychopaths don’t trust anyone but themselves, so there’s no way he would have risked leaving his cousin in charge of his captives.”
“I agree.” Jo nodded. “Just being arrested would’ve triggered him into a frenzy of murder. He would have killed them all and if they were secured underground, he would have left them there to rot because he knew that no one would have found them.”
“Have you made a list of everything you removed from the house?” Jenna leaned back in her chair and looked at Rowley.
“Yeah. I took photographs and we dusted for prints.” Rowley nodded. “It’s already in the file.”
Rio scrolled through the notes on his iPad and the printer in the corner of the room sprang into action. “I’ll print copies of the list of evidence we removed. I’ve sent the image files to your email address already.”
“Okay thanks.” Jenna smiled at them. “I’ll take it from here. When you’ve taken everything into the evidence room and written it up, you can both take a break.”
“Do I get a break too?” Carter tossed a toothpick into his mouth and grinned at her.
“No.” Jenna lifted her chin and stared at him. “I want the details on the photograph albums and the bag of underwear you found.” She tapped her bottom lip and looked at Jo. “How attached would a killer be to his trophies? Would he react when we tell him we have confiscated them all?”
“Yeah, he’ll react.” Jo thought for a beat. “It may be subtle or crazy—there’s no telling.”
“Okay.” Jenna nodded. “I’ll talk to them.” She turned her attention back to Carter. “Leave the underwear with me. I’ll go and show them and see if we get a reaction.” She looked at Rio and Rowley. “Just enter the entire boxes into evidence. Number them and, if necessary, we’ll get Wolfe to go through them and make an inventory if they’re relevant to the case.”
Rio nodded. “Sure.” He turned to Rowley. “Let’s get at it.” They headed for the door.
