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“There’s more to Jenna’s death than we had initially anticipated,” Kay replied, her voice calm and steady. “A thorough review of her social media accounts revealed she was dating a man from San Francisco who occasionally drove to Mount Chester to meet with her. We suspect he is a much older individual,” she added casually. “Efforts are underway to identify this man. I’ve made some calls.”
That statement surprised Elliot a little. He had no idea they were suspecting he was a much older man. Older than Jenna, yes. An adult predator of sorts? Most likely. But much older? What was Kay not saying?
“Did you get a preliminary from Doc Whitmore?” the sheriff asked, his voice a little lower-pitched than before. He seemed less aggravated.
Kay nodded at the same time as Elliot. “She was brutally assaulted. We have fingerprints and DNA samples. No matches in AFIS, but you know CODIS takes longer.”
Logan snapped his fingers a couple of times, the way he did when he was figuring out next steps. “I still can’t believe this ME used his own money to buy a DNA machine. Helps us a lot, I guess. Doc must be loaded or something.”
Kay smiled the way someone does before correcting a child. “He’s a passionate professional with financial resources on his side, yes. We’re lucky. Otherwise, it would’ve been six months to see DNA results back.”
“When can we expect DNA with the doc’s wonder machine?”
“In a couple of days at the most.”
“No fingerprint match, you said?”
Kay shook her head. “We’ll find him. And when we do, we’ll have someone to match the prints against. Less than a third of the country’s population is in AFIS; chances are, if he has no criminal record, he’s not in there.”
“I know the stats, Sharp. I might be an old country cop, but this isn’t my first ball game.” He closed Jenna’s file and picked up another one. “There’s a teenager missing, Kendra Flannagan. Last night she had dinner with her family, then vanished. At five o’clock this morning, her parents found her bedroom empty, her bed not slept in. She’s sixteen, a junior. I’d like you both to—”
“You were actually right in your first instinct, Sheriff, when you didn’t notify me about Kendra. I believe it’s best if my partner takes this case while I focus on Jenna’s murder investigation.”
A deep frown ruffled Logan’s brow. “You don’t believe these cases are related?”
“I’m not seeing any similarities yet, Sheriff,” she replied. “Jenna went out to meet friends, and ended up dead within hours after a violent assault. What do we know about Kendra? She might’ve run away.”
Elliot took the file folder from the sheriff’s hand and read through the report quickly. “These girls go to the same school, Ash Creek High.”
Kay looked at him briefly over her shoulder. “But of course they do. There’s only one high school in this town, Austin.” She called him that nickname whenever she wanted to draw his attention to the many differences between small towns and large cities like Austin, Texas, when it came to police work. Until that day, she’d only done so in private and in an endearing way, her voice warm when speaking the name of his hometown, and he loved it. But today was different, her voice cold, impersonal.
Kay was definitely off her game, and determined to keep him at a distance.
“You don’t find it suspicious that two different high school girls left their homes one night, one to be killed and one still missing, within a few days of each other?” Elliot insisted, but somewhat reluctantly. If she didn’t want him by her side, what was the point of pushing her?
“I have the press to handle,” Kay replied. “Chasing Barb Foster with me would be a total waste of your time. I’d suggest, you interview Kendra’s family, figure out where her mind was at, check her laptop and her social media, while I manage the newspeople and follow up on the San Francisco man’s identity.” She waited, looking at him with a polite smile. Then, she turned her gaze to the sheriff, who tapped twice against the desk with his hand. He’d made a decision.
“You’re set,” Logan replied, standing up. “Get me some answers, both of you.”
Elliot followed Kay out of the sheriff’s office, then watched her take her seat at her desk. She didn’t look at him once, seeming absorbed in her thoughts as if he wasn’t there.
“And that’s how you kick an old tire to the curb,” he muttered, leaving the building and walking briskly toward his Ford. Starting the engine, he wondered if he was reading too much into his partner’s behavior, but his gut was telling him to be wary.
He had no idea how to be wary of Kay Sharp. Or why.
TWENTY-THREE
SUSPECT
Stirring the coffee in her cup as if she’d added sugar, Kay followed Elliot’s departure discreetly. She wasn’t ready to answer any of his questions yet. Painfully aware she couldn’t keep Elliot at bay for too much longer, she sat at her cluttered desk, refraining from sweeping everything off the scratched surface with one broad move.
Her partner was the strong, silent type, but he was also smart and an excellent cop. She’d seen his instincts in action over the almost two years they’d been working together. If he hadn’t already, he’d soon put things together and figure out she wasn’t being entirely honest with him. For that moment and for her own peace of mind, she needed answers.
Stacking paperwork quickly, she cleared a portion of her desk and started her computer. Coffee cup at her side, she gave the phone a long stare, then dialed Barb Foster’s number. The call went straight to voicemail. She redialed, then left a message.
“Hey, Barb, it’s Detective Kay Sharp with the FCSO. I’m hoping you and I could touch base today. You might be interested in the recent developments in Jenna Jerrell’s case. I’m willing to go for an exclusive with you,” she said, lowering her voice just enough to bait the trap effectively, “but I can’t wait forever. Call me back, please, on my cell.” Then she hung up with an amused expression on her face. How long would it take this TV reporter to bite, once the word “exclusive” had been used?
What would she tell Barb, though? As little as possible, at least until she figured out the connection between the Gavin Sharp who was dating Jenna and her father.
