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Spencer and Jay both nod at me in approval. I wasn’t about to let the chief walk all over me after all the time and hard work I put into this profile. With Jay’s help, it came together quicker and more complete than I expected it to. I wouldn’t have been able to finish it without him.
Normally, bouncing ideas off another person would only distract me. Especially when that other person has abs that look like Jay’s. All cut and firm—
“You said you have a list?” one of the female officers asks.
“I do, but before I share it with you, I want you to consider every member of the community. Based on what I’ve shared with you today about him, is there anyone that stands out? Anyone your guts tells you to bring in and talk to? If so, jot those names down. Hold onto them. They might match someone on the list. Your best lead will always come from what your instincts tell you. If it’s Joe Schmo that always gets hammered at the bar on Tuesday nights, you’ll know. It won’t be someone that you have run-ins with for police business, though. He’s clean. If he has a record, it would be for minor things. Traffic violations. Parking tickets. Fights. There is nothing about this man that screams killer. He hides it well.”
“And when we find him?” Spencer asks.
“When you find him, you’ll need to find Sam’s apron so you can convict him. You can’t put the murder weapon in his hand. You can’t prove he’s guilty without DNA evidence. You’ll have to find the missing piece to pin it on him or you’ll have to let him walk away. I know that’s not something any of you want to do. You don’t want a murderer in your town. You don’t want to have to worry about your wives and daughters. You want him behind bars where he deserves to be. You want to make Great Falls feel safe again. That won’t happen until you catch him.”
“You make it sound so simple,” the older cops states flippantly.
“Clear your mind of everything you know. Focus only on what I’ve told you today. Don’t think about the case, think about the man.”
“It could be a handful of people.”
“I can think of at least three.”
“I have five names on my list.”
Everyone starts to speak at once, arguing over the possibilities of who it could be. It’s not until the chief clears his throat that all talking ceases.
“One last thing before I leave you with the profile,” I say, waving around the information I’ve printed out for them. A bulleted list of characteristics. “He will fit ninety-nine percent of what’s on here. Narrow your list down and then bring them in for questioning. You will know right away who it is. Then, find Sam’s apron and nail the bastard. It won’t be at his home or place of business. It’ll be stashed somewhere in town. Somewhere he visits often. A close friend or family member’s house. Hidden out of sight but easily accessible.
“Sam deserves justice. This town deserves to sleep with their doors unlocked again. Good luck, and if I can be of any further assistance, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Both the chief and Detective Crawford know how to reach me. Thank you.”
Every officer shakes my hand, thanking me for my help. As they leave the room one by one, Jay, Spence, and the chief approach. I pull the piece of notebook paper out of my back pocket and hand it to Spencer.
“He’s on this list. Let them narrow it down to only a few people before you show it to them,” I say, my voice sounding authoritative, Spencer’s lips curling to keep from laughing.
“Will do,” he answers with a salute before pulling me in for a hug so tight I expel all the breath in my lungs. “I’ll keep you posted and talk to you in a few days, okay?”
“Sounds good.”
“Thank you for taking the time,” the chief begins, surprising me. “I won’t deny I was skeptical, but after hearing what you had to say, I have a few ideas of who may be behind Sam’s death myself. I’ll be curious to see if any of them are on your list.”
“Listen to your gut. You’ve been doing this long enough. Instinct is a funny thing. If you have perspective, it’ll never steer you wrong. I hope I was able to shed some light on the case today.”
“You did. Thank you very much, Miss Morris.”
After shaking the chief’s hand, he steps passed me but not before clapping both Spencer and Jay on the shoulders before leaving the three of us alone.
“We should get going,” I start, pulling Spence in for another hug, not ready to say good-bye yet.
“We?” he questions. “Something y’all want to tell me before you ride off into the sunset together?”
“We’re not riding off together,” I say, smacking him on the chest as I pull away. “We rode together. Jay has to get on the road, and I have a plane to catch.”
“If that’s your story,” he notes with a wicked grin as he man-hugs Jay and winks at me.
For now, that’s the only story there is to tell. My hope is that the next time I see Spencer, the story will have developed a bit more. The beginning is solid. The middle was rocky. But the ending … that’s what I’m most interested in reading.
