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“Mr. Risner, we have connected three of the six missing women to this facility,” Brook replied as she softened the tone of her voice. “Three. That isn’t a coincidence. Agent Parker wasn’t informed of Jack Ridgeway’s crimes, and Agent Parker also wasn’t aware that the husband of the first victim attended high school with Ridgeway. Had the federal agent been given the correct information, Jenny Capshaw might never have been abducted from a coffee shop two weeks ago. All I’m asking for is your cooperation with a federal investigation.”
“And I’ve given it,” Jim countered in frustration as he pointed his finger until it came to rest on his desk. “What does not need to happen is you questioning ourresidents, putting the fear of God into them, and making it hard to do my job when the families are calling to ask why a serial killer’s sister is talking to their fathers or grandfathers.”
Brook suddenly realized what had prompted the man’s animosity, and she now understood the position that her presence had put him in with regard to the families. Abe must have spoken with his daughter between yesterday morning and today.
She most likely had called to voice her concern.
It was admirable, really.
“I apologize,” Jim said as he tugged firmly on the lapels of his suit jacket. It was almost as if he was attempting to reset the situation. “I shouldn’t have—“
“Never apologize for doing your job, Mr. Risner.” Brook lifted her dress coat and her purse from the chair. “I do appreciate your cooperation thus far, and I’ll do my best to limit my interference with your routine here at the facility. My colleague, Sylvie Deering, will be your contact from this point forward. I’ll see to it that she stops by to introduce herself tomorrow. She is an experienced investigator, formerly with the FBI.”
Brook didn’t see the need to apologize for having a psychopathic serial killer as a brother, but she’d been in the shoes of those family members who were constantly concerned for the welfare of their relatives. While the case itself was cause for alarm, it wouldn’t be beneficial to the investigation if her visits were to upset the status quo.
While she wasn’t one to look on the bright side of a situation, she could spot a silver lining. Jim Risner might not have been very forthcoming, but the phone call that he’d received had just given her the details needed to finish her profile. She now had no doubt that the other women who had been abducted in broad daylight were connected to this very facility.
In the unsub’s mind, he was punishing the victims for their lack of devotion to their loved ones. She wasn’t sure why she hadn’t made such a connection earlier. Everything pointed toward that motive, and now all the team needed to do was narrow down the suspect pool.
In all likelihood, the unsub had already moved on from Jenny Capshaw.
He had almost certainly chosen his next victim.
Chapter Nineteen
Theo Neville
February 2023
Wednesday — 1:32pm
Thesunshinehaddonenothing to lessen the bite of the bitter wind.
Theo quickly tucked his hands inside the pockets of his winter jacket after ringing the doorbell. He’d even turned slightly to his left to avoid the cold breeze slithering its way across the sturdy planks of the porch. The wooden swing swung eerily back and forth, as if it was crying out in its cold, lonely existence. The chains that had been attached to the ceiling were rusted, and it was quite likely that the thing hadn’t been used since this past summer.
Most of his day had been spent speaking with the detective who had been in charge of the Ridgeway case, along with a quick lunch that Theo had taken with Hadley. She’d been so caught up in a case that she hadn’t been by his condo for the past two weeks. He understood her dedication to the job, but that didn’t mean their relationship had to be put on hold for every case.
Granted, they’d both agreed to keep things casual.
He had a hard time looking at the situation from her point of view. He’d tried several times, but he kept coming back to something his grandmother had said when he was young—everyone had to take some time for themselves.
The problem was that he wasn’t satisfied with a phone call or two over the course of fourteen days. He was ready for something more serious, and it was evident that he had a decision to make.
“May I help you?”
The front door had opened, and Theo had fully been expecting an older man to answer. From the photograph that had been pulled from Leonard Buchert’s license, the man who had greeted Theo was clearly someone else.
“Yes,” Theo responded with a smile. He removed his hand from his pocket and reached for his credentials, which he kept in the back pocket of his dark jeans. He flipped it open and held it up to face the male subject through the screen door that was still latched closed. “I was looking for Leonard Buchert. This is his address, is it not? I have some questions for him regarding his previous job.”
The man hesitated before pushing the lever on the screen door. He then stepped back when Theo quickly held it in place so that he could cross the threshold.
Theo had been expecting a musty odor, along with maybe an eighties or nineties décor. Instead, he was greeted by the smell of homemade cooking and the average design of a modern home. The furniture had easily been purchased within the last five years, and the living room off to the right was immaculate. There was a combination of a dining room and library to the left.
According to the quick background check that had been performed on Buchert, the man was a widower. He did have a son and daughter-in-law who lived in Kentucky. There were three grandchildren in total, and two of them had moved back to the area years ago.
“Who is it, Dillon?”
“A police officer,” Dillon called out in response to a male voice coming from the back of the house. “He wants to talk to you, Gramps.”
