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“I was going to call Brook when I got back to my room,” Abe whispered before smacking his lips. “Jean Goldwyn. I asked around about her—subtlety, of course—and a friend of the family is still a resident here. Reggie dated Jean’s mother more than twenty years ago. They never remarried, and he doesn’t really talk about that time in his life, either. Cut all ties with them.”
Theo knelt so that he was at eye level with Abe.
“Let me guess,” Theo said with a smile. “Brook tried to recruit you, didn’t she?”
Abe let out a hearty laugh that triggered a coughing fit. He held up his hand to signify that he was fine, and sure enough, it was like it had never happened a minute later.
“I like that woman. She’s got spunk.”
“That’s one way to describe her,” Theo said, knowing full well that he would never share that description with Brook. “I hope that she—“
“Don’t go getting your balls in a twist there, son. I might be old, but I’m not senile. As I told Brook, I have my full faculties, thank you very much.” Abe rubbed his chin as he studied Theo. “What brings you by today? I tried telling Brook several times that Cody Jennings doesn’t have it in him to hurt a fly. You need to turn your focus elsewhere.”
Abe’s statement let Theo know that Cody Jennings was somewhere inside the building.
“I’m not here for Mr. Jennings.” Theo figured he’d appease Abe. It was best not to upset their so-called informant. “I’m just here to speak with some of the staff members. Is that Ms. Jennings at the counter?”
The woman who had been manning the front desk had been in deep conversation with a middle-aged couple. Their voices weren’t nearly being kept as soft as Theo’s conversation had been with Abe, and the three of them had been discussing the increase in monthly fees.
“That’s right.” Abe motioned toward the hallway to the left. “My room is down that way. Amelia won’t even bat an eye if you join me.”
“I think that I better conduct my business on the up and up. I wouldn’t want to be shown the door,” Theo replied as he stood and straightened his back. He held out his hand. “Abe, I appreciate your help. Brook speaks very highly of you.”
Abe gave another laugh, although this time it didn’t result in labored breathing.
Theo slowly made his way over to the counter now that the visiting couple had buttoned their coats and adjusted their scarves. Once they bid Amelia goodbye, Theo took their place in front of the counter.
“Ms. Jennings? I’m Theo Neville. I work with S&E Investigations. I spoke with a former employee of yours named Leonard Buchert yesterday. He suggested that I speak with Simon. It’s my understanding that he’s working today.”
Amelia was one of those people who didn’t know quite where to look when addressing him. Theo’s eyepatch tended to throw people off their game, and he noticed that the woman rubbed her nail polish in a nervous gesture. Abe hadn’t had such a problem.
“If you’ll have a seat, I’ll see if Simon has a moment to speak with you.”
Theo nodded his understanding before making his way to a bench that had two tall plants on either side of it. He wasn’t sure where the floral aroma was coming from, but he’d guess there were air fresheners placed throughout the building. There was also a coffee station off to the side, but Theo had more than enough caffeine to start his day.
It was rather difficult to say that he had woken up early when he’d barely gotten any sleep last night. He was still wrestling with his decision to end things with Hadley, though she had been completely in agreement with such an outcome. Hell, she hadn’t even seemed surprised by his announcement.
How could he have read the situation so wrong? Granted, they’d both agreed to a more casual relationship in the beginning, but those types of things tended to evolve on their own.
Apparently, that wasn’t in her plans.
Theo veered his thoughts to the case, because he would get nowhere obsessing over a woman who was obsessed with her career to the point of neglecting any personal relationships.
While he waited for Simon, three more visitors had strolled through the front door. They all stopped to greet Abe, with two of them carrying on lengthy conversations about the weather and their plans for later in the day. It was evident that the older gentleman was lonely, and sitting near the front entrance gave him the ability to socialize with others who weren’t solely residents.
Theo had taken the time to read Brook’s profile thoroughly. She’d suggested that the unsub was not only targeting women who didn’t visit loved ones residing in nursing homes, but that the unsub was using that excuse to satisfy his own proclivities. He didn’t want to view himself as a serial killer, so he justified his crimes by only targeting those he viewed as sinners.
After Sylvie’s interview with Tiffany Fields this morning, she planned to spend the rest of the day pooling together a suspect list so that they could be disqualified one by one. The faster the team was able to narrow the field, the quicker this case would be resolved.
“Mr. Neville? I’m Edgar Lynne. Amelia said that you needed to speak with me.”
Theo had pulled up a basic background check on Edgar Lynne. The man was fifty-two years old with a receding hairline. According to his driver’s license, Mr. Lynne was six feet in height, a bit overweight, and had never been married.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Lynne.” Theo stood and shook the man’s hand. “Mr. Buchert has nothing but great things to say about you. He was the one who suggested that I talk with you regarding the case involving Jenny Capshaw.”
“Leonard? I haven’t spoken to him since he retired,” Edgar replied with a smile. It slowly faded as the seriousness of the topic took hold. “I heard what happened earlier this week. Amelia said that the authorities believe the abductions might have some connection to our facility. I’ve got to be honest with you, Mr. Neville. I don’t know anyone who could do something like that. We have good people here, and that includes everyone on the staff and residents.”
Theo spent the next fifteen minutes asking the same questions that he’d basically inquired from Leonard Buchert. No new information was given, and Theo had no choice but to bring the conversation to a close.
