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"Valerie!" he said loudly. "We've got a hit, a man named Ronald Queen. He got out of prison a few weeks ago, and his parole got him a job here in the County."
"He has previous history?" Valerie asked, trying not to get excited.
"Let's just say, he has a thing for tying up his victims."
She could feel excitement brewing in her veins.This could be it, she thought.This could be the breakthrough we've been waiting for!
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
The pain had subsided in Will's arm as he tried to get comfy in the passenger seat.
"Are you sure about this, Will?" Charlie asked, turning on the ignition.
"Yes," he said. "We don't have much time. It's 8 PM, and after tomorrow, Heinlein will shut us down. We can't afford to be a man down."
"All right," said Charlie, looking at the plaster around Will's forearm. "But if the pain gets to be too much, you let me know."
Charlie drove off, following Sheriff Carter's truck.
"I just wish," Will said, "that the broken arm had given us the killer. I really thought Lance Nielsen was the killer."
"He certainly acted like it," Charlie said. "All we can do is keep looking."
"What do we know about this Ronald Queen?" Will inquired. He hated being in the dark, but he'd only just arrived back at the Sheriff's Department as they were leaving to question the man.
The car juddered over a pothole. Will grimaced.
"The guy carried out some burglaries a few years back," Charlie explained. "He tied up anyone he found in the home. And guess what?"
"What?" Will asked automatically.
"He used a sheet bend knot."
"The same one we found on Maggie's body?"
"Bingo."
Will winced as a stabbing pain momentarily ran up his arm. But he hid it as best as he could from Charlie. He was concerned Charlie might overrule him and take him back to the station. Half out of care, half out of experience.
Someone who was in pain was likely to make mistakes.
"Is that all we know?" Will asked, clearing his throat.
"We know that he's dangerous," Charlie said. "But I don't think we'll find out more until we get to his place. He's been living in a motel for the past few weeks. It's not far, according to Sheriff Carter."
The car rattled over the ice and snow-covered roads, its headlights cutting through the darkness as they drove along. The night was cold, and Will could feel the chill through the window.
He watched as the trees on either side of them were briefly illuminated by their headlights before being swallowed up again by the darkness. They passed an old farmhouse surrounded by tall pines, then a deserted gas station with its windows boarded up.
Finally, they pulled into a small parking lot outside of The Maybury Motel. Its roof hung with snow, and most of the windows were dark.
Charlie turned off the engine, and they both stepped out of the car, ready to face whatever was waiting for them inside.
***
Sheriff Carter was an impressive man to Will, his shadow long and wide shouldered under the walkway lighting. Carter took the lead, striding up to room 16 and knocking on the motel door. Charlie stood behind him, Valerie by his side.
There was no response.
