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Jake swallowed, feeling a lump rise in his throat. “Yes ma’am, that’s why we’re here. We were hoping to ask you some questions about Mason and the circumstances surrounding his death if that’s alright.”
Francine nodded slowly and opened the door wider. “Come inside,” she said quietly. “I’ll tell you what I know.”
She gestured for them to enter and then led them into the living room, inviting them to sit down on the couch.
“Thank you,” Jake said as he sat down, Fiona beside him.
Francine sat across from them in an armchair and sighed. She seemed lost for words, so Jake spoke up first.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” he said softly. “We’re here to try and get some answers about what happened to Mason.”
Francine nodded slowly and looked around the room with a faraway gaze before finally speaking again.
“I know my son is gone,” she said quietly, her voice full of pain, “but I don’t want him to be forgotten.” Tears welled up in her eyes as she looked at Jake and Fiona imploringly. “Please help me find out who did this to him.”
Jake glanced over at Fiona before responding. He knew they were both thinking the same thing: that their investigation was far from over.
“We’re going to do everything we can,” Jake said. “I’m not sure how much the police told you, but it seems that Mason is not the only victim of this killer.”
Francine nodded. “They did mention there was a signature left behind, and that it may have been a serial killer, which is just… awful.” Francine hugged herself, trembling. “And I heard how they found him… oh, he must have been so scared… how could someone do this to him?”
Jake shook his head, his throat tight. He wished he knew.
“I’m sorry, ma’am,” Fiona spoke up. “We will do everything we can to bring you answers. We know how he died, we just don’t know who did it.”
Francine’s eyes snapped to Fiona. “He was drowned, wasn’t he? In his bathtub?”
Jake frowned; did the police already tell her the official report?
“I performed the examination myself,” Fiona said. “I can confirm drowning as the cause of death.”
“But how did you know that, ma’am?” Jake asked. “Fiona’s report was only just filed.”
“I knew as soon as I heard how he was found,” Francine said. “Mason was terrified of drowning. It was his greatest fear. When I heard how he was found, I knew that something cruel had happened to him.”
Jake and Fiona exchanged a glance. So Mason had been drowned intentionally, as part of the killer’s twisted MO.But how did that relate to the other deaths?
“Was Mason always afraid of water?” Jake asked her.
Francine nodded. “His fear of drowning was a common one, so we didn’t take it seriously at first. But then it progressed into a sort of phobia. He wouldn’t go near any bodies of water, even puddles. He’d freak out if it looked like it might rain and he’d hide out in his room until it passed. He wouldn’t even bathe anymore. For a while, I thought he was going to grow out of it, but the longer it went on, the worse it became. He was always afraid. We tried everything to help him, but nothing worked.”
Jake frowned, trying to piece together the information he had. If Mason was afraid of water, how did he get in his own bathtub?
“What do you mean ‘tried everything’?” Fiona asked.
Francine glanced up at her, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. “We tried therapies, hypnotherapy, medication, everything. But nothing worked. The water terrified him, and he wouldn’t go near it.”
Jake was silent for a moment. He glanced at Fiona, who suddenly had a focused look on her face—like she’d just realized something. Jake had seen that look on her before, when she’d had a game-changing epiphany.
“Red?” Jake pressed.
Fiona snapped out of it. Taking a breath, she turned to Francine and said, “Ma’am, how many people knew about Mason’s fear of water?”
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
Fiona held her breath, waiting for Francine to reply. All at once, it had clicked for Fiona; the thing that could link the three victims together.
“I’m not sure,” Francine replied. “It wasn’t a secret, and he’d been to many therapists over the years…”
