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From the open hatch of the ERT’s SUV, Hummel called, “Boss! I’ve got the box open!”
They ran over and crowded around Hummel. He’d laid down plastic sheeting in the back of the SUV so that he could dust the box for prints and then open it. A rubber mallet lay next to a few splintered pieces of the box. Directly in front of him, Hummel smoothed out a piece of newspaper that had been rolled up inside the box.
Mettner said, “Do they even print newspapers anymore?”
“It could be old,” Gretchen pointed out.
Hummel said, “It doesn’t have a date on it from what I can see.”
“Is there any way to tell which newspaper it came from?” asked Noah.
Hummel turned it over, looking at the back, which appeared to be an ad for tree removal. “No, but you can probably find out given this article.” He flipped it again and laid it out so they could read it. Josie’s heart fluttered as she took in the words.
LENORE COUNTY WOMAN SUFFERS ANOXIC BRAIN INJURY IN TRAGIC CAR ACCIDENT
Lenore County resident, thirty-year-old Brooke Sullivan, suffered severe anoxic brain injuries after her vehicle crashed into Cedar Creek near Old Arch Bridge. Her vehicle was found Monday, suspended upside down from the bridge in what appears to be an accident. Only a broken part of the bridge and the branches of an encroaching tree near the creek bank kept the vehicle from plunging completely into the water. Sullivan was trapped inside the car by a malfunctioning seatbelt. Another Lenore County resident saw her vehicle as he drove past and called 911. By the time first responders got there, more of the bridge had broken off, causing the vehicle to fall even further down so that water from the creek entered it. Mrs. Sullivan’s head was submerged for an unknown amount of time before first responders were able to cut her loose. Once she was removed from the car, EMS workers were able to revive her and transport her to Denton Memorial Hospital.
“She is in a persistent vegetative state,” said the head of neurology there. “She suffered injuries to her brain from lack of oxygen when she was stuck inside the car with her head submerged in water. We hope for the best in terms of her recovery, but we can’t predict how much function, if any, she’ll regain.”
Police do not know why Mrs. Sullivan crashed on the bridge but have speculated that it could have been weather-related, given that it was below freezing that day and the bridge had iced over. They also advise that Mrs. Sullivan was alone in the car, and they do not believe there were any other vehicles involved in this accident.
“Sullivan,” Mettner said. “Why is that familiar?”
“Brooke is familiar as well,” Noah added.
Gretchen said, “The social media guy for WYEP—his name is Sullivan. Raffy Sullivan.”
Josie said, “And he told us his ex-girlfriend’s name was Brooke.”
“When we were there to talk about internet trolls, a woman named Brooke kept calling him,” Noah added.
Josie took out her phone and brought up her internet browser, googling Brooke Sullivan. Only one source came up: the article from theFairfield Reviewin Lenore County. It was the same article they’d just read. “She was in the accident five years ago,” said Josie. She found another database and ran a quick check for Brooke Sullivan. “Apparently, she still lives in a house in Lenore County—4342 Silver Springs Road in Fairfield. I’ll check this on the MDT to make sure it’s up to date, but I think it bears checking out.”
Something about the address seemed familiar to Josie but she couldn’t say why.
The sound of a cell phone ringing sent the rest of them searching for their devices. Noah held his out. “It’s mine,” he said. “The Eudora.”
“Great,” said Gretchen. “If Beau’s there, tell them to keep him right where he is, we’ve got questions.”
Noah answered, stepping away from them for a moment. Mettner said, “We didn’t look into Raffy Sullivan’s relationship status, only his background. He had no criminal record. No arrests. There was nothing concerning. So who is he? Why would the killer lead us to his ex-girlfriend—or I guess, his wife?”
Gretchen said, “They have the same last name. She could be his sister, although if he told Noah and Josie she was his ex-girlfriend then yeah, she’s probably his wife or ex-wife. He was seeing Margot Huff. Maybe he didn’t want her to know he was divorced.”
“Or maybe he’s still married to her,” Mettner said.
Josie started running through the entire case in her mind once more. “This killer never intended to get away with all of this,” she said.
“What do you mean?” said Mettner.
Gretchen studied Josie. “The boss is right. This case has always been about ruining Beau Collins’s life.”
“He wants revenge for something,” Mettner said. “Seems like Beau Collins has a long list of sins to atone for, though.”
The killer had started with Claudia, staging the murder scene on a night that the couple had intended to publicize in a huge way. He’d left behind a puzzle box that he’d likely ordered from the Collinses’ website that contained a page from their book. A book about pursuit and playing games as a way to strengthen relationships. Even before the killer texted Margot from Eve’s phone saying the game was on, it was apparent he was playing a game.
The object was not just to ruin Beau’s life but to expose him. Expose all his secrets. The affair with Eve. The stolen job application. The secret family. Josie had long theorized that the killer was someone in Beau and Claudia’s inner circle. It seemed as though no one fit the bill.
“Raffy Sullivan has had access to the Collinses’ inner circle for months,” Josie said. “Like Gretchen said, he’s been dating Margot. When we met with him, she had even left her phone in his office, unattended, while she went to the restroom. She trusts him. He’s in the station because he works there. He’s got plenty of access.”
