AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Just Griffin,” he replies. “What?”
“DC Toby Shenton, Sarge.” He sits down. “I had a thought about something, about your case, actually, and I wanted to … I just …”
“Get on with it,” Griffin growls.
Shenton puts three photos on the desk. Griffin glances at them.
“I know what they look like, Shenton. I was there.”
“Yes, but … I think it’s the GSK.”
Griffin looks at him. Shenton has his full attention for the first time. “GSK?”
“Golden State Killer. Convicted for thirteen counts of first-degree murder and thirteen counts of kidnapping, but was believed to have committed more than fifty rapes and over a hundred burglaries in California between 1974 and 1986.” Shenton looks more confident now. “The facts of your … your attack, match up to the murders of Lyman and Charlene Smith. The killer entered through the bathroom window and tied them up with cord from the curtains. He …” Shenton pauses. “He raped her, then beat them both to death with a log from the woodpile.” Shenton hesitates, then looks at Griffin. “I don’t think you were supposed to survive, Sarge.”
Griffin swallows hard. He looks at the information Shenton has put in front of him. He remembers the light dazzling him, the gun shoved in his face. He remembers the utter helplessness of being tied up as he listened to the screams from his wife in the other room.
“But there’s one thing that’s different.”
Griffin manages to clear his throat. “Go on?”
“The shoes. For the other home invasion rapes, the shoe marks found at the scene match an old-style Adidas sneaker, hexagon print, same as the GSK. But the ones found outside your bathroom window? They’re different.”
Griffin tenses. “Have you found a match?”
“Not yet. But do you think it’s deliberate? Or did the killer make a mistake?”
“Follow it up, find out. And tell Elliott,” he says. Shenton gets up to leave. “How do you know so much about this stuff anyway?”
He notices Shenton’s face color. “I studied it at university.” Griffin raises an eyebrow. “I have a master’s degree in criminology and another in behavioral psychology. I did my dissertation on the effects of child sexual abuse resulting in serial murder.”
Griffin takes a deep breath in. “Tell Elliott that too,” he says at last.
CHAPTER
29
CARA PUTS HER key in the front door and listens. Inside she can hear screaming, high-pitched wails, followed by shouting. She pushes the door open. The house is in chaos. Toys litter the floor of the living room, the TV still on, the Lego Ninjago movie playing out on the screen. Noah follows her, closing the front door behind him.
The noise is coming from upstairs, and she follows it. The bathroom is flooded, towels scattered across the floor. She picks up her daughter’s sweater, then gathers up the rest of the clothing.
“Mommy!” Her daughter pokes her head out of the room, then runs to Cara. She bends down as her daughter charges against her, wrapping her arms around.
“You’re home!” she says into her chest. “Will you read us a story?”
Her daughter looks over her shoulder, spots Noah standing at the top of the stairs, then lets out a squeal of delight.
“Will Noah read us a story?”
Cara smiles. She knew she’d be sidelined the minute they spotted Noah. To Cara’s surprise, the first time Noah had met them, she’d discovered there was no accent Deakin couldn’t do. No funny voice he hadn’t perfected. He’d have the kids in gales of laughter, rapt as he read their latest favorite.
Tilly grabs Noah’s hand, then drags him into the bedroom. Cara leaves them to it for a bit, putting the kids’ discarded clothes into the laundry basket, picking a towel up and using it to mop the water on the floor. She folds the others and hangs them on the rail.
She turns as she hears soft footsteps coming up the stairs, surprised to see Lauren still there.
“Thank you for staying,” she says to her.
Lauren smiles. “It’s no problem, I didn’t have plans.”
