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She couldn't just leave Amos up there, alone and abandoned. It didn't sit right with her, and she suspected that he still knew more than he was letting on. He was clearly unwell, and if he could be of any use in solving Mary's murder, they'd need him alive.
She pulled out her phone and dialing the number for backup. She listened to the ringing on the other end, her mind racing with possibilities and potential leads. What if Amos was lying? What if he had an accomplice?
"Agent Cross requesting backup at my location," she said tersely when someone picked up. "Suspect is wheelchair-bound but may have valuable information. We'll need medical assistance and a team to raid the house."
As she waited for her colleagues to arrive, she couldn't help but replay Amos's words in her mind. Mary's "nice" teeth, all natural even in her old age. Why would someone want to tamper with them? And what did it have to do with the larger picture?
Morgan knew she was only scratching the surface of this case. But she was determined to see it through, no matter how dark and twisted the path became.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Morgan stared out the window of her car as she pulled into the FBI headquarters parking lot. It was late afternoon now, and the day was slipping away. The weight of failure hung heavy on her shoulders. She had been so sure that Amos Lorenzo was their man, but he could barely move, let alone commit murder.
The police had come in and taken him to a local hospital, so Morgan knew she would be able to talk to him again if she needed. But it didn't shake away the shame she felt in wasting time on this lead.
On top of that, she'd checked the old clinic again before she'd dropped Skunk off at home, and Skipper had been nowhere in sight. Whoever he was, he was long gone and probably wouldn't return.
Morgan realized that she had probably been chasing shadows anyway.
As the car came to a stop, she took a deep breath and steeled herself for the inevitable walk of shame through the office. Another dead end, she thought, slamming the car door behind her. Her eyes narrowed at the thought of returning empty-handed, her pride battered. How many more suspects would it take before they found Mary Jenkins's killer? Morgan didn't want to wait around for another body to drop.
Inside, she crossed the bustling office and entered the briefing room where Derik was waiting, his brow furrowed as he studied the case files spread out on the table. He glanced up when she entered, offering her a small, sympathetic smile.
"Hey, don't beat yourself up over it," he said, motioning for her to sit down. "Your lead was good, but sometimes they just don't pan out."
Morgan sighed, her jaw clenched as she sank into the chair opposite him. "I know, but I can't help feeling like we're running out of time."
"Well, you're gonna wanna see this," Derik said, tapping a finger on one of the files. "The dental analysis on the teeth found in Mary's mouth came back. Cross, it's the strangest thing. Those teeth don't match Mary's dental records."
Morgan frowned in confusion. "What are you saying? That those teeth weren't even Mary's?"
Derik nodded, lips tight.
"Then whose were they?"
"We currently have no idea."
Morgan's mind raced as she absorbed the information. If the teeth weren't Mary's, then who did they belong to? Was it possible that there was another victim involved in this case?
"We need to find out whose teeth they were," Morgan said firmly, her eyes locked onto Derik's. "We need to expand our search and see if there were any missing persons cases around the time of Mary's murder that could be linked to this."
Derik nodded, his expression serious. "I already have the team looking into it. No hits yet."
Morgan's heart rate spiked as she tried to process the implications of this revelation. If the teeth didn't match Mary's, then it meant that the killer had taken Mary's teeth out and crudely shoved someone else's teeth back into her gums.
And if this was a pattern, then that meant that maybe next time they found a body, it would be Mary's teeth in someone else's gums.
Morgan felt a sense of frustration and anger building inside her. This case was getting more and more complicated by the second, and they seemed to be no closer to finding the killer than they were when they first started.
"What about Mary's autopsy report?" she asked, hoping for some new lead. "Anything else jump out at the ME?"
Derik shrugged his shoulders. "Not really. The cause of death was asphyxiation, and there were signs of struggle. But honestly, it's the teeth that have us all stumped."
Morgan drummed her fingers on the table, her mind churning. She needed to come up with a new angle, a new way to approach this case. This new information only made the case more complex – and dangerous. It was bad enough that they were hunting a killer who had mutilated Mary Jenkins, but now there was a possibility that he had killed others to obtain those teeth. And they had no idea who those victims might be. The thought sent a shiver down her spine.
"Damn it," she muttered, rubbing her temples. "What kind of monster are we dealing with here?"
"Someone who knows how to cover their tracks," Derik replied grimly. "But we'll find them, Morgan. We always do."
