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"What?"he asked.
"Sorry—your words just helped me make a connection about the case.Instead of trying to find the killer, maybe we should look for their next potential victim.We could focus on those who moved away from Mildred Heights and then returned."
Finn nodded."That's a good idea.Shouldn't be a long list."
They quickly pulled out their phones and began cross-referencing the names from the yearbooks with online records.Sheila found a local news article that mentioned a recent high school reunion for the class of '97, which provided a helpful starting point.
"Check this out," Finn said, pointing to his phone screen."Matt Barker moved away after graduation and just came back within the past few months."
"Interesting," Sheila replied, making a note of his name."I've got another name: Clive Waiters.He moved away for college, but he's been back for about a year now."
While Finn read up on Matt Barker, Sheila delved into Clive Waiters' life.He'd attended a prestigious university on the East Coast but had returned home after struggling with mental health issues.
"Matt seems to have had a pretty stable life until his divorce," Finn said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully."He's started up a small business since returning.Fashion clothes, looks like."
"What about his family?"
"A few cousins in the area, but that's about it.He lives with his grandparents—looks like their health has been going downhill."
"Doesn't sound like he fits the profile of the other victims," Sheila murmured."They were both married with teenage children."
"What about your guy?Any family?"
She shook her head."Lives alone.Not much of an online presence, either.Looks like he was hospitalized at one point for depression and anxiety."
They both fell silent.Then Sheila had another idea.
"Here's a thought," she said."What if we look up both of them in the database, see if either one has a criminal record?"
Finn cocked his head at her."I thought we were looking for victims, not suspects."
"Wouldn't hurt to do both, would it?"
He shrugged and began tapping away at his phone.Sheila joined him, looking over his shoulder.
"Nothing on Barker," Finn said."Squeaky clean.Let's check out your guy."
As the search results loaded, Sheila's heartbeat quickened—Clive Waiters did indeed have a criminal record.There were multiple charges of breaking and entering, domestic abuse, and even a stint in prison for arson.Her eyes widened as she read the details of his most recent conviction: trying to burn down an apartment building with a family still inside.
"He barricaded the exits so the tenants couldn't escape," Finn said, reading the report about the arson."The fire department barely managed to get everyone out before the whole place went up in flames."
"There were children inside, Finn," Sheila added, aghast.
"Damn," Finn muttered, his expression darkening."What kind of monster does something like that?"
Sheila went back to her own phone, trying to find anything she could about Clive.She navigated to the page of a high school paper, the Mildred Heights Chronicle, and searched for Clive's name.
She got one hit.She opened the article and started reading.The article was about an anti-bullying petition that had been signed by a number of parents, aimed at better training for the teachers and stricter enforcement of consequences for bullying.Halfway down the page was a quote from Clive, who claimed that bullying was a "daily reality" for him.
The teachers just look the other way,he was quoted as saying.They don't care what happens to us.I get treated like trash by all the so-called cool kids, and I'm sick of it.
"Finn," Sheila said, "take a look at this."She showed him the article.His eyebrows pulled together as he read, and she watched his eyes move back and forth, ping-ponging down the screen.
"He was probably already fantasizing about doing something," Sheila said.
Finn nodded, his face grave."And from there, it was only a matter of time before the fantasy became reality."
CHAPTER NINETEEN
