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“Rosie! Focus! I’m glad you came for a visit, but I have work to do.”
“Wait! I needed to talk to you. It’s about those files you wanted compared.”
All thoughts zeroed in on this new piece of information. “You received the files and compared them already? That was quick.”
“Oh, no! You know how long those things take to be authorized, sent, and sorted out. It takes an eternity, and lives are at stake. I hate that a woman is missing, and others were set up for this. Why are women always threatened like that? I hate it, and I want it to stop. So that’s why I... fast-tracked everything.”
For Roseline, fast-tracking skidded more on the opposite side of the law, but Noelle wasn’t about to complain. She, too, wanted this to end, to have Leanna back, and be part of the takedown of the sadistic mad mind. “Okay, I doubt we can use the info officially yet, but maybe we can anticipate. What have you got?”
Roseline leaned on the counter between them. “There’s only one name that’s on Orson Noble’s client list and is also a patient of Jarrod Huntington, and you won’t believe who it is.”
Noelle was past games, and it must have shown because her friend didn’t hold back her revelation.
“Reinhard Reeker.”
It should have been a surprise, but it wasn’t. Maybe part of her subconscious had always wanted him to be a criminal as he was such a despicable human being in real life. “He’s Noble’s client and Huntington’s patient? In recent years? That’s impossible.”
“You’re right. It’s not recent. A little less than twenty years ago. Reinhard was part of the NOPD, was married, and had a young son.”
“Damian Reeker.”
Roseline seemed surprised she knew that information. “Exactly. From the tidbits I could gather, Reeker’s career was on the rise, but his family life wasn’t so great. I couldn’t access the entire files as it seems both Noble and Huntington are still using paper, but I could get hold of summaries. Reeker’s wife, Sharon Rothery, was transplanted from LA, but she missed her roots and it seems Reinhard wasn’t the prince charming he appeared to be. No surprise there if you ask me. So they went to Jarrod Huntington for counseling. Soon after, Reeker handed in his resignation from the NOPD and moved his family to the west coast. He was easy to track. Following his bills and credit card statements filled in the gaps.”
Noelle saw a trend, and even though she despised Reeker, it was a big step between that and a full-fledged killer. “You said you found Reeker’s name on Noble’s files too?”
“Yeah. A week before they flew to LA, Sharon Reeker paid a visit to Orson Noble to file for divorce.”
Noelle shook her head. “But you said after they went to Huntington for mediation, they left for LA. I assuming they reached some sort of truce and were turning a page to move forward.”
Roseline hesitated. “As I said, I don’t have the details, but she started divorce proceedings before moving back to LA with Reeker and their son.”
Details from what Brandon had told her filled her brain. “But Sharon and Reinhard were still together years later.”
“Yes, until Sharon died of cancer. I followed the paperwork and the bills. It was a long and hard battle. Poor woman.”
Noelle started pacing, her mind buzzing. “Okay, I agree it’s weird he was on both lists, but that means nothing. We’re talking about something that happened twenty years ago and may not have anything to do with these cases.”
Roseline fidgeted. “Even if it’s my deepest wish, I won’t accuse an innocent man. But I’ll agree that it’s weird, and we have to start somewhere.”
Noelle hated to admit it, but apart from this clue, she and Brandon were grasping at straws, which only emphasized the fact that not only hadn’t they found Leanna yet, but a killer was still on the loose.
“I guess you checked his finances. Anything strange?”
“Nothing. He’s still paying for his late wife’s treatments. Lately, he’s splurging on fancy dinners and gifts for a woman, I guess. From what I heard, the boys are raving about the woman. I haven’t seen her myself, but from the catcalls I heard, she must be a stunner, whoever she is.”
An image of a naked backside and a tumble of blond hair popped into her mind. “She’s not important for the time being, Rosie. That’s not the focal point of our investigation.”
Beeping in the background brought Noelle out of her head and to the task at hand.
Rosie arched an eyebrow and walked forward. “I thought you were done working on all the main tests.”
After clicking a few buttons and turning a device off, Noelle sat back in front of her computer. “I know. Apart from the DNA samples from the Orson and Huntington murders, there wasn’t much left to analyze, but there was something that kept bugging me. Something that Brandon said about maybe missing a clue, overlooking something important. I went over the case notes once more, and my only option was to redo the analyses.”
As Severine had suggested, Noelle had pushed to have a hypnotherapist go through a session with all three women. Time was essential, and Noelle doubted it was the right avenue to solve this particular puzzle.
“As I got here early, I had the time and kept it on the down-low, especially since the budget is so tight.”
Roseline touched her lips as if thinking with a flourish. “If they weren’t coerced, hypnotized, or under a Voodoo spell? If you’re still debating that last option, I doubt you’ll find an analysis for that. A call to Dominique might work better.”
