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Noelle looked at her phone one more time, but there was still no news from Brandon. She’d tried to call him, but it went directly to his voicemail, and both her text messages remained unanswered.
She wasn’t overly worried. The threat Dominique had predicted was over his head, but cops surrounded him at the moment, so he was safe.
Roseline was hard at work in her office while Noelle brewed a pot of strong coffee. While she waited, she admired the skyline from the luxury apartment. Roseline wasn’t only a computer genius but a talented stock trader. She never broadcast her wealth but bought this fantastic place, more for security reasons than a need for luxury.
Noelle appreciated it; it was a slice of peace in a dangerous situation, with a mix of excitement. For the first time in her professional career, she was actively participating in an investigation, and she felt on the verge of finding the piece thatwould unfold into locating Leanna and obtaining the proof that Reeker was linked to everything.
Mugs in hand, Noelle went to Roseline’s office and found her already hard at work. Four of her screens were opened, and she was sifting through information from what she could gather as she put the steaming coffee by her friend’s hand.
“Rest assured that I won’t ask if you’ve found anything yet.” Noelle meant it as a joke, but Roseline snorted.
“I’m only as fast as my machines, and it all depends on where we put our focus.”
Noelle knew that it was the crux of the problem. “We need to determine where Reeker was during both murders as well as the kidnappings. If we can link those dots to him, I can go directly to the commander.”
“I’ll try, my friend. The thing is, Reeker shuts off his work phone as soon as his shift is over. I’ve been working on his phone, trying to track where he’s been going. Just to make sure, I’ve added the signals of two of his buddies. Now, let’s see if we can make sense of their movements.”
The blond beauty pressed a key with a flourish before leaning back on her chair and grabbing her mug for a sip. On the screen, flashing maps appeared filled with colorful lines. When the light show stopped, the main screen was like a kid had scribbled all over New Orleans with primary colors.
Her incomprehension must have shown as it made Roseline smile. “Easy, Noelle. Don’t twist your brilliant mind over this. Let me add a filter that will make more sense. I’ll add the locations of the two murders, where Jordyn was found, and the Quicksilver pub. Even Dominique’s store. Reeker is in red and I’ll dim the others.”
As soon as she said it, the map cleared until everything made sense, or maybe it was the exact opposite. “Reeker hasn’t beenanywhere near any of those spots apart from the Quicksilver. Not since the first murder was reported. It’s a dead end.”
Deflated, Noelle followed the red lines on the screen, the one that turned her back to the drawing board. As her heart sank at the evidence, a cluster of red lines not far from Dominique’s store drew her attention.
“What’s that?”
Immediately, Roseline’s fingers started typing again, making the image sharper, the map smaller. “It’s a side street near Dominique’s shop, although when Reeker goes there, he takes another route, further away from the store. However, as you can see, he visits this location at least once a day. Let me check the time and length of those visits. Hang on.”
Another round of typing occurred, and with her coffee forgotten, Noelle tapped her fingers against the cup in sync, her restlessness getting the best of her, even if that anticipation could be for nothing.
“Mmmm... interesting and a bit unexpected. I was expecting it to belong to one of his drinking buddies, but instead...”
A picture of a blonde woman popped on the screen.
“Erin Stait, the homeowner. From what I can see, Reeker spends his evenings and nights there when he’s not working.”
The image of the blonde woman he’d had sex with in the bullpen came to mind.
“It’s another red herring. Reeker would never involve a third party in all this. He’s a cop. He knows the more people that know what he’s doing, the more risk there is of a leak.”
Roseline swiveled in her chair to face her. “You can’t be certain. Murder and kidnapping can be a two-person operation, especially since we haven’t found any real clues or leads. In my opinion, this could be a clue in itself. I wouldn’t dismiss the blonde if I were you. People always dismiss blondes, and they’re wrong all the time.”
Roseline Fontenot would know, having been the dismissed blonde more than once.
“Okay, let’s not discount the blonde. What do you know about her?”
Noelle started pacing as her friend typed like a madwoman.
“Erin has worked for a landscaping company here for the last twenty years. No criminal records. Been divorced twice. Two sons living out of state. At first glance, nothing stands out. I know a blonde woman is suspected of setting Dominique’s store on fire, although I couldn’t get a clear image.”
“Can you track Erin’s cell for the last two weeks? If we can confirm her whereabouts, we may set her as Reeker’s accomplice. If we force her into a corner, trap her with enough evidence, we may be able to bring Reeker down.”
“It may take me a bit of time. I don’t know her provider. I can try using the towers near her house, but one way or another, it’ll take more than five minutes.”
Noelle looked at her phone and saw Brandon still hadn’t replied. Her thoughts on Leanna, it was obvious she couldn’t wait any longer. Even if the commander was open-minded, he wouldn’t approve surveillance on such elusive facts, even if her gut was screaming at her louder that it was the right thread to pull. She just had to make her point.
“Send me her address and keep digging. I think Ms. Stait is the key to bringing the Reek down, and I don’t want to let that chance slip by.”
