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“This is her computer. There are emails between her and him on it from a few months back. When he found out she and I were married and that we had money, he tried to blackmail Alyssa, saying that he would tell her husband, me, that she abused his girl and that’s why he ended it. There’s even a picture of the little girl with a black eye. He sent it to mess with Alyssa. It’s awful.”
“What was his blackmail request?”
“Ten thousand dollars, and before you ask, yes, I paid it. I paid him to stay out of our lives and I threatened him physically if he came back.”
“I see.”
“That’s not all.” Zach scrubs his hands over his face, leaving angry red marks on his cheeks. “Oh my God, I can’t believe this.”
“Zach, you came here to get this off your chest. The sooner you say it, the sooner it’s done.”
“The—the little girl died. The newspaper said it was an accident. She died not long after I wired him the money.”
“And you don’t think it was an accident?”
“No. I think he killed her. We talked about going to the police but I didn’t want to be involved in any way with this mess, whatsoever. Alyssa has—had—my last name, and I just don’t… I have business to protect.” He pushes the computer sleeve in my direction. “That’s her computer. All the emails are in there. Like I said, her ex is in jail so there’s no way he killed her, but the timing just seems like such a coincidence, you know? It feels like it has to be connected somehow.”
“Do you think that her ex could have been the person who was following her? Assuming someone was.”
“I think that makes sense. I also think that’s why she gave our neighbor a key to the home. I’m gone a lot, and I think she was worried Travis would find out where we lived and come by. I think… she was scared about that and wanted someone she trusted to have access to our home in case something happened to her.”
“That’s explains a lot.”
He nods. “Anyway, I don’t know the password to her computer, but I’m sure your tech guys can figure it out pretty quickly.”
“Thank you, Zach. You did the right thing. I need you to fill out some paperwork that basically says you’re consenting to release this into evidence.”
“Fine. Yes. I’ll do whatever I need to. I don’t ever want to see that computer again.” He releases a long exhale, the relief of a confession. How wonderful it must feel.
He leans in, his eyes sad. “So do you think all this has something to do with her death?”
“To be determined,” I say. But in my gut I know this has everything to do with his wife’s murder. The message is loud and clear. Alyssa turned a blind eye to child abuse, and she lost her eyes because of it.
A dozen new questions swarm my head.
Aside from Zach and Travis, who knew these intimate details of Alyssa’s personal life? And how?
THIRTY-ONE
ROWAN
“So both murders are definitely connected and we've got a vigilante killer—some idiot taking justice into their own hands and punishing these women how they see fit.” Kellan scrubs his hands over his face. He hasn’t stopped pacing the conference room since we arrived.
It’s eleven o'clock in the morning. The team—Evelyn, Chris, Kellan and myself—is assembled, and the tension in the room is so thick you could cut a knife through it. The news of another woman found murdered has rocked the small town of Blackbird Cove. The phones are ringing off the hook, tips coming in by the second. Multiple media vans clog the parking lot, and the gossip and conspiracy theories are running rampant. The citizens are scared and demanding answers.
Chief Hood has joined via video call. Despite being on a beach vacation with his family, the chief is looking as sharp as ever, wearing a pressed collared shirt. Even his trademark side part is perfectly combed, not a strand out of place. His presence has only added to my anxiety. The discovery of a second body means the chief will have his nose in every move I make from this moment on.
I begin my update, informing everyone of Zach Kaing’s late-night confession about his wife’s abusive ex, the blackmail, and the passing of the ex’s child, which was ruled accidental.
“I verified that Alyssa’s ex, Travis McCain, was in jail at the time of both murders, so it’s physically impossible that he killed both women. Also, after speaking with him over the phone, I don’t get the vibe that he paid someone to do it. One, because he appeared to have no clue who Macy Swift was—so why would he want to kill her—and two, this guy’s sole motivations in life are money and drugs. Paying someone to kill Alyssa isn’t in his interest. In fact, the opposite is, so that he could continue to blackmail her.”
“So are we even considering him a suspect?”
“No. I don’t want to waste our time or resources on him. Does everyone agree?”
Nods around the table.
“Okay, switch gears. This is what we currently know about victim number two.” I gesture to the projector where an image of Macy Swift fills the screen. In this picture pulled from social media, she is sitting in a lawn chair, wine glass in one hand, cell phone in the other, and a smile as wide as Texas across her face. “Macy Swift is a thirty-one-year-old stay at home wife who is married to Jerry Swift, a wealthy real estate developer. She and her husband have several homes across the country. When I spoke with Jerry just a bit ago, he informed me that, four days ago, Macy told her husband that she felt like she was being followed. We know that Alyssa Kaing also reported that she felt like someone was following her.”
