Bryan frowned. “I want them to be looking for her
now
. Not tomorrow morning.”
“I understand. I do, too. But you’d be surprised how much money these things cost, and how many times the person turns up the next morning. Drunk, hung over, whatever, but all completely unaware anyone was looking for them. I’ve put out some feelers, Bryan, so local precincts are aware we’re looking for her. But officially, it has to wait until tomorrow.”
“So back to my original question. What are we supposed to do now? I can’t just go home and pretend like nothing’s happened.”
“I don’t know, babe. Have you spoken with Kayla? Maybe she heard from her.”
“Yes, and no she hasn’t. She’s at work, but she’ll leave if we need her to.”
“No reason right now. I’m afraid we’re going to have to give it some time.”
“This sucks. I mean it really sucks.” He stood and paced. “This whole day has been awful. We were busy at lunch with no waitress or cook. I finally got a hold of Mike and he came in to cook for me. Luckily, the rest of the day’s been quiet.”
Dix stared at him. “Why no cook?”
“Galen called in sick.”
He stood and went to Bryan. “And you didn’t think that was worth mentioning?”
“Why would I?” He studied Dix’s face for a moment then shook his head. “Oh, no. Don’t start this shit again. Galen sounded like hell when he called, coughing and hacking.”
Dix couldn’t believe his ears. He tried to remind himself that Bryan was a trusting man, and not jaded by years of police work. But it was hard to keep calm. “Let’s you and me take a run over to Galen’s house right now. We’ll just stop in to see how he’s feeling.”
“No! That’s absurd.”
“Really? Your daughter is missing. I wouldn’t think any lead would be too crazy to follow up.”
“Well, this one is. But okay, whatever. Just to shut you up, let’s go. I’ll close the place and send Mike home.” He locked the front door and turned the ‘Open’ sign to ‘Closed’.
Dix hated to piss him off, but he didn’t see Galen through the same rose-coloured glasses Bryan obviously did. It wasn’t even Galen that worried him as much as Howard, the son with the fetish for Sami from years ago. People didn’t always get over stuff like that. Sometimes, it festered.
Bryan sent Mike home and turned off the kitchen lights. He locked the back door and they climbed into his car. “Galen lives close to here. This won’t take long. Maybe when we’re done we could go wait at Sami’s. I still don’t feel like going home.”
“We’ll see.” Dix wasn’t as convinced that they’d be ‘done’ so soon.
Galen and his wife lived in a rundown house in an older neighbourhood. There were no lights on at all. Dead plants in flowerboxes lined the walks. “Guess Rae hasn’t planted anything yet this season,” Bryan mused as they approached the front door.
“Place looks pretty rundown.” Dix peered in a window.
“Yeah, well, he doesn’t make a fortune.” He rang the bell and when no one answered, knocked loudly.
“Strange. If he was so sick, shouldn’t he be home in bed? Or at least on the sofa watching TV?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Bryan pulled out his cell and dialled a number.
Dix could hear it go to voicemail. “Do you have his wife’s number?”
“Yes.” Bryan punched a few more buttons.
“Put her on speaker, will you?”
Bryan did. When a woman answered he said, “Rae? It’s Bryan. How are you?”
“Hello, Bryan. I’m doing well. Mother is better, too. She should be released from the hospital in a few days. It’s been a long battle.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know she was in the hospital. Doesn’t she live in Atlanta?”
“Yes. Good grief, I assumed Galen would have told you. I’ve been here for three weeks, now.”
“Three weeks? Really.” Bryan glanced at Dix.
Dix was doing mental math. The first murder had occurred about three weeks earlier.
“Rae, Galen called in sick today. I stopped by the house to make sure he was all right, but he’s not here. Have you spoken with him?”
“Not since yesterday. He sounded fine then. What’s wrong? I hate to think of his being sick.”
“Just a cold and cough, I think. I’m sure it’s nothing. I was just worried about him is all.”
“You’re such a good friend to him, Bryan. Thanks for checking up. You might call Howard, maybe he went to his house for a while. Do you have his number?”
“No, could you give it to me please?”
Dix pulled a pen and paper from his pocket and wrote down the number she gave.
“Can you remind me of Howard’s address, please? I know it’s over in Raytown somewhere.”
“Yes.” She told him the address and Dix jotted it down.
“Thanks, Rae. Good to talk to you. Give your mother a hug from me.”
“I will. Good night, Bryan.”
He ended the call and stared at Dix. “I’m getting a funny feeling about this.”
“Welcome to the club. Let’s get over there before Mom calls Howard and lets him know we’re coming.”
“She wouldn’t do that.”
Dix gazed at him sceptically.
“Okay, how the hell do I know what anyone would do anymore? Let’s go.”
He drove quickly to the small, even dingier house than the parents lived in. “I don’t see Galen’s car. He drives a silver Mercury. About twenty years old.”
Dix followed Bryan to the front porch. Once again Bryan rang the front bell, then knocked.
A pudgy man with a badly receding hairline and fringes of light brown hair around his ears answered the door.
“Hey, Howard. How’s it going?” Bryan glanced over the man’s shoulder nervously.
“Hey, Bryan. It’s okay. I’m in the middle of a
Star Trek
marathon, actually.”
“Cool. This is my friend James. We were looking for your father, heard he was feeling sick. Have you seen him?”
“Nope. Haven’t talked to him.” Howard fidgeted from one foot to the other.
“Can we come in for a minute?” Dix asked, pushing his way forward.
“Um, I was just getting ready to eat dinner. And like I said, I’m watching movies right now. The
Wrath of Khan
is on. It’s almost to my favourite part.”
Dix pressed Howard lightly in the chest to back him up. “Go ahead and pause it, if you like. We might be a few minutes.” He stepped inside and glanced around.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“Looking for your dad,” Bryan followed Dix in. “I talked with your mom. She thought he might be here.”
“No, I told you I haven’t seen him.” He glanced back and forth between the men, unable to watch both of them at once.
The house smelt like cheese and something sour Dix didn’t want to identify. It was messy, but something on the coffee table caught his eye. Sticking out from under the edge of a video game magazine, he spotted a photo and got a glimpse of blonde hair. He grabbed the picture and discovered it was a shot of Sami.
A recent shot.
“What’s this, Howard?”
“Hey, you can’t go through my stuff!” Howard grabbed for the photo, but Dix pulled it back.
“I wasn’t going through anything, it was lying right out there in the open.” He picked up the magazines and found four more photos of Sami and other blonde women. He scrutinised them carefully, but none were photos of their murder victims. “What do we have here?”
“Those are none of your business!” Howard dived for him.
Dix sidestepped and the heavier man tripped and landed on the sofa. While Howard was still down, Dix turned to Bryan and offered the photos.
Bryan’s face reddened. “Son of a bitch! Where is she, you little bastard?” He took three giant steps and was over Howard, grabbing him by the collar.
“What? Who?”
“You know who! Where’s my daughter?” Bryan balled up a fist and drew back.
Dix grabbed his arm and stopped him. “Bryan, no. This isn’t the way. Let me take him to the station and interrogate him there.”
Fury blazed in Bryan’s eyes. It took a moment before he relaxed and dropped his arm. “Okay. But we need to check this place to make sure she’s not here.”
“You’re right.” Dix reached behind him and pulled out handcuffs. “Sit up, Howard. I’m cuffing you for your own protection. He won’t clobber you if you’re restrained.”
“Why do you have those? Who are you?” Howard blubbered.
“Oh, sorry.” Dix showed his badge. “I’m a detective with the KCPD. And you’re going in for questioning on the disappearance of Sami Scott.” He worked Howard’s hands behind him and cuffed them together.
Howard shot scathing looks but didn’t say another word.
Dix looked at him.
That speaks volumes.
He recalled Adam jabbering the whole time about how innocent he was.
Innocent people are scared. Guilty people are wily, and tend to clam up.
“Keep an eye on him,” Dix said to Bryan. “I’ll call for a patrol car and search the house.”
“I want to search the house too!” Bryan’s frustration was showing.
“Then go through the police academy and get a badge. Until then, you’re my lookout.”
“Whatever.” Resigned, Bryan folded his arms and stared at Howard.
Dix made his calls then moved warily though the house in case they weren’t alone. There were no signs of other people, no basement and no more evidence at first inspection.
The patrol car arrived and Dix turned Howard over to the officers. Peyton and his partner Laura Evans showed up, and he left them to continue searching the premises. He hated to call Mac after hours unless something truly broke open. Then he wouldn’t hesitate.
They watched the patrol car leave and he told Bryan, “Take me to the station so I can question him, please? My car is there so you can just drop me off.” They got in.
Bryan spoke as he drove. “Where the hell am I supposed to go? What do you think I’m going to do?”
“I’m sorry, babe. There’s just no reason for you to be at the station. I can’t let you witness the interrogation. You’d have to hang out in the waiting area. I figured you’d rather go be with Adam or Kayla.”
“I don’t want to be with anyone but you. You’re going to find Sami. I need to stay with you.”
“I’m going to try.” He reached over and squeezed Bryan’s knee.
Bryan glanced in his rear-view mirror and changed lanes. “It’s times like this when I wish I still smoked.”
Dix chuckled. “I know the feeling. I quit when I joined the force at twenty-one. How about you?”
Bryan smiled. “When Kayla was born. At twenty-one.”
Dix eyed him affectionately.
We have so much in common
. He recalled something from the night before and said, “Did you know Sami smokes?”
“No!” Bryan almost drove off the road. “Why do you think she does?”
“Galen mentioned it last night. Adam slipped outside for a cigarette after dinner. I casually mentioned that I didn’t know he smoked. Galen said Sami does, too. She goes out to smoke with Adam when he makes his deliveries.”
“Well I’ll be. That’s news to me.”
“Not sure it’s relevant, but curious. I never smelled smoke on her.”
“Me either. That’s why I wonder if she really does, or if he was just stirring the pot.”
Dix raised his brows. “So you agree maybe Galen wasn’t being the nicest guy last night?”
Bryan sighed. “Yeah, I do. I didn’t want to see it then. Now, it keeps jumping out at me. I wish I could figure out what the hell is going on.”
“Give me some time.” Dix squeezed his knee again. “We’re working on it.”
* * * *
He left Bryan in the waiting area and went to the hallway outside the interrogation room.
Alvarez was there, studying Howard through the window. “You like this guy for the murders?” The captain cut straight to the chase.
“Not sure. Right now we’ve got a missing girl with blonde hair and a ponytail. Howard Scott is Samantha’s cousin once or twice removed, not sure about that. Anyway, a few years ago, Howard had a thing for Sami. Their parents found a scrapbook he made full of her photos. She was a minor at that time. She’s twenty-one now, and while the family thought his obsession was over, we’re not so sure it is.” He pulled the photos from his pocket. “These were found on Howard’s coffee table. I don’t know the other women, but this is Sami Scott.”
The captain handled the photos by the edges and dropped them into plastic evidence bags. “Peyton just checked in. He found more pictures of blonde haired women on Howard’s computer. Some of them pretty nasty, and some of them not fully grown women. Glad we got that search warrant.”
Dix frowned. “Ugh. So he’s a paedophile, we know that much. Our serial killer goes for adults. We’ll have to keep digging to make this fit.”
“Talk to him. See what he knows. He’s sweating pretty good already. Might not take much to scare him.”
Dix loosened his tie and glanced over his shoulder as he headed for the room. “He’s pissed to begin with. We had to pull him away from a
Star Trek
marathon.”
“Which movie?”
“
The Wrath of Khan
.”
“I’d be pissed too. That was the best one.”
“
The Voyage Home
was pretty good.”
“With the whales?” Alvarez smiled.
“Yeah.” Dix chuckled. He took a breath then went in. The small talk gave him a chance to clear his head before interrogating a suspect. It was tricky business, and he needed to be sharp. He closed the door and sat. “Hello, Howard.”
“What am I doing here? I’ve done nothing wrong.”
“If you tell us where Samantha Scott is, we can see about getting you out of here.”
“I don’t know where she is. I haven’t seen her in forever.” He looked around the small room. “I’m hungry.”
Dix ignored the comment. “The picture on your coffee table was pretty recent. Did you take that one, or did someone else?”
Howard set his jaw.
“It was a good shot. She wasn’t wearing a coat so it had to be within the past couple weeks, since it warmed up. Where was she at, Howard? Did you follow her on campus, or to work maybe?”
“I didn’t follow her anywhere.”
“Who did? Who’s the photographer? I might want to use him to get some pictures taken.”
Howard stared at him.
Dix slapped his hands on the table between them. “Okay, then, if you don’t want to talk, I’m going to get out of here. It’s getting late, and I’m ready for dinner. Think I’ll have a nice, juicy steak and a baked potato. I wonder what’s on the menu in jail tonight?” He checked his watch. “Oops, you’ve missed dinner. You might get a snack, some graham crackers and juice. Breakfast comes at eight.”