Matt said, “That’s gotta hurt. What kinds of questions?”
“Yes,” Arthur asked, “what kinds of questions?”
“Like where Christine went to school, if she was still going to school with the baby, what Dan was like, and how long she’s been living with us.”
Arthur pushed Sam to the side. “Not our address and phone number so they can come after Indiana again when they get out of jail?”
Lane shook his head. “Most of the questions were about school.”
Arthur leaned forward. “After what happened to Matt and Jessica, this has me worried all over again.”
Matt shook his head. “We’ve handled this kind of thing before, and we’ll handle it again. We need to talk with Dan and work out the details, that’s all.” He got up, taking a deep breath.
He’s having a flashback of when he and Jessica were taken.
“Details?” Alex asked.
“A plan. Dr. Alexandre told me to always have a plan to cope with the PTSD.” Matt tapped the side of his head with a finger. “I’m working on the details.”
Arthur glanced at Lane. “Let’s hear what you’ve got so far.”
Matt watched the TV. A player the size of a major appliance was helping the quarterback to his feet. “First we need to agree there will always be two of us with Indiana at all times. Then we need to have communications.” He turned to Lane. “Do we still have those fancy phones?”
“I can get them.” Lane nodded.
Matt pointed at Arthur. “Can you program them again?”
Arthur said, “Sure.”
Matt turned to Lane. “Then we need a backup. Does Harper know what happened with your sister and Milton, and their plan to take Indy to Utah?”
Lane stood. “I’ll call him to make sure he’s aware so he can handle details from his end. He needs to know Daniel, Christine, and Indiana have been transferred to a secure room at the Children’s Hospital.” Here we go again. “This time we’ll stay a step or two ahead of the game.”
THURSDAY, JANUARY 23
chapter 4
David and Melissa Randall stared vacantly at the grey conference-room wall.
Lane looked for signs of grief. Both looked exhausted. Their bodies sagged in their chairs. Rapid weight loss was sketched on their faces. And there was rage underneath it.
Melissa Randall stood about five foot six and looked at Lane as if challenging him. She tucked her greying black hair behind her ears. David Randall, her brother, was closer to six feet tall. When he took off his black winter coat, Lane could see his scalp beneath thinning black hair. Both looked to be in their late thirties.
“I’m Detective Lane.” He gestured with his right hand. “This is Detective Li.”
“What do you want?” Melissa eyed them warily. David tried to smile. Melissa hooked her thumb in David’s direction. “We’ve done some research online. My parents weren’t the first.”
David nodded. “The newspaper says our parents are the fifth victims. Some homeless guy named Byron Thomas was convicted for a similar crime. After what happened to Mom and Dad, do you think maybe Thomas is innocent?”
Lane inhaled. He saw Nigel open his mouth. Oh no! Nigel, tread lightly.
Nigel tapped his file. “Actually there may be more than five crimes attributable to the same killers. I’ve been tracking a series of murders with similar characteristics.”
Melissa looked at her brother. David said, “This isn’t what we expected.”
“What did you expect?”
Melissa pointed at the detectives. “That you would be covering your asses.”
Nigel said, “We’d like to put the killers’ asses in a cell.”
David put his arm around Melissa’s shoulders. “What can we do to help?”
Lane asked, “Do you have any thoughts about who might want to harm your parents?”
Melissa shook her head. “Besides Mom’s crazy sister, I have no idea.”
Lane lifted his eyebrows.
David said, “Our mom has a sister named Peggy who was always trying to get Dad into the sack, because her husband was sterile. Then her husband died, and she got even crazier. Dad told some people at a party he was tired of Peggy trying to get into his pants. The story got back to her, and she denied it. Then she made a number of threats. We’ve learned to ignore her.”
Lane looked at Nigel, who had painted an impassive expression on his face. His eyes, however, were lit with mischief.
“Peggy’s last name?” Lane asked.
“Carr.” Melissa used her finger to indicate she wanted Lane’s pen. He handed it over with some paper. Melissa pulled out a smart phone, scrolled through some numbers, wrote one down, then slid paper and pen back to Lane’s side of the table.
“Have your parents had any recent gatherings at their house?” Nigel asked.
David and Melissa looked at each other. David turned to Nigel. “They had their annual get-together. It was an after-New Year’s party. January eleventh, I think it was.”
“Is there any way we could get a guest list?” Nigel asked.
What angle is Nigel working on? Lane wondered.
“Why do you need a guest list?” Melissa asked.
You are definitely experiencing the anger stage of the grieving process.
Nigel looked at Lane.
So you step in the shit and want me to clean your shoes? Lane turned his palms face up. “Because this is the early stage of the investigation, we have to look at a variety of avenues.” Nigel, next time let me know your angle before the interview.
“Sounds like bullshit to me.” Melissa glared at Lane.
Nigel tapped the table with his forefinger. “In earlier killings the couples were murdered within a month of having a social gathering in their homes. The killers took valuable items and cash. We’re trying to establish whether or not your parents may have been victims of serial killers.”
Shit!
Melissa looked at Lane. “That wasn’t so hard, now, was it? Hand over the paper and pen, and we’ll put our heads together.”
Five minutes later, David and Melissa had a list of close to forty names, some with phone numbers, a few with business titles. David pushed the list across the table to Lane. “What else do you need?”
Lane slid the list to Nigel, who said, “I want to do some cross checking.” He stood up and left the room.
Lane stared at the open door, then turned to the brother and sister.
Melissa looked at her watch. “We’ve got a meeting with a funeral director in an hour.”
Lane asked, “When will the funeral be?”
“Saturday.” David looked at his sister. Melissa nodded.
“I’d like to attend if you don’t mind.” Lane studied their reactions.
David shrugged. Melissa said, “Knock yourself out. The service is at two.”
Lane took a breath. “What are the best numbers for us to get in touch with you?”
Melissa stood up, walked around the table, picked up Lane’s pen, and wrote down two numbers. She put her name next to one and David’s next to another. Lane caught the scent of strawberry from her shampoo. He watched as Melissa walked out the conference door followed by her brother.
Lane looked at the sheet of paper, pulled out his cell phone, and entered the numbers. Then he walked to his office, closed the door, and sat at his desk.
Nigel’s fingers were dancing over the keyboard.
Lane asked, “Why the question about the guest list?”
The tone of Lane’s voice made Nigel’s head snap back. Then his wide eyes focused on his partner. “I’ve been looking over Netsky’s files, and I’ve had e-mails from officers investigating two of the other murders. In both cases the victims had major social events at their homes less than a month before the murders. It was one thought I had.”
“Let me in on your plans the next time,” Lane said, then added, “please.”