Gently, Levi said, “We’d just like you to tell us what that reason is.”
Jordan said, providing the alibi she’d spent much of the morning preparing, “I was waiting till we had something concrete to give him. Something the police would have to believe.”
Kay said, “But why keep his interest from us?”
“Mark’s an old high school friend. He’s only able to look into this in his spare time. He has a sort of... impulsive side, and...”
David, God bless him, bailed her out: “Mark is on a very short leash with his captain. If he makes a misstep, he could get pulled off of even this semi-official part-time investigation.”
“Anyway,” she said, “I have to admit that... I’ve been alone for a long time. I was alone when I was at St. Dimpna’s, even with a thousand mental patients all around me. It’s not easy for me.”
Kay leaned over to pat her hand, and Jordan didn’t even mind. “Dear,” the older woman said, “it’s day at a time, step at a time, for all of us. We’re not accusing you. We’re just saying we’re your friends. You can trust us.”
“Can we skip the group hug?” Levi asked. “Because we may have something, and we might as well dig in—”
Levi was interrupted by Mark entering the shop without stopping to order anything, coming straight to the table and the waiting chair — Levi at his right, Phillip at his left. Jordan made introductions where needed, and after a brief exchange of pleasantries, David again took the role of spokesperson for the group.
“Good to see you again, Detective Pryor, though what we have to share may or may not please you.”
“Such as?”
Levi said, “We think Basil Havoc may not be our man.”
Mark just nodded — his demeanor, Jordan noted, was cool and professional. “I would agree.”
Surprise widened eyes around the table.
Kay asked, “Why?”
“I’ll leave that to Jordan to tell you,” Mark said, and nodded at her with a businesslike smile.
She nodded back, then addressed the team: “Last night, Detective Pryor showed me a picture of Havoc, on his phone? I recognized the man as my old gymnastics coach — anyway, he was briefly.”
David frowned and said to the young detective, “Jesus, man, was that wise? If she ever has to pick him out of a lineup, you’ve poisoned the well!”
“Beside the point,” Jordan said. “I saw the man who attacked my family... who attacked me... and it wasn’t Havoc.”
“So anything you have to share,” Mark said, sighing, “I’ll appreciate. Because I’m feeling like I’m back to square one.”
David said, “Maybe not. Levi and I thought you were on the right track with Havoc, but with the wrong approach.”
Mark frowned. “How so?”
“You were concentrating solely on Havoc, right?”
“That’s right.”
“Did you ever consider looking at anyone on his staff?”
With a humorless half smirk, Mark admitted, “Not really. I’ve got a feeling you’re going to tell me I should have.”
Nodding, Levi said, “There were four people who traveled with Havoc extensively. You were looking into two cases on the East Coast, right?”
“Yes.”
“I bring this up, because the National Gymnastics finals were in Boston, then Hartford, and there were family killings in Providence and the Bronx that coincide.”
Mark shifted in his chair. “I can’t officially confirm that without risking getting myself in dutch with my captain. But... let’s say, hypothetically... yes.”
Levi smiled a little, then the smile disappeared as he said, “I have the names of three staff members, other than Havoc, who were in both cities with him.”
Mark held up a hand, got out a notepad and pen, then nodded, poised to write.
Levi said, “Bradley Slavens, Stuart Carlyle, and Patti Roland.”
“Could you spell those?”
Levi did.
“Good,” Mark said, writing. “Good.”
“Roland and Carlyle are still working at Havoc’s school,” Levi went on. “Slavens left about two years ago, and as far as the Net is concerned, fell off the map.”
Mark asked, “How did you get stuff on his employees?”
Phillip cleared his throat and all eyes were on him as he said, “The government may have repealed ‘Don’t ask, don’t tell,’ Detective. But we haven’t. Any information you get from us, you need to consider confidential, like something you might get from a, uh... what’s the television word? Snitch.”
Mark grinned at the teacher. “Fair enough.” Then he glanced around at everyone. “I just uncovered a case that might fit the loose profile. Near St. Louis, where the finals were in 2012. A family in the Hill neighborhood.”
Phillip asked, “What makes you think they’re victims of our killer?”
“The homicides were around the time of the finals. But I can’t share anything beyond that — I’m sorry.”
“We can be your snitch, but you can’t be ours?”
“It’s a matter of degree, Mr. Traynor, but... that’s about the size of it.”
“Levi,” David asked, turning to the skater boy, “how does this fit in with the Havoc staff members?”
“Carlyle and Roland would have been there,” Levi said, “along with Havoc, of course. Slavens was gone by then.”
Phillip asked, “Is there some reason it couldn’t be any other gym coaches that travel to these events? Or even a parent? Havoc’s isn’t the only school with a similar schedule — possibly not even in Cleveland.”
David said, “These crimes started a decade ago. If it was a parent, his child would be long since off that circuit. Most kids have tossed in the towel, ten years down the road, or are in training for Olympic-caliber events.”
Levi picked up: “The parent would have to follow the competitions after his child left the sport. Doubtful.”
“I agree,” Mark said. “Odds are better it’s another coach. Serial killers are predators. They hunt, they kill. They start close to home, then branch out as their supply dwindles or they feel threatened. These crimes started here, they predominate around here. Remember, looking at Havoc’s school began with Jordan and David’s daughter both being students there. I believe this killer is local.”
“Makes sense,” Phillip said, and there were nods all around.
Mark turned back to Levi. “You seem to have narrowed it to two staff members at the school. How hard have you looked at them?”
Levi grinned, shook his head. “Detective, if I went beyond their Facebook pages, I’d be invading their privacy. You wouldn’t want me to break the law, now... would you?”
Even Jordan and Kay smiled at that.
Mark said to Levi, “So, if I Google them, will I come up with all the information you have?”
There was a slyness to Levi’s half smile. “Not completely.”
“Care to let me in on what I won’t find on Google?”
“As long as you don’t ask me where I got it.”
Mark’s half smile was equally sly. “I never push a snitch for his source.”
“Ha,” Levi said. “Okay, for one thing, Patti Roland was accused by a parent of being a sexual predator.”
Mark frowned and his pen was again poised to write. “When was this?”
“About three years ago. A mom claimed that Roland molested her seven-year-old daughter. She filed a civil suit against Havoc and his business.”
“So this is in the public record,” Mark said. “I can track this.”
“Yes,” Levi said, shrugging, “but the suit was dropped, possibly settled out of court. Mom and child left Havoc’s center for another gymnastics training site.”
David asked, “Money grab?”
“Maybe,” Levi said. “That’s not on the record, anywhere. Strictly closed-doors lawyer stuff.”