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“Well, CSU found only Driscoll’s fingerprints on all of the cabinet doors, but his killer went to a lot of trouble. I’m sure he wore gloves. I’m assuming it’s a man. Driscoll was too heavy for most women to have dragged him up on a stool to put his head in a noose.”
Kit nodded. “I agree. CSU vacuumed all the carpets, so maybe the killer dropped a hair we can use. Were any hairs found on the first four victims? In their clothes?”
“No. DNA was a regular tool by the time we found the first victim. The most rapid tests still took twenty-four to forty-eight hours, but we would have definitely tested a hair if one had been found.”
Kit sighed. “I figured as much. I think we should talk to the neighbors again.”
“Which neighbor was assaulted by Driscoll?”
“David Epstein. He lives across the street. We didn’t talk to him on Saturday. He wasn’t home.”
“Fine. We’ll talk to him and the other neighbors, and then we’ll go have another chat with Dr.Reeves.” Baz held up his hand like a traffic cop. “To see if he can recall anything else Driscoll said that might help us.”
“You need to apologize for threatening his dog. He’ll be more likely to cooperate.”
Baz rolled his eyes. “I’ll stop at the store and bring his pooch a dog bone.”
“I have dog treats. No need to stop at a store. A simple apology might be enough, Baz.”
“Fine,” he huffed. “But that dog was snarling at you, Kit. I was worried.”
She smiled at him. “Tell him that. Come on, let’s talk to Mr.Epstein.”
They stopped on the front porch to tell the uniform on guard duty that they were finished for now. There had been a constant stream of gawkers driving down the street, and a few had even tried to sneak a souvenir from the house. The overgrown backyard was fenced in and SDPD had put a lock on the gate, but that wouldn’t keep out determined true-crime buffs.
The neighbors had kept to themselves, not engaging with the curious public. Hopefully they hadn’t engaged with any curious reporters, either, but Kit wasn’t too hopeful. She’d bet that at least one neighbor had given the media an earful.
Kit was petty enough to hope that Tamsin Kavanaugh had come up empty, though.
Baz knocked on the Epsteins’ front door and it was answered by a forty-something woman with a toddler on her hip. “If you’re reporters, go away,” she snapped.
Kit held out her badge. “SDPD Homicide, ma’am. I’m Detective McKittrick and this is my partner, Detective Constantine. We’d like to ask you a few questions about Colton Driscoll. Are you Gemma Epstein?”
The woman nodded, her eyes narrowing. “I am.”
“May we come in?” Baz asked. “We’d really like to avoid the media.”
“Like vultures,” Gemma muttered. “They’ve been bothering us all day long.” She opened the door wider. “I suppose we should just get this over with. David! Cops are here.”
A man came down the stairs slowly, his gait unsteady. His hair was buzzed, military-style. A framed photo on a side table showed a much younger Mr.Epstein in his navy uniform.
“I figured you’d be coming by sooner or later,” he said. “I’m David Epstein.”
Kit introduced them, then gestured to the living room. “Can we sit?”
“Please,” Gemma said, looking flustered. “Let me take care of the baby. Maureen!”
A teenage girl came in from the kitchen, drying her hands on a towel. Her gaze darted toward Kit and Baz and her eyes flickered wildly before she looked away. For a moment, Kit thought it was fear, but the girl had looked away too quickly for her to be sure. “You need me to take her, Mom?”
“If you would. Thank you, honey.” Gemma handed the baby over. “Put her in her high chair and give her some Cheerios. Nadine will be by soon to pick her up.” She sat on the sofa next to her husband, gesturing to a love seat. “Please, Detectives.”
Kit studied the family photos on the walls as she and Baz sat. “You have a lovely family. Two daughters?”
David nodded. “Yes, and one granddaughter. Our girls are Nadine and Maureen. I read the article in the paper. Said Driscoll liked small blond girls. Like mine.”
At least Tamsin Kavanaugh hadn’t known about the pink handcuffs.
“That had to have come as a shock,” Baz said quietly. “I have a daughter, and I can’t imagine having lived so close to a predator.”
