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The deputy who had been standing near the bedroom door had noticed Brook’s presence. She made sure to lift her credentials, which had garnered a slight nod of recognition from the female officer. She’d clearly been waiting for Brook, which meant that Otto had informed his deputies that she would soon be on site.
“We all know about the murder that happened last week,” Lance said, his voice cracking with emotion. Brook had recognized his tone from her last visit to the B&B. “Darlene almost canceled our trip because of it, but I was the one who insisted we come. Like I said before, we were a couple hours into our hike. I thought that we should refill our water bottles. Darlene’s sock was bothering her, so while she sat down to take off her boot, I walked over to a stream. When I returned, she was gone. She never would have just wandered off on her own, so that means…”
“Who iswe?” Brook asked softly as she entered the room. The simplistic yet rustic décor complemented the rest of the B&B. The rich wood blended with the earth tones of the furnishings, creating a cozy atmosphere that contrasted starkly with the grim discussion taking place. “Who all knew about the murder?”
After Lance’s voice had trailed off as if he didn’t understand her question, he’d shifted his focus from the sheriff to the floor. Before too long, he lifted his defiant gaze to meet hers.
Brook was the one who now had Lance’s full attention.
Otto remained silent, but his puzzled expression was just as prevalent as the one Lance was exhibiting in his confusion.
“Everyone who is staying here,” Lance explained as his gaze flickered to the doorway. It was apparent that he wasn’t sure how he should take her inquiry. “Everyone in town, and probably everyone in the state. In case you didn’t notice, it’s all over the news. What kind of question is that? Darlene is missing. It’s obvious that psychopath took her, and you need to organize a search party. You shouldn’t be wasting time asking asinine questions.”
“I recognize the seriousness of the situation, Mr…”
“Griffin.” Lance directed an irritated glance toward the sheriff. “Lance Griffin. I was downstairs last Friday when you were speaking with Mauve. You saw Darlene. You know that she is a brunette. The second that I realized she was gone, I should have returned to town instead of searching for her. I wasted precious time, and now it might be too late.”
Brook lifted the corner of her lip in commiseration, giving Lance the appearance that she was agreeing with him. In reality, she’d already made the judgement that Darlene’s disappearance had nothing to do with the unsub.
“Mr. Griffin, I know this is a very stressful time. You must understand that we need to ask you some very difficult questions.”
While Brook had spent most of her career conversing with field agents regarding their interactions with victims, witnesses, and even those responsible for the crimes, she’d always found the saying odd—we need to ask you a difficult question. The inquiries weren’t challenging to ask. The difficulty resided in believing the responses.
“You told Sheriff Jackson that Darlene almost canceled on you because she’d heard about the murders,” Brook reiterated as she gestured toward a suitcase. “You live where, Mr. Griffin?”
“Kentucky.”
“I take it that there was coverage of the murder on television?” For the first time since Brook had walked into the room, she witnessed Lance hesitate with his answer. “Maybe Darlene read an article? If she wanted to cancel, then that would mean she knew about Luna Breen’s murder before your trip.”
“I’m sure that was it,” Lance replied as he curled his fingers into fists. “I should have listened to her. We never should have come here.”
“What time did you and Darlene leave the B&B yesterday morning?”
“Sunrise.”
“And you returned to town this morning?”
“Yes. I spent all night searching for her.” Lance’s voice had cracked, but she noticed that his eyes had remained free of any tears. “I called out to her so many times, hoping to hear something…anything that might lead me to her.”
“The sheriff is going to do everything in his power to ensure that Darlene is brought home safe. Right now, I’m going to ask that you wait downstairs so that a forensics team can be brought in to process the room.” Brook wasn’t surprised when Lance appeared encouraged by her statement, but he then immediately became wary until she reassured him that it was all part of their protocol. He stood and wiped the palms of his hands on his jeans. “Mr. Griffin, would you please give a detailed description of what Darlene was wearing? Those details are important and will be given to those joining the mountain rescue team.”
Brook and Otto remained silent as Lance began to walk toward the deputy. Now that he’d cleared the room, she had a better view of his backpack. What she discovered helped to solidify her belief that Darlene hadn’t been abducted by the unsub.
“Griffin will lawyer up within the next few hours,” Brook informed Otto quietly, ensuring that her voice didn’t travel outside the room. “You’ll want to bag his clothes, jacket, gloves, and anything that was on his person when he left the B&B yesterday morning. I’d also instruct the search party to canvas a much larger area. Chances are you’ll discover Darlene’s body at least a mile or two away from where Griffin claims she went missing, especially given that he had all day to dispose of her body.”
“This is a federal case, Brook. Either you take it under the possibility that Darlene Hummel is connected to your investigation, or I hand it over to the feds.”
“I don’t believe that Darlene Hummel was abducted by the same individual who killed Luna Breen.” Brook thought it over before coming to a quick decision, and one that she would prefer Otto go along with for the time being. “Let’s keep this under our investigation for now, but we’ll work separately. I’ll notify the Charlotte office, as well as make sure the park rangers work with you on this. We’ll say that it’s a joint investigation to keep things contained.”
“Did you notice the scratches on the back of Griffin’s right hand?” Otto asked as he focused on the doorway. “Griffin explained the wounds away by saying he tripped and caught the back of his hand on some twigs.”
“I had the ability to observe Ms. Hummel enter the B&B last Friday,” Brook explained as she deliberately scanned the room for other inconsistencies. “She was reserved when she greeted Griffin. While it is possible that Hummel saw coverage of Breen’s murder on the news or read about what happened in an article posted online, there was never any coverage about a serial killer. The only way Griffin could have known about the other possible victims was by overhearing my conversation with Mauve and Kirk. It was during that conversation that I inquired about Carissa Norman and Helen Beckham.”
Otto’s facial expression lit with recognition.
“There’s also the small detail that Griffin returned with only one water bottle, which just so happens to still be connected to his backpack. Do you have any gloves on you?” Brook figured there was a slight chance Darlene’s water bottle could be inside Griffin’s backpack, but there was only one way to find out. Otto pulled out a pair of nitrile gloves from his pocket and handed them to her. “I was going to ask Griffin about the water bottle, but I do believe that he will request a lawyer upon hearing such a question.”
Brook worked the nitrile gloves over her hands before kneeling in front of the backpack. A relatively heavy one. She unzipped the bag and carefully began to search through its contents.
