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“You two are working the investigation, right?” The question had originated from the male subject who had been given the soft drink. His keen interest was telling, but it was the way that he’d nudged the woman beside him that gave away his occupation. “Are you hearing this?”
The woman was nodding vigorously as she used his arm for leverage to step off the stool. She then tapped his shoulder, which Bit figured was an indication for the man to go out to the van and retrieve his camera.
“Erika, we’re here to grab the pizzas,” Bit murmured as he rested a hand on the counter. “We shouldn’t talk about the case.”
“It’s Irene,” Erika said with feigned irritation, just like they’d rehearsed. “It’s not like everyone doesn’t already know about the hiker who went missing, Bit. Moonshine Valley isn’t like the other tourist towns. Everyone knows everything the second it happens around here. Speaking of which, I heard you were adding almond-crusted walleye to the menu. Is that true?”
While Irene responded to Erika’s question, Bit casually kept an eye on the owner’s cell phone. A notification had flashed on the display. Irene had just received a voicemail, but it didn’t matter. Bit had memorized the number and would run a trace on it the moment he had access to his computer.
“Excuse me,” the reporter said after coming to a stop next to Erika. “Did you say that the lead investigator has dispatched a forensics team to an area suspected of being another crime scene? You wouldn’t happen to know the coordinates for such a site, would you?”
“Only a local would be able to—”
“We’re not at liberty to say,” Bit stressed loudly as he caught Erika’s gaze. He shook his head for effect. “We really should be getting back.”
Erika gave the reporter a small shrug in the form of an apology before flashing a smile at Irene. The owner had collected the five large pizzas that the chef had slipped through the small window and was walking their way. Bit had purposefully ordered a lot of food so that the locals believed everyone on the team had returned from their trek in the mountains. He reached out and took the stack of boxes from Irene.
“Can you at least tell me what evidence the lead investigator believes was left at this newly discovered crime scene?” the reporter asked right as her cameraman had returned, causing the others to make a beeline for the door. Their reactions were exactly what Brook had been counting on, and Erika had done an excellent job of selling the so-called facts. “How long will it take to get a forensics team—”
“What can you tell us about Darlene Hummel? Is there a connection between—”
“Doug, are we rolling? I want to—”
The questions kept being fired at them at a rapid pace, but Bit and Erika made it appear as if they were uncomfortable with all the attention. They managed to sidestep the cameraman, who currently had a news camera on his shoulder, before quickly walking toward the exit.
Bit continued to repeat the phone number that he’d seen on Irene’s phone. He couldn’t remember things the way Sylvie could, and it didn’t help that his thoughts kept focusing on Erika’s relationship with Dominic. She might not believe that she’d let pertinent information regarding the case slip out in front of him, but such a revelation was just another thread that they would need to watch closely over the next twenty-four hours.
A sudden, blinding light from a camera almost caused Bit to misjudge the distance to the curb, but he managed to stay upright and not drop the pizzas. Questions were still being hurled at them even as they finally managed to cross the street. The reporters seemed to be feeding off one another. By some chance that the unsub hadn’t heard about the so-called delay of getting a forensics team back up the mountain, there was little doubt that he would soon hear about it on the local news.
In the meantime, Bit would trace the number that he was still repeating over and over in his mind. If Irene’s nephew had been calling her, there was a good chance that she would reveal what she’d just heard about the investigation. Such news might finally prompt Ned Proehl out of hiding, but there was a good chance that Bit could locate him first.
Chapter Twenty-One
Sylvie Deering
October 2023
Tuesday — 8:21pm
Wispsofsteamroseinto the air from the hot water that had been poured over the mesh tea infuser. The clear water began to turn murky until a deep amber color began to materialize, and with it the familiar hint of caramel. The black tea leaves continued to steep until Sylvie was able to remove the infuser and place the steel ball into the kitchen sink.
She’d given up using the machine that Arden seemed to have tamed in the months that he’d worked for S&E Investigations. Apparently, the only one who could get the finicky appliance to work properly was a sixty-seven-year-old man who still wrote everything down longhand and refused to rely on technology.
As she added a touch of honey to her tea, the tension that had solidified in her shoulders began to ease. It helped that her father’s lawyer had returned her call to notify her that a motion had been filed this afternoon to request a compassionate release. If the judge saw fit to grant such a motion, Sylvie would then reach out to hospice and begin the process of preparing her spare bedroom for her father’s arrival.
Given that there was nothing to do in the meantime, Sylvie would pour her concentration into the case. Anything was better than sitting at home and staring at the four walls of her living room while second-guessing her recent decisions. Every time that she thought she’d made peace with her current situation, a sliver of doubt would creep back in and overwhelm her with a sense of futility.
Sylvie set the spoon next to the tea infuser, deciding to clean up the kitchen later. It was going to be a long night anyway, and she figured she’d drink a couple more cups of tea before she left for home. Given that Brook had made a decision that could force the unsub’s hand, it was best to be accessible.
A unique ringtone reverberating through the offices caused Sylvie to quickly and carefully make her way back to the conference room. Brook or Bit had initiated a video conference, and Sylvie managed to accept the incoming call without spilling a drop of her tea.
“How did the interview go with Tricia Zetter?”
“Not as fruitful as I’d hoped,” Brook said as she leaned back in her chair with slight irritation. Her long, black hair was draped over her right shoulder, blending in with the black fabric of her turtleneck. It was the fact that she’d used a hair tie to keep them there that told of her annoyance, though she wasn’t usually one to give away tells. “The video call was disconnected, and Bit is in the process of trying to establish another connection.”
“There’s a storm in the Pacific that is causing some connectivity issues,” Bit explained from behind one of his laptops. There was quite the stack of pizza boxes on the table, but there was no sign of anyone else in the room. She was well aware that Theo and Riggs were camping out near the site believed to be where Carissa Norman had been murdered, but Sylvie figured that the sheriff or Erika would have remained behind. “It could be another half hour before Boss can speak with Tricia Zetter again.”
“On the bright side, Bit was able to track down Ned Proehl.” Brook stood from the chair and leaned back slightly to stretch her back muscles. “He’s holed up in some seedy motel across state line. I’ve alerted Otto, and he reached out to the local police in that area. Since Proehl violated his parole, he can be taken into custody.”
