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“Where arethey?”
Ethan jerked a thumb at the corner of the room where the boxes of manifests had been stacked when they were returned by the Halifax PD. The other man looked at them resignedly before getting up toobey.
To Jonah, he said, “Send out a BOLO alert for the description we have of the offender’s rental car and plate number.” A BOLO would result in a much more targeted search than the stop-and-check for the whitevan.
The door to the room pushed open, and Nyle walked in. “All I have to say is, the CarsNow branch at the airport is the most disorganized…” He looked from face to the next. “You got himalready?”
Ethan caught him up on the morning’s events and then added, “We need a warrant on Merkel’s financials. I’m especially interested in that credit card. He used it for the rental. He may have put the motel where he’s staying on it, aswell.”
“If he went to dives and showed enough cash, he probably could have avoided using a card,” Nyle pointedout.
“We’ll soon findout.”
“What do you want me to do?” Alexaasked.
“Research,” Ethan told her. “We need to learn everything we can about Robert Merkel ofBridgewater.”
* * *
“Okay,the warrant on the Merkel credit card has been processed with the highest priority stamp, whatever that means.” The near-silence the group had been working in for the last hour and a half was splintered by Nyle’s return. Ethan noticed with amusement the man held a bakery box in his hand. The officer had a serious sweet tooth. Once they had this case solved, they might have to stage anintervention.
“It means the brass in Ottawa is getting personally involved in the process.” Which Ethan hoped was going to get them a rapidresponse.
“What’d you learn?” Nyle set the box on the table in the corner and as if on cue, Ian and Jonah got up and beelined forit.
“There’s no Robert Merkel listed on the ferry passenger manifests,” Ian McManus responded. He peered into the box and grabbed a napkin with which to make his selection. “Since the UNSUB also didn’t show up on the toll-road cameras, he probably used a different ID for theferry.”
“The BOLO alert for the offender’s rental went province-wide.” Jonah Bannon nudged McManus aside and studied the contents of the bakery box intently. “It’s might just be a matter of time at this point. He could be spotted drivinganywhere.”
Couldbe, Ethan thought grimly. But the alerts depended on manpower and location. If the offender stuck to back roads, his chances of being seen by a cop plummeted drastically. But the noose around the province was tightening. “The address of the Robert Merkel in Bridgewater matches that given on the rental agreement and the driver’s license.” Ethan rolled his shoulders, working the knots out of them before getting out of his chair to see if Nyle had brought anybrownies.
“If you study that license photo closely, it appears that the offender used something on his face to make him look older. But he still doesn’t look seventy.” As if unwilling to join the fray at the table holding the baked goods, Alexa remained seated. “If, as we believe, he drove into the province, it would make sense to have a driver’s license name that’s in the system. If he got pulled over for any reason, the first thing the patrolman would do is run thelicense.”
With a tinge of satisfaction Ethan discovered there were, indeed brownies. He selected two and set one down in front of Alexa as he made his way back to hischair.
Her lips curved slightly. “Double fudge? You’ve got a goodmemory.”
His hand paused with the treat halfway to his mouth. The mental image swamped him, summoned by her words. It’d been his birthday, just a few weeks after they’d met, and when he’d joined her at the library after school, she’d surprised him with brownies from the local bakery. One had a candle ontop.
If it’s not double fudge, it’s not worth eating. Make a wish,Ethan.
His wish, of course, had included her. She’d already taken up residence in his mind. His heart. With the strength of a seventeen-year-old’s single-minded passion, she’d been the focus of all his desires. As a teenager, he hadn’t had the experience to realize that sometimes getting exactly what he wanted could still end inheartbreak.
Shaken by the subconscious reminder, he continued to his seat. Redirected his attention. “The Bridgewater Merkel is a former minister of a church in town. Retired two years ago, a time that corresponds with his wife’s death. According to the local RCMP officers I spoke with there, he spends November through March in Naples, Florida where his brotherlives.”
“Leaving his residenceunoccupied.”
“Any kids?” Nyleasked.
“One son.” Alexa picked up the thread of conversation. “Carl Merkel. He’s hopped around the country a bit. Vancouver. Toronto. Quebec City. Most recently Calgary.” She paused to take a bite of the brownie in front of her. Chewed. “Interestingly enough, he works for WestTransport.”
There was a moment of silence in the room. “The largest trucking company in the nation.” Nyle’s words weren’t aquestion.
Ethan could guess what the man was thinking. There’d been a time when the team had seriously considered that the UNSUB’s occupation took him to different parts of the country. A trucker. A salesman. With Alexa’s input, they’d laid to rest the theory that the victims had been chosen at random. But Carl Merkel’s job still gave himpause.
“Robert Merkel is currently in a local nursing home with a broken hip,” Ethan said. “He’s been recuperating there for over a month, according to the Bridgewater RCMP officer I spoke to. He had no social media accounts that we could find, but the brother in Florida often posts pictures of them together down there. And Merkel’s daughter-in-law has tweeted regular updates of her father-in-law’s progress in rehab. It’s possible the UNSUB could keep tabs him through those avenues to learn when the place would beempty.”
“According to one of the local RCMP officers, Merkel and his wife were foster parents for about fifteen years,” Alexa put in. “Who knows? Maybe the offender gets a fake ID to match whichever area he’s going to strike in. And if so, it’s not implausible he might choose someone he’s familiarwith.”