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“Because when he was first learning, he’d go to a place heknew?”
She nodded. “Someplace close to him. Subconsciously, he may have chosen his first victim based on his comfort zone. That’s why it makes so much sense to me that he used the van as his—for lack of a better phrase—kill space. By using it, he’s bringing a measure of that comfort zone with him, even when he’s far from home.” He’d still have to arrange the scene where he snatched his victims. Select the area for the dump sites. But he cut his risk by not leaving a primary crime scene. Alexa wondered if that was solely designed for his own ease or to avoiddetection.
“So if he started near his own residence, what was his purpose for returning to one of his childhood homes? Why take a risk by choosing Merkel’s name for anID?”
She shook her head impatiently. “Don’t you see? He’s returning to another anchor point. He spent his formative years in Nova Scotia. The UNSUB knew he couldn’t chance taking Simard in the man’s home city. He had to lure him far away from Fornier, or other hired muscle. By including Lawler in the ruse, he got two of his victims to the same location using the same pretense. It was the likely the biggest challenge he’s undertaken. It makes sense that he’d stack the deck in his favor by getting both of them out of their familiar surroundings while returning to a place known to him. He’d have weighed the safety of making a return. He probably knew Claire Merkel was dead. Maybe he’s kept tabs on the couple. He had to have known there was little chance Pastor Merkel would rememberhim.”
The man couldn’t even be bothered to learn the names of the foster children under his care. It hadn’t escaped Alexa that the pastor’s habit of bestowing Biblical names on the boys was not unlike Reisman insisting on calling her by her middle name. She wondered if it had ever occurred to Merkel that he was robbing the kids of a piece of theiridentity.
“But he didn’t count on Merkel’s son. It sounds like you’ve already decided Tillman is our guy.” Ethan reached up a finger to settle his sunglasses moresecurely.
“We’ll know more in the next few hours.” Because Alexa didn’t doubt that once back at the RCMP in Halifax, they’d be learning everything there was to know about the Adam Tillman who’d lived with PastorMerkel.
The pieces fit. They didn’t know yet if the facts did. But one way or another, they were soon going to learn if they finally had the identity of the killer called TheTailor.
* * *
“Meat lovers and taco pizzas.The dinner ofchampions.”
Alexa raised a weary gaze to view Ian coming through the door to the conference room bearing two pizza boxes and a sack. “What is it with you guys andcarbs?”
“We’ve also got protein covered,” the officer said virtuously. “You could use more protein. And carbs. They both buildmuscle.”
“Carbs also buildfat.”
“You know what lettuce builds? Nothing.” He reached into the sack and brought out a clear plastic container and waved it at her. “But I got you a saladanyway.”
Touched, she said, “Thank you.” She half rose from her seat to snag it and the plastic silverware he handedher.
Ian gave her a concerned look as she opened the container. “Seriously. How are you planning to keep your strengthup?”
“I am planning,” Alexa said, as she stabbed her first bite of salad, “to eat all of this. And then grab a slice ofpizza.”
“That a girl,” he said approvingly, before turning around and waving an arm to fight off Nyle and Jonah. “Let me set it down first. Geez, you’re like a pack ofdogs.”
“I don’t think two counts as a pack, but the description is still oddly fitting.” Ethan walked into the room, lookedamused.
“Just looking to help,” Nyle said as he stole one of the boxes away from the other officer and strode quickly to the table at the front of the room. “His age slows himdown.”
“I can still run a six-minute mile, so unless you can beat that, no cracks about myage.”
“Only if there’s a beer waiting at the end of the run,” Jonahjoked.
As the men bickered good-naturedly, Ethan ambled over to where Alexa sat. He’d shed his suit jacket at some point, along with his tie. His jaw was stubbled, giving him a slightly rakishlook.
Firmly corralling her observations, Alexa asked, “You spoke to CaptainCampbell?”
He nodded. “Once we have the list of Tillmans narrowed down, we’ll reach out to local law enforcement for a closer look. I also checked in with Steve Friedrich. He visited the gas stations where the UNSUB used the credit card. The camera images were a bust. Both places record over old images every week or two, just as wefigured.”
Alexa spoke in between bites. “We’ve found eight Amos Tillmans in the country. One, a man in his eighties, recently died. Two others are late sixties to early seventies. I think we can eliminate them, as well. Another is a teenager. So, we have fourprospects.”
“I’ve got a DMV request for each of those Tillmans.” Jonah turned from the table, three huge slices of pizza piled on a paper plate that was crumpling under the weight. “Just waiting to get copies of the licensesback.”
“This time of night, we might be waiting a while,” Ian said around the pizza he waschewing.
“Better get up here and eat before these guys inhale both pies,” Nyle advisedEthan.
Apparently viewing it as a real threat, Ethan moved toward thefood.