Page 24 of Beyond Her Reach (Bree Taggert #10)

Matt went directly to the conference room Thursday morning and spent an hour updating the whiteboard while Bree was tied up with staffing issues and roll call. He pulled Troy’s late wife’s death certificate and spoke with the medical examiner’s office.

Todd walked in with his laptop and a short stack of folders.

“How’s Cady?” Matt asked.

He set his laptop on the table. “Good. Uncomfortable. Nervous. Excited. Ready. Not ready.”

“And how are you?” Matt asked as Bree walked into the room.

“I’m definitely not ready.” Todd laughed. “I’m terrified for the birth and everything that comes after it. How do you take care of a newborn? They’re so tiny and helpless.”

Matt had never cared for a newborn, but he was sure his sister and Todd would be the best parents. “It’s a learn-by-doing activity. You and Cady will figure it out, and my dad is always around.” Having a father who was a semiretired family doctor had plenty of perks.

“And I’m grateful.”

Bree took a seat at the table, her eyes full of grief.

“Is something wrong?” Matt asked.

“No. I just talked to Kelly’s kids.”

“Ugh,” Matt commiserated. Even though the kids had been notified by their father, the conversation would still have been emotional. “I’m sorry.”

“Yeah. It was rough. They’re both coming home this evening.”

“Any insights into Kelly’s life?” Matt asked.

“Not really.” Bree sighed. “Kelly didn’t talk to them about the man she’d been dating.

They only knew because Harrison told them, something both kids seemed irked about.

Both kids are still mad at him for leaving their mom.

They both mentioned how much they dislike Marina, and they rarely talk to Harrison.

” Bree settled at the table. “The son called Kelly every Friday. Kelly and her daughter texted a few times a week, but they both wanted to stay out of the divorce. Neither kid has been home since summer break, not even for Thanksgiving.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah. Kelly spent the holiday alone, so they both feel guilty for that.”

“That’s rough. I get it, though. Even as young adults, they didn’t want to be in the middle.”

“No one would,” Bree agreed. “Do we have any new information?”

Matt began, “I confirmed that Troy’s first wife died of a congenital heart issue. The ME says there’s no question.”

“Todd?” Bree asked.

“Yes,” Todd said. “Deputy Juarez got Kelly’s order information from the food delivery app.

He spoke with the driver, who recognized her photo and said she opened the door to receive her order.

He didn’t see anyone else inside, but he just shoved the bag at her and left.

He didn’t remember if there was a car in the driveway or not. ”

“We now know that Kelly was alive at 3:05 p.m. on Monday.” Matt changed the time of death on the board to between three and six p.m.

“Where do we stand on the neighborhood canvass?” Bree asked.

Todd consulted his notes. “We’ve spoken with eighty percent of households on Kelly’s street. So far, no one saw anything.”

“Keep trying. Send a deputy over there between three and five in the afternoon. Look for parents and kids coming home from school bus stops. They might live a couple of streets away, but they might have seen something.”

Todd made a note. “Good idea.”

“Let’s take it suspect by suspect, starting with our lead contender, Troy Ryder.” Matt tapped the board with his marker. “Troy.”

“Currently involved in a relationship with the victim,” said Bree. “He says she claimed to be pregnant. We now know that wasn’t true. Did she make the claim as an honest mistake, as Dr. Jones suggested was possible? Or did Kelly have a secret agenda?”

“Like what?” Todd asked.

Bree considered the possibilities. “Maybe she felt like he was pulling away. He’s loaded. She’s broke. Maybe she just wanted to hang on to him.”

Matt capped his marker. “Even if he could have kids, he’d learn she wasn’t pregnant pretty quick.”

Todd shrugged. “She could string him along for a couple of months, then claim to have a miscarriage. You couldn’t tell Cady was pregnant until she was four or five months into her pregnancy.”

“Other evidence against Troy?” Bree asked.

Matt turned to the board and tapped next to each bullet point. “The calls and texts between Troy and Kelly on Sunday, the box cutter found in his Porsche after that weird pursuit, the bloody sock forensics found in his hamper.”

“Let’s double-check with forensics and see if we can expedite the DNA tests on the box cutter and sock,” Bree said.

“I’ll text Rory,” Todd volunteered. He picked up his phone and typed.

“Seems like it’s a pretty good bet that the box cutter will come back positive for Kelly’s DNA.” Bree leaned both elbows on the table and stared at the board. “But Morgan Dane will argue someone stole his car.”

Matt underlined the items on the list. “We found no evidence of forced entry.”

“We also didn’t see the driver of the vehicle,” Bree reminded him. “Forensics found a sock with a spot of human blood on it in his hamper, but that won’t mean anything until the DNA results come back.”

“If they’re going to claim someone broke into his house, then the sock could be tainted evidence as well,” Matt said.

“Rory responded to my text about the DNA.” Todd scrolled on his phone. “He wants us to call him.”

“Let’s do it,” Bree said.

Todd picked up his cell phone and made the call. “Hey, Rory. I’m putting you on speaker. The sheriff and Matt Flynn are also in the room.” He pressed a button on his screen and set down the phone.

“Cool,” Rory said. “First, the DNA report isn’t in yet.

But I have something else for you. I just sent you the preliminary forensics evidence list from the crime scene.

You’re going to see animal fur found on the kitchen floor listed, along with unknown types of fibers, hairs, and dirt.

The victim did not appear to own a pet, so the fur evidence could be important.

The fur is dark brown or blackish. The lab should be able to give us more information. ”

“If we find the specific animal, can the DNA be matched to the hair?” Bree asked.

Matt went to look over Todd’s shoulder as the chief deputy opened the report on his laptop.

As Todd scrolled, Matt scanned the list of trace evidence.

As usual, forensics had collected a long list of trace materials, all of which would need further optical and chemical analysis.

Unless such trace evidence seemed out of place—like the animal fur in a home with no pet—it would be logged and stored until further analysis was deemed necessary.

If the victim was found on a dark-gray carpet, then dark-gray fibers would be expected.

“That depends. Shed fur doesn’t typically contain a root, so there’s very little DNA to work with,” Rory said.

“Most cat lineages aren’t distinguishable from one another, but there’s always the chance that we’ll find a more unusual variant.

If it’s a dog hair, then the lab might be able to determine the breed. ”

“So all we know right now is that dark animal fur was at the scene,” Bree said.

“Pretty much,” Rory said. “Sorry.”

“Thanks, Rory.” Todd signed off the call. “The fur doesn’t sound too helpful.”

“We could get lucky.” Matt thought back to the scene. “Kelly didn’t have a cat or a dog.”

Bree flattened a palm on the table. “Jeff Burke has a black cat. I saw it in the window of his house. Let’s bring him in for a formal interview.

We want him to verify it was Troy Ryder that he saw at Kelly’s house and not someone else.

We’ll set up a photo array. Jeff Burke gave off stalker vibes when he talked about Kelly.

He’s impulsive and quick tempered as well. ”

Matt noted the animal fur in the evidence column and wrote interview Jeff Burke on the to-do list.

Bree leaned back and scrubbed her hands down her face. “Who’s next?”

Matt stepped sideways to point at the next column on the board. “Harrison Gibson.”

“There were barn cats on the farm,” Bree said.

“Harrison also lied about the time he left the trampoline park. Was he mistaken, or was the lie intentional to give him a more solid alibi?”

“I’d bet on the lie.” Matt felt it in his bones. “But can we prove it? I remember him using vague words like around four thirty and sixish .”

“Hedging in case we caught him?” Bree asked.

“Yep,” Matt said. “And he probably lied about when he started seeing Marina. We know he left Kelly last spring, but Marina posted a photo of them together on social media before that.”

Bree turned to Todd. “Do we have any financial information on the Gibsons?”

“We do.” He read from his screen. “Neither of them have much money in the bank. No unusual recent withdrawals, deposits, or charges. The mortgage for their house eats up a significant portion of Harrison’s paycheck.

Kelly had no income of her own. We found life insurance policies in her home office.

They had two term policies of five hundred thousand each, payable to the surviving spouse.

I called the insurance company. The policies are still valid. ”

Bree drummed her fingers on the table. “That seems like a reasonable amount, considering the amount of the home mortgage and the tuition at the kids’ colleges.”

Matt turned to the whiteboard, where he’d added the interview with Kelly’s best friend.

“According to Virginia Hobbs, Harrison wanted Kelly to be a stay-at-home mom, until he dumped her for a younger woman. Virginia said he wanted the house sold so he could get his own place with Marina. Kelly’s murder solves all his problems.”

Bree added, “He also lied about when he last spoke with her. He conveniently forgot about ambushing Kelly in the parking lot of the Pilates studio last week.”

“Is that all?” Todd asked.

“I think so? It’s a lot,” Bree said. “We’re going to need a spreadsheet to keep track of Harrison’s lies.”

Todd nodded. “To summarize: We’re calling Jeff Burke in to pick out Kelly’s new boyfriend from a photo array, and to give us more details about the last fight between Kelly and Harrison.”

Bree added, “Ask him nicely if he’d be willing to help with Kelly’s investigation. Treating him as an ally might resonate with him. He seemed like he wanted to help.”

Which felt suspicious to Matt. “He wouldn’t be the first killer to try to help with an investigation.”

“True,” Bree agreed.

“ Ok ,” Todd said. “We’re also calling Harrison Gibson in for a second formal interview to confront him about his lies regarding the last time he saw Kelly and the time he left the trampoline park.”

“I’ll call Harrison,” Bree said. “His ego will want the attention of the sheriff.”

Marge poked her head into the conference room. “Morgan Dane and Lance Kruger are here. Ms. Dane says she has important information for you. Do you want me to put them in an interview room?”

“Yes,” Bree said. “Matt and I will talk to them in a minute.” She dismissed Todd and motioned to Matt. “Let’s go.”

Matt set down his marker. “This should be interesting.”

What did the defense attorney know? Matt liked and respected both Morgan and her husband, Lance. They might usually be on the opposite side of a case, but they both had integrity.

Matt locked the conference room on their way out. Integrity didn’t mean neither Morgan nor Lance would be curious, and the murder board was for law enforcement eyes only.

In the interview room, Morgan didn’t waste any time. “I have two witnesses who can put Harrison Gibson at Kelly’s house between four and five p.m. on Monday, and we found the blond woman who ran into Troy on the lake trail Monday afternoon.”