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CHAPTER THIRTY

“ I ’m afraid you’re going to have to leave your weapon with us.” The bouncer—who was probably “Head of Security” in a place like this with its ballroom and full cocktail menu—wore a black shirt and black pants with an earbud in one ear.

“There’s no need to be afraid.” Addie flashed her badge. “And no, I’m not disarming myself. But I am going in there.”

She stepped around him into the crowded ballroom.

The mayor’s assistant had told her that he was here tonight. She’d been two blocks over at a barbecue restaurant with her boyfriend. Meanwhile this black-tie event had a full crowd of people, plenty of brass in uniform and Benson’s who’s who.

She hadn’t bothered changing, but since she wore her work clothes of pants and a white collared shirt under her wool coat, open so the fact she was armed was clear to everyone, she figured she could pull off not looking like a total slob.

She should’ve changed her shoes. Rich women always looked at the shoes first.

Then again, considering most of her shoes were at her condo, maybe that wasn’t an option.

Addie sighed and scanned the crowd for the mayor.

Zimmerman hadn’t called back, but he’d emailed her a copy of the request the FBI had. Whoever took down the details hadn’t passed along the person’s name who wanted an agent assigned to Benson. Multiple people had to have signed off on it, but she wasn’t likely to get to the bottom of this on that end until tomorrow.

So she was here to dig on this side.

She found the police chief and Captain McCauley first.

They both knew Celia’s father had turned himself in for stabbing Jacob. What else was there to do tonight except party with the big wigs? Certainly not drive to her uncle’s house and apologize to Jacob for their assumptions and how they’d treated him in light of him being a victim.

Then again, maybe they still thought Jacob killed Celia.

Addie was bringing her personal feelings into a case where she didn’t need that. She recognized that she was a human being—more so here than in Virginia. This place meant something to her, and so did the people who lived here.

She was probably going to battle this the entire time she was in her hometown. But she was also going to do her job, save lives. Bring those responsible to justice as best she could, with professionalism and integrity.

If she got a little wrapped up in it, so what?

Addie walked the periphery until she spotted the mayor and his wife.

She headed for them, and right as she stepped into his circle, she realized the police chief and McCauley had clocked her moving and done the same. Fine . It didn’t matter, did it? This was going to happen either way.

The mayor frowned.

“May I have a word, sir?” Her voice was tight, but she was as polite as she could be.

He brought his drink but shooed away his wife. “Through there.”

The mayor’s two security guards followed at a distance as he headed first into a side hallway lined with thick carpet, crown molding on the walls framed with gold color. They passed a table with carved legs, a massive vase out of which spilled a profusion of flowers that exploded like fireworks from the mouth of the china.

The mayor opened double doors on the right side of the hall and stepped into a study lined with bookshelves.

No one sat in the high-backed velvet chairs.

“Care to tell me why you’re interrupting my evening?” Mayor Simeon Olivette lifted his glass for a sip.

“I’ll make this quick, sir.” Addie was aware of the police chief and McCauley behind her but faced the mayor on her own on this one.

Since her question was for all of them, she turned and included the two city cops with the mayor. “I need to know who requested from the FBI that an agent be sent here.”

“Me.” The mayor shrugged one shoulder.

“Did you ask for me specifically?”

He frowned. “We knew you worked for the FBI and as a profiler. Which is what we needed.”

She tried to figure out if he was referring to himself in the third person or if he meant himself and others. Maybe Police Chief Lachlan and Captain McCauley.

“We put the request through for help, and you showed up two weeks later.”

Addie frowned. It hadn’t been an emergency, necessarily. “That’s quick.” She glanced at McCauley. “Have you ever known bureaucracy to move that quickly?”

He frowned. “I’m sure we asked for an agent. I figured they’d send someone from Seattle. Maybe a task force. One person shows up, and it’s you? Didn’t make any sense to me.”

But he’d assumed Jacob killed Celia Jessop. Did that make sense to him, even though there was no evidence?

Addie frowned. “So you weren’t expecting me.” She glanced around. “But someone had to have mentioned my name. To get me pulled off the team I was on and ordered back here.”

At the time it seemed like she was being sent to Benson to get over her history and then get a promotion. Zimmerman had all but said as much when he told her she was being reassigned.

“We met about the need for outside help.” The mayor motioned to the two cops. “Talked about calling in the state police, or even a private investigator. We heard about this one who works all over—bringing down killers.”

“That’s just a rumor,” McCauley said.

“Fine, I heard about her.” The mayor sipped his drink. “We also talked about using a private security team from here in Benson and letting them take a look at the case and see if they can solve it. A couple of them used to be cops, or feds, or something. But we don’t know them.”

“You know me.” Addie paused. “Was anyone else in these meetings, or just the three of you?” She glanced at Lachlan.

The chief of police frowned. “And Detective Maxwell, a couple of the times. He worked most of the cases.”

“Is he the one who connected them?”

Lachlan shook his head. “He figured there wasn’t much to it.”

Addie turned to McCauley. “Anything I should know from Austin’s phone?”

The captain frowned. “We’re looking for Hank.”

“McCauley.” He needed to stop giving her the runaround concerning the guy.

“Austin sent a series of texts to Hank.”

The mayor frowned. “What’s this about?”

McCauley said, “The texts indicate Hank Maxwell was Celia Jessop’s boyfriend.”

Chief Lachlan kept quiet.

“And no one has seen Hank?” Addie said. “Because that’s a serious conflict of interest if he didn’t immediately tell you he and Celia were in a relationship. He investigated her murder.” They had to realize. “He should’ve been our number one suspect from the beginning. Instead, Captain McCauley is pinning down Jacob Wilson as though he had anything to do with her. Or the captain had any evidence of his involvement whatsoever.”

“I was told they knew each other.” McCauley sighed. “It was worth a conversation.”

“Told by who?” Addie asked. “Detective Maxwell?”

McCauley scratched at his jaw.

Addie turned to the mayor. “Did Hank Maxwell specifically mention me when the request was put to the FBI for an agent to be brought here?”

Chief Lachlan answered instead. “He’s the one who mentioned the FBI.”

“Even though he didn’t believe the cases were related?”

The chief shrugged. “Maybe he figured feds should look like idiots more than us. At least, that’s what I thought at the time.”

“Seems like a waste of time and money just to prove himself right that they weren’t connected. And if he’s the one behind it, he’s risking the truth coming out.” Addie let that sink in. They didn’t like the idea one of their own might be dirty—a serial murderer. “Unless what he wanted was for me to come here.”

The mayor leaned forward. “Why would he want that?”

“Because this started with me, Hank, and Jacob. I think that’s how he wants it to end.” In fact, what Addie thought was that Hank wanted to end her and Jake. “There’s a plan at work here. Hank has been pulling strings. Orchestrating things for years. Biding his time.”

“There’s no way.” McCauley shook his head.

“Because no serial murderer ever fooled the people he was closest to? Gave them no indication of what went on beneath the surface?”

Lachlan winced. “I was the one who recommended him for the police academy. You’re telling me he fits the profile of a demented killer? That would’ve come out in the psych eval.”

Addie scoffed. “You think I wouldn’t have noticed that my friend in high school was probably in league with the person who kidnapped us.”

“If there was a protégé,” Lachlan said. “And it was Jacob Wilson.”

“Because Hank was always your golden boy.”

“You don’t know?—”

Addie cut him off. “Tell me.”

Lachlan’s face flushed. He moved to one of the chairs and ran both hands down his face, shoulders slumped. It took a minute, but eventually he spoke. “Can’t tell you how many calls we responded to at the Maxwell residence over the years. Started around the time he was three. Mom’s boyfriend.”

Addie’s heart sank.

“Hank was twelve when he beat the guy and kicked him out,” Lachlan said. “I shook his hand.” The police chief shook his head. “I’m not giving you ammo to label him some kind of sicko.”

“He was my friend.” Some patterns existed in the history of sociopaths. They learned how to adapt and blend in. It was almost a game with some. A way to see if they could fool everyone. “We need to find him. Talk to him.”

McCauley frowned. “And yet we ignore Jacob Wilson, the misunderstood recluse? He’s the one who fits the profile.”

“Hank is the one directly involved. He was in a relationship with Celia Jessop,” Addie said. “He lied to you guys about it and betrayed the oath he took to uphold the law with integrity. Tell me what Jacob has done, aside from not fit the mold because he chose to live his life his way instead of what you thought he should do.”

She of all people knew trauma effected the victims in all kinds of different ways.

“We’re finding him.” McCauley folded his arms.

“If I’m right, he orchestrated all of this. I don’t want to believe it’s possible a cop could do that, but we can’t allow it to cloud our judgment.”

None of them liked that.

“This is personal for all of us.” Addie shrugged. “But I have two FBI agents in my office working this case, and they have no personal connection to any of it.”

She was glad she’d asked for backup. They might be strangers to her, but it could come in handy if she was right that Hank had been orchestrating things. Covering up. Planning, and experimenting.

He might’ve figured out how to get her back here. For some specific reason she hadn’t figured out yet.

“So we just turn it over to feds we don’t know?” Lachlan said.

Addie nodded. “It’s the right thing to do. So, yes. I’m fully prepared to let them take this and step back if necessary. I did what I could. They can find Hank and figure out his involvement in every death the FBI was handed to investigate. I’m telling you guys the FBI is investigating these cases and Hank is the number one suspect as of right now. Don’t get in the way.”

Addie’s phone rang. She slid it from her pocket, hoping it was one of the agents. Or Hank turning himself in like Celia’s father had.

It was Russ.

She swiped her thumb across the screen. “Hey, can I call you back in a minute?”

A low moan sounded across the line. “Addie…”

Her body went cold. “Russ?”