Page 69 of Darkwater Lane

“I did. And I asked Taylor from work to do so as well. So far, nothing’s come up that has us worried.”

“Except for all the shit she’s said about you and your family inThe Royal Murders,” she points out.

“I’m not committed to releasing it yet. I’ve just agreed to talk toher. So far, I can’t imagine anything interesting coming from it. We recorded for two hours this morning, and it was all boring background stuff.”

“I wouldn’t trust her.”

I laugh. “I don’t trust her. Especially given that she’s renting the house up the hill.”

Kez nearly spits out her drink. “The hell you say?”

“The house Sam stayed in when he first came to Stillhouse Lake.” I nod toward it.

She cranes her neck to get a better look. From here, we can see the flicker of the TV in the front windows. I’d noticed her leaving earlier in the day, but she must be back. The lights in the kitchen are blazing, and I strain to catch sight of movement but there isn’t any. I wonder what she’s watching. Aside from the few times my kids turn something on, it’s been so long since I’ve sat down to watch TV that I wouldn’t even know what’s popular these days.

Beside me, Kez clears her throat. I look her way and am met with pursed lips. “Gwen. Seriously.”

I hold up my hands. “I know. It’s weird.”

“It’s not weird. It’s stalkery. And disconcerting. It’s not like you to be okay with something like this.”

“I went online and looked up short-term rentals. She’s right. There aren’t many options in the area right now. Apparently, there’s an arts festival in Norton that’s got everything close to town booked.”

She gives me a long, hard, disapproving look.

I sigh. “I know, Kez. It’s a risk and I hate risks. But I have to do something because the nothing I’ve been doing isn’t working. If a podcast can help clear our name and take some of the pressure off, I have to try it.”

“That’s some magical thinking shit right there,” she says.

“Trust me, if I thought magic might help, I’d try that too.”

She presses her lips together in a grumble but decides to change the subject. “I was able to get ahold of some of the officers involved in those cases you sent over. The Sicko Patrol.” She glances my way.

I perk up, waiting.

“They all recovered shards of human bone at the scene.”

Up until now, I’d always considered the possibility that the deaths might be connected, but it had seemed so far-fetched. Here, though, was proof. “All of them?” I ask.

She nods. “Every single one.”

“Jesus,” I breathe. It takes a moment for the reality of this to sink in. “They’re all connected, then?”

She nods again.

I stare out at the lake, a dark scar devoid of light, as the repercussions become clear. The enormity of the situation is staggering. “That means there’s a serial killer out there.”

Kez isn’t surprised by my conclusion. She’s clearly already thought it through.

“Shit.” I run a hand down my face.

The reality is, despite everyone’s fascination with serial killers, they’re actually fairly rare these days. Except in my world, apparently. First Melvin Royal, now this.

“None of them reported it to the FBI?” I’m assuming they didn’t, otherwise I would have gotten another visit from Special Agents Indiri and Wren.

“Most of them dismissed it as an odd quirk of the scene. None of the bones were found in the victims’ bodies like Cooper Kuntz. That would have definitely raised some red flags.”

I consider that for a moment. “Why do you think that is? Why the change with Kuntz? Why literally shove the bone down his throat? It seems like an escalation, doesn’t it?”