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“I’m sorry. I didn’t think it was relevant.

We had three sessions in all, and I doubt he said more than three words total.

There was nothing to say.” He checked his watch.

“Listen, I’m so sorry, but group therapy’s about to begin.

The patients can get a little…antsy if I’m late. You’re staying overnight, I take it?”

Hagen nodded. “We can, though we haven’t decided yet.”

“Very well. Why don’t you come to my house in the early evening? About five thirty? I’ll be off then, and we can catch up. You can ask me anything you want.”

As Stella finished her hot chocolate, Hagen gave a curt nod and rose to his feet. “We’ll see you then.”

They left the hospital and climbed into the Yukon.

Stella ramped up the heating and held her hands in front of the vent. She spoke as Hagen pulled on his seat belt. “I can see those gears grinding away. What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that maybe Tysen’s right. The murders started here, at the hospital Dr. Silow runs. He treated both Trevor and Maureen. No one would’ve had more influence over Maureen than he did. Or over Trevor. And he didn’t tell us of that connection.”

He put the vehicle in gear and eased away from the hospital.

Stella rubbed her hands together. Moving from the hospital to the Yukon had taken but a few seconds, and she still couldn’t get her fingertips warm.

“He only had three sessions with Trevor. And he said Trevor hardly spoke.”

“We only have his word for that. And three sessions is still plenty of time to get under the skin of someone like Trevor. Especially for someone like Dr. Silow. Didn’t you say what a charming old man he is?

And didn’t you theorize that the Administrator wouldn’t have to be an expert on cuneiform, only that they needed a little knowledge of it and a lot of charm? ”

They reached the junction. A right turn would take them down into Claymore Township. To the left, the road continued up the mountains to their cabin. In the distance, down the slope and over the snow-covered pine trees, Lake Erie glistened in the morning light.

Hagen tapped the steering wheel.

“Left or right?”

“If we’re staying another night, we’re going to need food. Right.”

Hagen turned down the hill. “I’m just thinking that maybe you and Tysen are right, and Guy Lacross was wrong. Maybe we were off base to focus on experts in cuneiform and exonerate Dr. Silow so early. The guy behind this thing might’ve been right under our noses the whole time.”

There was a note of excitement in his voice. Stella wanted to solve this, too, and if they could wrap it up today, they could close the case and stop the coming massacre.

But she was less sure about Dr. Silow’s involvement.

He was kind. He’d always been dedicated to the community and generous and supportive to both Stella and Hagen.

He’d urged them to stay until a new sheriff could be found.

Surely, Dr. Silow was too sensible and too grounded to get caught up in something like this.

“I don’t know. I still have some doubts. Like, I think the big thing is that if Dr. Silow is the Administrator, then why would he send Trevor all the way to Nashville to kill us when he had us here in Claymore? In fact, why ask us to be the interim sheriffs at all?”

Hagen cocked his head to the side. “You know, I didn’t consider that. Maybe he wanted some distance between himself and Trevor? Some sort of plausible deniability?”

“Maybe.”

“But you have to admit it’s weird that Dr. Silow treated Trevor, and he didn’t tell us, right? It’s weird that he treated both of them. ”

“Look, I’m right there with you. Basically, I agree.

But as far as treating goes, it’s a small community.

He probably treats everyone. Plus, doctor-patient confidentiality.

And I just can’t help but think, more generally, why would someone like Dr. Bill Silow, a psychiatrist, a hospital administrator, and a mayor, inspire people to kill? ”

Hagen shrugged. “I don’t understand why half the people we catch do the things they do.

We’ve stopped torturers and psychopaths, people who killed out of rage, people who killed for profit, and people who killed for kicks.

What was the line in that movie? ‘Some men just want to watch the world burn.’”

He glanced at Stella. She knew he’d once wanted to kill for revenge. For a short period, so had she.

“ The Dark Knight . That’s what it was.”

Hagen nodded like he was picturing the scene. “Well, what I do know is that Dr. Silow is an administrator who’s treated at least two of the killers and some of the victims.”

“Okay, we keep talking to him. We’ll get another chance this evening.

But just…you know, keep an open mind. Guy might come up with a better candidate.

Someone like Professor Whelan. Or that Dr. Napp.

Or anyone else on that list he compiled.

Or maybe it’s one of their students, or one of their friends. ”

“Right. And again, if this cult leader doesn’t need extensive knowledge of cuneiform, anyone with an internet connection and the ability to persuade the masses and google what a cuneiform is could be orchestrating this.”

Hagen turned onto the main road and pulled up outside Claymore Township’s general store.

He left the engine running. “If we’re digging into students or friends of cuneiform experts, we’ll never find the killer in time.

There must be hundreds of them. Thousands, even.

Why don’t you give Mac a call? See if she can get anything from Dr. Silow’s phone records. ”

Stella took out her phone and placed the call. Even without a search warrant, they should be able to see any calls or texts between Dr. Silow and Trevor when he was in Nashville.

“Hey, Mac. Need you to dig into Dr. Bill Silow’s phone records for me.”

“Yeah, of course.” Mac sounded so close and yet so far away. Stella didn’t like the distance.

“Highlight any calls or texts between him and Trevor McAuley. And Mac? I assume you’ve already checked whether his number is in that Dispatch group.”

“It’s not there. Doesn’t mean he’s not there, but his phone number isn’t registered. I’ll see what I can find and let you know.”