Page 79 of The Fragile Ones

“He also said thank you to you for being there for him.”

Katie nodded. “It was like a battlefield out there.”

John became somber and nodded in agreement. “Yes, it was.”

Katie had just finished explaining her thoughts to McGaven about the letter not being a suicide note, and how strange it was that the DVDs from Wild Oats Productions showed up.

McGaven remained quiet, which was unusual. He finally said, “So you’re saying that Robin Mayfield was going to spill the beans on something big—possibly the identity of the person who killed her daughters. But the killer actually got to her and tried to make it look like suicide.”

“I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

“Well, that’s a great theory, but now we need proof, evidence, a confession…you know, those things.”

“I never said it was going to be easy.”

“That reminds me,” he said, turning towards his computer. “Remember when you asked me to run background checks on the film crew?”

“Yes.”

“Well, I did.”

“And?”

“And nothing.”

“Why do you do that?” she said.

“What?”

“Get my hopes up? Did any of them stand out?”

“Well,” he said, “disorderly stuff, fights, trespass, assault.”

“Assault, who?”

“It was…” he read, “Bryan ‘Butch’ Price. He’s a bit of a hothead. Keith Cooper was arrested twice for bar fights.”

“That makes sense with those two, but they don’t strike me as the serial killer types.”

“The other guys have zero issues or arrests.”

“Not even Matt Gardner?”

“What does he do?”

“Director. He leads the group.”

“Nope.”

“He was strange on the phone, a bit hostile when I asked him about the DVDs.”

“There are many reasons why he could be like that.”

That was true, but it didn’t sit well with Katie. Her phone interrupted her train of thought.

“Scott.”

“Detective Scott, is McGaven there with you?” asked the sheriff.