Page 26

TWENTY-FIVE

SHERIFF HUDSON

“Morning,” I say, entering the chatty briefing room, which resembles any high school classroom. There are rows of tables with deputies seated at them, all facing forward. They fall silent and sit up straight as I walk to the front. Olson and Nagel stand off to the side, their hands clasped together in front of them.

I take a seat, fire up the computer, and select the document detailing updates on our open investigations. The computer screen projects three bullet points onto the whiteboard behind me.

Ryan Stevens murder

Kelly Summers reinvestigation

Stacy Howard disappearance

Lifting my head, I look out at my team. “Obviously, you all heard the news that Ryan Stevens is dead. He was murdered while asleep in his hospital bed at around one thirty this morning.”

I tap the mouse, and a blurry image of a man standing in the hospital hallway projects onto the whiteboard. He’s dressed in scrubs, a doctor’s coat, and a surgeon’s cap and mask. “The victim’s throat was slashed ear to ear by this man.” I point to the image rendered from a security camera.

It feels weird to refer to Ryan as a victim. He was the sheriff for a long time, then he was a drunk, and then he was a pain in my ass. But he’s never been a victim.

“Did we locate the murder weapon?” a deputy sitting in the front row asks.

I shake my head. “No, but the medical examiner believes the weapon was a scalpel.”

I look to Pam. “Olson, do you want to update us on what you and your team have so far, regarding security footage and witness statements?”

She nods and steps forward, addressing the room. “We’re still in the process of reviewing all the footage, but we know he entered the hospital through an employee entrance shortly before one a.m. and exited the same way at one forty. He kept a low profile and waited for Deputy Morrow to leave his post. He kept a close eye on Morrow while moving in and out of other nearby rooms as though doing hospital rounds. He never removed his mask or surgeon’s cap, so identifying him will be difficult, but we would guess he’s a white male, anywhere from six foot to six four, average build, age somewhere between midthirties to midfifties. It’s hard to tell though, given how much of his face was covered.”

“How did he get through an employee entrance? Don’t those require a code or a fob or a badge?” a deputy seated in the back questions.

“He used an employee badge belonging to a nurse on staff. She said it went missing sometime between her previous shift on Thursday and her shift last night, but she hadn’t reported it to the IT department yet,” Olson says.

Sergeant Lantz clears his throat. “Do we believe her?” He’s been on the force longer than I have, but he’s got an attitude problem, which is why he hasn’t moved up in rank—and why he probably never will. I can tell by the sad yet angry look on his face he’s not taking the news of Stevens’s murder well.

“Her story was corroborated by another nurse who swiped her in when they started their shift yesterday afternoon. I’ll note she was very upset when we questioned her,” Olson says.

“Why didn’t she report her missing badge to IT at the beginning of her shift? Stevens is dead because of her,” Sergeant Lantz seethes, his face turning red.

“She’s well aware, Sergeant.” Olson purses her lips. “But Stevens is dead not because some nurse misplaced her badge or had it stolen from her. Stevens is dead because someone murdered him.” She turns her attention back to the room. “Whoever this man is, he knew what he was doing. He acted calmly, never changing his pace, even after he killed Stevens. We interviewed several witnesses that encountered the suspect, mostly just passing him in a hallway, and not one person could tell us a single detail about him. He blended in seamlessly, bringing no attention to himself, so identifying him is going to be extremely difficult, if not impossible.”

A hand goes up in the back. “Do we think this is related to the Clarke woman Stevens killed?”

Olson looks to me for the answer.

“We’re not ruling anything out,” I say.

She nods in agreement. “My team will start putting together a list of possible suspects that fit the physical description as well as had motive and opportunity. Stevens received a number of death threats, mostly online, so we’ll be following up on each of those as well.”

“A statement will be released to the press, so expect additional media coverage and, potentially, some civil unrest,” I add.

“Why would the public be upset? Didn’t they want Stevens dead?” one of my more senior deputies scoffs. He’s leaned against the back wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Some did, but others might think this was a cover-up to make the Summers investigation go away,” I explain.

His brows shove together. “ Pfft. That’s ridiculous.”

“It is,” I say with a nod.

Right now, this is a nothing burger of an investigation and everyone knows that. It’s just one of those cases that will require a lucky break to crack it. Actually, that’s nearly the majority of murder investigations these days. In the eighties, the murder clearance rate was around 71 percent. But now, it’s only half. Our technology and forensics are more advanced than they were forty years ago, yet 50 percent of homicides go unsolved. It doesn’t make any sense.

“Any other questions or comments on the Stevens case before I move on?” I scan the room. No one says a word, and several shake their heads.

“Moving on to the Kelly Summers case.” I click the mouse, projecting a new slide onto the whiteboard.

Ryan Stevens— deceased

Jesse Hook— deceased

Scott Summers— whereabouts unknown

Anne Davis— reinterviewed, no new info

Bob Miller— pending

Sarah Morgan— pending

Adam Morgan— deceased

“These are the suspects and/or witnesses from the initial investigation. As you can see, several of them are deceased, which makes reexamining the case all the more difficult. We also didn’t get a chance to speak to Stevens regarding his concealment of DNA evidence and his involvement with the victim before his untimely passing. Olson and I reinterviewed Anne Davis, but she provided no new info, and due to how long ago this all happened, we are unable to verify her story.”

“Jesus, what a crapshoot,” an officer comments.

“The JonBenét case would be an easier one to solve than this,” Sergeant Lantz adds. The mention of the infamous unsolved Ramsey case gets everyone going, and they start throwing out theories.

“Everyone knows her mother did it,” says one deputy.

“No, it was the brother. The parents just helped cover it up,” says another.

“All right, settle down.” I stretch my arms out and wave my hands to quiet the room. “Let’s focus on our own unsolved cases.”

“What if we already got the right guy? What if Adam Morgan did kill Kelly?” Deputy Lane ponders.

“We may have, but regardless, we still have to reexamine the case, especially since the reason it’s going through the appeals process is due to the shoddy investigation that was conducted by our office. I know most of you weren’t here or involved with that case, but it’s our responsibility to make sure it’s done by the book this time,” I say firmly as I make eye contact with my most vocal officers. They nod and their mouths form hard lines, confirming that even though they’re frustrated, they accept it.

I point to three of my patrol deputies seated at a table together. “I want you three to pull all the physical evidence related to the Summers case from homicide row.”

Since homicide has no statute of limitations, we have to keep that evidence forever, so it’s all tucked away in the last aisle of our storage facility. The Summers case evidence hasn’t seen the light of day in over twelve years, but maybe a reevaluation of it will help shed some new light on the investigation.

The three deputies nod.

“That’s all on the Summers case for now,” I say, knowing there really isn’t anything new on the matter. Another case with not much to go on. I tap the mouse with my pointer finger and look to Nagel.

“Lieutenant, fill us in on the Stacy Howard disappearance.” I glance at the photo projected on the whiteboard behind me. It’s a picture of Stacy in a tight black dress that stops a few inches above her knees. A glass of white wine is clutched in her hand. Her long red hair hangs freely in loose curls, and her mouth is partially open as though the picture was taken midlaugh.

Nagel nods and takes a step forward. “Just as a recap, Stacy Howard was reported missing by her roommate, Deena. Cell phone data tracked her last location near her apartment before her phone either died or was shut off. She hasn’t been seen or heard from in six days now. Her last point of contact was a text to Deena around five p.m. on Monday night, saying she was planning to meet up with a man she was seeing by the name of Bob Miller. Sheriff Hudson and Chief Deputy Olson interviewed Mr. Miller. He denied meeting her on the night she went missing and said he had only met her once, nearly four weeks ago, when the two engaged in a one-night stand. With the recent discovery of Stacy’s abandoned vehicle, Bureau of Criminal Investigation was consulted. A critically missing adult alert went out this morning as well as social media posts and a media release.”

“Did we get anything back from the lab yet?” I interject.

“Yes, BCI expedited the DNA tests. The dried blood found on the steering wheel was compared to a strand of Stacy’s hair collected from a hairbrush her roommate turned over. It was a match.”

“What about the background check I asked for?” I meet Nagel’s eyes.

“We just got that back. Stacy was previously convicted of blackmail and extortion of a federal employee.”

Olson and I look to one another, each raising a brow.

“Say more.”

“According to the court documents, Ms. Howard had an affair with a sitting congressman, and she threatened to go public with it unless he supported her financially. The congressman did comply with her demands for a while but eventually went to the feds. She served two years of probation, paid a hefty fine and restitution.”

“Is that Bob guy, the one Stacy told her roommate she was going to meet up with, married?” Deputy Lane asks.

“He is,” I say.

“Well, do we know if Stacy was blackmailing or extorting him?” Lane asks.

“It’s a possibility, but we haven’t confirmed that,” I answer.

“That would definitely be a motive,” another deputy comments. “And what about Bob’s wife? What do we know about her?”

“A lot actually. Bob Miller is married to Sarah Morgan, who you all know was the wife of Adam Morgan, so there’s some overlap between the Howard disappearance and the Summers case,” I explain.

“Sounds like the wife did it,” Sergeant Lantz calls out.

“We’re looking into all possibilities, but we don’t want to jump to any conclusions given the sensitive nature regarding reopening the Summers case.” I look to Nagel. “Please continue with the debrief on the Howard disappearance, Lieutenant.”

“We were able to unlock the cell phone found in Stacy’s abandoned vehicle, and we’re still going through all of it,” Nagel continues. “But there was a text to a phone number saved under the contact labeled ‘Bob Miller’ on the night Stacy disappeared, confirming they were meeting up. However, that phone number is unregistered.”

“So, a burner phone?” one of my greener deputies asks.

There are nods all around.

Deputy Lane raises his hand. “Did that unregistered number text Stacy back?”

Nagel shakes his head.

“What about fingerprints or DNA? Did forensics find anything on the vehicle, Lieutenant?” Olson looks to him.

He continues shaking his head. “Unfortunately, it was wiped clean, save for that bit of Stacy’s blood on the steering wheel.”

“Has Miller been reinterviewed?” Sergeant Lantz calls out.

“Not yet,” I say.

Lantz squints. “Shouldn’t we bring him in again?”

I take a moment to think it over. We don’t have his prints or DNA on or in the vehicle. The number attached to his saved contact in Stacy’s phone isn’t registered to anyone, so we can’t confirm it even belongs to Bob. I know we don’t have enough for a search warrant, and Bob’s a seasoned lawyer, so we won’t be able to rattle the truth out of him like we could with any other Joe Schmo.

“No,” I finally land on. “But, Lieutenant Nagel, I want you to put a surveillance team on Bob Miller. You and three deputies. Teams of two on rotating twelve-hour shifts, starting as soon as you can pull your team together. Be discreet. Bob already knows he’s on our radar, but I don’t want him tipped off that he has a tail.”

“What about bugging his phone or obtaining a search warrant?” Lantz asks.

“I don’t have enough evidence to get a judge to sign off on any of that, Sergeant.” I pull my lips in. “Let’s just hope Bob leads us to Stacy.”

The room nods in agreement.

“Dismissed,” I say.

Chatter ensues, and my team filters out of the room. I shut the computer down and get to my feet as Olson approaches, holding her head high.

“We need to bring Sarah in for questioning,” I say.

She furrows her brow. “I thought you said you wanted to wait, given the appeal.”

“I did, but with Stevens dead, I’m running out of people to question. Plus, I need to find out what she knows about her husband’s relationship with Stacy and then decide if she’s a suspect.”