Page 3 of The Sinner’s Son (Sawyer and Royce: Felonies and Fatherhood #2)
“Hi, Sawyer, it’s Mia Thomas with Mayfield Forensic Services in Atlanta.
” Sawyer hadn’t needed her full introduction since it seemed like he talked to Mia more than his own family lately.
“I have the results on the evidence we tested for Joyce Cole. We found a male DNA profile, but it does not match Andrew Bishop or anyone in CODIS either. I’m zero for three and feel like I’ve really let you down.
Hopefully, our work here at the lab will eventually help you close those cases.
I will email the documentation to you soon.
Please call me if you have questions. Good luck with your investigations. ”
Sawyer pushed back from his desk and walked over to the conference area they’d dubbed the war room.
They’d set up a whiteboard for each of Andrew’s potential victims. They’d started with five women: Gwen Cobb, Monica Horton, Joyce Cole, Jane Doe 1, and Jane Doe 2.
After a thorough review of evidence, they determined that only three women had items that could yield DNA results for testing.
The other two women had been missing for substantially longer times before their discovery and were victims of environmental degradation just as much as the monsters who’d claimed their lives.
Mayfield’s lab had eliminated Gwen Cob, Joyce Cole, and Jane Doe 2 as Andrew Bishop’s victims. Sawyer documented the lab’s finding on Joyce’s whiteboard and moved it off to the side with the other two, leaving Monica and Jane Doe 1 front and center in the room.
He wasn’t giving up on Gwen, Joyce, or Jane Doe 2.
Not by a long shot. His team would do everything in their power to get justice for them, but Alec was coming next week to focus on the two women who could be his father’s victims.
He stared at the boards for a long while, noting the disparity of information between the remaining women.
With Monica, knowing her identity gave them a solid starting point for an investigation.
They would hopefully track down relatives or former friends who could tell them what was going on in her life at the time she went missing.
They only knew the most basic information about Jane.
Her approximate height and weight wouldn’t yield anything, and knowing she’d once broken her tibia would only get them so far.
Without her name, they couldn’t get medical records for comparison.
There was no starting point because none of the evidence left behind pointed them in a specific direction.
Hell, their basic information for the first Jane Doe hadn’t matched to any missing person report taken nationally during that timeframe.
The same was true with the second Jane Doe, but at least her DNA was now in the system, and they could hopefully identify her someday.
Sawyer had been a cop for nearly fifteen years and had seen many troubling things, but the Jane and John Does hit him hardest. Was no one looking for them?
That was something he couldn’t accept. Sawyer knew that law enforcement was often a major part of the problem by refusing to take missing person reports for adults, as these Jane Does were. “Everyone needs to do better,” he said.
His cell phone rang, and he absently answered it without checking the caller ID. “Detective Sergeant Key.”
“Finally.” Alec Bishop’s frustrated voice snapped Sawyer back to reality. “I’ve been calling for hours.”
“Oh, I know you have. You’ve created quite the stir with your unprofessional behavior.”
“I didn’t mean to,” Alec said.
“Of course you did. Why else would you have done it?”
“I was excited to talk to you about our project, but you didn’t return my calls.” Alec sounded like a spoiled child instead of the investigator he wanted to be.
Sawyer pinched the bridge of his nose. “If you must know, I’ve been out of the office on personal business.”
“Oh.” Alec’s irritation deflated like a balloon. “Is everything okay?”
“Yes,” Sawyer replied simply. “How did you get my cell phone number?”
Alec snorted. “Are you joking? What kind of investigator can’t ferret out someone’s phone number?”
“I’m not just someone,” Sawyer reminded him. “I’m a police detective.”
“And your information is just as vulnerable as anyone else’s if you know how to look for it.”
A fact that made Sawyer’s blood run cold. “Do I need to remind you that I’m the real investigator in this partnership?”
“Seems like you just did,” Alec snapped.
Sawyer gripped the phone tighter and fought the urge to tell Alec Bishop to go fuck himself.
He trained his gaze on Monica’s and Jane’s whiteboards.
There was hope for these women, and Sawyer didn’t want to let them down.
So, he let the smart-ass comeback go. “I received a call from the lab, and they excluded your father as the assailant in another case.”
“Damn,” Alec said. “Another swing and a miss.”
“At least it helps us focus our resources on the final two.”
“And one’s a Jane Doe, right?” Alec asked.
“Yes.” Sawyer gritted his teeth and braced himself for a shitty remark.
“I really hope you find resolutions in all these cases, but especially the Janes. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.” Even a broken clock was right twice a day. “And you’re not the only one with news.”
“Yeah? What’s up?”
“I’ll be in Savannah sooner than I’d planned.”
Sawyer barely managed to bite back a groan. Alec wasn’t supposed to arrive until Sunday, and he’d planned to make the most of his final days of freedom. “When?”
“In two hours.”
Sawyer’s heart sank. “That’s soon.”
“The house I’m renting on Tybee Island opened up sooner than expected. I guess the previous renter had to end their vacation early. The homeowner reached out to see if I wanted to take advantage of the vacancy for a discounted price. Couldn’t pass up that offer.”
“Of course not.” Could his voice sound drier or more brittle?
“Let’s get dinner tonight and kick around some ideas. The rest of my crew won’t arrive until Sunday, but we can get a jump start on the project.”
“I’m sorry, but I can’t.”
“No to just dinner or…”
“All of it,” Sawyer said. “My husband has an open house for his Explorer cadets to kick off the new school year starting next week. I have other investigations that require my attention right now, and some of them are on the verge of breakthroughs.”
Alec was quiet for so long that Sawyer wondered if their call had dropped. But then he blew out a frustrated breath. “You can’t just shuffle things around for me?” This attitude was the reason Sawyer needed to set boundaries and enforce them.
“No, I cannot. I’ve already moved my schedule around to accommodate you, and you agreed to the terms. You and I have plans to meet Monday morning at eight thirty, and I’m going to stick to that.”
“That’s disappointing,” Alec said.
With anyone else, Sawyer would’ve apologized for letting them down, but that would give Alec an opening he’d exploit at every opportunity. “Do you need recommendations for things to do in town since you’re arriving early?”
Alec laughed humorlessly. “Nah. I tracked down your phone number, so I can probably find something to entertain me for the next four days.”
“Sounds good. See you Monday morning at eight thirty.” Sawyer disconnected the call before Alec could get another word in. Then he turned his full attention back to the whiteboards. Would they be able to tie Andrew Bishop to Monica or Jane?
“Hey, Sawyer,” Holly said from the conference room doorway.
He turned to greet her. “Hey, Holls. What’s up?”
“That tiny break in my aggravated armed robbery investigation has turned into a major fissure. Judge Stanley signed off on my arrest warrants.”
“Congratulations.”
“Thanks,” Holly said. “There’d been no movement for several years on this case, and then BAM!
People finally started talking about what they knew.
This case has grown into something much bigger than I expected.
I have four arrests to make, and these aren’t good dudes.
All of them have lengthy records and have served time in jail. ”
“And it’s doubtful they want to return,” Sawyer said.
“Exactly. I want to coordinate with Sergeant Reynolds for tactical support. I need to hit this crew with simultaneous takedowns at the ass crack of dawn to avoid them tipping each other off.” Holly wasn’t there to seek his permission or his approval.
She knew damn well she already had those.
What Holly needed from him was a signature to request precious resources from an ever-shrinking budget.
“Let’s do this.”