Page 69 of The Whispering Girls

This caught Katie’s attention. “I’m guessing the remnants were similar if not identical to the fibers we found.”

“If I were in my lab, I would be able to confirm that but here I can optimistically say that it’s ninety percent positive,” he said.

Katie sat back down. “So we know the killer must’ve used these old pieces of carpet to move the bodies to the crime scene areas. That would mean they had to know what this business did this with its offcuts.”

John nodded. “You can’t see them from the street or near the building.”

“So who would know about it? Customers? Carpet delivery personnel and installers?”

“Well, I can make this easy. Crane Flooring gets almost all their carpeting and flooring from a distributor, ATC Floors, out of Southern California. They’ve been doing business with them for more than twenty years. But they have only one installer locally and his name is Bill Westin.”

Katie stood up and went to the board. She had a renewal of energy. “We have another lead. We’ve got to chase this guy down. I’ll have Gav do a background when he gets back.”

“I’m sending the address and cell number to your phone,” John said. “And the manager said Bill would be dropping off some unused carpet pieces in the morning before noon.”

“Just because he has access to the carpet that left fibers at the crime scene doesn’t make him the killer…but it does make him someone we need to talk to. Great work, John.”

“I do what I can,” he said and smiled.

The lights flickered, but remained on.

“Is there a generatorhere?” said John.

“I’m sure Jack has one, but if not, we need to make sure everything is charged one hundred percent and there’s wood stockpiled for the fireplace.”

“That’s why I wanted Gav to get whatever battery chargers that he could.”

Katie began updating the lists, highlighting important information to include the new evidence and locations. She wanted to see if there were links or a consistent connection with their other clues.

Victims/Crime Scenes:

#1 Theresa Jamison

Nineteen years old. Good health. Found in woods near vacation cabin,hungin tree, cause of deathstrangulation, manner of death homicide,totemleft at scene,drag marksbehind tree indicating how she was brought to the location.Her face was coveredwith aburlap bag. She was aresident of Echo Forestworking at theSunrise Caféand going to go to nursing school.Boyfriend, Devin Bradley. Friend, Tami Clark. TJ (Tamara Jane Lambert)found body and came to the cabin to ask Katie for help—then TJ disappeared. Striking resemblance to TJ (related?).

#2 Tamara Jane Lambert (TJ)

Twenty years old. Foundnear the Mountain Trail Pass.Posed in field area.Face covered with fabricsimilar to Theresa’s burlap. Cause of deathstrangulation(haven’t received official autopsy report), manner of death homicide,totem left at scene,clothes bagged and left in trash can, drag marks indicating she was brought there and wherethe killer entered the area.From out of town.Staying at the abandoned Valley Motel. No one seems to know her or have seen her from people questioned.

#3 Natalie Renaldo

Twenty-one years old.Nursein training.Found at hospital.Posed in ladies’ restroom.Strangulation. Message in blood written on the wall:Three down…More to go…Waiting for more information. Crime scene appeared rushed, cutting things close.

Hospital Murders: Preliminary report, waiting for official reports

Nurse Patty Brown (throat slashed)

Security Guard Nelson Gonzalez (throat slashed)

Persons of Interest and Others Interviewed:

Devin Bradley (boyfriend of Theresa Jamison, lives alone out on thirty acres) POI

Gladys Miner (owner of Sunrise Café) Interviewed

Tami Clark (friend of Theresa, sister of Officer Clark, found boot near TJ’s crime scene) Interviewed.

Jack Thomas (local veterinarian, crime scene tech for the police department) Interviewed