Page 75 of The Rookie's Second Chance

I scrolled through the list of names, each one a potential lead, a potential threat. There were so many of them, each with their own story and possible motive.

I was hunched over the computer as I scrolled through the list of names when Jake’s voice startled me. “What you got there?”

I spun around, nearly knocking over my coffee. “Shit, Jake, you scared me,” I said, my heart racing.

He leaned against the desk, his brow furrowed. “Sorry, didn’t mean to. What’s up?”

I hesitated for a second, then decided to spill it. This wasn’t about Mandy, so there was no reason to keep it from him. “I called Miami PD about Kilkenny. He’s retired, moved to Key West around the time Lexi’s letters started up again.”

Jake’s eyes narrowed. “Kilkenny? The cop tied to Jude?”

I nodded. “And get this – he was a foster parent. Took in a bunch of kids, including Jude, who’s apparently his nephew, not his son. We’ve got a list of potential suspects now.”

Jake whistled low. “Damn, that’s a hell of a development.”

We spent the next hour diving into the backgrounds of Kilkenny’s foster kids, now all adults. None of the names rang a bell, but we knew any one of them could be our stalker.

“Alright, I’ll run background checks on these names,” Jake said, scribbling notes.

“Meanwhile, I’ll try calling Kilkenny,” I said, reaching for the phone. I dialed his number, but it went straight to voicemail. I tried his wife’s number, too, but no luck.

“Voicemail?” Jake asked, looking up from his screen.

I nodded, frustrated. “Both of them.”

Jake’s gaze was intense, his mind clearly working overtime. “We need to figure out if one of these kids is in Silver Creek. Any of them could be our guy.”

I leaned back in my chair, my mind racing. “I can’t shake the feeling that we’re missing something obvious.”

Jake stood up, stretching his back. “Let’s keep digging. We’re onto something here.”

I shifted in my chair, glued to the screen as I dove into the digital world. The list of names from Kilkenny's foster children was long and varied. I started with social media, hoping to glean anything that might point us in the right direction.

"Here we go," I muttered as profiles began to pop up. One by one, I scanned through them. Most seemed to be leading pretty normal lives. I noticed that a lot of them were still connected to Kilkenny, but there was a glaring absence on their friends lists – Jude. It was like he was the black sheep of this makeshift family.

"Find anything?" Jake asked, his voice tinged with curiosity.

"Just checking their social media," I replied. "Most seem well-adjusted, but it's interesting that they're not connected to Jude."

Jake leaned over, peering at my screen. "That is odd. Anything else?"

I scrolled through more profiles. "Here’s one – Michael Donovan. Works in IT, lives in Atlanta. Seems to have a pretty tight-knit group of friends, including Kilkenny, but no Jude."

"And this one," I continued, clicking on another profile, "Tara Henderson. She’s a nurse in Seattle. Volunteering, lots of outdoor activities. Same story – connected to Kilkenny, not to Jude."

Jake scribbled down the names. "Good. We can look deeper into them. Anyone else?"

I clicked on another profile. "Lucas Grant. This one’s interesting. He’s a freelance photographer, travels a lot. Photos from all over, but none in Silver Creek. Again, Kilkenny’s there, but no Jude."

I clicked through a few more profiles, noting details. Some were married, some had kids, their lives splayed out in photo albums and status updates. "Seems like Kilkenny really was a father figure to these kids," I observed.

"Yeah, but what about Jude?" Jake asked, his eyes not leaving the screen.

"Either he’s distanced himself, or they have," I said, closing another profile. "There are a few who don't have social media. We'll have to wait for your checks on them."

I leaned back, rubbing my eyes. The screen glow was starting to blur together. Jake was still furiously typing away, his focus unwavering.

"Keep at it, Kayla," he said without looking up. "We'll crack this."

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