Page 90 of Water's Edge

“I think I found something. Leann Truitt and Dina Knowles both had their babies at Kitsap Medical Center, but there isn’t a father’s name on the birth certificates. The babies were put up for adoption. I don’t have any way of getting the name of the couples that adopted the babies. The delivery doctors were different for them both. But guess what?”

I wish she wouldn’t do that.

“What?” I ask.

“I found the dates they delivered and checked that with the video surveillance tapes. I’ve been going through them but there are several cameras and I don’t know what I’m looking for.”

I’d forgotten to ask which camera went with which floor or unit.Crap!

“Good work. You really didn’t have to stay so late.”

“It’s okay, Megan. I want to catch this guy.”

She means it, and I feel a little guilty about asking her to work even later.

“Thanks for everything,” I finally say. “I should have asked for the camera numbers for the floors we need to monitor.”

I said “we.”

It passes through my mind just then how helpful it is to have a partner. Not that she is a partner. I mean, Ronnie’s a reserve deputy. Chances are she’ll go to corrections or some office job. She’s too skilled at computer work to be sitting in a patrol car or writing tickets.

“You can let that go for tonight and I’ll call the hospital to see what camera numbers we need. We can look at it together tomorrow. I can use your eyes on this one.”

“Really?” she asks.

She sounds so happy just then. I don’t know if it’s because she thinks she is going home or because she gets to work with me on the videos.

“I want you to do me a big favor tonight.”

“Whatever you need, just ask me.”

She doesn’t balk.

I give her Marley’s work number and personal cell number and tell her to set up a meeting.

“Dr. Andrade assured me the rape kit and a DNA sample from Boyd are at the lab,” I continue. “I know it will take a couple of hours. Do you mind babysitting Marley until he gets a result?”

“You want him to compare Boyd with the unknowns from Dina Knowles and Leann Truitt. Then you want to know if he sexually assaulted Karynn. I watched the techs taking swabbings from her body, so there should be several samples from both of them. It may take overnight to get the results.”

She’s right, of course.

I give more instructions.

“Ask Marley to do Boyd first and see if his DNA matches the unknowns. I hate to ask you to do this, so you can decline.”

I don’t hate asking, but I know there is value in pretending so.

“I’ll see what Marley says, Megan. I don’t know that much about the DNA machine. Do you want me to call you if it’s real late?”

“No time is too late,” I say.

“Oh, I forgot. I ran Karynn through the system. She’s clean. No record. No tickets, even. I put together a list of links to her social media, family, friends, and addresses.”

“Send it to my department email. I’m at home and I’ll go through it here. I may call some of the people listed and see if they can talk to me tonight. Tomorrow we’re taking a road trip.”

“Where are we going?”

“I’ll tell you then. Thanks for helping with this. Tell Marley I said thank you. And don’t spend the night there. Marley can call you or me with the results. You’ll need some rest for what we’re doing tomorrow. Try to be in the office around eight if you can?”

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