Page 31 of Silent Prayer

Sheila nodded, pulling up Rachel's bank statements on her own computer. The room fell silent save for the soft tapping of keyboards and occasional mouse clicks.

Sheila's fingers flew over the keyboard, eyes scanning the rows of transactions in Rachel's bank statements. She noted regular expenses: groceries, utility bills, and a hefty mortgage payment. Everything seemed typical for someone of Rachel's wealth. High-end restaurant charges, frequent spa visits, anddonations to various charities were all present but expected. There were no suspicious withdrawals or unexplained expenses.

Sheila sighed, frustration mounting. "Nothing unusual here," she murmured to herself. She moved on to Rachel's investments and savings accounts, finding them in order and consistent with her affluent lifestyle. She glanced over at Finn, who was still engrossed in Rachel's social media.

"Any luck on your end?" she asked, hoping for a breakthrough.

Finn shook his head. "Not unless you count posting too many videos of her Shih Tzu as a sin. You?"

Sheila shook her head, gesturing at her screen full of spreadsheets. "Her finances are immaculate. No unexpected withdrawals, no suspicious transfers. She didn't even miss a credit card payment. As far as I can tell, she was a model citizen. No affairs, no financial irregularities, not even a parking ticket."

Finn leaned back in his chair, stretching. "Maybe we're looking at this all wrong. What if the killer just knows all the victims personally? Could be killing them for reasons we don't understand yet."

Sheila considered this. It wasn't an angle they had explored thoroughly. "Okay, let's run with that. We need to cross-reference their social circles, see if there's any overlap we missed."

Finn nodded, cracking his knuckles before turning back to his computer. "I'll start with Laura Hastings. You take Sophie Tournay?"

"Got it," Sheila replied, pulling up Sophie's social media profiles.

They worked in focused silence, the only sounds the clicking of keyboards and occasional mouse scrolls. Sheila meticulously went through Sophie's friend lists on various platforms, jotting down names that appeared frequently or seemed significant.

"Anything?" Finn asked.

Sheila shook her head. "Nothing concrete. Sophie's circles seem to be mostly other volunteers and church members. You?"

"Similar story with Laura." Finn sighed. "Lots of teacher friends, some family. No obvious connections to Sophie or Rachel so far."

Sheila pressed on, expanding her search to include work colleagues, gym memberships, and even grocery store loyalty programs. Her eyes burned from staring at the screen, but she forced herself to focus.

"Wait," she said suddenly, sitting up straighter. "Laura and Sophie both attended a charity gala four years ago. Different tables, but same event. It was called 'Coldwater Cares: A Night of Hope and Healing.'"

Finn leaned over to look at her screen. "Good catch. What was the event about?"

Sheila quickly scanned the event description. "It was a fundraiser for local mental health initiatives. Looks like it drew quite a crowd from different sectors of the community."

"Any sign of Rachel there?" Finn asked.

Sheila scrolled through the event photos. "No, it doesn't look like it." She swallowed hard, disappointed.

"Hold on, I think I have something," Finn said. He turned his laptop toward Sheila, pointing at a social media post from the event. It was a group photo. In the background, barely visible, were Laura Hastings and Sophie Tournay.

"What am I looking at?" Sheila asked, puzzled. "I already told you they both attended the event."

"See this guy?" Finn asked, pointing to a tall, broad-shouldered man with dark hair slicked back and a neatly trimmed beard standing off to the side.

His fingers flew over the keyboard as he pulled up another photo, this one from a corporate event at Elbridge Tech. There,shaking hands with Rachel Kim, was the same man from the charity event photo.

"Who is that?" Sheila asked, her pulse quickening.

Finn zoomed in on the man's name tag. "Juan Rodriguez. Let's look him up." He tapped away at his keyboard. "Apparently he's a local businessman, owns a chain of health food stores in the area."

Sheila's mind raced. "How did we miss this connection before?"

"He's not prominently featured in any of these photos," Finn said. "Just in the background or periphery. Easy to overlook if you're not specifically looking for him."

Sheila went back to her own computer to research this new suspect. "Rodriguez is forty-five years old, born and raised in Coldwater," she said. "According to this, he started his health food store chain, 'Nature's Way,' about fifteen years ago. It's grown to six locations across the county."

Finn nodded, taking notes. "Any priors?"

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