Page 91 of Exposure of Murder

Now that he thought about seeing Jane yesterday, he had a nagging thought that refused to let go. That man talking to Jane. Why did he look so familiar?

A memory tugged at the back of his mind. Something about Thornton. He sifted through his memory, because the one thing he was certain of was that he’d seen the man before, but the connection eluded him.Think, dammit!

Damn. Ethan stood abruptly, stepped out of the office and looked around the office. “Adam, bring that box we found at Thornton’s house in here, would you?”

Adam narrowed his eyes in confusion. But he reached down and retrieved the box from his drawer and placed it on Ethan’s desk.

“Do you remember Thornton had a nickname for people he didn’t like?” asked Ethan.

Adam raised a brow. “Go on.”

Ethan sifted through old case notes and stopped at one in particular. “I remember him calling someone he hated ‘worm.’”

“Right!” Adam’s eyes lit up. “Remember when he called Sam Simpson ‘Slimy Sam’? Oh, a Stan Riccardo … ‘Slick Rick’?” Adam laughed. “The nicknames were colorful, for sure.”

“Well, I have a hunch about this Viper,” Ethan said. “Let’s look at those pictures again.”

They went through the photos one by one in silence until Ethan found what he was looking for. His breath caught in his throat.

“This guy.” He pointed to one man in the picture standing next to Thornton.

Adam leaned in, squinting at the image. “Who is it?”

“I just met him yesterday. His name is Victor. What are the odds he’s this Viper?”

“Where did you meet him?” asked Adam as he continued looking through the pictures.

“He was with Jane at the Grow & Feed.” His mind raced, connecting the dots.

“Why would a gangster be at a feed store?

“Don’t know. I’ll call Jane and ask.” Ethan leaned back and steepled his hands. There was something he couldn’t quite put his finger on. He mentally reviewed all the suspects and their conversations he had recently. “Holy shit! I saw this same man in a picture at Maggie’s house. I think it’s her boyfriend. And now that I think about it, he has a tattoo.”

He quickly dialed Maggie’s number and let it ring. Ethan could feel his heart racing. Could this be the lead they needed? “No answer. I’m going to take a chance that Maggie is there and not answering the phone. I need to find out his last name and where he lives.”

“Want me to come along?” Ethan shook his head, already heading toward the door. “No. I’m just going to Maggie’s. I can handle this alone.”

Something told him this was the beginning of the end. Whatever Maggie had to say wasn’t going to be good.

He called Jane on his way over to Maggie’s house. He got voicemail and left a message for her to call him ASAP.

When he arrived, he noticed Maggie’s car was in the driveway, and a sense of relief washed through him. Hopefully, they were closer to not only solving a murder but catching a criminal.

Ethan knocked on the door, waited, then heard footsteps approach.

Maggie opened the door and scowled at him. “Sheriff, what do you want now? Come to accuse me of killing my father again?”

Shaking his head, Ethan stared at Maggie’s disheveled appearance—sweatpants and a baggy top—so different from the other day when she was dressed up. He glanced inside the houseand noticed it had been cleaned up and boxes stacked. “Moving already?”

Maggie narrowed her eyes. “Is that a crime?”

“Maggie. I’m not accusing you of anything,” he said with a firm voice. “The other day, I saw a picture of you and your boyfriend on the mantel. I need to know his name.”

“Why?” she questioned.

Ethan sighed. He didn’t have time for this today. “I need his name right now.”

Maggie huffed and crossed her arms defensively. “His name is Victor Ruggerio. I don’t understand why you need it.”

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