Page 25 of See How They Hide

“Any new sightings of Riley Pierce?” Matt asked Kara and Michael.

“No,” Michael said. “Ashland is a small town, barely twenty thousand residents, half of which are college kids. The police have been looking for her.”

“Ryder confirmed she doesn’t have a driver’s license issued in Oregon or Colorado in the name Riley Pierce,” Matt said, “so she’d likely be using her passport to travel. But she hasn’t boarded a plane in the last twenty-four hours. We’re working on bus stations and trains, but that takes a bit longer. She could have taken a series of local buses, or had someone pick her up.”

Kara looked like she disagreed. “Kara?” he said. “You have a different opinion?”

“We already know that the three victims have nearly nonexistent backgrounds, and Crossman had access to a lot of cash,” she said. “We can’t dismiss the idea that Riley might have another identity. Maybe she rented a car under another name.”

“Good point, but until we get another sighting or name to check, it’ll be hard to pin her down. She has a passport issued in Denver when she was nineteen, three and a half years ago. That coincides with what we know about Jane, who allegedly lived in Denver at the same time.”

“Maybe we can look for women who bought a ticket out of Portland, Medford, or Seattle within the last forty-eight hours?” Kara suggested.

“That would be labor intensive, but Ryder might have some shortcuts, or he can call in one of the techs,” Matt said. “Write it up for him with clear parameters.”

Kara nodded, and then Matt said, “Catherine’s profile hasn’t changed, but it’s been refined. We still believe that the victims were known to the killers, that these weren’t random murders. Based on forensics, Crossman may have been killed the day before Benson and Merrifield, up until the same time window—early Sunday morning. If before, we’re looking for three to four individuals coordinating. If he was killed at the same time, we’re looking at four or more people involved.” He turned to Catherine. “Floor is yours, Catherine.”

She cleared her throat and said, “While Matt’s correct and I haven’t changed the base profile, we have more information now. But the more we know, the more questions I have.

“One of the important things we’ve learned is that all three victims have a connection to Colorado, two confirmed in Denver. This is not a coincidence. But at this point, they are no relation to each other. Right before this call, I received the paternity test, and Benson and Merrifield are not related by blood.

“However,” Catherine continued, “the three of them either knew each other or have a common connection. They could have once lived on the same street or in the same small town, been at the same store at the same time, any number of things. But theyareconnected. The killers are highly organized. The leader—and there will be one person in charge—is highly intelligent and instills loyalty and discipline among his or her killers.

“Red poppies have traditionally been a symbol of mourning, loss, or grief, generally reserved for the military. There are other interpretations, and during Sloane’s interview with Mrs. Benson, she stated that her husband saw them not as a sign of comfort, but of a dark purpose. Yet, he kept a dried poppy in his wallet. I’ll add, however, that I don’t believe the poppy was in his wallet for long—it hadn’t crumbled as a dried flower would without protection. I sent it to the lab and they’ll have a more accurate timeline, but I’m thinking days, not more than a week. The poppy meant something to him. They also mean something to Jane Merrifield and Chris Crossman.”

Jim said, “Crossman had an envelope of laminated poppies that match the one Kara found in Merrifield’s apartment. All of them are on their way to the lab for analysis, but I’m working off the assumption that Merrifield’s came from Crossman. There was nothing like that at Benson’s?”

Matt shook his head. “We didn’t find a laminated poppy. However, we didn’t do a deep search. I don’t know that it will be necessary, but if it is I’ll reach out to Benson’s widow.”

“Though I’ll await confirmation, I agree,” Catherine said. “Kara’s discovery that the suitcase in Merrifield’s apartment and the money envelope match those found at Crossman’s, tells us that Jane was likely at Crossman’s house at some point. This is a clear, personal connection between two of the three victims.” She cleared her throat before continuing. “Matt reached out to Mrs. Benson, and she stated that her husband didn’t have a similar suitcase, at least she had never seen him with one. That doesn’t mean he didn’t have one in the year before they married, just that he didn’t bring it to her house.”

“One of the things I’ve been thinking,” Jim said, “what if Crossman was like the underground railroad, taking in people who needed help, giving them supplies, cash, sending them on their way?”

“His house is set up that way, isn’t it?” Catherine concurred. “And you may be right, except if that’s the case, what’s the motive? We know that Robert Benson had an emotionally abusive partner. If Jane had an abusive boyfriend, that would be a connection. How did they know about Crossman? Did they find him on their own, or did someone introduce them? The victims could also have been on the run because of a criminal reason—maybe they witnessed a crime, feared for their life and don’t trust the authorities.”

“You’re thinking,” Kara said, “that maybe these people had a run-in with the criminal justice system in Colorado and went to Crossman to get new identities? Either because they committed a crime or witnessed a crime? Crossman ran his own personal WITSEC program?”

“I hadn’t thought of it that way,” Catherine said with a half smile, “but yes, that’s plausible. Until we know more, it’s really just conjecture. Still, Crossman was a way station, at least for Jane Merrifield and—very likely—her former roommate, Riley Pierce, since interviews have indicated they knew each other before college. Kara, you seem to have a grasp on the girls. Thoughts?”

“According to Jane’s boss, Jane and Riley had been childhood friends and went to college together,” Kara said. “Everyone we spoke to said they were very close, but that Jane was the friendly one and Riley was standoffish and brooding. Neither of them talked about their childhood in any detail.

“My big question, which I wrote in my report, is how and why did Jane go off with her killer? Either she left her apartment with someone she knew and walked or was driven to the park nearly two miles away, or she voluntarily met with someone there. No defensive wounds, no sign that she was restrained or fought back. Ditto for Crossman. I can’t believe that they stayed still and let someone slit their throats. Benson was restrained, but he didn’t have defensive wounds either.”

“It’s a valid point,” Catherine said. “I have said from the beginning that they knew their killer, and the forensics support that theory.”

“But even if you know someone, you don’t just let them kill you,” Kara said. “So what if each scene has two killers—one who lures the victim to a private location. Maybe says, ‘Don’t tell anyone, this is between you and me,’ and then when they arrive, they’re talking and the killer comes up behind them and slits their throat. Or, in Benson’s case, tied his hands.”

Kara frowned, and Matt understood her frustration. The victims had no defensive wounds at all, and because they weren’t drugged, it stood out. As if they were resigned to die.

“That is a logical theory,” Catherine said. “And it lends credence to the idea that even if the victims didn’t know each other personally, they all knew their killer. I agree that Riley will have more information. She traveled across the globe to Ashland, yet didn’t contact law enforcement. She could be in danger, and she may know why. She also may understand the meaning of the poppies.”

Kara’s shift in focus toward Riley Pierce was warranted, but it was nice to have Catherine back it. “She could have gone into hiding,” Matt suggested. “After finding out what happened to Jane, she was scared and disappeared.”

“But she didn’t return to France,” Catherine said. “She hasn’t used her passport.”

Sloane spoke up. “Could she have been lured to the States? Perhaps the killers used Jane’s murder to bring her back. She might already be dead.”

Catherine considered that, nodded. “Yes, that’s possible. I fear there is a list of targets. That these people will continue down the list until they’re done, and then it’s over. They aren’t spree killers or serial killers, not in the traditional sense. There is no escalation, no cooling off period. The murders themselves are quick and efficient. The flowers... I’m having a harder time nailing down their purpose. I thought I knew—I thought it was either as a sign of remembrance or forgiveness, possibly remorse.

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