Page 26 of Murder in the Lighthouse

Birk brightened. “I can help you with that part.”

“What if he’s changed his name and living under an alias somewhere?” Brogan speculated.

Birk grinned. “Let’s just say it’s not impossible to prove he’s still alive. I could even discover his identity now.”

“Let’s print out all of Truthseeker22’s posts, not only from my blog but all the others we can find,” Jade suggested. “That way, it makes it easier to compare his comments.”

After what felt like hours of intense scrutiny, Jade suddenly sat back in her chair, a triumphant smile playing on her lips. “I think I found something,” she announced, pointing at the screen. “Look at this. I see a pattern in Truthseeker22’s posts that leads me to believe they might have some connection to the police department.”

Birk peered over her shoulder, his eyes narrowing as he studied the screen. “What kind of connection?” he asked, intrigued.

As they gathered around the laptop, Jade tapped a few more keys, pulling up several posts in different windows. “He consistently uses phrases like ‘field interview’ and ‘hook and book,’ typical jargon that cops use daily. They have their own terminology like JDLR.”

“What’s JDLR?” Brogan asked.

“Just Don’t Look Right,” Jade replied. “Cops on patrol use that lingo all the time. There are several other words he references. If you give me the printout, I’ll circle the police jargon for you.”

“I bet you didn’t realize we’d put you to work tonight,” Brogan stated.

“I don’t mind. It’s fun catching criminals,” Jade responded in a cheery tone. She worked for another hour before asking for something to drink.

Brogan pulled her up and out of the chair and dragged her toward the kitchen. “Come on. Take a well-deserved break. I’ll fix you a glass of wine.”

“Got any ice cream?”

Brogan chuckled. “You bet. How does Rocky Road sound?”

“Like I’ve hit the lottery.”

Brogan turned to the freezer and dug out a carton of Lucien’s favorite. She got down a bowl and dished out several gooey scoops of the stuff before handing it off to Jade. “Enjoy. You’ve earned it.”

Brogan dished out more bowls when the guys joined them at the table.

“That’s a good catch about Truthseeker22, the way he talks about police procedures and uses the lingo,” Lucien noted, digging into his Rocky Road.

Birk nodded in agreement. “It would explain how they have access to insider information, specifically old cases. Notice how he sounds like he might hold a grudge about the cases going cold, almost like it’s personal.”

“Maybe it is. Like someone else I used to know,” Jade cracked, winking at Birk. “Maybe he uses his profile to badger the homicide detectives in a way that won’t jeopardize his job.”

“That’s a thought,” Brogan remarked. “But the only way to ID this guy is to track that IP address.”

Lucien’s eyes gleamed with eagerness. “We can be patient as long as Truthseeker22 leads us to anything more solid than what we have now. It’s the only way we’ll know what happened to Sam Heywood.”

Brogan nodded as she opened a new bottle of wine and poured herself a glass. “I’m thinking about his sister. I’m beginning to think our killer wouldn’t keep Bethany alive for this long.”

Birk let out a sigh. “Probably not. This guy is dangerous. He isn’t taking any chances. Leaving witnesses alive isn’t his style, not even when it comes to a brother searching for his sister.”

“That’s why you were so hard on Theo yesterday,” Brogan said. “It mirrors your search for Brigid.”

“It got to me, knowing Sam had only been trying to help find his sister and ended up dead because of it.”

The room fell silent as they all considered the gravity of the situation. Brogan poured more wine, this time for everyone, her brow furrowed with concern. “We need to be careful. This isn’t just some random killer we’re dealing with. He’s methodical, and he knows how to cover his tracks.”

Lucien nodded. “Agreed. We need to make sure we don’t tip him off that we’re onto him. If he realizes we’re getting close, he might go underground, and we’ll lose our chance.”

Jade leaned back in her chair, a thoughtful expression on her face. “We should also consider the possibility that the killer has accomplices. Someone with that access and knowledge might not be working alone.”

Birk rubbed his chin, deep in thought. “It’s possible. We can’t rule anything out at this point. We need to follow every lead and see where it takes us.”

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