Page 30 of Every Deadly Suspicion

“You are my lifeline.”

He used the same excuses for needing money.

“My check is a little late. Your gift cards keep me occupied and online, so we can keep talking.”

The first two victims parted with a lot of money. Haskell sent off about five thousand dollars, while Grant parted with twenty thousand dollars. Neither victim was sexually assaulted.

What didn’t track was why the women were killed. They were giving the guy what he wanted: money. By killing them he cut off the money stream.

When Haskell was discovered, Nathan remembered thinking at the time that it would not be the first. Everything looked too methodical, almost careful. Grant was the same. Both women had been dead a couple of days, and both had been bound, shot, and dumped along Highway 108. No,dumpedwas not the right word. They were almost gently placed.

Nathan and his partner, Manny, voiced the fear after the second woman that it could get bad, and it appeared, from what Manny had told him on the phone, they’d been right. The fact that it was relatively early, not yet 9:00p.m., also said something. Sooner and bolder, it was almost as if he wanted to be seen.

Unfortunately, the news media also got a whiff of the investigation and descended on the second scene. Nathan and Manny had a good relationship with most of the local network reporters. They were respectful and easy to work with. Marcus Marshall, whilenormally a laid-back guy, could be like a pit bull on scenes. He was always pushing boundaries, trying to get around the tape. The day after the second woman was found, Marcus wrote his usual hyperbolic headline,Sadistic Serial Killer Stalks the County,and inflamed citizens. Nathan guessed that it got him what he wanted: an interview onGood Morning America.

Marcus liked the attention, but Nathan and Manny did not. He made things difficult because he often reported on details he observed that they did not want made public.

Nathan soon saw the emergency lights of the sheriff’s vehicle on the side of the highway, and he pulled in behind. Unfortunately, there were also lights from a local news van. He could not see who it was. Manny saw to it that they stayed back from the scene, but this could be a problem for the investigation. He got out of his car. Traffic crept by the bright lights, the distraction attracting people like a light attracted moths.

Manny walked back to meet him. “It’s bad, bro.” He shook his head. “This guy is getting more violent. But we might have gotten a break on this one.”

Nathan jerked toward his partner. “A break?”

Manny nodded. “Take a look, and I’ll fill you in.” He glanced at the news crew. “They got here right after I did. They got some pictures of the scene. Sometimes I wish we could take their scanners away.”

“Me too. Show me what you got.”

He followed Manny around the cars, down into the culvert on the side of the roadway. The coroner’s investigator was already down below, photographing the still form in the dirt. Nathan said a prayer for the woman, thankful that it would be impossible for any motorists above to view this tragic scene. He did worry about the footage the news crew shot. They weren’t usually so callous asto air graphic stuff. Still, he felt as if the victim was further violated by their intrusion.

“Who found her?” Nathan pulled on his crime scene gloves.

“That’s our break. A hitchhiker.”

“In the dark?”

“Yeah, kid named Cully. He’d been hitching with no luck since before dark.” Manny pointed down the road. “Cully slid down into the culvert to take a bathroom break. He was just finishing up when he realized an SUV ahead had pulled over”—Manny gestured—“right here. He climbed back up onto the road and ran, thinking he had a ride, but the SUV pulled away.” Hands on hips, Manny turned his attention to the body. “He saw the woman and freaked. Came down to see if she was okay and lost his lunch over there.”

“That’s what I smell,” Nathan muttered.

“He called 911 right away. The newsies probably picked up on the 929 DB call. He’s in the back of one of the cruisers.”

929 DB was the radio code fordead body. Reporters knew all the codes.

“You’re sure he’s not our guy?”

“Reasonably. You talk to him and tell me what you think. I believe we finally got lucky. She’d just been dumped. I’m guessing that she was just killed. The first two victims were not found until a couple of days after their deaths. No advanced decay here, so we’ll get more evidence.”

“You know that I don’t believe in luck.” Nathan knelt next to the body. Tied up like the other one, though this woman looked a bit older than the first two. Nathan frowned as he studied what he could of the woman’s features. His stomach turned and twisted. Something was familiar here. He couldn’t move her, the coroner would do that, but he moved to the other side to get a better look at her face and shone his light there.

His breath caught in his throat.

“What is it?” Manny asked.

Nathan sat back on his heels. “I know, oh my, I know her.”

He turned off his light and stood. “It’s Edda. Edwina Fairchild. She works for Mandy, Hanna’s friend, you know, at the clinic.” He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as bile rose in his throat.

“You okay?”

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