Page 13 of Whispers Left Behind

“Are you serious?” Jack asked before emitting a hollow laugh. “A barn in the middle of nowhere, her throat slit and left to bleed out…what more proof do you want that the Fallbrook Killer is back?”

Both Kinsley and Alex remained silent while Sebastian pushed away from the table. His coffee sloshed over the rim, but he didn’t even notice. He had turned away, placing his hands on his head as a myriad of emotions took hold.

“Bass, I’m sorry,” Jack muttered as he grabbed the napkins that Alex had quickly snatched from the coffee station. “I shouldn’t have—”

“If you have evidence that someone else murdered Rachel, then you should be close to making an arrest,” Sebastian stated after swinging back around. His gaze sought out Kinsley. “Right?”

“We’re still waiting on forensics, and an autopsy is scheduled at noon today,” Kinsley replied as she held his stare. It was no longer required for people to identify the remains of a loved one due to the advances in forensics, though most family members requested to view the body anyway. “We still have questions for you, Mr. Hanson. Would you please sit back down?”

Now that the interview was back on track, Kinsley continued to pose specific questions, each with a different weight of importance. Sebastian appeared genuine in his responses, giving Kinsley and Alex a clearer picture of their victim. Rachel loved to cook, visit local wineries, and had a close relationship with her family. Her biological father wasn’t in the picture.

Nearly ninety minutes passed before Kinsley began to draw the interview to an end. One topic hadn’t been broached, and she still needed clarification on another.

“Mr. Hanson, you mentioned that Rachel got into a fender bender when she rescued a turtle near her place of employment last week.” Kinsley turned off her tablet. She would finish inserting the details when she returned to her desk. “Do you happen to have the name of the man who confronted your wife?”

“I’m sure I have his name somewhere,” Sebastian replied with a frown. He pushed away his empty coffee cup until it was in the middle of the table. Alex had filled the mug twice during the past hour and a half. “We had to turn the damages into our insurance company. Are you suggesting that—”

“We just want to be as thorough as possible.” Kinsley met Jack’s stare, waiting for some wry comment about the police’s ability to do their jobs. It was apparent that he didn’t have much faith in the justice system. “I would appreciate you calling us later today with a name and phone number.”

Kinsley retrieved one of her business cards tucked in behind her tablet. She then slid it across the table. Only when Sebastian picked up the card did she mention the last thing on her list to discuss.

“Rachel’s mother mentioned the two of you were having trouble conceiving,” Kinsley said, softening her tone so as not to offend him. She had worked at establishing a rapport with him during the course of the interview, and she wasn’t ready for that superficial bond to be broken quite yet. “I’m truly sorry for your loss.”

Sebastian pressed his thumb and finger to his eyes to stem the tears. She hadn’t expected a verbal response. A specific reaction was what Kinsley had hoped for, but it hadn’t come from Sebastian. Jack, on the other hand, stilled the motion of pushinghis chair back from the table. The slight hesitation had piqued her interest.

“Thank you for your time, Mr. Hanson," Kinsley said as both she and Alex stood to indicate the interview had finally come to an end. “We’ll keep in touch throughout the investigation.”

“Rachel wanted children more than anything.” Sebastian slowly stood, taking the time to slide her business card into the pocket of his pants. He no longer maintained eye contact. “I was on board with the idea until my promotion. We had already been trying for two years. What was so wrong with waiting one more?”

“I’ll escort the two of you down to the lobby,” Alex replied as he opened the door. The horrible stench had been replaced with the delicious scent of bacon. Someone must have used the microwave in the breakroom. “Here is my business card, as well. If either of you can think of anything else that…”

Kinsley followed behind, but she stopped just outside the doorway. As they continued down the corridor, her gaze dropped to their shoes. Both men appeared to wear sizes eleven and twelve.

One detail that she had discovered over the years as a homicide detective was how killers never remembered to get rid of their shoes. They were such odd items to forget.

Clothes? Burned in a fireplace or a backyard.

Weapons? Thrown in a dumpster or a lake.

Shoes? It was as if the thought never even crossed their minds.

Kinsley expected the search warrants to come through any minute. She also added cell phone records, financial transactions, and medical records in her submission. Obtaining any warrants for Jack Hanson would be a little more challenging, given that there wasn’t enough evidence pointing toward him as a viable suspect.

“Aspen!”

Kinsley turned to find the captain resting a hand on the glass partition. The manner in which he swung his reading glasses in the other told of his irritation. Such an observation might have been a little misleading. The bulging vein in his temple indicated anger. The other detectives in the bullpen didn’t bother to hide their curiosity.

“Patrol just received a call about a possible break-in,” Captain Thompson revealed, not bothering to soften the blow. “Looks like your version about Gantz was wrong. He’s back, and I want him found.”

Chapter Six

Kinsley Aspen

October

Friday — 11:48 am

“It's like déjà vu.”

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