Page 54 of Say Nothing
Derek left, and Loxley approached Alison, who sat at a desk on the edge of the bullpen.She didn't want to be shut away in her makeshift office when it was all coming to a head.She needed to be there to coordinate the investigation.
"The pings have stopped jumping around," he told her."Her phone looks like it’s in an industrial area on the edge of the city."
"He wants us to think that, but we should send a car out there just in case."
"All right," he said."We have a car stationed by the park, too, in case anyone turns up there."
"Good," Alison said."I don't think we get anything from either location, but it’s better to be safe."
"If he can avoid us like this, then how do we catch him?"Loxley asked.
"Good old-fashioned police work," she replied."He’s either going to lie low or get out of town.He’s moving with Vanessa, which adds a complication, and we know she’s trying to help us.We just don't know if he knows that yet."
"All right," Loxley said, leaving Alison’s desk.
Vanessa sent the message to help us.Did she figure it out with everything going on, or did she know from the start?
Alison wondered if the boyfriend had coerced her into becoming an accomplice in what happened with her brother.Did he convince her that he was doing the right thing, or was he doing it in secret the entire time?Did he use her to gain access to court documents, or could he access them without her?
"I have something," a special agent in the middle of the room called.He immediately got up, grabbed his laptop, and ran over to Alison’s desk."Keith Malone," he told her.
"Keith Malone?"she asked, running the name through her mind."I know that name.Not Keith Malone, but another Malone from some time ago."
"Hilda Malone," the agent said.
"Yes, Hilda Malone," Alison said."She was convicted of murder four years ago.It was an open and shut case.She was in a bar fight, and she pulled a knife on another woman.One thing led to another, and the other woman was stabbed in the neck.She died before they could get her to the hospital.Hilda Malone always claimed she was innocent and that someone else in the bar had stabbed the woman, but all the evidence pointed to Hilda.I coached the barmaid in her testimony back then.I also remember holding a session with Hilda, and she was a real piece of work.She never confessed to the murder, but I could tell it was within her.She even looked smug about it.There were numerous witnesses who saw her do it.Okay, so Keith Malone is her son."
"He is," the agent said."I have his employee photo from the website."
"Show me."
The agent brought it up on his screen and showed Alison.
"That’s how Joey described him.Black hair, pale, well built."Alison stood up."Okay, we move our focus to Keith Malone only.I want to know everything there is to know about him.I also want the files from the court case.Find me anything that might help us locate him."
The case files from the trial were brought to Alison as Derek returned from talking with the reporter.
"He’s not happy about it, but he’s foaming at the mouth to write a story about how he was unlawfully incarcerated, so every cloud," Derek said."So, Keith Malone?He’s the guy."
"He is," Alison asserted."I need to know exactly who he is, and maybe that narrows it down to whether he would fight, flee, or freeze."
Alison dove into the files from the case.There was no point in tracking phones, credit card statements, social media, or any other online footprint.He could easily wipe it or misdirect them.An APB was being put out with his and Vanessa’s description, and they had to hope it would be enough.They needed to get lucky and hope someone spotted them.
"I have more," Loxley said.He got up from his workstation and approached the town desks that Alison and Derek shared."It looks like the apple didn't fall far from the tree.Hilda claimed her innocence, and Keith’s been active on multiple chat groups about false imprisonment.He didn't even try to hide it, but a lot of it is from a long time ago, so maybe he wasn’t covering his tracks yet."
"Anything we should know?"Derek asked.
"He doesn’t come out and name anyone, basically blaming everyone involved, but he does talk about the witness testimonies and how they were falsified.He also mentions getting justice, but doesn’t go into the specifics of how he gets that justice.Seeing as he didn't go down any of the traditional routes and tried to appeal, which obviously wouldn’t have been successful, we can assume this is what he was planning, or it became serial murder."
"If he blames the witness testimony, then he blames me," Alison said."This is all meant for me, and he wants me next, but he can't get me.That worries me.If he can't get me, then what does he do now?Disappear?We have to assume he has Vanessa as a hostage, even if she doesn’t realize it yet."
"We’ll keep looking for him," Loxley said.
After he’d left, Derek asked Alison."Where does he go now?How can we find someone when we can't trust anything we see?"
"Only what we see online," Alison said."You saw the basement at Vanessa’s home.I don't think he was planning to leave until today.Nothing was packed up.The display on the corkboard told of more murder.The CPU tower was still there, and it no doubt has evidence waiting for us.He would have destroyed it or taken it with him if he had time.We surprised him."
"He won't go to his home," Derek pointed out."He knows we’re after him, so he’ll stay away from home and work."
