Page 35 of Say Nothing
"I won't let any evidence be destroyed," Alison confirmed."What do you have for us?"
"Six days ago, that was the first murder, right?Then, four days ago was the second?That’s when they were killed, right?"Raymond asked.
"What were you doing on those nights?"Alison asked.
"I did livestreams both nights, well into the night.I had some followers on, and I did some Q&As.I was at home both times, and you can match the footage to my home if you don't believe me.I will give you access to both recordings that were uploaded to the cloud, and you can check the timestamp and whatever else it is you do, and it’ll be clear that I couldn’t have killed anyone."
"Where were you this morning before your protest?"Derek asked.
"I was at home."
"By yourself?"
"I live by myself," Raymond said.
"Write down the information we need to get access to the livestreams, and we’ll have someone look at it.If what you say is true, then we’re in a much better position," Alison said.
"Thank you for helping me," Raymond told her, offering a relieved smile.
"I’m not helping you," she told him."I’m helping the three women who are dead.They deserve justice, and that doesn’t mean locking anyone up.It means finding the person who killed them, and making sure they never do it ever again."
***
Alison checked the lock on her door before tapping the panel on the wall to view the security gate through the camera mounted on the front wall.It had been more than twenty-four hours since she’d set foot in the CBI building, and she was no closer to finding their killer.However, neither was anyone at the CBI offices.
Raymond Nichols had provided alibis for the nights of the first two murders, and even though he didn't have an alibi for the third, it was more than enough to set him free.Three suspects had been brought in, and they had all been released without charge.At least without charge for the murders of three women, though there were still some ongoing investigations into Jason Weber, and now, Raymond Nichols.
Derek didn't like her being alone at home, but she had her gun strapped to her waist in the holster her father had given her for Christmas three years ago.On top of the security system, she had the advantage of being in a secluded area with limited light.If anyone approached, they would either be in a car or using a flashlight, she hoped and assumed, and her house was so open with numerous windows that it would be easy to catch something like that.
Unless they came in the night, but that wasn’t their M.O..The killer liked to gain entry to the house and lie in wait.Alison had searched the house when she got home the previous evening, her gun in hand.Besides, she didn't believe the killer would come after her.If she was the connection, it was about proving a point, displaying their work for her.She didn't believe the killer would come for her, but she did believe they would kill again.
That fueled her urgency as she went through the three files she had on all three women.Sarah had been a victim advocate, but from what Alison could find, she’d not worked with either of the other victims, despite working with numerous victims over the years.The only connection she had was that they had all testified against violent criminals, and Alison had contact with all three of them before they testified.
"If I’m the connection," Alison thought out loud, "then who wants me to suffer?Who wants the women to suffer?Who are we looking for?"
That perhaps gave an additional connection.All three women were connected to violent criminals, and all three had been suffocated.The killer was someone who was capable of taking a life.That also made them a violent criminal.They were also smart and capable.They had bypassed three security systems and picked locks.They left the scene much as they found it, nothing taken, no further injuries to each woman.The killer had some restraint and calculation.
"So, who are you?"Alison asked.She looked at the three files on her coffee table as she paced back and forth before them."No connection to the three women specifically, so this is about what they represent, or is it about me?If this were for me, would you send me a stronger message?I can link the three women to me, but I can link hundreds of women to me.Is it only a coincidence?I don't want to have to wait for another dead body to find out."
Alison thought again about Raymond Nichols.It was unbelievable to her that someone could take one incident and become blind to hundreds of other proofs.His brother committed suicide, and he blamed the testimony of not only one woman, but every woman, and was on a crusade to…to what?
"What’s your end goal, Raymond?"Alison wondered."To change the system?I agree that there are problems with any system, but the justice system works, and it works well.Hundreds of violent criminals are behind bars because of these brave women’s testimonies.You don't need to convince us; we need to convince you.Are you dangerous?Maybe, but I don't think you’re the killer.Then who is?"
Alison glanced at the gun on the coffee table before slipping down onto the sofa.She picked up the case files and looked through them again.She read them cover to cover as the night drew on, the night sky outside her residence becoming an inky black with dots of sparkling white.
There was a lot of information in the files, but nothing that lined up between all three of them.
Then a thought.
What if we’re looking in the wrong place?We’re looking for a connection between the three victims who all testified, but is there a connection between the three inmates?
Alison grabbed her laptop from the kitchen table and brought it to the couch.She used her temporary login from the FBI to access the prison database and opened three tabs, one for each of the inmates who’d been testified against.
She hoped the connection would be as obvious as them all being in the same prison, but that wasn’t the case.Three inmates and three separate prisons.That also meant Jason Weber wasn’t the connection between all three of them.Raymond Nichols might have advocated on their behalf, but there was no evidence he’d spoken to all three men directly.Franklin Howard was only connected to one of the inmates.
That brought her back to where she started.
Then she looked further, moving ahead in time, covering everything, and it was like a light lit up above her head, and a hotel belldingedover and over.
