Page 58 of Colton's Second Chance
Over the next several minutes, Eli and Kansas filled Asher in on the thirty-year-old murder and how the family had tried to put it behind them, not speak of it and move on when they relocated to Alaska.
“So the engagement ring, the pose, the victims’ similar physical description, the manner of death… Scott’s copying your aunt’s murder. But why?” Asher asked.
“Because he’s sick,” Kansas said with a sneer.
“True. But the last couple of days, Noelle and I have been working a theory that these murders, everything Scott is doing—” Eli hesitated, knowing how it egotistical his idea would sound “—comes back tomesomehow. He’s mocking me or getting revenge or something.”
Asher sat straighter, then winced, and rubbed his temple. “You? How? Why?”
Eli elaborated on the details of being at the scene when Caroline was found, the very specific physical description andpose of the new victims, and his position in charge of the investigation.
“But… Uncle Will was with you when you found Caroline,” Kansas said. “Could your father be the focus of all this?”
Eli twisted his mouth and shook his head. “More recently, Noelle’s brake line was slashed, and she wrecked her rental car on the highway just outside of town. Noelle—who I dated in college and have been spending lots of time with in the past two weeks. Scott knows I care about her. What better way to strike at me?”
Noelle added, “My hostel was ransacked while I was out on Friday, as well, and the hard copies of the Fiancée Killer case files were stolen. We don’t have proof yet, because the thief was careful to stay out of view of security cameras, but Eli and I are working on the assumption it was Scott.”
“So…” Eli spread his hands, palms up. “Because I find it hard to believe any of this is coincidence, the facts seem to point to me.”
Noelle cleared her throat. “Again, people, we’re on the clock. A woman’s life is at risk, and we have a storm closing in. Unless there’s something about your aunt’s murder that will help us track Scott, we need to change direction here. We have to find this woman…” she pointed to Eli’s monitor “…before she becomes victim six.”
Chapter 19
Eli pushed his chair back and stood up. “She’s right. Let’s move to the conference room where we have the maps that lay out where the other bodies were found. We’ll compare that with what we know about Scott and look for a pattern, see what we can figure out.”
Asher nodded, then winced again as he tried to rise from his chair. Kansas gave him an I-told-you-so glare before offering a stabilizing arm to help him limp across the hall.
“I’m fine,” Asher repeated through gritted teeth.
The foursome gathered around the conference table where Eli spread the map that he, Asher and the rest of the investigative team had marked and labeled over the past months. A second three-dimensional map reflecting the topography of the region and the few existing roads and trails hung on the wall.
“Okay, what do we know about Scott? Does he have any properties where he could be staying now that his house is kindling? Are his parents alive? Any siblings?” Eli asked, a sense of urgency pumping through his veins.
“He never talked about family that I remember,” Asher said. “But he isn’t someone I shared personal stories with.” He glanced at Kansas. “You were friendly with him. What can you tell us?”
Kansas scowled at Asher. “I was polite to him, but I didn’t encourage him, if that’s what you’re implying.”
“I wasn’t implying anything,” Asher tossed back. “Why so touchy?”
Kansas folded her arms over her chest. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe because you’re suggesting I had a relationship with our coworker, who has kidnapped a woman and appears to be a serial killer?”
Asher raised his hands. “I only—”
Eli loosed a shrill whistle to stop the tense exchange. “This isn’t getting us anywhere. Save the lovers, quarrel for when we’re off the clock, huh?”
Asher and Kansas both jerked offended looks at Eli, which he dismissed as he leaned over the map again. Kansas turned her back to the table and stalked over to the wall map with a huff, while Asher drummed his fingers on the armrest of his chair.
Noelle stepped closer to Eli and pointed to the last spot where a body had been recovered. “Consider this—the last two bodies were both found close to Shelby. One here at the Two Bears River hiking trail and more recently one here in the lot behind Shelby Fish Cannery.”
Kansas turned to look over her shoulder with an odd expression creasing her face, then returned her attention to the wall map, studying it more closely.
The niggling voice in Eli’s head was shouting now. What was he missing?
“It stands to reason Scott will pick a place near Shelby again,” Noelle said, “especially since he knows we’re onto him and the roads upstate could be getting treacherous. Statistically speaking, the crime scenes are—” Noelle fell silent, her brow furrowing as she leaned closer to the map, her gaze and her finger moving from one marked crime scene to another, muttering, “Lake Chahoogee… Muskee Glacier Pass…”
Eli’s heart beat a double-time rhythm. “Noelle? What is it?”
Noelle spun around to face Kansas, who was still gaping at the topographical map. “Kansas, at the hospital earlier this week,you said you conducted rescues at Lake Chahoogee and Muskee Glacier Pass, didn’t you?”
