Page 70 of Dust and Ashes

“When I can. When it’s worth it for the person, and I can be inconspicuous.”

Kenna looked at the ground beside the car, imagining him down there. “So who do you think is out there killing people?”

“I don’t think you want to know.”

She frowned. “What does that mean?”

The phone line crackled. Maybe Ramon, exhaling against the microphone.

“My handler told me to leave the case alone. I was supposed to be focusing on a couple of Texans doing deals with their neighbors to traffic drugs across the border. We were trying to shut down their operation. So when it cropped up that someone was murdering people and carving a W into their backs, I took it to my handler.”

“So this has actually been going on for the better part of ten years?” And he hadn’t bothered to do the work to get it shut down. Kenna couldn’t believe it. After she’d seen Lola on the dirt, dead, she’d wanted to find out who did it.

Ramon seemed to pick and choose what he put his energy toward. What was the point in saving a few people if a killer was left unchecked?

She fisted her hand on her knee. “You need to give me everything you have on this guy.”

Ramon snorted. “You think I have the case file?”

“I think you’re going to at least write down everything you can think of and give it to me so I can take a look.”

As if she would walk away when the killer was out there? She might not have time to look into it right now, but she could at least go over everything. Maybe turn it over to Jax or some of his colleagues so they could present it to the FBI.

The Bureau could open a new case and assign agents from the local office closest to the majority of the killings. Then they would have a shot at shutting this person down.

“I’m at the end of the tunnel.”

“We overshot the exit,” Maizie said. “It’s almost a quarter mile behind us and to the east a ways.”

Stairns turned the car around and pointed the headlights in that direction.

Ramon emerged from the ground and waved two fingers. “I’m coming over.”

When he was beside her open window, Kenna leaned her elbow out.

He pointed. “I see tire tracks. Maybe he came out this way, but there is no way to tell how long the tracks have been there.”

She climbed out of the car so she could get in the back with Maizie. “What now?”

He reached up and squeezed the back of his neck. “You and I should go see the priest.”

She studied his expression but couldn’t read the intent there. “Okay.”

An hour later, they had dropped off Maizie and Stairns at the hotel and walked the couple of miles to the church.

“Any particular reason why we need to sneak over on foot to see the priest?” Kenna asked.

Ramon shrugged.

“Does it have to do with Kart and Javier?”

“Maybe.”

Kenna rolled her eyes. “Well, does it have to do with you rescuing people sometimes?”

He said nothing.

“Then tell me what you know about whoever has been killing people for the last ten years.”

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