Page 50 of Crossing Lines

Kevin frowned. “I did?”

“Yes, seemed urgent. What was that about?”

Lucy had picked her head up, her watchful brown eyes flicking from Sam to Kevin and back again as if she knew what this was about.

Kevin’s frown deepened. “I don’t know. My memory, it’s fuzzy. But now that you mention it, it does seem important. I just don’t know why.”

Lucy woofed softly and swished her tail back and forth.

“I think Lucy might think so too.”

Kevin nodded, his eyes closed. “I think so.”

“Maybe you’ll remember later.” Sam didn’t want to press him and risk ruining his recovery.

Kevin didn’t answer as he fell into a deep sleep. Sam left, wondering if the word “corner” really had any significance at all or if it was just a meaningless word Kevin’s brain had conjured up during its recovery.

Chapter Thirty

“Good news!” Sam announced as he and Lucy walked into the squad room. “Kevin is awake and talking.”

The news lured Reese in from the reception area. “He is? That’s great!”

“I think Lucy might have had something to do with it.” Sam reached down to ruffle her fur before heading to the K-Cup machine.

“Lucy has that way about her,” Jo said. “I was afraid for a while he might not come out of the coma. What did he say?”

“Not much.” Sam leaned against the table and blew on the top of his coffee. “The nurse said he’s in and out, but it’s an improvement.”

Sam didn’t mention the bit about the corner. He wasn’t sure if it actually meant anything. Lucy was looking up at him with a slight wrinkle in her brow as if thinking about the corner, too, and wondering why he didn’t mention it.

“I dug into the Summers family and discovered something that might be of interest.” Reese’s words tugged Sam from his thoughts.

“Oh?”

Reese held up a printout of a man holding a large trout. Though it was black and white, Sam could tell it was a nice rainbow, probably over six pounds. He’d caught some that big himself in the river. “Is that Robert Summers?”

Reese nodded. “Says here he caught this seven-pound trout and broke a record.”

“Must have been before he got sick,” Jo said.

“Way before,” Reese said. “In fact, it was five years ago, right about when those girls were killed.”

“Where is that?” Jo asked.

Reese glanced at the article. “Says it’s a family fishing cabin right here on the river in White Rock. He was there with his father and uncle.”

“Beryl mentioned they had a cabin here in town, but I’m not sure that proves much. Robert Summers lives here, so it’s not a big revelation that he was here during the time those girls were killed.”

“No,” Jo agreed. “But it does prove he wasn’t sick. He’d be physically capable of grabbing a girl and killing her.”

Sam thought while he sipped the coffee. “I wonder if we could tie him to the drug ring somehow. He and Thorne were buddies. Maybe he’s been involved all along, and we were so focused on Thorne we never looked any closer.”

“Bridget is stopping by in a little while. We could show her this picture along with Thorne’s to see if she recognizes either one of them,” Jo said. “But Robert’s too sick to have killed Kirsten, so we’re back at square one.”

“So Beryl says,” Sam said.

Reese sighed. “I hope we find the killer soon, but I also want Thorne to be tied up in this somehow. I don’t want him to get out of jail.”

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