Page 20 of Haunted By Sin

Bit had rolled his chair to position himself back in front of the computer that he was previously working on, lines of codes shifting and scrolling with precision. He was pleased with the program that should produce results on whether there had been any social media crossover with the victims. His first program had yielded nothing, but he had been able to adjust some parameters that would confirm the previous results.

“The substitute teacher is Eric Langdon,” Bit said before minimizing the code window to reveal the man’s profile. With a press of a button, the information materialized on the portable monitor. “Twenty-nine years of age with a bachelor’s degree in education. His minor was in history, but he has yet to land a full-time position with the school. Langdon grew up in the area, graduated from that particular high school, and his father still lives in the same house.”

“Mother?”

Bit wasn’t surprised in the least that Brook focused on Langdon’s maternal parent. Most serial killers had issues with their mothers, and their victims tended to share the same maternal traits. Langdon didn’t fit in with those types of individuals, though.

“Langdon’s mother was never in the picture. She died from an aneurysm the day after giving birth to him.” Bit made sure that the mother’s name was highlighted on the screen. “Her name was Abagail Rose.”

“Does Langdon have alibis for the three dates in question?”

“Two out of the three,” Bit replied as another alert caught his attention. “Langdon doesn’t like social media, so it’s difficult to know about the day that Mary Two was murdered.”

“And Mary Two is the Mary Jane Reynolds who knew him personally,” Brook said softly before walking toward the couch. She had kicked off her high heels upon entering the house earlier, so she was able to tuck her feet underneath her as she made herself comfortable on the cushion. Her tablet had been on the arm of the couch, and it didn’t take her long to settle in to read the latest notes entered by Sylvie and Theo. “Sylvie will be able to press Langdon on Monday. In the meantime, we’ll continue to search for a connection between the victims. It’s there. We just need to find it.”

Bit remained silent as he read over an email that wasn’t directed at him. He adjusted his knitted hat after the third read-through.

“Bit, spit it out.”

Bit glanced to the left of the monitor, noting that Brook’s attention was on the tablet instead of him. She had a knack for knowing when something was wrong, but he doubted that she was ready to hear what he had to say about Jacob.

“It’s probably nothing.”

“If it was nothing, then you wouldn’t have lost color in your face.”

Bit was well aware that he had pale features, partly due to his genetics and the other part because he preferred to stay indoors behind his screens. Besides, he remembered to take supplements now and then in case of any vitamin deficiencies.

When he didn’t reply right away, Brook finally switched her attention from the tablet to him. She was the most difficult person to read in any situation. Now was no exception. He sensed that she had braced herself for what he was about to reveal, but he couldn’t be certain.

Monitoring government systems wasn’t the wisest thing to do when he was on their radar, but risks had to be taken when it came to Brook’s brother. Seeing as Bit swept his space every morning, as well as ran his own programmed scan of any devices being used on a daily basis, it was doubtful that the FBI was listening in on their conversation.

Still, he was always careful with what he said aloud.

“Did you hear about the outbreak at the federal prison?” Bit asked casually, though he wasn’t sure that he had pulled off such an attitude. “Influenza A, apparently. A few of the prisoners were transferred to a local hospital.”

“Such an article hasn’t come across my newsfeed, but I can see why the subject would garner interest from the press,” Brook responded in a measured tone. She casually stood from the cushion, leaving her tablet on the arm of the couch. She picked up her phone instead. “I should probably make a few phone calls.”

Bit continued to tap his thumb against the table as Brook left the living room. The inbox that he had been monitoring belonged to the warden of the federal prison where Jacob was being held, and Bit had set up a program where keywords were tagged…such as transport. There were a couple of names listed in the body of the email, but Jacob’s name had not been one of them. The hospital would have sectioned off a wing of the hospital to avoid any threats to the other patients. Guards would also be stationed in and around the hospital depending on the prisoner.

Regardless, the team needed to take the necessary precautions to guarantee Jacob’s name was never added to such a list. Bit couldn’t hear Brook’s side of the phone conversation, but he was certain that the topic of solitary confinement would be part of the discussion. Only time would reveal if such a request had been made before possible exposure to the virus.

Chapter Eleven

Brooklyn Sloane

May 2024

Monday — 2:48 pm

The crisp, evening breeze swept across the lake, leaving Brook wishing she had worn her blazer while speaking with Graham on the back deck. Ever since the storms left the area on Saturday, a cool snap had remained behind. Unfortunately, Graham might be doing the same in Somalia, leaving his mother to celebrate her birthday alone. He hadn’t informed his mother yet, though he assured Brook that Elizabeth would be fine either way. She was quite active in the social circles of D.C.

Brook stared across the lake at the pier. Even for a Monday night, the Crestlake Bar & Grill was doing quite the business. Most of the tables were full, and she figured it was a mixture of locals and tourists. There didn’t seem to be anyone alone, which was how Elizabeth’s birthday could potentially be spent if Brook didn’t fly back to the city Wednesday morning.

Forcing that decision to the back of her mind, she kept ahold of her phone as she turned to walk across the deck. She opened the sliding glass door, ensuring that the lock was engaged before she continued across the kitchen. Delicious aromas wafted from the living room where the team was enjoying their meals. She had kept them waiting long enough.

“…knew the family well enough to know that the Reynolds had heated pavers installed in the backyard.” Sylvie glanced toward Brook as she entered the room. “Bit said that he’ll see if any of the homes on the other side of the lake have any security systems installed facing the water. If so, there is a chance that we can capture someone accessing the small pier on the opposite side of the conservation area from Mary Two’s residence.”

Sylvie was sitting in the overstuffed chair with her bare feet propped up on the matching ottoman. In her lap was a container that held a handful of fries. A single glimpse at Theo and Bit sitting at the table confirmed that they had also polished off their meals. After Brook’s conversation with Graham, she wasn’t all that hungry.