Page 44 of Hunting Justice
Jonah stared at his computer, his eyes wide.
“Jonah?”
He shook his head as if attempting to dislodge horrible memories. “Sorry, what did you say?”
“Nothing really. Just that I found another flash drive.” She held it out to him. “Here.”
“I’ll make a copy.” He transferred copies to the new drive, then ejected it and handed it to her. “They’re saved on my laptop as well, so you can keep that.”
“Thanks.” The man had changed since she left the room. “Is everything all right?”
“Of course.” He grinned at her, but it was forced at best. “I’ve sat in this hard chair too long. I’m going to head to the couch, if you want to join me.”
“I’ll get us a couple of drinks and grab my laptop. Meet you in there in a minute.”
Jonah nodded and proceeded to the living room.
She joined him and opened her computer.
The doorbell chimed.
“Must be Decia and Matt.” Noelle checked the peephole, then disarmed her alarm and opened the door. “Come on in.”
She ushered the duo into the living room, where Jonah sat on the couch.
Matt leaned against the wall next to the fireplace while she took a seat beside Jonah.
Decia lowered onto the easy chair that faced the coffee table. “I’m assuming you found something.”
The silence in the room set Noelle’s nerves on edge, but she waited Jonah out. It was his story to tell, not hers. Except for the serial killer.
Jonah blew out a long breath. “We found our proof.” He wiped his hands on his thighs. Noelle clasped Jonah’s hand to still his movement and add her support.
Decia’s brow furrowed. “You have evidence already?”
“Yes,” Jonah confirmed.
“Now we’re getting somewhere. How many reports are false?” Matt asked.
Noelle’s gaze met Jonah’s. His silent plea tore at her heart. She could do this for him. “Eighteen over the last three years.”
Decia’s eyes widened. “Whoa.”
“I second that.” Matt strode to the kitchen, grabbed a chair, and brought it to the living room. He spun it around backward and straddled it. “So, what did you find?”
Noelle closed her eyes. How much did she tell Decia and Matt?
“Go ahead. You can do it,” Jonah whispered.
Her gaze shifted from Matt to Decia. She prayed Jonah was right and no one treated her differently once they knew about her abduction. “I’ve been looking into multiple cold cases that date back to fifteen years ago. They all have one thing in common: a serial killer.”
“How do those relate to Ken?” Matt asked.
“He’s not the serial killer, if that’s what you’re thinking. But…the autopsies that he falsified are victims of the same killer?—or a copycat.”
Decia edged forward on the chair. “I know you, Noelle, and for you to make that statement you must have solid proof.”
“We do.” Jonah jumped in, giving her time to gather herself. “Ken left a file for each young woman with selected photos, for lack of better words, and preliminary observations. However, he made notes at the bottom to help me unravel his mess. In addition to that, he had a couple of folders on the drive. One is of the cuts on the bodies, which weren’t shown in the report images. The same cuts the cold-case serial killer made on his victims.”