Page 77 of Hunting Justice
Jonah leaned in and got his first look at the photos.
“I circled the victims and wrote the dates and times on the pictures.” Alana gave everyone time to examine the images.
Decia spoke first. “On photo number four, is that the congressman’s son?”
“Yes. In fact, his son Lincoln and aide Royce made multiple appearances in the videos,” Alana confirmed.
“Who’s the guy in the background? I can’t see his face.” Noelle lifted one of the images to the camera and pointed to the person in question.
Alana squinted at the screen, then flipped through her copy of the pictures. “That’s the owner/bartender.”
The crease in Noelle’s forehead deepened as she studied the photo.
Jonah shifted to get a better angle of her face. “Is there a reason you’re interested in him?”
“No, just curious. I’m trying to place all the players.”
“So, back to the original question. Could Congressman Clifton Sanford be our killer?” Alana asked.
“I haven’t met the man, but I watched one of his news interviews on TV. He favors his right side.” Jonah hated speculation when it came to medical conditions, but he decided now might be the time to throw out his thoughts for the others to consider. “If I had to guess, the man had a stroke at some point in the past.”
“Meaning?” Matt leaned forward, his face close to the screen.
“I don’t think he’s physically capable of overpowering these women.” There. He’d said it. Jonah examined one of the pictures of Sanford. “Not unless he had help.”
“I’m not a fan of who he seeks out for his dates. Noelle.” Decia waited for Noelle to look at her. “Is it possible that Clifton Sanford is your cold-case serial killer?”
Noelle’s breath hitched.
Jonah placed his hand on her knee, hoping the connection calmed her.
She swallowed hard. “I don’t think so.”
“Are you sure?” This time it was Matt who asked.
“No. I’m not positive. But when I met him face-to-face, I had no reaction to him.” She scowled. “I think my subconscious would know.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. I’ll do a deeper dive into him.” Decia jotted down a note. “Okay, Jonah, Noelle, what did you find out on your tattoo shop hunt?”
Jonah took the question, giving Noelle time to reset her mind. “After visiting several different shops, the owner of Body Murals gave us a possible name.”
“Shoot me the name,” Matt said.
“Richard Nelson. The owner told us that the guy’s artist name was Vincent.” Noelle offered the ID of the possible suspect.
“Was?” Decia asked.
Jonah nodded. “Apparently, Richard disappeared eight years ago, leaving behind all his equipment.”
“I’ll take a look into his history and see if I come up with anything.” Matt wrote on a pad of paper.
Decia rubbed her eyes. “Anything else?” No one spoke. “That’s what I was afraid of.”
“Look, I know we have a twenty-four-seven plan for Doc, but I think we need to up that, especially after the attempt with the train.” Alana crossed her arms as if daring them to go against her.
“I agree,” Juliette added.
“It’s not a bad idea. I, for one, would feel better knowing Doc is covered by two of you. Unfortunately, we can’t pull SPD manpower to help, but sign Matt and me up for a shift on our off time.” Decia’s mom tone made Jonah smile.