Page 41 of Echoes of Sin
“I’m going to keep Erika in town for a while. With Sylvie back in D.C., we need the additional assistance.”
“Oh, one more thing,” Otto said before his title was being called out by someone in the background. “I should have mentioned it before, but if you’re really focused on the trekking pole, you might want to speak with a man by the name of Wayne Uriel. He’s a woodworker who lives at the base of the mountain about a mile from town, smack dab in between two of the townships.”
Brook’s step faltered upon hearing the name.
“Wayne Uriel?”
“Yeah. Good guy. Helped out with the search for Hummel today. I’ve got to go. We’ll talk soon.”
“Shit,” Brook muttered before she reached the entrance to the bait and tackle shop. She’d known that Uriel was a woodworker, but she hadn’t put two and two together. Most trekking poles were made out of carbon fiber. “Double shit.”
Riggs’ patrol car was still parked out front. Bit had noticed the vehicle on his walk back to the bar from the hiking shop. She yanked on the handle to open the door and was met with a distinct odor. It was difficult to describe, but it was the same pungent smell that used to fill her parents’ garage in the days leading up to her father’s fishing trips.
Brook pushed back her hood.
“…can’t, Riggs. I don’t have anyone to mind the shop tomorrow morning.” Jace materialized from the back room carrying a tackle box. “Did you ask Dominic?”
Riggs wasn’t far behind Jace, but he’d spotted Brook immediately.
“Your colleague already spoke to me,” Riggs replied without seemingly any resentment. “Don’t worry. I know it’s protocol. I take it Jace is next up on the list?”
Jace slowly set the tackle box next to the cash register, his right eyebrow higher than the left as he waited to hear Brook’s response. The ringing of a telephone broke the silence.
“Moonshine Bait & Tackle.” Jace listened to the caller on the other end of the line while keeping a curious gaze on Brook to witness her exchange with his friend. “Yes, Mitch. I just received your new tackle box, and I’ve set it aside those lures that you…”
“What do you know about Wayne Uriel?” Brook asked quietly as she closed enough distance to speak with Riggs privately. It had helped that he’d stepped aside far enough from the counter so as not to interrupt Jace’s phone call. “I just received information that he carves walking sticks.”
“Wayne is private. Doesn’t like to get involved in the town’s business.”
“Really? He’s one of the main volunteers on the mountain rescue team,” Brook pointed out as she wiped a few drops of rain from the back of her hand. “I’d say such a role puts Wayne Uriel right smack dab in the middle of the town’s business.”
Riggs shook his head in disagreement. He rested his thumbs just inside his utility belt while widening his stance. Brook decided against bringing up Riggs’ conversation with Theo and Erika today. Considering Riggs’ profession, he understood more than most the standard procedure of any investigation. Such questioning hadn’t been personal, and she wouldn’t apologize on behalf of the team for them doing their jobs.
“Wayne has a woodworking shop in a shed behind his house. He sells his products online, and he likes to keep to himself. Takes after his old man. Loves the outdoors, and he spends as much time in those mountains as he does in his workshop.” Riggs observed Jace finish up his phone call. “You might say that Wayne is a prepper. You know, the doomsday type.”
Jace had set a small white bag next to the large tackle box, and it was obvious that he wanted to give his two cents about Wayne Uriel. The only reason that Jace and Dominic had been included in that first briefing was to give them a sense of what to look for when they had guided Theo and Sylvie over some of the rough terrain. There was no need for them to hear explicit details regarding other local residents.
“I’d like for you to join Theo tomorrow on another hike,” Brook requested, stopping short of giving an explanation as to why. “Otto is going to let the park rangers know that you won’t be available in the morning.”
“I take it that you don’t think Hummel is alive?”
“No, I don’t.” Brook once again didn’t want to get into specifics. From Jace’s phone call, it sounded as if someone named Mitch was due to enter the shop to pick up his order. “Sylvie had to return to D.C., which means that we’ll need your assistance. Do you happen to have a change of clothes? I’m going to brief the team in a few minutes.”
“Do I have time to return the patrol car to the station?”
“Yes,” Brook responded, knowing that the station was a good forty-five minutes from town. That would give her an hour and a half to mull over the pros and cons of her plan. She made no move to join Riggs as he began to walk toward the front of the shop. He stopped midstride before casting a curious glance back. “I need to speak with Jace for a moment. You go on ahead and return your patrol car.”
Riggs’ features hardened at the implication that his friend was considered a suspect, but he didn’t argue. She monitored his progress as he exited through the front door. He didn’t care that he’d fallen on that same list, but his concern for his friends was evident. Such loyalty was lacking in most people these days, and his understanding of her role as lead investigator was all the more impressive.
“You think Wayne Uriel could have killed that girl?” Jace asked warily as his gaze switched from the front entrance to Brook. “Wayne can be a bit extreme about end-of-the-world scenarios, but a killer?”
“We appreciated your help last week,” Brook said as she stepped up to the counter. “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors around town, but we don’t believe that Luna Breen was the first woman to have been murdered in a such a brutal manner. The press has already caught wind that we could be dealing with a serial killer, and I’ll be giving a statement first thing in the morning. For now, we’re asking most of the shop owners if any of these women stopped into their shops.”
“I saw Luna Breen’s picture before Riggs led one of the search parties, and I know that she didn’t stop in here that weekend,” Jace said as Brook pulled out her cell phone. “I didn’t work the Sunday that she went missing, but I checked with my brother-in-law at the request of the sheriff. He wanted to see if she stopped into town before hiking that morning.”
“Why weren’t you working that Sunday?” Brook asked, not bothering to reword the question to make him more comfortable. He wasn’t obtuse, and she wouldn’t treat him as such. “And would you please provide me with your brother-in-law’s name?”
“My wife and I recently separated, and I was in the process of moving some things out of the house,” Jace replied guardedly as she set her phone on the counter. She’d made sure the display was facing him. “I heard from Dominic that he was also asked these questions, so I’m trying not to take offense.”