Page 45 of Echoes of Sin
“This isn’t the work of our unsub,” Brook declared confidently, not upset by the fact that Otto had requested her presence at the crime scene. They still needed to color inside the lines on this investigation since the murder had occurred inside a federal jurisdiction. “A forensics team should be able to find evidence that Lance Griffin killed his fiancé. Did you bag his jacket? Gloves? Clothes?”
A search group had discovered Hummel’s remains a few hours ago. Protocol had been followed, but Brook had no choice but to put in an appearance since she’d alerted the Charlotte field office that she was working hand in hand with the local sheriff’s department. That meant that she’d had to hike close to two hours to reach the crime scene.
“Yes, though not without some pushback from Griffin’s lawyer.”
“Hummel bled to death by having her throat slit, but those other slices in her skin? All postmortem. Griffin couldn’t bring himself to do more than that.” Brook scanned the immediate area before meeting the sheriff’s gaze. “It’s doubtful that you’ll ever find the weapon. Griffin probably walked a good half hour away from here before tossing the knife over some cliff. Doesn’t mean that those still here shouldn’t divvy up some grids and cast a wider search.”
It was evident that Otto had picked up on Brook’s cues. He called over Park Ranger Hal Eggers, who had been listening very intently to their conversation. Once Otto had given him additional instructions, it didn’t take long for Hal to gather those in the search group instructions on how to proceed. Otto advised one of his deputies to remain near the crime scene until a forensics team arrived, which Brook had already requested before lacing up her hiking boots back in her room above the bar.
“My team and I are going to lay some ground work to force the unsub’s hand.” Brook kept her tone low so that her voice wouldn’t carry through the woods. “Before I bring you in, I need some information.”
Otto had changed out of his sheriff’s uniform into more appropriate clothing for his hike this morning. He’d waited for her in the small parking lot that fed into several trails, and they were then guided to the crime scene by one of the park rangers. He hadn’t complained once, even though she was well aware that entering the mountains wasn’t his favorite pastime.
Erika had stayed behind with Bit to help navigate the search into Tricia Zetter’s past. Brook could have gone through the proper channels and waited a day or two before speaking with Zetter, but she’d taken a shortcut by calling Graham.
He wasn’t in the country, either.
Brook had noticed that such a significant detail never stopped Graham from returning her call immediately after receiving a voicemail from her. It was one of the reasons that she hardly ever left messages, because she didn’t want to distract him from his mission. This situation was different, and he’d called within ten minutes of her leaving him a detailed message as to why it was imperative that she speak with a navy servicemember who was currently deployed somewhere in far reaching waters.
Without hesitation, Graham had promptly told her what time to expect the video call.
“I take it there’s been a break in the case?”
“Yes.” Brook shifted so that she could keep an eye on Hal Eggers. “Tricia Zetter. We believe that she is the catalyst for the unsub’s behavior, and we’re looking into her background now. I’m set to speak with her at seven o’clock tonight.”
“Isn’t Tricia Zetter the one who joined the military?”
“Navy. She’s deployed right now, which is why we can’t connect until this evening.” Brook needed some answers with regard to other dangling threads. “Ned Proehl. Where are you with his case?”
“Nowhere.” Otto shrugged, as if to say he was doing the best he could with the resources at his disposal. “No one has seen or heard from him since last week. Irene has been avoiding me, though. Makes me think that she knows where her nephew is, but she doesn’t want to say for fear that he’s a suspect in your investigation.”
“What do you know about Gabe Raskins?”
“Gabe? Gabe Raskins?” Otto waited for her confirmation before going into more detail. “Wyn’s son, as you already know. He’s not the model citizen, but he’s gotten back on the right track after nailing down a job.”
“I heard that Raskins is a rafting guide, but how well does he know these mountains?” Brook asked, knowing no amount of online research would give her the answers she sought in regard to Wyn’s son. “Well enough to know where structures and dwellings have all but been abandoned?”
“Maybe,” Otto hedged in his reply. “From my understanding, Wyn wasn’t around a lot when Gabe was a kid. Hell, I’m not sure that Wyn even knew he was Gabe’s father until the boy was a couple of years old. Gabe was with his mother most of the time, and she was too busy scoring drugs to be any kind of role model. I was still in the service, but I heard that Wyn got his act together after receiving a call from social services. Gabe would have been around ten years old at the time. His mother had been admitted to the hospital with an overdose. Heroin. Wyn started a relationship with the boy, but it was hit and miss over the years.”
“Is Gabe Raskins into that life?” Brook asked before being more specific. “Heroin? Cocaine?”
“I know that he used to run with that crowd, but I’ve never seen him personally strung out. Now? He owns a small place across town, shows up to work on time, and keeps to himself. I don’t see him as your unsub.”
Brook could have continued to list off the individuals on the suspect list, but they’d be stuck on the mountain the rest of the day. She didn’t have the time, and Otto had his own investigation to wrap up.
“There’s a good possibility that we discovered the cabin where Carissa Norman was killed, but it will be a day or two before a forensics team can process what remains of the scene.”
“Surely there are more forensic techs who can—”
“There’s not another team available right now, especially since they need to process the one here.”
Otto slowly nodded his understanding, and he wisely didn’t follow up with any questions when he caught sight of someone nearby. The sheriff’s crime scene was the perfect justification needed to set things in motion. It wasn’t Brook’s preference to lure an unsub out into the open with even the best laid plans. There were simply too many ways for such a situation to go wrong. Unfortunately, based on the previous pattern of the unsub’s crimes, he was about to go dormant for the next few years.
“I was going to divert Riggs and Theo to what’s left of the structure, but I can’t take the chance that they would need to spend the night without the proper equipment and supplies,” Brook said as she observed some of the members of the search party come within earshot. “I’m closer, but I’m going to need someone to escort me there and then back down to town before sunset. Mind if I borrow one of the park rangers?”
Otto didn’t immediately respond to Brook’s request. He was studying her intently, and it was obvious that he wanted more information. She couldn’t give him specific details right now, and she wouldn’t jeopardize their only chance at apprehending their suspect.
“Of course.” Otto scanned the immediate area before calling out a name. “Hal, your shift ends at seventeen hundred hours, right?”