“Absolutely. In the meantime, I’ve requested our behavior specialist take a look at the case.”
Avery’s forehead creased. “A profiler?”
“Yep. Her name is Emilia Sanchez. She’s FBI trained and an outstanding investigator. Hopefully, she can give some insight into the type of perpetrator we’re looking for. It’ll take her a couple of days to put together a profile though.”
Weston ran through the rest of what he’d learned last night. While he talked, Avery picked up his breakfast plate and popped it in the microwave. The scent of bacon made his stomach rumble. When she set the plate back down in front of him, Cooper rose from his bed in the corner and nudged Weston’s arm.
“No, Coop.” Avery shook a finger at the dog. “You’ve had enough bacon.”
Weston chuckled as Cooper turned his big brown eyes on him. “Don’t get me in trouble, pup.” He patted the dog’s head, then said a quick grace before picking up his fork. “Avery, have you heard from Mike about your father’s notebook?”
“He and I went over it last night. Dad would use one notebook until it was finished, so he often mixed cases together. Several were mentioned. One was a bar fight, another a hit-n-run, and a domestic battery. None of them seemed familiar to me. Mike’s going to pull the files so we can look at them.” She shrugged. “I’m not convinced the cases in the notebook mean anything. It’s the connection to my dad that’s important.”
Weston took a bite of scrambled eggs. Even reheated, they were wonderful. “I’m inclined to agree, although we can’t discount anything at the moment. Did you ask Savannah about the yard sale?”
“Yes. It was a church bazaar and was advertised in Union County and the surrounding areas. Tons of people came.”
“So a lot of strangers.”
Avery nodded. “Savannah doesn’t remember anyone with a particular interest in Dad’s jackets, but she wasn’t looking for anything suspicious at the time. Savannah did recall selling different coats to several people, not just one, although she can’t be sure to who. The event was months ago.”
Another dead end. This case was full of them. Still, Weston would keep tracing any lead, no matter how small. There was no way to know which one would guide them to the killer.
Avery wrapped her hands around her coffee mug. “Why did the killer choose Marianne Jenkins as the second victim? Do you think she saw something on the night of the murder?”
“Maybe.” Weston stabbed at a slice of bacon on his plate. “It also occurred to me the killer wanted Marianne to find Debra’s body.”
Avery bit her lip. “Maybe that’s part of his pattern. Leaving the body for the next victim to find.” She inhaled sharply, her gaze shooting to Cooper. “Weston, we assumed the killer had left Marianne for me to find. But what if we’re wrong. If he’s been stalking my family, then he knows Savannah often takes Cooper in the afternoon and then brings him back in the evening.”
He reached across the table and placed a hand on her arm. “I know, Avery. I thought of that last night and ordered a trooper be assigned specifically to your sister. We won’t let the killer get close to her. And, keep in mind, I may be wrong. It’s hard to say exactly what the killer’s pattern is or how he’s choosing his victims.”
She nodded. “You’re right. We’ve got a lot of questions and not many answers. Like why did the killer chose Debra and Marianne in the first place?”
“Exactly.” Weston released her hand and picked up a slice of toast. “There aren’t many similarities between the two women. They both worked at Harrison University and were single, but that’s it. Marianne was in her 40s, white, divorced, and a professor. Debra was in her 20s, Hispanic, unmarried, and was a janitor. They don’t look alike. Debra didn’t clean the Fairman Building where Marianne had her office. I have investigators talking to their families and friends, but nothing else has come up.”
Avery frowned. “Mike and I looked in the sheriff’s department database last night. Neither woman has a connection to my dad. While I knew Marianne Jenkins, it was only in passing. And I didn’t know Debra at all.”
“But somehow both of them caught the killer’s attention. Why?”
“Well, the killer left my dad’s notebook on the door for a reason. Victor Haas is our top suspect, which jives with the evidence. Debra knew the killer well enough to let him in. The missing link may be between Victor and my dad. Maybe I’ll see something in Debra’s house that will be familiar or jog my memory. Let’s go there this morning and I can look around. We should call Mike and have him join us.”
“It’s worth a try. Inviting Mike along is a good idea. Since he partnered with your dad for several years, something might jump out at him.”
He polished off his breakfast and chased it with the last of his coffee while Avery loaded the dishwasher. But Weston kept turning over their discussion about Jeffrey. Their conversation outside the Grimes Hotel about moving on made a lot more sense now. It bothered him.
He stood and picked up his plate, bringing it over to the sink. “You didn’t deserve what Jeffrey did to you. I hope you know that.”
“I do.” She reached for a towel to dry her hands but kept her gaze averted. “But no one forced me to date him. Or get engaged. I’ve been struggling with the fact that I was ever involved with Jeffrey in the first place, let alone so seriously. I’m a trained police officer. How could I have missed his true character?”
“Because you’re human and we all make mistakes.” Weston took a deep breath. This was a sensitive issue and he wanted to get the words just right. “When you learned about Jeffrey’s cheating, you didn’t try to destroy him or get even.
