“Gina wasn’t badly hurt in the bombing,” Keara said. “She was leaving the park when the bomb went off. She got checked out since the blast initially impacted her hearing, but she got the all clear to go home the same day. The only thing she needed was a couple of stitches and not even directly from the blast. It was when the explosion knocked her down and she hit the pavement.”
“Right. So if the bomber was targeting her and he was nearby, maybe the couple who spotted him and called the police over threw him off. Maybe he was distracted and ducked into the woods to hide, didn’t get farther away quickly enough. He wouldn’t have wanted to be that close when the bomb went off. Assuming the bomber is the same person Imani and Wesley saw near the tree with the carving on it,” Ben added.
“Luna and Desparre are pretty small towns. It’s not really surprising that two of the victims would be related.”
“Yeah, well, you know what they say about all the bases,” Ben said.
Keara mumbled an agreement, trying not to let him hear how disheartened she felt. This kind of investigation was more like a marathon than a sprint. A bomber savvy enough to have set off the bomb in Luna—which hadn’t yielded any significant leads more than a week later—probably wasn’t going to be easy to find.
“What about the sketch of the suspect?” Keara asked.
She hadn’t recognized him. Neither had anyone on her force. That was a little bit surprising if he lived around here, since they were a small town. Then again, Desparre was known for being the sort of place where you could come to disappear. They had a lot of land to get lost in and if you wanted to stay off everyone’s radar, there was a whole mountain to hide on. If the bomber was hiding here, it wouldn’t be the first time the town had a criminal in their midst.
“We’re still showing the sketch around,” Ben told her. “So far no one knows this guy.”
If the bomber was the same person who’d been responsible for the murders and arson in the lower forty-eight, it made sense that no one knew him. He’d be staying far below the radar. But there had been five days between the Luna bombing and the one in her park. It had now been two days since the blast that had been close enough to shake the walls of the Desparre police station.
If he’d gone from a once-a-year, once-a-location killer to a serial bomber, how much time did they have before he struck again?
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
When Keara walked into the police station half an hour later, the rest of her department, and most of the FBI agents, were already there. Thankfully, it looked like they were just getting started.
She nodded at her officers, who were all working serious overtime. Since they were a small town, they were constantly on call. But the station was typically closed from 9 p.m. until 9 a.m. In the past two days most of them had been there until midnight.
Then her gaze was drawn to Jax. As soon as she made eye contact, he smiled at her. Patches did him one better, letting out a happy woof! and racing across the room, sliding to a slightly uncoordinated stop at her feet.
Keara laughed, grateful for the moment of levity. She wondered if the intelligent therapy dog had done it on purpose. “Hi, Patches.”
Patches wagged her tail, staring up expectantly until Keara pet her.
Then Jax was standing beside her, his presence somehow managing to make her more calm and nervous at the same time.
“Today we’re hoping to get more information on motive and our potential suspect,” Ben announced, his voice carrying over the few conversations and making everyone go quiet.
“Since you know the residents here better than we do, we’re hoping to pair agents and officers,” Ben said. “The goal is twofold. First, to figure out if anyone knows of a reason one of the victims might have been targeted or anyone who’d want to do them harm. Second, to show them the sketch we got from two of the people on the scene. See if anyone recognizes him.”
“What about me and Patches?” Jax piped up.
“We’re hoping you can drive back to Luna, talk to Aiden DeMarco’s family and see if they have any idea why both their son and his aunt might have been targeted.”
Jax nodded, looking unsurprised, and Keara hid her disappointment.
He wasn’t an agent. He wouldn’t have been paired with her anyway. And if he had been, she would have needed to protest. Although talking to residents wasn’t dangerous in theory, it could lead them to a bomber. Hell, they could actually end up knocking on the door of the bomber. Keara didn’t know everyone who lived here, especially those who chose to hide on the mountain, who didn’t want to be known.
Desparre was a small town only in terms of population. When it came to size—and the distance backup had to travel if you needed them—it was definitely large.
“I’ve got a list of pairings,” Ben continued, “and a stack of printed sketches you can show people. That way, anyone with low vision won’t have to squint at your phones. And there’s no chance of anyone trying to snatch that phone away from you.”
He said the last part like he’d experienced it and Keara raised her eyebrows at Jax, who just shrugged in response.
“Does that work for you, Chief Hernandez?” Ben called across the room.
Everyone’s attention swiveled her way and she nodded, appreciating that he wasn’t just trying to railroad over her small department. The FBI had more experience, but her officers knew the area and the people better. “The plan makes sense. Everyone stay safe out there. If you get a lead, call it in on the radio before you pursue it. And make sure you stay in contact.
