The sergeant called me into the conference room next to the one Spencer was in. They were setting up the whiteboards with all our findings. The four victims’ photos were lined up in the order they were killed, with descriptions, height, weight, and age.
“Where are we with the witness?”
“I do believe he saw him. His details line up, and he’s with Jackson finishing up a statement.”
“Good.” He nodded, but I could tell there was more to it. “I’d like you to come by tonight and talk to Spencer about Will. I think she’ll hear you out if she knows I’m on board.”
“Hey, honey.” Lisa came over and kissed G on the cheek. “I haven’t seen this place so busy in a long time.” She glanced around and spotted Spencer. “Is Spencer working here now? I thought she only did ride-alongs.”
“There’s been a development.” The sergeant shot me a look. “Maybe we should talk in my office.”
“Or you can tell me now.” She squared her shoulders.
You could see her tense when Sarge quickly and quietly explained what was going on. Her hands went to her mouth, and tears glistened her eyes.
“No,” she hissed. “You need to find him, G. You need to do it right now.”
“I know.” He pulled her into a hug. “We’re trying.”
I patted the sergeant on the arm and motioned that I’d meet up later. For now, I had to get my place ready for Bri. With my keys in hand, I rushed home.
Spencer sat at the dinner table, hands in her lap and her food untouched. I knew Will would be a hard sell, but I thought maybe she’d hear us out. Sadly, that wasn’t the case.
“I have to disagree,” Lisa said in Spencer’s defense. “Will has been a problem from the very beginning. He destroyed her childhood, ruined her career, and who knows, he might have even killed her parents.”
“We don’t know that,” Sarge bit back.
“It’s no secret that he knows people, G. Their death is a cold case—” She stopped when a sob broke free. “He took them from us. I know it.”
“Spencer,” I tried to change tactics, “I get this is hard, but maybe you should—”
“No, you don’t,” she whispered, eyes still glued to the salt and pepper shakers in the center of the table.
“All I’m saying is hear him out. He remembers things.”
“Like?”
“Like how he came from rehab to the hospital and suddenly had a baggie of coke on him.”
“That’s not anything new, Blake.” Her gaze peeled over to mine. “He does this. He plays these mind games to get someone to feel badly for him. I’m not the only storyteller in the house.”
“I’m just saying—”
“Well, don’t.” She stood and pushed the chair in. “Please don’t meddle in things you don’t fully understand. It’s a cold case for a reason, meaning there was no evidence and the killer got away.”
“I’m only trying to help.”
“You can’t help this, so please, I’m asking you to let it go.”
“Spencer.” Sarge stepped in.
“No.” She held up a hand to stop him. “I know you love me, G, and you want what’s best for me, but this isn’t it. Don’t rub salt in the wound.”
“Spencer.”
“Blake,” she snapped back, and I saw that she was barely holding on to her emotions. Her hand rubbed her chest as though in pain. “My brother doesn’t want to be saved, and neither do I!”
She knocked over her chair as she rushed out of the room and onto the patio.
Lisa sighed and shook her head at her husband. “It’s her right if she doesn’t want to speak to him, but if that boy knows something about this case, you better beat it out of him, because this has been going on way too long, and that girl deserves some answers.” She left us standing there, unsure of our next step.
“I thought it was going to go better than that.” I felt lost as to how to navigate from here. It was hard for me not to chase any lead that came up.
“I should have known better,” Sarge grunted. “Spencer keeps parts of what happened that day locked away. It’s fine if you skim the surface of what happened. Any type of digging, and you get that.”
“There were never any suspects? Nothing at all?” Cold cases were a detective’s drug. They were addictive but were a road to nowhere.
“One, but he got cleared…for now.” Sarge gave me a grim look, and I knew he was referring to Will. “Did you call your friend Bri you were telling me about?” he asked after a few moments.
“Yeah. She’s getting set up and will be joining us tomorrow at the briefing.”
“Good.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Spencer
“Who’s that?” I narrowed my gaze at the long-legged brunette who Blake was introducing to a few of the other detectives on the case.
Lisa sipped her morning coffee and joined me. She was never around, so it was nice that G asked her to drop by. I thought he was worried about me. “That’s a good question. G never mentioned anyone new.”
“She’s pretty.”
Lisa shrugged and picked up her phone. She was always good at not bullshitting me but also never liked to fuel any unnecessary feelings either.
“I won’t talk to Will,” I suddenly blurted, wanting to draw the line in the sand now.
“I don’t think you should, anyway.” She glanced at me, and I saw the same pain reflected in her eyes. We had been such a tightknit family, and the burn of them being ripped from our lives was much too raw. “We both know how it will end.”
“I love you, Lisa.”
She squeezed my hand under the table as she leaned over and kissed my cheek. “I’ll get G to ease up.” She eyed me, and I knew there was more. “You and Blake talk last night?”
I flicked my gaze over to the camera, and she cursed. I shook my head like it was okay.
“We, ah…” I whispered. “We didn’t. He started talking about it again, and I asked him to drop me off at home. I know he means well, but honestly…” I couldn’t finish.
“I know, honey.”
Something flashed over top of my manuscript, and the chat window popped up. There he was, like a ghost emerging from the smoke.
A: What’s your ETA on the current scene?
I froze for a moment and tried to picture what he looked like and where he was at this very moment. Coffee shop? Bookstore? Over a dead body?
Lisa knocked on the glass and signaled to Blake to come in.
“He’s here,” she mouthed as he grew closer.
Blake flipped on the camera and pointed it toward my screen and turned to me as the long-legged brunette followed suit.
“Think about your answers, Spencer.” He motioned for his friend to come closer. “Try to get him talking, and try to get as much information as you can while he’s there.”
Three other men joined the room as Blake projected my screen onto the wall so everyone could see what I was doing.