Ash studied the list in silence, then he gave a shake of his head. He reached to shuffle through the remaining papers.
“Everything is in initials,” Ash muttered, his voice thick with frustration. “There’s no way to know what they mean.”
“Could be names of suspects,” Jax suggested. “Or maybe places?”
Ash shoved the papers back in the folder and rose to his feet. “I’ll go back through the notes I pulled out of storage to see if I can find anything that might give us a clue about these.”
Jax nodded. If Gage had wanted the folder to be a part of the official investigation, he wouldn’t have hidden it in his desk. “You’ll let me know?”
“Yeah.”
Ash reached for his coat and Jax leaned back in his seat, once again feeling a surge of satisfaction. He hated the reason that his brother was back in town, but he was going to enjoy his company while he was there. “Mom said you stopped by,” Jax said.
“I did my duty.” Ash slid on his coat, pressing a hand to the center of his chest. “As commanded.”
Jax smiled. Ash was like all the Marcel boys. He adored his mother.
“Did she offer you the fatted calf?”
Amusement sparkled in Ash’s eyes. “No, but I did get my favorite lasagna and a slice of her homemade chocolate cake with hot caramel dribbled over the top.”
Jax rolled his eyes. “Spoiled.”
“No way,” Ash protested. “Nate was spoiled. You were the favorite, and the rest of us were just the forgotten middle.”
Jax snorted. They’d all been loved. Perhaps he was closer to their father than the rest of them, but only because the older man had been eager to get away from a pack of screaming babies and the only way was to take Jax to a ball game or camping for the weekend.
“Speaking of Nate, did Mom tell you he’s coming home next week?” Jax said.
“Yes. I’ve also been ordered to be fitted for my tux before I leave town.”
Jax grimaced. No one was happier for Nate than he was. He hadn’t met his youngest brother’s fiancée, but she sounded perfect for Nate. Still, the thought of being trapped for hours in a formal tux that included a bow tie and one of those stupid cummerbunds was enough to give him a rash.
“Christ. I need to do that too. I keep putting it off in the hopes that Nate will come to his senses and decide to elope,” he muttered.
“I don’t think it’s Nate’s decision,” Ash said dryly.
“No, I suppose not.” Jax heaved a glum sigh.
Ash reached out to pat his shoulder. “I need to get back to Remi.”
Jax nodded. “Stay safe.”
Chapter Eleven
Ash drove back to Remi’s house, slowing as he passed the patrol car to give the cop a small wave. The officer gave a nod and pulled away from the curb as Ash parked in the driveway. He stepped out of the car but, walking toward the front door, he abruptly decided on a detour.
Rounding the edge of the house, he crossed the short distance to peer into Doug Gates’s window. He made no effort to hide his approach. He wanted the man to know he was keeping a close watch on him. A quick glance assured him the telescope was gone, and no one was in the dining room or kitchen. Satisfied that the perv had learned his lesson, at least for now, he continued to the backyard.
He did a quick glance around, not expecting to see anything. The sun was shining brightly, and despite the frigid air, there were already people bustling around the neighborhood. But even as he turned toward the house, there was a rustle in one of the bushes next to the small porch.
Ash was moving before he could consider that whoever was lurking in the shadows might have a gun. His only thought was making sure they didn’t slip away.
Shoving his arms into the branches, he grasped the quilted material of a coat. Then, gritting his teeth, he pulled the wiggling stranger out of the bushes. There was a blast of foul language from his captive as Ash threw him down and pinned his arms to the hard ground.
“What’s your damage, you freak? Let me go,” the man yelled.
No, not a man, Ash realized as he gazed into the hood of the coat. The narrow face was dotted with blemishes and a few scraggly whiskers on his chin. He couldn’t be more than fifteen or sixteen years old.
“Not a chance,” Ash rasped, glaring down at the intruder.
This couldn’t be the Butcher. The kid would still have been in grade school when the first woman was murdered. But he might be working for the killer.
Fear flared through the boy’s pale eyes, but he remained belligerent. “I haven’t done nothing wrong.”
“First off, you’re trespassing on private property,” Ash snapped. “I can probably add stalking and invasion of privacy to the list.”
The boy stopped his struggles, his expression suddenly wary. “What are you? A cop?”
“Something like that.”
“Why are you staying with Ms. Walsh? I saw a patrol car earlier.” He paused to lick his lips. “Is she in trouble?”
There was genuine concern in the kid’s voice that made Ash hesitate. Surely if he was the lookout for a crazed serial killer, he would have some convincing cover story? And if he was a common thief, how did he know Remi’s name?
“How do you know Ms. Walsh?” he demanded.
“She’s my teacher. At the youth center.”
The words barely left the boy’s mouth when the sliding door opened and Remi stepped onto the back porch.
“Ash?”
“Go back inside,” he commanded.
A waste of breath, of course. She stubbornly moved to the edge of the porch to gaze down at the boy who was lying spread-eagle on the ground.
“Drew? What’s going on?”
The kid eagerly turned his head toward Remi. “I came here to see you and this lunatic attacked me.”
“You can let him go, Ash,” Remi said.
He hesitated. He felt like an idiot holding down a boy who was half his weight, but this was no time to make mistakes. “You know him?”
“Yes,” she quickly assured him. “He’s Drew Tyson. One of my students.”
Cautiously, Ash released his hold on the boy’s arms. “I caught him hiding in the bushes.”
With the awkward movements of a boy who was still adjusting to a recent growth spurt, Drew scrambled to his feet. Next to him, Ash pushed himself upright and grabbed the boy’s coat and yanked it open. A quick glance assured him there weren’t any weapons hidden beneath the thick material. Drew glared at him but clearly accepted that Ash wasn’t going to let him anywhere near Remi unless he was sure he wasn’t carrying.
“I was waiting for the cop to leave,” Drew said to Remi.
“Cop?” Remi sent the boy a puzzled glance. “What cop?”
Drew pointed toward the corner of the block. “The one who was parked over there.”
Remi turned her head, arching her brows in a silent question.
Ash shrugged. “Jax has a few uniforms keeping an eye on the house when they can,” he told her.
“Jax asked them to be there?” she pressed.
He shrugged. “You know how overprotective he is.” She gave a resigned shake of her head, but before she could chide him, Ash was returning his attention to the boy who was regarding them with a curious expression. “Why are you creeping around here?”