Page 56 of Night Moves
“Maybe the daughters knew my sister,” Natalie said. “Though Gina sure wasn’t a gardener. She was like me. We don’t like the outdoors much.”
Erik shook his head. “There’s no evidence of that connection either.”
“There has to be a connection,” Drake said. “Maybe not a physical link, but in Gentry’s motive.”
“What about money?” Clay asked. “Were they robbed?”
Erik shrugged. “I don’t have access to the banking records. And before you ask me to get it, the only way to do it is to hack the bank, and that’s not something we want to do.”
“Agreed.” Drake stared at the report Erik created as if a link would pop up.
“On another note,” Erik said. “I found out Gentry was in both of the towns when victims two and three were killed.”
“That can’t be a coincidence.” Drake gritted his teeth.
“No,” Erik said. “All the evidence points to him being The Clipper.”
Natalie clenched her hands on the table but didn’t speak. It was looking like she was right, but this was likely one of those times when no one would want to be right.
“So let’s quit spending time on trying to prove he’s The Clipper and shift our efforts to finding him,” Drake said. “One thing we haven’t considered is his car. If he has a navigation system, we could trace his movements via GPS. Maybe one of the addresses in the file will lead to him.”
“Car’s likely at a body shop,” Erik said. “I can get a copy of the accident report to see who towed it.”
Drake explained how the deputy failed to note the tow company.
Clay scrubbed a hand over his face. “Talk about incompetent.”
“Londyn is looking into this, but I don’t want to leave it up to her alone when we could work it too.”
“I’ll print out a list of body shops in the area and sort by the most likely places,” Erik offered. “And we can start calling them and the tow companies.”
“We could have Stella make the calls.” Drake would email their receptionist and have her make this her top priority.
Erik leaned back but his fingers continued to rest on his keyboard. “I’ve also been looking into rental car companies and banking information along with property records for Gentry and his wife. So far, I found Tracey’s distant cousin owns a cabin in central Oregon. A remote place. Kind of like this one. Check out the monitor, and I’ll put a map of the place up.”
The screen came alive with a map, and Drake studied the address located in a wilderness area. “Do we know anyone in law enforcement up there who could do a drive-by to see if the place is occupied?”
“Already ahead of you.” A cocky grin lit Clay’s face. “Got a college buddy in that area, and he’s en route to the cabin right now. Should know something within an hour. And I’ve also contacted Gage Blackwell. He’ll get a helo in the air for us the moment we need one.”
“Gage Blackwell?” Natalie asked.
“A friend who owns a tactical company in Cold Harbor,” Drake explained.
“If he’s looking for Natalie and the kids, why would he go so far away?” Clay asked.
Drake gave it some thought. “Natalie mentioned that he might not care about his kids like we would if we were him. That he wouldn’t let her best him. So he could be lying low, trying to find us.”
Natalie nodded. “But remember, in his eyes, he’s the most important thing. Means his number one priority is self-preservation.”
“What if he thinks the police are involved in protecting the kids and has given up on getting them back and seeking revenge?” Clay asked.
“Then he could be at this cabin figuring out his next move,” Drake said.
“Why don’t we wait to see if he’s even there,” Clay suggested.
Drake wasn’t one for waiting on anything, but it sure seemed like the right plan at this point. He was just going to have to learn a bit of patience, and learn it quickly.
15
