Page 83 of Lost Lake
“You’re thinking this is the reason Kenna was killed,” Jude said. “That she saw something she shouldn’t have and got caught making copies of whatever freaked her out.”
“We do,” El said.
Jude eyed Gabe. “You’re usually the devil’s advocate, but since this is your investigation and you’re too close to it, I’ll step in. We’re talking about a group home here. A place where struggling children found a safe harbor, just like the name suggests. Whatever Kenna discovered wasn’t likely a reason to commit murder.”
“You could be right.” Gabe returned his teammate’s penetrating stare. “But if you read the journal entry, you’ll see she’s very convincing about this being a big deal.”
“I agree,” El said. “And we should treat it as such unless we find evidence that disputes it. After Hayden does a deep dive, we’ll begin by interviewing people involved in both organizations.”
Hayden poked his head up for a moment. “I can already tell you both organizations are very well thought of in the social services community. Silas Tinsley is the director of SafeHarbor, and local philanthropist and entrepreneur, Jonas Trent manages New Tide.”
His findings further raised doubts that these men could be involved, but El agreed with Gabe. They couldn’t let this slide.
“We can’t go see them before business hours.” Gabe picked up a marker. “Now would be a good time to review our suspects and set priorities accordingly.”
“Wait,” Hayden said as his fingers continued to fly over the keyboard. “I need a little more direction here. We know Mason’s murder is connected to Kenna’s through DNA, and his granddaughter was enrolled at the center where she worked, plus he had the encounter with the guy in the black van, but I’ve failed to find anything else. Do you want me to include them in the Safe Harbor/New Tide search?”
“He could be linked to them,” El said. “Even Bonnie could have more of a relationship with these organizations other than supporting them through her daycare.”
“Okay, I’ll look for that.” Hayden typed something into his computer. “And while I’ve got your attention, I’m getting close to obtaining a call log from Mason’s phone and finding real names for the buyers on Craigslist. I should be getting Mason’s bank statements sometime today, too.”
“Thank you,” El said. “Anything we can?—”
“Hold up! Breaking news coming in.” Hayden’s eyes lit up. “There are rumors that Bonnie had an affair with one of the center’s parents, ending her marriage.”
“Who?” El asked.
Hayden kept his gaze pinned to his computer. “Guy’s name is Carl Acosta. He’s been flirting with the edge of legal since he got divorced a couple of years ago. Been pulled in for questioning on two burglaries but never charged. No consistent address. No consistent job. No custody of his daughter and has no plannedvisits. It’s up to the wife to grant them. And by the way, the big news is his kid attends Little Pines Daycare.”
“I don’t suppose it says whether he owns a Ford Transit.”
Hayden shook his head. “Easy enough for me to find out while you all plan.”
Gabe looked at El. “You think he was watching the daycare to get a glimpse of his daughter?”
“Seems possible to me. That means Bonnie knows him, and we need to question her again.” El glanced at her watch. Five a.m. “It’ll have to wait until the center opens.”
“If it helps you decide what to do,” Hayden said, “Acosta does own a Ford Transit from a carpet cleaning business he couldn’t make a go of.”
Before El could reply, her phone rang. She glanced at the screen and then at Gabe, who was sitting across from her. “It’s Ulrich. Has to be important if he’s calling this early.”
Gabe rushed over to sit next to her. She tapped the speaker button. “I’m with the Lost Lake Locators and have my speaker on. I can find a private location if you want.”
“No need,” he replied with certainty. “They should hear this, too. A credible witness called in to say she just saw a man with a little girl who looked like Lucy.”
“Where?” The word erupted from Gabe’s mouth.
“At the entrance to Silver Mist Trail. They were starting down the path, and she was coming back from her morning run. The man pulled his stocking cap down lower and glared at the woman, so she slowed to take a good look at the child. The child whined and said she wanted Mommy, but he shushed her, saying they were going to Mommy now. Then they took off down the trail.”
“Dispatch SWAT,” El said with no hesitation. “I’ll meet you at the trailhead.”
“Already done. Mina deployed them as soon as we verified the legitimacy of the call.” Ulrich’s tone rose. “Caitlyn Armstrong’s the witness’s name. She’s waiting for us there.”
“We can be there in ten minutes.” She ended the call.
Before she could even look Gabe in the eye, he was on his feet. “C’mon, let’s move.”
“Not so fast. This is a law enforcement op. I can’t have you in the middle of it and risk not being able to prosecute this guy because we allowed a civilian to participate.”
