Page 65 of Lost Lake
“He’s also a former Marine,” she said. “He could’ve learned how to strangle someone in the service.”
“Then we need to find Ryker like stat!” Gabe’s phone rang, and he checked the screen before answering. “Hayden, you’re on speaker.”
“I ran all of your names in an algorithm of probabilities of the most likely to commit a crime.” Either caffeinated or excited, his words tumbled over each other. “Ronald Ryker comes out on top due to a felony charge and military background. I know you’ll want to talk to him. I’ll email all of his details including his last known address, then do a deep dive on him.”
“Thanks, man,” Gabe said. “Anything on the other guys?”
“Lots of things, but nothing I think you’ll find helpful. Still, I’ll compile a summary and email that too.” He ended the call.
Gabe looked at El and Jude. “Looks like our direction is clear. Once Hayden completes his deep dive, we go question Ryker.”
“And while we’re there,” Jude said. “It would be good if we could get a DNA sample from him to compare to the fetal tissue result when it’s available.”
“It would be purely voluntary at this point,” El said. “If he agrees, it could tell us he doesn’t think he’s the father.”
Gabe met her gaze. “And no other evidence would be as clear-cut of a connection to Kenna than DNA.”
15
Sunday morning, and El didn’t want to sit around not when Faye had just texted to say the boathouse victim’s fingerprints officially matched Howard Mason, the retired police officer. El wanted to race over to interview his daughter, Talia, but attending church with Gabe and his team was a priority for all of them. Then she agreed to a quick breakfast at the inn to fuel up for a day that promised to be packed with activity.
“This isnothappening.” Hayden pounded the table where he’d been eating and working on his deep dive. “Ryker moved to Phoenix to live with his mother when he got out of prison eighteen months ago.”
Gabe frowned at his teammate. “Doesn’t mean he couldn’t have been the person watching the center.”
Hayden let out a long breath. “Actually, it does. He re-offended within a week of his release and is a guest of the Arizona State Prison Complex. His black van is now registered to his mother in Arizona.”
“We can strike him off as the person watching the daycare then, and as a suspect in either of our murders,” El recapped, though she hated to say it. “But I’ll have Ulrich follow up with themother to be sure his van is physically at her residence and not left here with a friend who might be driving it.”
Gabe shoved his chair back hard enough for it to hit the wall, then turned his attention to El. “You ready to go? We might no longer be interviewing Ryker, but hopefully Talia Mason will give us something to go on.”
“Ready.” El put her dishes in a bin on the food table to be washed. “Thank you for breakfast, Reece. It was wonderful.”
“You don’t have to be working an investigation to come by.” Reece smiled.
El glanced at Gabe to get his reaction, but he was scowling as he started for the door. She couldn’t determine if his mood was due to striking out on Ryker or because she’d been invited to come by for breakfast at any time.
Nor did she ask him on the drive to Talia’s house. He buried his face in his phone, doing what, she had no idea. He only put it away when she pulled to the curb in front of Talia’s two-story home, painted a very deep gray and boasting weird contemporary angles. They took the sidewalk up to the door in silence, too.
Gabe pounded as if his life depended on it.
A woman answered right away. “What can I do for you?”
El would never pick this woman out in a crowd to be Howard Mason’s daughter. She looked nothing like her father. Petite, blond, and blue-eyed, while he was burly, brunette, and had brown eyes.
El identified herself and handed her a business card. “Are you Talia Vogel, and is your father Howard Mason?”
“Yes.” She took the card, but not without hesitating.
“I’m sorry for bothering you on Sunday morning, but could we come in for a moment?”
Talia cast a suspicious look in their direction. “Is it about my dad? Is that why you asked about him?”
“It’s best if we come in and talk about it.” El took a step to enter, basically forcing Talia to move back.
She did, then escorted them to her light-filled family room with contemporary furnishings that fit the exterior of the house.
El and Gabe took seats on the sleek leather sofa, and she broke the difficult news to Talia.
