Page 107 of Airborne
“Surgeons repaired the damage. He’ll recover. Javier states Chad is in bad shape, blames himself. Believed he should have followed Andy inside the store and prevented the outcome.”
“He hasn’t contacted me. His habit is to process info before reaching out, and he’s shouldering responsibility.”
“You know him well.”
“At least the man he used to be. Doesn’t it sound like the robbery was staged to keep Andy from talking to Leigh Masterson?”
“Looks that way. When we make an arrest, the guy and whoever’s working with him are looking at a long time in jail.”
The dubious statement shouldn’t have bothered her... Did he still think Chad was involved? “Keep me posted on Andy, and I’ll reach out to Chad.” She prayed for Andy, an innocent youngman who’d been the target of a killer. “I have an update about Thomas Powell.”
“All right.”
She explained her experience with Thomas. “I’m requesting we probe deeper into the bullying scenario, and I’m interested in his twin brother’s and parents’ medical history.”
“On it.”
“If a mental issue lines up with this case, Thomas Powell may not have any recollection of his crimes.”
“How is dissociative identity disorder treated?” Mitchell said.
“Unfortunately medical testing can’t diagnose DID. And I doubt he’d agree to a psychiatrist or psychologist evaluation when we have no basis for it. For now, I request a consultation with an FBI psychiatrist to examine his medical history.”
“Without a diagnosis, we have little to go on but hard facts.”
“And the high probability of an unstable man,” she said. “Can the FBI move ahead on an interview with Oliver or Jackson Powell? Either man may have witnessed mental instability or have a recollection of Thomas’s behavior prior to the boys’ separation. If you can arrange an interview, I’d like to be on the call.”
“I’ll see what I can arrange.”
“Thomas said he helped pay for his grad school expenses by working at a bakery in Austin. The name is Flour Power. I’ve looked online and confirmed its existence. If the same people still own the bakery, they might have seen mood swings. Meanwhile I’ll work my way into conversations that could trigger a personality switch.”
“Good job, Heather.”
“Two more things. Have any of Thomas’s girlfriends viewed an emotional or mental issue? Is it possible to ask them if he demonstrated questionable moods?”
“I’ll keep you in the loop.”
She closed her iPad case and breathed in the salty air. Todayhad sent the investigation in unexpected directions. She trembled and attempted to process the dreadful news of the day.
What else could go wrong?
Heather walked along the grounds to the back entrance of the compound. An osprey, a gray-and-white dancer, dove into the water and emerged with a fish. She could pitch a tent here.
Staring out over the water, a strange object jutted up from the shoreline. At first Heather believed it was sea-washed rock. She crept closer, out of curiosity, and the object now resembled driftwood.
Twenty feet from the object, a leg appeared.
Another leg and torso.
Heather raced toward the body.
Sonya Karey.
CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
BACK AT HIS APARTMENTafter leaving Andy to rest, Chad opened the Bible he’d purchased at the JFK airport. What he’d read couldn’t be real. To believe the Bible, he must believe God inspired the book. But he didn’t believe in God, so how could he trust the Bible as the Word of God?
If God existed and He had all this power thing, why didn’t He speak to Chad and end the uncertainty?
