Page 57 of Shadow of Death
“Think we should search the cliff area again ourselves?” she asked.
“We could. Or we could start going through the people who were caught.”
“Both,” she said decisively.
He grinned. “All right. Call Andy. See if there’s anything new.”
Amy put the call through on speaker.
“Andy, anything else happen we should know about?” Amy asked.
“Unfortunately, no,” Andy said. “We’re working on backgrounds of the victims now, but nothing is really standing out. We’ve been getting video in from every traffic cam in the state just about and have nothing yet on Hayden Harper or Don Blake. Trust me, we have everyone working on it.”
“We spoke with Magda Kenward again,” Amy said. “And if we get a photo roster—”
“Of the people taken on the cliffs, yes. We’re working on it—we’ll get an agent out to see her later this evening.
“Now, we’ve been working on your theory, Hunter. We’re looking into the pasts of the victims identified. So far, no murderers or armed robbers, but we found a few with divorces, possible marital affairs, and an accusation of fraud. Things I suppose one could see as sins. Oh, a boss who seemed to fire a lot of employees. So, Hunter, you think this is real?”
“No,” Hunter said flatly. “But I think this master killer—to keep his flocks here and there and all over—knows he has to accrue true believers, a real family believing in love and togetherness. His followers obey every command because they are so rooted in the belief, or so terrified they may be seen as sinners themselves if they don’t completely follow the master.”
“Yet, with this group, Mateus was the Messiah.”
“Right. But someone was pulling his strings. He was taking orders on a cell phone. We need to find that phone.”
“We’ll get groups out again combing the cliffs at first light,” Andy promised. “All right, so—”
“We’re going to dinner,” Amy told him. “And then—”
“Early to bed, early to rise,” Hunter finished, grinning at her quickly.
“Folders on everyone we have will be ready for you in the a.m.,” Andy promised. “And we’ll be ready to see if Miss Kenward can identify any of the men or women we’ve brought in.”
“Thanks,” Hunter said briefly.
“Thank you,” Andy said and ended the call.
“So,” Hunter said. “What’s your culinary inclination for the evening?”
“Food,” Amy said briefly.
“That really narrows it down.”
She laughed. “Room service. We’ll take a real evening off!”
“All right. Now that definitely sounds like a plan to me.”
In their room, Amy checked the menu and decided, “Grouper meunière! Sounds like a winner.”
“Go for two.”
“You don’t have to—”
“Nope. Works for me.”
Amy put through their order, then reclined back on her pillow. He checked his messages, then looked over bits of information Andy had sent him on the victims discovered in the pits.
Some remained unidentified.
