Tyler nodded his head.
“Is the accelerant accessible?”
“The lab results from the samples I took from each fire show turpentine.” Tyler carefully placed the top on the vial of a sample he’d just taken. He showed the sheriff. “If this comes up as turpentine, then we have another connection. I’m going to call the ME’s office and see what they have on the other two victims.”
“Well, the coroner’s office van just pulled up about five minutes ago. They’re taking care of the body in there now.”
“Did your team case the area and talk with any potential witnesses?” Tyler asked the sheriff.
“They’re still interviewing people. Mrs. Smelter said she heard Carla pull up in her car a couple of hours ago, and she heard two doors close.”
Tyler looked at the sheriff, surprised at the info.
“You think she was with our arsonist?”
“A good possibility. We’re towing in her car so it can be checked for fingerprints.”
“Great. Maybe we’ll get lucky and catch the one responsible.”
“I’ll be happier when both these guys are caught and we can rest easily at night. How is Paula doing?”
Tyler released a sigh.
“She was tossing and turning a lot in her sleep. Matt’s with her now.”
“I’m glad she has you two. Susanna and the women are worried. Monte’s staying there until he can get his team together to do some security work on their house.”
“Good. I know our relationship just started with Paula, but she means a lot to Matt and me. We’d do anything for her.”
“I know what you mean. Monte and I care a lot about Susanna, and the fact that she was nearly killed by that asshole who hurt her years ago was the scariest thing we ever went through. I worry about all those women, and it’s our job to protect them.”
Tyler couldn’t help but wonder if the sheriff was giving him a friendly warning.
He looked him in the eye. They were the exact same height, similar builds, and ex-military.
“We’re going to take good care of her and we’ll help you and Monte watch over the others.”
The sheriff nodded his head, and then Tyler’s phone rang.
* * * *
They met inside of the sheriff’s department. It was Tyler, Sheriff Parker, Detective Louis, Deputies Vic and Tommy Ollsen and some members of the forensics team.
“Okay, it’s official. I called you all here because it appears we definitely have a serial arsonist on our hands,” Tyler explained as a series of comments went through the room.
“From my findings at the crime scenes and the tests conducted by the lab, it appears that our arsonist has been using turpentine as an accelerant to start these fires as well as destroy evidence,” Tyler stated.
“Evidence of what? I mean, is he starting these fires to get off or is he hiding something?” Deputy Tommy Ollsen asked.
“He’s hiding his murder victims.” As soon as he said the words, the room exploded with questions.
“Okay, okay, everyone just calm down and let me explain what I have so far. Then Detective Louis will explain what he needs and where this investigation is headed. The medical examiner has conducted an autopsy on the bodies found at the previous fire in the hotel. Those two women were dead before the fire. They sustained numerous stab wounds to their chests and abdomens. The bodies were very badly charred. However, he was able to determine cause of death by the gashes to the flesh and breaking of ribs.”
“Holy crap,” Deputy Vic stated.
“I’ll let Detective Louis explain further and what we’re to do from here.” Tyler sat down and listened to the conversation and tried to answer any questions he could. It was 10:00 a.m. by the time they ended the meeting and the sheriff and Detective Louis discussed forming an investigative team. They had a large department and the resources needed to handle this case. But Tyler’s mind kept racing back to Paula. He missed her. He missed holding her in her arms, and he missed the sounds she made when she was fully aroused and ready to explode. He hoped that Detective Louis and his team came up with some useful leads. Or maybe Monte would be successful in finding some clues. Either way, he needed to get back to Paula. Holding her and having her close to his heart and in his arms would bring him peace.
He was heading out of the precinct along with the sheriff when Tyler noticed the envelope on the windshield of his truck.