“Like it was yesterday.” Burrows lowered his voice. “I recall he was staying with us. He was sleeping in my room when the cops found the priest and the other guy in the woods as well. This is where I get confused. He was just a kid, so at first it never entered my mind he might have killed them. At the time, I was never sure if I was dreaming or had made a mistake about things but the more I think on it, the more I’m sure he was somehow involved.”
Heart thundering with excitement, Jenna leaned closer to listen. “How so?”
“Well, the cops spoke to his mom because they’d seen her in a bar with the first guy. He’s the one I saw taking Paul upstairs to his room. The next time Paul slept over, he told me he’d told the cops he’d seen a scruffy guy hanging around the woods, a biker maybe. He was super excited, like he was playing a game or something—like he’d tricked them.” Burrows paused a beat. “This is where things get muddled in my head. You see, I’m not sure if I was dreaming, but I remember waking on three occasions and seeing his bed empty. At the time, I figured Paul was using the bathroom, but at one time, he went to bed in green PJs and the next morning woke up in yellow ones. That was the night his mom died, and when I think back, the reason I remember the nights he wasn’t there is because the cops came to our house the next day to find out if Paul was staying with us.”
Mind spinning, Jenna checked to make sure the recorder was still working. “So, what do you think happened?”
“I figure Paul could have murdered them all.” Burrows’s voice sounded strained. “There’s something else. My mom had one of those knives with the sheath that sharpens them when you push it in and out… know the kind? Well, she yelled at me for touching it because it went missing and showed up in the wrong drawer. I think he used the knife to kill them all.” He blew out a long breath. “Think about it… if those guys were pedophiles and Paul wanted to lure them into the woods, trust me, he was smart enough to do it. He had this way about him that made everyone believe he was an angel, but in truth he manipulated people. I can see it as clear as day the way he used to talk to my folks to allow him to stay all weekend.”
Jenna rubbed her temples. “The autopsy report says his mom was murdered in her bed. I guess a kid of that age was more than capable of slitting her throat. But two grown men? How is this poss
ible?”
“I heard they were mutilated.” Burrows’ voice seemed to faulter. “Maybe you should read the autopsy reports and seriously consider what could have been happening to a ten-year-old in the woods. I figure he went home and cleaned up after he killed them, showered, changed. He probably tossed his bloody clothes into a dumpster along the way and then crept back into my house.”
Jenna nodded to herself. “And you’ve never heard from him or seen him since?”
“Nope.” Burrows’s chair creaked. “Not a word. He could be dead for all I know.”
“Okay.” Jenna stared at the red blinking light on the recorder. “That’s very interesting. I’ll send you photos of a few men. Could you see if you recognize any of them as Paul?” She sent the images of her male suspects.
“It’s been a long time.” Burrows sighed. “Sorry, none of them look like Paul.”
Jenna chewed on her bottom lip thinking. “Just one more thing. Did you ever see Paul with any of his mother’s jewelry?”
“Funny you should say that.” Burrows brightened. “The morning the cops came around to tell him she’d died. He didn’t cry or anything. He just stared into space. When they informed him he couldn’t go back to the house, they asked him if he wanted anything of his mother’s. He shook his head, but when they left, he said he had a remembrance of her and showed me a pair of earrings.”
“Hang on.” Jenna sent him the image of the earrings they’d found at two crime scenes. “Did they look like this?”
“They sure did.” Burrows sounded intrigued. “That’s them. Where did they show up?”
Staring at her phone, Jenna shook her head. “I wish I could tell you. Right now, they’re evidence in an ongoing investigation. I really appreciate your help. Would you sign a statement, if I write this up?”
“Sure, but it’s only recollections of a kid. I’m not sure it will hold up in court.” Burrows sounded confused.
Jenna couldn’t believe her luck. “It’s just for the record. Thank you so much for your time. I’ll be in touch.”
“Anytime.” Burrows disconnected.
Jenna stood, her mind swimming with the implications of the conversation. “Well, Paul Tate, whoever you are now, you’re a walking time bomb and you just became my prime suspect.” She hurried out the door and headed for the elevator.
Forty-Two
Kane listened with interest to the recording. “That’s the making of a psychopath if what he says is true, but none of this proves Paul Tate is our guy. We’re going on the recollections of a nine-year-old.”
“Kids do remember things. I sure do, but then I do have a different type of memory than most.” Rio chewed on his pen. “Do you remember significant things?”
Too many things. Kane nodded. “Yeah, my memory is real good. I can remember learning how to walk and sitting in my highchair trying to push food into my mouth.”
“Good for you.” Jenna leaned on her hand. “I remember falling off a swing, but that’s not helping the investigation. Is Paul Tate one of our suspects?”
Kane shrugged. “It’s impossible to know, if he’s been living under an alias for years.”
When a knock came on the door, Kane stood and headed to answer it. “That will be Parker Rain. She’s a literary agent, so if she’s the killer, then it shoots all our theories to hell. She’s not Tate, is not related to him, that’s her real name, and she doesn’t fit any of our revenge or jealousy motives.” He turned to look at Jenna walking backward. “Em didn’t get a vibe from her, so we might be able to remove her from our list.”
“Emily does a fine job, but she doesn’t have your experience, Dave.” Jenna looked up from her notes. “Dig deep and see what shows.”
“Do you still want me to stay over here during the interviews?” Emily took her coffee back to her seat.