Now what?
Another problem: the charm found with Rebecca. Where had that come from? Was that also from an earlier case? He should have checked every single one of the murder books while he had the chance. Too late now.
He drummed his fingers on the steering wheel.
Kennedy was not going to be happy about this turn of events. But then Kennedy should have taken the time and trouble to explain to his partner what he was thinking—especially if, as Jason now suspected, Kennedy was on the same track.
But the Kennedys of the world liked to play their own hand. Which left their partners stumbling around in the dark.
So now what?
In order to make his case, Jason needed that mermaid charm back.
And how the hell was he supposed to manage that?
He could have dropped it anywhere in that basement.
Jason listened to the echo of that thought with dismay. No, he wasn’t even considering going back to Rexford. Was he?
There had to be another way.
He could still make his case without the charm, but it was going to be harder to prove. It left a lot more wiggle room for the defense. The mermaid was the linchpin.
There was a reasonable chance he’d dropped the charm on that pile of rotting whatever the hell he’d landed on. Even if he hadn’t… The water was only about a foot deep. Two at the most. He had been able to see down to the bricks when the light was right. And it wasn’t like there was a current running through. If he’d dropped the charm in the basement, it was still there.
He swallowed.
Was he really thinking about doing this? Going back to that deathtrap?
He needed to make his mind up one way or the other because Kennedy and Chief Gervase were liable to drive into this parking lot any minute. Unless they stopped for lunch or an early dinner.
No, they’d had to wait around the hospital, so they’d have eaten. They would drive into this lot a little while from now, and Officer Courtney would tip her boss off, and Kennedy would lose the advantage of surprise. Chief Gervase would begin marshalling his witnesses and strengthening his alibi.
Jason started the engine and slowly pulled out of the parking lot.
Jesus. What if he was wrong about this? An hour ago he would have bet money on Boxner being guilty. And now he was convinced it was Chief Gervase even though until this minute it had never crossed his mind that Gervase was anything but one of the good guys.
Even if Gervase had killed Rebecca, why in God’s name would he bring Kennedy and the Bureau in?
Or was this all about Kennedy? About making him look bad? Ruining his reputation? But why? As obnoxious as Kennedy could be—defy me and I’ll break you!—ten years was a long time to hold a grudge.
No, it couldn’t be that. Or…it couldn’t be only that. For sure it was a factor. Bringing Kennedy in had been a huge risk. Yet Gervase had deliberately done that very thing, so part of this did have to do with Kennedy. But it wasn’t just about Kennedy.
The fact that Gervase hadn’t seriously harmed Candy…what did that mean?
Obviously he wasn’t a serial killer.
No, Jason was sure his original theory about Candy was correct. She had been abducted to make it look like Rebecca’s murder was part of that larger and earlier pattern. She had been snatched to strengthen the idea the Huntsman—or a previously unknown accomplice—had returned.
It seemed Gervase had been forced by circumstances to improvise. What circumstances?
Whatever had happened, Gervase had been scrambling ever since to cover up. And he’d been abandoning plans nearly as fast as he came up with them. First he’d come up with making Rebecca’s death look like part of the earlier pattern; then he’d thought about fobbing the murder off on Tony McEnroe; then he’d directed them to Rexford, again trying to make the Return of the Huntsman scenario work…
Round and round Jason’s thoughts went while the sedan’s tires ate up the miles.
When his cell phone rang, he was as startled as if the call was coming in from outer space. He glanced down and was unsurprised to see Kennedy’s name flash up.
“West.”