May let out a slow breath, her anger rising.
"I'll call this in." May was almost relieved that they had the evidence, now. There was still a lot of work to do, but at least now, they were heading in the right direction.
"He clearly recorded everything about them," Owen said. "He must have been obsessed with them."
"That's what it takes," May said. "And at least now, we have some proof. This is the evidence we need to ensure that he is never going to hurt another girl again."
She looked at the photos and shivered at the thought of a man like the coach stalking innocent girls.
The coach was finished. He'd been caught and there was no way that he would escape this time. With this concrete evidence now providing the backbone of the case, May felt much more confident about the interview itself.
And she was glad that they weren't going to rely on a confession alone.
“Is there anything else we can use here?” she asked. This was exciting but it didn’t mean they should give up.
“There’s a laptop in the trunk. We can take that in. Hopefully he’ll give us the sign-in code,” Owen said.
Corroborating evidence on a laptop would be another huge win.
Her heart was beating faster, now that she saw what they had. They could finally nail him.
Perhaps, knowing that they were in possession of these photos might be enough to break him. May felt increasingly certain that this hard evidence would provide what was needed for Coach Adamson to crumble.
Now, they just had to go and confront him with it.
*
Fifteen minutes later, May and Owen pulled up outside the Floral Ridge police department where Adamson had been taken. May had waited at the school until the forensic detectives had arrived to begin their examination of the car. She didn't want to leave it unattended for a moment. She hoped that the car would provide some trace evidence. A smear of blood, a filament of the petals from the flowers he had left on the scene. Something that could link him to the crimes beyond any reasonable doubt.
There was a positive atmosphere at the police department. May sensed it as soon as she walked in. The officer at the desk beamed at her.
"Congratulations, Deputy Moore. I'm so relieved that this is concluded. You cannot believe how many calls we've had to field. Every parent in the entire Tamarack County has been in a state of panic."
"I can well believe it, and with good reason," May sympathized.
"It's so hard for us, as police, at the start of an investigation like this. I'm just thrilled that it hasn't dragged on."
"That's the worst situation," May agreed. "Panic turns sour and the police start to be blamed."
"And the public loses trust in us. It becomes such a toxic situation."
Worst case scenario it might be, but May knew that until the case had been finalized there was always the risk that they might catapult straight back into these dire circumstances.
"We are lucky that a good lead has taken us further," May acknowledged. "We have very strong proof that will back the case up, but it's not yet over. We want this case to be watertight. This next hour is going to be critically important."
Looking more somber now, the woman nodded.
“I need to remember that,” she said. “I’ve seen many seemingly strong cases break on the rocks at the last moment. I sure hope this isn’t one of them, although I know it’s not always within your control.”
“It happens,” May agreed, feeling her mouth suddenly dry. This case could be one of them. She knew all too well that this happened. Witnesses could change their minds. Strong alibis could pop like rabbits out of a hat, causing surprise and despair and cracking a seemingly solid case apart.
She headed through to the interview room. Then she stood outside the door, preparing herself. She glanced at Owen, relieved in that moment that the awkwardness of earlier had vanished and it was just the two of them, on the fight for justice and looking to obtain the outcome they needed.
"I’ll do the initial interview," May said firmly. “Will you start by checking his devices? We need proof from the phone and laptop, as soon as we can get it.”
"Yes. I’ll go do that. Good luck,” Owen said, and hurried away.
May opened the door and walked in.