York shook his head. "I've been trying my hardest to remember who it was. It was such a fleeting glimpse and I was distracted at the time. But I think it's important. What if - I have had nightmares about this ever since you picked him up this morning - what if he already took a third victim, and you haven't discovered it yet? I mean, it was sheer chance that the second victim was discovered, in such an out of the way place. Those trails are very remote."
That awful reality thudded down on May like a lead weight. This was a terrible thought, and she had to admit, it was a possibility. Not everyone at the school was accounted for. A lot of people had stayed home after the murders. As yet, if one person had gone missing early this morning, that person might not yet have been picked up on.
"We'll be sure to ask about that," she said, now unable to shake the cold feeling in her stomach. "I will do my best to make sure everyone is accounted for. And this has been a very helpful interview. I will probably need to contact you again."
"That's no problem," he said.
"And I will ask again, did anybody else reach out to you or other teachers, who might have been feeling uneasy about Coach Adamson's behavior?"
York thought for a moment.
"No. I'm sure I would have remembered."
May was thinking hard about all the possible identities of a potential third victim. She felt a queasy, sick feeling in her stomach.
"The police will do everything they can to make sure everyone is accounted for," May said with more confidence than she actually felt, as her mind swirled with possibilities.
If Adamson had been stealthy enough to take a victim without anyone noticing, they might not have realized they'd gone missing yet.
Another murder. It was a possibility. She hated to admit it, but it was possible. It might be a long shot, but there was nobody else to check. The serial killer might have already struck again.
That might also have accounted for his extreme guilty reaction when the police had arrived, she thought, icy fingers running down her spine.
"Thank you. And thank you for taking the time to speak with me." She tried to keep her voice brisk and professional even though she felt sick inside.
"Thank you," York said. "I meant what I said. I'm not a brave man. I can't tell you how hard it was to even come here and say these things, but I felt I had to do my part to make the students safe."
But, as York got up, May remembered there was one more piece of information she needed. She'd been so shaken by what he'd told her that it had flown out of her head for a moment.
"Oh, another question," she said. "In the last six months, did you notice any change in the dynamic among the staff? Anything untoward, any individual causing trouble?"
He shook his head.
"I only joined the team at the start of this year, so I wouldn't have had any knowledge of what it was like here previously," he said.
"Okay. No problem. Thank you for the information. Please will you sign a statement at the front desk before you leave?"
“I will do that.”
He got up from the desk.
May watched the teacher walk to the door. She felt sick with apprehension. Her mind was racing. She’d never had to deal with a case like this before.
What if there was a third victim? What if he'd already killed? That would mean that there was nothing she could do. It would be too late.
How could they find out who else he had been following and photographing?
She felt a deep fear. She felt an overwhelming sense of dread.
She had no idea where to start.
And she was certain that, if Adamson had indeed struck again, the police were already too late to save another victim.
Breathing deeply, May knew panicking wouldn't help her now. In fact, it would count against her. All she could do was follow the evidence, the facts, and hope that no matter whether Adamson had already killed again or not, they had what they needed to put him away for life.
And, at that moment, as he reached the door, York turned around.
His face was alight.