CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
May clicked open the summary of the criminal cases that Sheila had handled, looking for those that she’d been involved in seven to eight years ago. Her hands were trembling slightly from tension, and from the pressure of time they were under.
She scrolled through the list, going back through the years, forcing her analytical mind to take over from the part of her brain that wanted to panic at the sheer amount of information.
"Break it down into bite-size pieces," May told herself firmly. "Not all cases will be relevant. Start by looking for what is relevant. Make sure you are calm and competent."
Owen glanced at her as she muttered the words under her breath, before returning to this project.
Now that she was analyzing it better, she was able to see that there was not the mountain of information she'd feared at first.
Eight years ago, she saw, Sheila had just started with the firm. And because of that, her case load had not been high. She'd been handling a lot of minor cases, assisting with others, and had landed only a couple of major criminal cases to handle on her own. That narrowed things down.
"Okay, so going eight years back, I've got two possible cases. One was a big jewelry heist, one was an assault case," May said. She scrolled further. "Going seven years back, I have three here. One is a murder case, one is an armed robbery, and one is an assault case where the victim was shot, but didn't die."
"Those all seem like good possibilities. Let's see who was jailed, who's still jailed, and if they have any close relatives who are living in the area,” Owen said.
This was a job requiring routine research, and May felt lucky that she was partnered with one of the fastest workers in the whole county. Owen's fingers flew across the keyboard as he delved into the cases, and then cross-checked with the other databases.
At that moment, Kerry appeared at the back office door. May got up and hurried over. Maybe she'd uncovered something important? But from the look on her face, May doubted it.
"We've found nothing that can help us forensically," Kerry confirmed impatiently. "But there is still further analysis to do on one of the sites. So it’s time to go back in and question William again." She paused. "Adams had the idea that William might connect better with a male figure in the interview room, given that he has a very weak female role model in his life."
"That makes sense," May said. She saw where this was heading.
"Adams had the theory of building him up, you know, flattering him, praising him, admiring him, and trying to get him to spill the info that way. Which, as yet, we haven’t tried."
"Owen also had that idea," May said, wanting to make sure her deputy got the credit, too.
She wasn't sure if Kerry had heard her as her sister continued. "So, given that space is limited, it'll be Adams and me this time in the room. Hope you don't mind, sis. I'm sorry you can't observe from anywhere, but as soon as we're done, I'll update you."
"I hope it goes well," May said.
Kerry turned away and rushed back down the corridor, heading purposefully in the direction of the interview room.
May felt deflated, but not surprised, that Kerry wasn't including her. Deep down, she wondered if Kerry also felt a creeping sense of anxiety to prove herself at all costs.
Could that be possible?
Did Kerry actually feel anxious, at all, ever?
It was a very strange idea and May didn't have time to consider it further. Instead, she turned back to where Owen was working through the list.
With the suspect interview now being handled by the FBI alone, this list represented their only hope of making a contribution to the case, and finding the killer if it didn’t turn out to be William. May felt hopeful that Owen would pinpoint something they could follow up on.
She watched Owen as he worked, his eyes narrowed in concentration, flipping between his searches and occasionally pausing to paste a link, or jot something down.
"Only two of the perpetrators are still in jail," Owen said at last, with a sigh, straightening up and easing his shoulders back. "The perpetrator of the violent armed robbery case, and the perpetrator of the murder."
"Who are they?" May said, feeling eager. "Do you have more details?"
"The perpetrator of the violent armed robbery case is a man named Bart Evanston, now aged sixty-five. And he has a son!" Owen said, sounding optimistic.
"Who is he?" May asked, leaning over his laptop.
"Hang on, I'm finding out."
Owen tapped keys as May breathed down his neck. This could be a very promising lead.