Haywood looks at the monitor for a long moment, knowing I’m still watching.

“A jail cell can’t hold an idea,” he finally says.

“Well that’s almost an admission of guilt,” Knoll replies to me. “The guy’s playing games. The deputy told us he spent two hours on the phone yelling at his attorney before they got here.”

I try to pay attention to what Knoll is saying. “What’s so odd about that?”

“The line was dead. He never called anyone. He was screaming at a dial tone. He’s trying to set himself up as crazy.” Knoll pokes a finger at the screen.

“Wouldn’t that fall under attorney-client privilege still? Even if the call didn’t go through?”

Knoll shrugs. “I don’t know. It’s not like we’re going to mention it to the judge.”

“Then why do it at all?” I ask.

“Why do any of this? Nothing about him makes sense.”

58

IT’S OBVIOUS THE QUESTIONING isn’t going anywhere. I don’t need to stare at him anymore. I decide to go back to the motel and finish my report, then take a car down to Santa Lucia to see if I can figure out what he was planning to do. I’ve looked at all the images and surveillance photos I can handle. I need to just go for myself.

Our Colorado team still hasn’t found anything useful to report. That part of the mystery is still a huge blank for us.

When I arrive back at my motel room, there’s an envelope under the door. I pick it up and get suspicious because it feels a little thick. But I see Damian’s distinctive D written on one side and breathe a little sigh of relief. It’s one of the rare times I’m glad to get something from him. I can open it without calling the bomb squad. I think.

I glance over my shoulder back into the motel parking lot, just to see if he’s watching. It’s empty except for our government cars. I step inside my room and lock the door behind me.

I pull a pair of rubber gloves from my jacket and use a nail file from my purse to slit the envelope open. I’ll let forensics take a look after I read the letter.

Jessica,
I hope you caught the fiend. Still, I worry. Please don’t go anywhere without taking your prescription.

Much love!

D.

Enclosed along with the note is a flat foil pack of pills. I flip them over and look at the name on the back, Antilirium.

I type the name into my phone and it comes back as a prescription medication used for treating Alzheimer’s symptoms. Sometimes Damian likes to make weird jokes. They seem funny to him, but he’s also insane. I slip them into an evidence bag and put them in my pocket with his letter and decide to worry about the meaning later.

It takes me another two hours to finish up my notes and send them off. There’s still enough daylight left to check out Santa Lucia, so I take one of our rental cars. Just to be safe, I call our local dispatcher and tell him where I’m heading.