“We’ve not found one yet. But we’ve only been on scene an hour.”

“I just spoke to him hours ago. He was a little uncomfortable but nothing noteworthy.”

“Your presence could have been enough.”

Spencer doubted it. “Text me the address.”

“Hold off informing Detective Poe,” Captain Lee said. “She’ll learn about this soon enough.”

“This is her case.”

“No, it’s yours. And she’ll want to be on scene, and given her vision impairment, she’ll be in the way now.”

It was true. There was not much she could do now. “You call her, or I will.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Sure, I’ll handle it,” Captain Lee said.

Spencer arrived twenty minutes later. The entire store was now roped off with yellow crime scene tape and surrounded by a half dozen police cars. He parked in the small lot behind the shop next to the forensic van. Lucas and two technicians were unloading equipment.

Out of the car, he went to Lucas, who handed him full PPE gear. Every bit of evidence would need to be protected, and no one was taking any chances.

He pulled on gloves, moved to the back entrance, and showed his badge to the officer controlling the scene. After giving him his name for the log, he climbed the back staircase to the apartment above the store. He took his time, making note of the walls, the stairs, and even the banister, looking for anything that might appear to be off.

The walls were painted white and were covered with framed black-and-white pictures that covered the last fifteen or twenty years of the store’s existence. Rawlings appeared in all the images, and as Spencer climbed the stairs, Rawlings grew younger and younger. The last picture featured twentysomething Rawlings standing with a smiling, petite blonde.

He pushed through the apartment door and again was met by another officer, who directed him to Captain Lee in the back bedroom.

The lights of a camera flashed as he approached. When he stepped inside, he saw Rawlings lying on his bed, a single gunshot wound to his right temple. His gun, a .45, lay in his limp hand. The back of his head had exploded on the pillow behind him. How a bullet could ravage a human body never ceased to amaze him.

Captain Lee turned to Spencer. “There’s a large closet to the left. Have a look, but don’t enter yet.”

Spencer moved toward the closet and studied the collection of photos filled with pictures of Laura Davis, Tammy Fox, Emma Powers, and Jordan and Avery Poe. “Jordan needs to be told about this.”

“I’ve sent a car for her. She’s on her way. I don’t want her up here. But she’ll stay by the command center.”

Spencer returned to Rawlings’s body. “Why kill himself? He was getting away with it.”

“You were getting close.”