Yeah, sorry. But with those two names protected and Mr. Evans getting the surgery, that only leaves us with fives names.

Yes, but Mr. Wan and Mrs. Breedlove denied our services…so…

Any chance theyre worth looking into?

Well, Mr. Wan is pushing eighty, so I doubt hes the killer. And Mrs. Breedlove is sort of a bitch, among many other things, but she can barely breathe with the state shes in.

Rachel considered it all for a moment and put boxes around their names on the list, which left her with only three. If it came down to it, they could go back and check the family and loved ones of Wan and Breedlove. But for now, she had a gut feeling that it was these final three that needed to be looked into. She also speculated that if Mrs. Breedlove was indeed in terrible shape that maybe the killer was associated with her. This harkened back to an earlier theory she had considered: that the killer may be knocking people off of the list in order to help someone elsesomeone that might be in very bad shape.

Does Breedlove have any children? she asked.

A daughter that lives in New York.

Husband?

No. I believe he passed away two or three years ago.

She filed all of this away as she looked to the remnants of the list. She considered one of the names heavily: Seth Dillinger. It was a name that stood out because his was one of the few names that had come back with a red flag due to a criminal history. Hed had a sex offense charge eight years ago. It was the only ding on his record but now as his name stood out among just two others, she couldnt help but wonder if there was something there.

Weve got Wilson, Dillinger, and Smith, she said. If Agent Rivers and I take one of them, can you take one and send someone else to get the last?

Im sorry, but no. Not right now, anyway. I mean, with the surveillance on all these people, Im out of manpower.

Jack shrugged and hitched a thumb at himself. Rachel nodded and said, On my way out to my listing, well swing by the station and Agent Rivers and I will split up. Can you call ahead and make sure he has an accessible car?

Will do. Talk to you later. And your backup is en route. Id say given them another five minutes or so.

She ended the call and started the car. You think you can handle speaking with someone without me just this once? she joked.

Are you kidding? Ill probably do much better than I would with you. Without your dry, get-down-to business-demeanor, I think my boyish charm tends to come through more.

She wasnt able to keep the genuine laughter from coming out. Jack put on a mock expression of hurt, clutching his heart.

You wound me, Gift.