“A bet?”

“My husband and I used to make these silly little bets. He told me the Lawtons wouldn’t have their lights down before February. I said of course they would, they’re responsible folks. And that morning must have been early February because they were still up and I had to cook dinner every night for a week. And Agent Costa, I don’t like to cook.”

When Matt left Mrs. Bollinger’s house, he called Brian Maddox and relayed the information to him.

Maddox remembered the storm, down to the day and year—eighteen months before Marston left.

Matt said, “We need all employment records from that school—any male who was fired in January or early February that year.”

“I can do that, but we might not get anything until Monday.”

“Can’t you light a fire under the school district? This is our single best lead.”

“I’ll see what I can do on a Saturday. I know the superintendent—he might do it himself.”

“Thanks, Brian. I’m going to check in with the forensics team, then go to the hotel to help with the lawsuits I have my team going through. We’re getting closer.”

Matt hung up. He’d been so certain they’d thwarted the killer after the warnings they issued. So certain that the killer wouldn’t be able to get to someone... But he had. Whether Ogdenburg was the intended victim this time or a backup because the killer couldn’t get to Joanne Grant, Matt didn’t know. But destroying Grant’s house suggested someone with barely controlled rage.

But he calmed down. Ogdenburg was killed just like the others. One deep cut, three slices. Methodical, and he cleaned up after.

They had less than three days to find the answers—when their psychopath would target a cop.

Damn if Matt was going to lose someone else.

29

Liberty Lake
3:00 p.m.

Kara had sent her boss Lex to voice mail three times; each message said, “Call me when you can.” Nothing more, nothing less. But three times?

She was still angry with Andy. He was a cop; he should act like it. She wasn’t a coddler; she didn’t tell people that it was okay when they screwed up. She expected a certain level of competence, and being a good backup was required. Hell, she screwed up plenty and took the knocks for it, but she’d never failed in her duty. She’d never put another cop’s life in danger.

She worked the scene because Andy didn’t. She wasn’t a cop in this town; she would have bailed if she wasn’t already invested in the outcome.

If she wasn’t worried about the cops in Liberty Lake.

The feds knew what they were doing, but they were sorely understaffed. Spokane PD was more than competent, in particular Maddox, but this wasn’t their jurisdiction and they had other cases to attend. They were pulling out all the stops, but for how long? Would it take another dead cop before they found this nut job?

Kara couldn’t just sit by and kick back while every cop in eastern Washington was looking for this killer. If something happened while she zoned out, she would never forgive herself. People she cared about lived here—were cops here—and she had to put aside her frustration with Andy Knolls. Focus on his strengths—and he had them. Hell, she had liked him until he walked out of that house while she searched it high and low. It didn’t matter that nothing happened and the killer was long gone; it was the moment of panic when she called for him and he didn’t answer—she thought he was dead. Then the moment of disbelief and rage that he had walked out and didn’t have her back.