“I just got the photos,” she said. “This is great stuff.”

“He’s in the wind. He’s wounded. He knows what my people look like. He’s followed several cops home and knows who their families are. I’m giving a statement to the press in—” he glanced at his watch “—twenty minutes. What do I say?”

“It’s already been released that he’s a suspect in the murder of a cop. He’s going to be in hiding. If he hasn’t left town, he has another place. Vacant house. Someplace he feels safe enough to regroup.”

“I don’t think he’s left town.”

“Why?”

“Because Brian Maddox is still alive, and he wants to kill him.”

“But he has also exhibited signs of self-preservation. I talked to Jim Esteban while he was processing the double homicide in Liberty Lake. He thinks that Hamilton killed the owner, then was going through the house looking for something, or perhaps just trying to remember what it was like there when he was young and his mother was alive. Detective Knoll’s arrival surprised him, forced him to act. He didn’t hesitate. He could have run out the back, but he didn’t—because that would give the police time to catch up with him. Instead, he chose confrontation—he came out and attacked immediately. The officers weren’t prepared because they hadn’t been expecting Hamilton. He’s injured—not life threatening, but enough to where he should be considered a wounded animal.”

“Wounded animals fight back.”

“Or hide and lick their wounds.”

“So he’s licking his wounds waiting for an opportunity to act. He knows everyone on my team. Even the detective from LA—he thinks she’s a federal agent because he hadn’t seen her before the investigation began—because there was no reason for him to. He followed her to her house. Or me.”

“Excuse me?”

“I drove out there on Sunday to discuss the case with her and dammit, I know how to spot a tail. Either I’m off or he’s good.”

“He’s good, Matt—really good. And planning this killing spree for a long time. According to these pictures he followed several cops, and no one realized it. He blends in. Uses his cell phone camera because no one thinks twice about someone on their cell phone.”

“I’m going to tell the press almost everything. I need everyone alert, calling in with any tip. It’s a fucking blizzard here, getting worse. People are going to be staying indoors.”

“I’ll go over all the photos again, see if I can see something that might help.”

“Ryder is going through Hamilton’s finances—he has at least one shell company in addition to his regular employer and that’s how he stays off the grid at times. He works remotely, so no one thinks twice if he’s not around the office. He gets his work done, that’s all they care about. If you need more, call Michael Harris—he’s at Hamilton’s house searching top to bottom. Forensics is on their way.”

“Does the detective from Los Angeles have a protective detail?”