“Yes, sir,” Matt said. “Seventh known victim of a killer who has killed in three states. He kills three random victims every three years.”

“The Triple Killer? I read a federal briefing about him. That’s our victim at the lake?”

“Yes, sir,” Matt said.

“Call me Brian—or Maddox, I’ll answer to both. Do Dunn and Packard know?”

“Yes,” Andy said. “I put it in my report last evening. I may have stirred the pot a bit by not talking to either of them directly. I don’t want Jordan to get in trouble for working with us. We need him.”

“Shit,” Brian mumbled. “I got your back, Andy, and I’ll take care of it, okay?”

“Thank you,” Matt said, relieved.

Brian asked, “How much time do we have before we expect another body to drop?”

“Less than forty-eight hours,” Matt said. “His pattern has been to kill on the 3rd, 6th, and 9th of March. The first victims in both previous cycles were killed the morning of March 3, and the third victims in the evening of March 9. Twice he’s grabbed a victim before midnight the day before but waits until after midnight to kill them. It’s the date that seems to matter to him more than the time of day.”

Brian said, “Matt, Andy, I need to get any information you have to my officers. I know this is going down in Liberty Lake, but the Spokane Valley isn’t that big. I live in Liberty Lake myself, several of my cops do, and I’ll do whatever I can to help, starting with taking point with the two chiefs.” He glanced at his watch. “Swing shift comes in at three-thirty, out at four—I’d like you to come back in a few hours and give us a briefing. I’ll keep the day shift over for a spell. You may have to deal with some local political shit, but ultimately, we have a good department. I don’t see Packard pulling some interagency crap, provided he gets a photo op.”

“I’ll be here, Brian,” Matt said. “I appreciate your help.”

“We all want the same thing—to find out who killed that nurse.”

Brian Maddox nodded at them, then turned and left.

“I screwed up,” Andy said.

“Trust me, the feds rarely act this fast. I’ll take the heat, I’m used to it. Brian’s a good guy?”

“The best. He was born and raised in Newman Lake, a tiny spot just north of Liberty. We went to the same high school—fifteen years apart. His wife is from Liberty and they still live there, on a spread east of the lake. He trained me my first year on the force, before he transferred to Spokane. That was more than ten years ago. If anyone can keep the politics to a minimum, it’s Brian.”

“Do you ever want to move up and out?” Andy was in his early thirties. Liberty Lake was a small town—like Brian said, not much room for advancement.

“My family is here. My fiancée’s family is here. I’m the oldest of four, she’s the oldest of six. I don’t need a fast-paced life, and I wouldn’t care if Victoria Manners is the last murder I ever investigate. And besides, Chief Dunn is sixty-one. He retires in three years. I can wait that long for the title and pay raise.”