Matt let Quinn’s theory sink in. It seemed complicated—too detailed, too many factors could go wrong—but it also provided the killer with multiple outs. Yet the killer never used his own vehicle in the cases that they knew about. He always used the victim’s car and he disappeared without a witness, suggesting he had a personal car or other transportation planted. Waiting for him. They already knew he was a meticulous bastard who stalked his victims. Having his car easily accessible to the crime scene—a predetermined location—was more than plausible. He needed to run this scenario past Catherine, get her take. She’d long ago ruled out a partner, but maybe they should rethink that possibility.

“Do you think I’m full of shit?” Quinn asked when Matt didn’t immediately respond. “It’s something like this—or he has a partner. And though I’m not a profiler, I listened to your briefing and this isn’t a guy who shares his kills. He’s a loner.”

How’d she do that? Fucking mind reader? “I’m processing.” Quinn was right—he was a loner. He’d just been thinking that Catherine determined he killed alone, and there was no evidence to suggest he had a partner. “It seems to be a convoluted way to get to the lake,” Matt said, “but based on the limited information we know, it’s plausible. But most likely not a taxi or Uber. Taxis maintain decent records, and an Uber you need a phone app and credit card.”

“And I can tell you a half dozen ways you can clone a phone, steal an ID, and skim a credit card where it wouldn’t be traced to him.”

“Point taken,” Matt said. The Triple Killer was smart, and if he had computer skills that would lend credence to Quinn’s theory.

“Andy says they have an arrangement with the property management companies and know every rental property that’s vacant or occupied within the town limits.”

“Can we get it?”

“Yes,” Andy said. “But if someone owns the place as a vacation house and doesn’t rent it out, we don’t always know when they’re in town.”

“But a rental agreement might help us in case some fucking defense lawyer wants to call this the poisonous tree,” Matt said.

“Excuse me?” Andy said.

Quinn laughed. “I’ll explain later.”

“Don’t tell anyone about your theory,” Matt said. “Just us and my immediate team only. Okay?”

“Yes, boss,” she said.

Matt ignored the veiled sarcasm—after all, he was the boss and he had a sense this was the way Quinn communicated. And she’d already made it clear she wasn’t a fan of any authority.

“Andy, my team will work the taxis and ride shares. Can you talk to the bus company and see if they have security disks from March 2? Actually—the entire week before. He might have come into Spokane early, checked into a hotel or something. Our profiler believes that he stalks his victims for a time, knows their patterns. We need to cover all bases. The rest of my team came in late last night. I don’t know if you had a chance to meet them this morning, but Jim Esteban, my forensics expert, said there’s only one other family on that road where you found Manners’ car—and they didn’t see or hear anything?”