“Someone had to do it.” He went into detail about the different species of sharks that swam around that reef, just to emphasize how dangerous it had been.
Evelyn saw him look at her every few seconds to make sure she was paying attention and smiled as though she was, but she couldn’t wait for him to leave. She was tempted to peek at her watch. She didn’t because she was afraid he’d notice. He was Brianne’s guest; she needed to be as polite as possible.
“That’s not the only incident where I had to save someone on a beach,” he said, and told them about a mother who’d lost track of her child and how he’d pulled the little girl out of the surf and performed CPR.
“Did she live?” Brianne gasped.
“She did,” he said. “She coughed up water and started to breathe. Her mother was so grateful.”
“I bet! That must’ve been terrifying.”
“I almost had a heart attack when I saw her floating in the water. Why her mother wasn’t paying more attention I don’t know. It only takes—”
“What do you think about the murders we’ve had here?” Evelyn broke in.
She’d fallen silent for so long, they both seemed startled that she still had a voice. Or maybe it was that she’d cut him off before he could finish his statement. But she had to stop him before he launched into yet another story, and the investigation was all Evelyn could think about these days.
“You mean Sierra Yerbowitz and that other woman?” Andy asked.
Evelyn crossed her legs. “Katherine Sharpe, yes.”
“The police have a real problem on their hands.”
“You don’t believe Amarok will be able to find the killer?”
He finished his wine and held out his glass, since Brianne was offering to refill it. “I’m sure Amarok’s an amazing cop, but you and I both work at the prison. We know what those men are like.”
“You’re assuming we’re looking for a serial killer, then.”
“Aren’t you assuming the same thing? I read in the paper that the victims had no apparent connection to each other, even though they were found together. Two random victims will make the investigation a lot harder.”
“Yes, but the killer left evidence.”
He leaned back. “What evidence? It’s tough to have an informed opinion without knowing all the facts.”
“The bodies, for one. Katherine was tortured. Sierra wasn’t. Why the difference?”
“The question is … why are we talking about murder?” Brianne said. “Don’t you both get enough of that at Hanover House?” She stood and started gathering the dishes. “I’ve made a lemon chiffon cake. Let’s have dessert and change the subject. I, for one, am sick of dark topics. I wish I never had to hear about another psychopath.”
Evelyn thought the conversation was just getting interesting. Since Andy pretended to know so much about everything, she was curious to hear his opinion, wanted to see if he had anything insightful to add. He seemed flattered that she’d asked and keen on answering. But he was Brianne’s date, and Brianne wasn’t going to let their current crisis ruin what would be her last night in Alaska.
“Of course.” Evelyn cast them both an apologetic smile. “I’m preoccupied with the situation, but I don’t mean to spoil your evening. I’ve had enough to eat. No dessert for me.” Intent on going to her room so they could have some privacy, she pushed away from the table. “Time for me to find my bed.”
“You don’t have to leave,” Brianne said. “I wasn’t suggesting that.”
“She’s right. Stay,” Andy chimed in. “I’m enjoying your company. We both are.”
Evelyn picked up her plate. “Thank you, but I’m exhausted. I’ll stack the dishes for now. We can do them in the morning, Bri, so don’t worry about them tonight.”
With the help of Brianne and Andy, she’d just about cleared the table when the phone rang.
Brianne was closest to it. “Looks like it’s that attorney friend of yours again,” she said. “He sure stays up late, doesn’t he?”
“I suspect he’s a workaholic, like me.” Evelyn’s hands were wet from rinsing plates; she quickly dried them. “Plus he knows it’s four hours earlier here, so it’s okay to call.”
“Burning the midnight oil again?” she asked Ashton once they’d both said hello.
“I finally had a chance to go through my voicemail today,” he told her.
“And? Have you heard from the lab?” She’d been on pins and needles, waiting to hear back, but she hadn’t expected word so soon. To keep from feeling too anxious, she’d told herself Monday would be the earliest.
At the energy and enthusiasm in her voice, Brianne and Andy turned to watch her.
“I have,” Ashton said. “They left me a message several hours ago. They’ve matched the DNA.”
“To Jasper’s?”
“Yes. He was in the house where Charlotte was killed, no question.”
“What about the blood from the cabin here in Alaska?”
“Everything has to be double-checked by a supervisor, so they won’t release the results of that test quite yet. We probably won’t hear on that one until Monday, but I wanted to give you what news I had.”
“Okay, so … if Jasper’s DNA was in Charlotte’s house, he killed her, as I’ve always suspected. He’d have no other reason to be there. Tim is innocent.”
“That’s what it means to me, too. I’ll do everything I can to get Dr. Fitzpatrick released. But his DNA was also at the scene. We’ll have to see where that goes.”
“What is it?” Brianne asked.
Evelyn couldn’t choke back the tears. “We have a chance,” she said. “We have a chance to catch him.”
Her sister grabbed her arm. “Jasper?”
“Yes, Jasper!” Evelyn thanked Ashton and told him good-bye. She was so excited she couldn’t remain on the phone. Grabbing her purse, she hurried for the door, but Brianne stopped her before she could leave. “Where are you going?”
“To the Moosehead to tell Amarok. They’ve found Jasper’s DNA at the scene where Charlotte was murdered! Tim Fitzpatrick is innocent. It was Jasper who killed Charlotte, and if he killed Charlotte, he killed Mandy, too.”
“Wait! You’ve always believed that, haven’t you?”
“Yes, but now we have proof.”
“Jasper’s DNA was found beneath the fingernails of one of the women who were murdered in Peoria, and that hasn’t come to anything,” Brianne said. “Why is this so monumental?”
“Because now Amarok can get a warrant for the flight manifests! We know Jasper was living in the Phoenix area with a wife and kids when he murdered his parents. In order to kill them in San Diego, he would’ve had to fly there, then go on to Boston that night or the next morning to kill Charlotte. Since he’d have no reason to stay after murdering her, and it would be best to get out of town, he most likely flew right back to Phoenix. So all we have to do is study the manifests to see who traveled from Phoenix to San Diego to Boston and back to Phoenix that week. There can’t be a lot of people who did that. Then we eliminate the names one by one until—”
“Until you zero in on the alias he’s been using!” Brianne cried.
Evelyn smiled through her tears. “Amarok was right. We’re going to get him.”
*
Amarok was sending the many pictures of tires he’d taken at the Moosehead last night to the expert, hoping for a cold hit, when the door to his trooper post flew open and slammed against the wall. Makita jumped to his feet and barked before recognizing Evelyn.
“There you are!” She seemed to blow in, courtesy of the strong wind behind her. “I’ve been looking all over for you. I thought you were going to the Moosehead tonight.”
He still planned to go to the bar at some point. He just hadn’t been able to summon the energy. But he hadn’t wanted to go home, either. He was finding it more and more difficult to be around her. She was breaking his heart. “I had some work to do.”