“But you cleared him.”
“I’m still checking on everyone,” Rocky said.
Devin looked forward and nodded. “I’m all yours.”
He turned to her with a grin. “I like the sound of that,” he said.
Then he looked toward the road again and she wondered just what he’d meant. She didn’t ask. Instead, she cleared her throat. “Rocky, if you end up running into a brick wall, how long will they let you stay?” she asked.
He glanced her way. “Stop worrying. I’m not leaving—not until this is solved.”
They stopped by Vince’s office. The receptionist announced them, and Vince came out to meet them and lead them back to his office. It certainly was plush, she thought. The chairs were deep and comfortable; his diplomas were displayed, and maritime art decorated the walls.
“Sit, sit,” Vince told them. “Nice surprise—or are you here to question me again, Rocky?”
“No. I just keep hoping that one of us—you, me or Jack—might think of something. A small detail. Something from years ago that could help.”
“That would be helpful,” Vince agreed dryly.
“You heard about the attack yesterday, right?” Rocky asked him.
“I did. How is your friend Devin? She seemed very sweet, and she certainly didn’t deserve what happened to her,” Vince said.
“She’s already back at work. Thank you for asking,” Devin said.
“I’m glad,” Vince said. “A mugger?” he asked Rocky.
“Nothing taken,” Rocky said.
“Scared off, probably. You don’t think it’s related, do you?” Vince asked.
“I don’t know,” Rocky said. “Anyway, I just stopped by to see if you’d thought of anything. If you do, no matter how small and seemingly inconsequential, let me know. We’re staying at Devin’s cottage, so call tonight if you remember something.”
After that they said their goodbyes and headed back to the house, stopping on the way to pick up pizza for dinner. He ordered a lot of pizza, and Devin asked, “Is the Krewe coming back?”
“Yeah, somewhere along the line. But before they show up, I want to call Jack.”
“You believe in Jack’s innocence, don’t you?”
“Yeah, his alibi is ironclad. For the one murder, at least, but so long as we’re only looking at one killer, that’s all it takes. Plus, I believe the attack on Beth is connected somehow, and Jack was with me when it happened.”
“Theo?” she asked.
“I admit I’m looking in that direction. He’s the only one of the group left, so if it’s not him, that means we’re way off base and pretty much have to start all over again. But he has access to anything he wants at the store. So far we haven’t come up with an alibi for him, though we haven’t asked him for one, either. The bartender—Judah Baker—saw him there with Gayle and Beth the night Barbara was killed. Theo says he’s not from here, but he is. He went away and came back, and that fits our killer’s timing. Whichever way you look at it, he fits.”
“Are you going to arrest him? Or take him down to the station like you did Brent?”
“Not yet. But tomorrow, I’m going to have you ask Beth if we can search the store. I don’t think I have enough for a warrant on his house, but I’m going to try to get him talking, see if maybe he lets something slip.”
*
Rocky called Jack as soon as they got back to the house and asked him to come over, and Jack showed up a little while later.
They sat down and passed out pizza, and Rocky slowly and thoroughly laid out everything they had, including their theory about a contemporary killer picking up where Margaret’s killer had left off.
“And your suspicions are turning toward Theo Hastings?” Jack asked when Rocky had finished.
“Yes.”
Jack groaned. “I start talking about something like that around here and everyone is going to think that I’m persecuting Wiccans.”
“Not Wiccans, Jack. Wiccans don’t run around killing anyone.”
“So what do you suggest we do next? We don’t have a single physical piece of evidence against Theo. He was in a bar the same night as one of the victims. Locals—especially people who work in the area—do go to bars. And what if it’s not Theo? Are we supposed to search every shop? Find something hidden in someone’s basement? It’s impossible.”
“Just be aware, more than anything else. Tell your men to look for anything odd, anything out of place. And remind them that a serial killer can and often does look just like the guy next door.”
Jack nodded. “Okay. So tell me, are you trying to lure the killer out?”
“How do you mean?” Rocky asked.
“Staying here instead of the hotel.”