She nodded. “There’s a murderer out there, in case you’ve forgotten. I want to study the shoreline for any caves we might have missed.” She would tell him what she really wanted to do once they were in the water.
He tossed his messages onto his desk. “The chief made me promise I’d keep you out of trouble.”
Nothing she hadn’t expected. “What’s the problem? I just want a tour of the shoreline from the water.”
“You will tell me what you’re really up to before you actually do it, right?” Those dark eyes nailed hers.
She faked a smile. “You have my word.”
After that, Sarah wanted to stop by Matilda’s house and find out if her mother had seen her. As certain as Sarah was that Matilda was extremely capable of taking care of herself, probably had been doing it her whole life, she still worried about the kid.
Right now Sarah was anxious to see which domino was going to fall next.
11:30 a.m.
“So no one comes out here in the winter?”
“Hardly ever. The owner is a summer resident.”
They’d decided to stop by Matilda’s house first and gotten nothing from her no-good mother. Then Kale had taken Sarah on a tour of the shoreline from one end of the village limits to the other. He’d pointed out the caves and assured her that each one had been searched. The one where Polly had been held was marked as a crime scene, and techs and deputies were still milling about. Sarah had waited patiently through the tour before revealing her true agenda to Kale.
The small island they’d docked at provided the perfect view of the waterfront side of the Pope property.
Sarah reached for her binoculars, then dropped her bag onto the porch. She studied the house, zeroing in on each massive window, one at a time.
The family appeared to be home. No company. No evidence that they were packing for a hasty retreat.
Could Lynda Pope carry such a burning hatred that she would kill two innocent young women? Was her husband helping her? Or was he the killer and hoped to point suspicion in her direction? What was the motive? Sure, envy drove people to commit heinous acts at times. But these were people who had it all. Was the thrill gone now? Was this an attempt to infuse excitement into their lives and relationship? Or was getting even for the few things their one beloved offspring hadn’t attained in life the actual goal? Maybe he just wanted to get rid of his wife.
Matilda had a feeling about him ... but did that carry any real significance?
Sarah couldn’t prove anything. It was just a hunch. A gut instinct that the people inside that house were somehow responsible for the murders.
The truth was there ... She was certain.
37
2313 Beauchamp Road 1:00 p.m.
Jerald turned up the volume on the television hanging above the fireplace. He instinctively moved toward it as the local news on the hour recapped the latest events. Sarah Newton’s image flashed on the screen, a microphone stuck in her face.
“The person responsible for these two tragic murders is female. She’s out there and she’s not finished yet.”
He moved his head from side to side. Sarah Newton refused to give up. Part of him couldn’t help but respect her doggedness. She would not relinquish until she had the truth.
That admirable trait presented quite the dilemma.
“Daddy.”
He turned to find Jerri Lynn standing on the other side of the room watching him, her parka and boots evidence she had only just returned home.
She shook her head, her eyes wide with something akin to shock.
He moved toward her. Wanted to explain that what he’d done was for her benefit.
She backed away. “What have you done?”
Before he could respond, her mother entered the room. “What’s going on?” She looked from Jerald to the television screen, where moreimages and comments regarding the ongoing investigation eclipsed the killing storms in the South and the unrelenting floods in the West.