CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Angus glanced at Franks across the table of the small diner they'd decided to grab dinner at. They were still waiting for the warrants to come in for the Jefferies' house and expected them any moment. They'd decided to grab food while they could and take a few minutes to breathe and regroup.

"We've got everyone watching for the car, and if he does fire up his gaming system or laptop, we'll know." Franks dipped a fry into his ketchup. "He's fifteen. How far can he get?"

"If he left town before we put the call out, he could be halfway through Texas by now." Angus sighed. "We should have put Terrance in protective custody last night."

"This is not your fault. We had nothing to back up our reasoning. We can't upend someone's life over a gut feeling." Franks leaned back. "I get how you feel. I feel the same way, but we've done everything we can with what we had to work with. This kid's been lucky not to leave evidence behind. No one wants to consider a fifteen-year-old is a mass murderer. If he hadn't gone after Terrance and Tom in the house, we'd still have no idea he was our suspect."

"They're so young." Angus stared at his half-eaten burger.

"I agree, but we have a job to do, and we do it to the best of our abilities. We work with what evidence we have. We can't doubt the job we've done. What we have to do now is catch this kid and see if we can find out why he did this. For the life of me, I can't think of anything that could be so bad in a fifteen-year-old's life that would make him go on a killing spree." Franks shrugged. "Then again, we see it in school shootings all the time."

"Thank God we haven't had one of those here." Angus forced himself to take another bite. He needed the energy the food would offer, but his stomach was in knots. He couldn't stop thinking about Tom and how devastated he had to be once he heard Terrance was dead. It made him imagine himself in the same position, losing Lance. It would kill him. Even knowing about the afterlife, he didn't want to think about a life where he couldn't hold Lance in his arms.

Franks looked down at his phone as it beeped. "We've got the warrants to search the Jefferies' home."

Angus took one more bite of his food, then pushed it back. He pulled out his wallet, found the bills he needed, then tossed them on the table. "Let's go. I want solid evidence on hand when we bring Johnny in. I don't want any lawyer finding a way to let him walk out of our custody." He stood.

Franks nodded, took the last gulp of his coffee, and followed. "Slow down. Officers are on scene. We're not going to lose evidence."

Angus glanced at his partner. "You don't think Johnny will go after Gavin now, do you?" He'd been worried about the kid since he was the only one not attacked so far.

"We've got an officer outside his home, and he's got great security. We've warned him to be careful. Both his parents are with him. There's not much more we can do." Franks gripped Angus's elbow. "You've got to take a breath. I haven't seen you this worked up over a case in a long time."

Angus couldn't explain it to Franks. He was still upset about having lied to Gail's parents after her death, and now, the guilt he was feeling over Terrance was eating him up. He wasn't sure why this case was getting to him, but it was. He nodded. "I know. I'll be okay. I just want him caught."

Franks unlocked the car, and they got inside. They sat silently for a while as they headed back to the Jefferies' home. Angus sat with his head back, eyes closed, mentally listing everything they needed to do. With the eyedrop box and receipt from the hardware store, he'd have enough to get a warrant to arrest Johnny. Right now, he was only a person of interest they wanted for questioning. Holding him wouldn't be a problem since he was driving illegally with a learner's permit. He couldn't count on the family being helpful, though he was sure Mrs. Jefferies would do all she could to bring her son's killer to justice. This was going to destroy their marriage. Angus couldn't imagine recovering from something like this to make it work, especially if Mr. Jefferies was defending his son. It was a mess.

"So I hear Amy's sister is going to be working at the morgue." Franks glanced at Angus.

"Trying to distract me from the case?" Angus laughed.

"Is it working?"

"Yeah, Gretta will start there in a week or so. Hopefully, she'll be a good fit. Lance said everyone liked her when she interviewed. Sounds like she's had a tough marriage. I think coming here will be good for her." Angus tried to recall all he'd been told.

"Is this a younger or older sister?" Franks asked.

"Not sure. My impression is younger, but I really don't know. Amy worried over her like a big sister, but I guess a little sister would worry the same way. I'm just glad they found someone to help in the morgue. I know they've gotten so busy the last year or so and they're all tired. The morgue was ignored when the city decided on their budget this year. Sam's pushing hard to make something happen next year before they all burn out."

"It's the mayor. She's got the city council under her thumb. All her pet projects are being handled while the rest of the city is functioning on a budget from twenty years ago. The chief asked for an updated computer system. It was refused. New squad cars, refused. It's that way all over the city. Everyone I talk to who works for the city is hurting." Franks pulled up in front of the Jefferies' home. "You ready to do this?"

"No, but I want it over." Angus climbed from the car. It was nearing seven in the evening but was still hot. Typical Texas summer. A single police car sat by the curb, and a nice BMW sat behind it. "Probably their lawyer." He eyed the car as they walked past it.

"We've got our warrant. There's nothing he can do now. We don't need to interview anyone yet. We got all we could from the parents earlier. I believe if Mrs. Jefferies knew where Johnny might be, she'd tell us." Franks rang the doorbell.

"So do I." Angus took a deep breath and put on his game face.

Mr. Jefferies answered the door, frowning when he saw them. "Detectives."

"Sorry to bother you again, but we've got a warrant to search your son's room and take the Xbox from the basement," Franks told him.

"Care to email me a copy of the warrant?" An older gray-haired gentleman walked up behind Mr. Jefferies and offered his hand. "I'm Ben Tinto, the Jefferies' attorney."

"Nice to meet you." Angus shook his hand. "If you'll give me your email address, I'll send it to you." He was glad they no longer had to wait for paper copies like they had years ago. The digital world was an amazing place.

They stood in the entry hall for several minutes while emails were exchanged. Once everyone had a copy of the warrant, the attorney stepped back. "Get what you need."

"Thank you." Angus didn't have to ask which room was Johnny's. He could tell the moment he went upstairs and saw the uniformed officer standing outside the door.

"Detectives." The officer nodded toward them.

"Thanks for keeping guard, Officer Reese. You can go now. We've got our warrant." Franks shook the young cop's hand. "Anyone give you any problems?"

"The father tried, but I shut him down quick. Once the lawyer showed up, everyone stayed downstairs. I heard quite a bit of fighting, but no information that might help you guys." The officer stepped away from the door.

"Thanks. Hopefully, we find something." Angus pushed the door open, pausing to put on a pair of gloves. The room was small with only a bed and small dresser. A TV screen hung from one wall, and posters of cartoon characters Angus didn't recognize hung around the room. He directed his focus to the trash can and smiled, seeing the eye drop box right on top. He quickly took several photos of it, then picked it up, held it for Franks to see, then put it inside an evidence bag. "Now to find that receipt." He bent down, pulling the comforter up so it wasn't hanging over the edge. The receipt was near the edge of the bed and Angus used his flashlight to illuminate it while he took several photos before reaching for it. He read the purchases and grinned. "Bingo. A bag of easy mix cement, a five-gallon bucket, two locks, and a length of chain."

"That, along with the grandmother's car leaving the scene of Gail's kidnapping should seal the deal." Franks grinned as he searched through dresser drawers.

"Now we just have to locate him." Angus continued to search under the bed, then under the mattress, but found nothing else that seemed important. He'd send a forensics unit in to collect his shoes and look at other items for trace evidence. There was always a chance the shirt Gail had torn was around with her blood on it.

"He won't get far. The car only had half a tank of gas and as far as we know, he only has maybe fifty dollars on him at most." Franks held up a female's earring. "This look familiar?"

"No, but I can't say I remember what the girls were wearing at the time of their deaths. Bag it. It might be something. Maybe he took a souvenir from each murder." Angus pushed up, feeling his knees pop as he stood. He was tired and his body was reminding him how little rest he'd had this week. Less than a week and he'd faced four murders, one attempted murder, and a ton of questions he couldn't answer until now.

"We've done all we can for tonight. I say we head home, get some sleep, and hope there's some sign of him overnight. Everyone in the area has an eye out for the car and our computer gurus are watching his accounts. If there is any activity, they'll call." Franks slapped a hand on Angus's shoulder. "It's been a long day."

It had, but Angus didn't want to end it until he had Johnny in custody. Then again, being a minor, there were going to be a dozen hoops to jump through. "I hope they charge him as an adult." Angus stepped from the room once they were done searching.

"So do I, but you know how the courts are. He could go into juvenile custody until he's eighteen and get out. There's no good ending to this either way. We've got four dead teenagers, and two others devastated by the deaths of those they love. No matter what happens, it's not going to take away the pain Johnny's caused." Franks sighed. "Let's go make sure someone is watching the parents, so they don't help him somehow, then head home. We both need a few hours away from this."

Angus nodded without argument. Franks was right. It was late and they couldn't do anything now. They'd turn in what evidence they found, let the forensics unit come in and look over things, and pray something turned up. Other than drive around looking for Johnny's car, they couldn't do much more.

They said their goodbyes to the Jefferies, then headed out just as forensics was walking in. A part of Angus wanted to stay and see what they might find, but he'd get a text if they did come across anything of interest. As he climbed into Franks' car, he thought about the pain he'd seen in both parents' eyes. One grieving for the loss of her son's life, the other grieving for the loss of his son's freedom, or at least that was what was hopefully going to happen. He had sympathy for both parents. Their pain was just starting, and it would be months before they could find any peace if this all went to court. And for what? Angus still couldn't find any reason anyone had to die. "What makes a fifteen-year-old so angry he does this?"

"I couldn't tell you. I don't many sane people could." Franks pulled away from the curb. "We may never find out."

"True." It wouldn't be the first case they'd work where they never found out why it happened, but with this one, he wanted the closure knowing would bring. He wanted that for himself, but more so for the families and friends of those killed.