Chapter Twenty-Five

Theo had parked the black SUV across the street from Ricky Austry's apartment. The windows were rolled down to allow a light breeze to cross through over the front seats bringing with it the delicious scents from a local pizzeria. Theo had picked up a protein shake from the hospital's cafeteria earlier this morning, but he could definitely eat some lunch right about now.

The hospital footage that he had combed through this morning had yielded nothing of importance. The only two people who had visited Sheila Wallace during the three days that she had been on life support were Andrea Simpson and Tyler Doss. Seeing as Doss worked for a car dealership, Bit had called them to confirm that Doss had been working on the dates in question. Even without verification, it would have been close to impossible for Doss to take off weeks at a time to observe the victims' daily routines.

Theo caught sight of Sylvie navigating the cracked sidewalk with an effortless grace. Her stride was confident. There was no indication that her injuries hadn't healed properly. She also wasn't hesitant to throw herself into the case.

"Thought you could use this," Sylvie said, offering up a steaming cup of coffee as she slid into the passenger seat. She kept ahold of the other cup, which was most likely a Chai tea. "So, I spoke to the barista. She said that Ricky is a regular, and she also recognized Mitch's picture."

"Was she able to describe Carl?" Theo asked as he removed the white lid to allow his coffee to cool down. He leaned forward and set the plastic disc on the dashboard. "I keep coming back to Tyler Doss, but logistically, he wouldn't have been able to commit those murders. Also, why mention that he believes Mitch is still in contact with Shane Dawkins?"

"The barista said that she has been working at the coffee shop for over a year, and she doesn't recall Ricky being with anyone named Carl. I think Tyler might have just made an assumption. The two men aren't close, but I think it's because Doss might have feelings for Andrea."

"And Andrea has feelings for Mitch."

"Yes." Sylvie adjusted her black-rimmed glasses before shifting in her seat so that she had a better view of the entrance to Austry's apartment building. "No sign of Mitch?"

"None." Theo took a tentative sip of his coffee. It was still too hot to drink, but he did so anyway, liking the bold flavor. "I spoke to Bit. Brook is driving out to Mack Swilling's place. She is hoping that he has a picture of Carl. Worst case scenario, she can get a description."

"She might not have to if we locate Mitch first." Sylvie's phone began to ring, and she reached down into her purse to retrieve it. "It's Dawkins."

A passerby walking down the sidewalk glanced twice in their direction. Her interest had nothing to do with why two individuals were sitting in the vehicle and everything to do with Theo's black eye patch. He shot her a smile, but she had quickly averted her attention.

One of the reasons that he liked Mia so much was that she wasn't bothered by his handicap. It wasn't in her nature to judge people. She was more interested in their life stories.

"Mr. Dawkins, I appreciate your call back," Sylvie said before lowering her phone and switching to speakerphone. "Fortunately, one of your coworkers was able to send us the additional documents. Just so you are aware, I have you on speakerphone. I'm with my colleague, Theo Neville."

"Sandra explained that she spoke to your firm earlier today." Fred's voice came across loud and clear. "I don't know why all the files didn't get attached to the first email. My apologies."

"Mr. Dawkins, the report claimed that you weren't able to find a foster home that would take all three boys," Theo said as he shifted with a subtle lean forward. "Mitch Swilling was sixteen years of age at the time. Do you know if Mitch tried to get custody of them when he turned eighteen?"

"Not to my knowledge, but Ricky had been placed in a really good home. The Austrys adopted him shortly after he turned fourteen."

"And Carl?"

"Well, Carl was the middle boy. He acted out, got into trouble a lot, and honestly, it was a miracle he didn't end up behind bars like his father. If it hadn't been for my friendships in the police department, Carl would have been sent to juvie before his eighteenth birthday."

"Sheila Wallace wouldn't take all three boys?"

"As I shared with Ms. Deering the other day, I did my best to only place older children in her home…those who were independent. Not the young ones who needed help."

"Do you know if they keep in touch?" Sylvie asked before resting her cup on her knee. "Either back then or after Mitch turned eighteen? Maybe Mitch didn't go for custody, but it has come to our attention that Mitch checks in on Ricky from time to time."

"Sure. They would all end up at the youth center together almost every weekend. Ricky's adoptive parents didn't want him to feel as though he couldn't have a relationship with his biological brothers." There was a long pause, but Fred spoke before Theo or Sylvie could ask another question. "Were you able to find Shane?"

Theo noticed that Sylvie closed her eyes in response to Fred's question. The truth of the matter was that Shane had fallen through the cracks. A college dropout who had opted to live on the streets. It was clear that there was more to the story, but Theo doubted that they would ever truly know the facts. Their one goal was to determine whether Shane was their unsub, but that seemed more unlikely with each piece of information revealed.

"No," Sylvie replied softly as she glanced toward Theo. He shook his head, having no other questions for the man. "If that changes, we'll let you know."

"My wife and I would appreciate that very much, Ms. Deering."

As Sylvie ended the call, she groaned before taking a sip of her Chai tea. She let the phone rest on her leg.

"We don't know what Shane's home life was like, Sylvie," Theo reminded her before scanning those near the glass doors of the apartment building. "For all we know, the man changed his name and is living on the West Coast."

"Shane could also be lying in a morgue somewhere," Sylvie muttered as she set her Chai tea in the cup holder. "It must be horrible to not know what happened to your only child. With everything bad that my father did in his life, I'm glad that I was there at his bedside when he died."

Sylvie straightened and pointed in the direction directly in front of them. Theo followed her gaze and locked onto Mitch Swilling as he used the crosswalk to get to the other side of the street. The reason why Theo and Sylvie hadn't driven to Ricky's place of work was out of concern that he would tip off Mitch. Should that happen, both brothers might go underground.

"You cut Swilling off by the apartment building, and I'll come in from behind," Sylvie instructed as she reached for the door handle. Theo had already pressed the button to roll up the windows. "Give me a few seconds to reach the crosswalk."

Sylvie was out of the SUV before the windows were sealed shut. Theo stored his coffee next to her tea in the console before removing the keys from the engine. He monitored Sylvie's progress, and when she made it to the crosswalk, he opened his door. He waited for a lull in traffic before jogging across the street.

Mitch was on his phone, and he wasn't paying attention to his surroundings. As a matter of fact, he seemed annoyed with whoever he was speaking with, though Theo was too far away to hear the man's side of the conversation.

"Excuse me," Theo murmured when he almost bumped into another man.

Mitch's strides faltered when he spotted the firearm holstered to Theo's belt. With the warmer weather, he wasn't able to conceal his weapon, which was why he had taken to hooking the black case securing his credentials next to his holster. Mitch's eyes narrowed in suspicion, but it was when he glanced over his shoulder and spotted Sylvie boxing him in from behind that Mitch told the person on the phone that he would have to call back.

"Whatever it is, I've got nothing to say," Mitch declared, directing his statement more to Sylvie than Theo. She finally came to a stop next to Theo now they were confident Mitch wouldn't make a run for it. "Andrea called me an hour ago to let me know you think I killed those women named Mary Jane Reynolds. I didn't."

"When was the last time you spoke to Carl?"

The way Mitch's head whipped toward Theo after hearing the question was confirmation they were on the right track.

"I haven't seen my brother in over a year."

"About the time that Sheila Wallace died?" Sylvie asked, her tone soft. "Mitch, I know about the room underneath the staircase. I know that Sheila—"

"You're barking up the wrong tree, Agent Deering."

"You kept in touch with your brothers the entire time you were in foster care, and I'm guessing that you called them when you got word that Sheila Wallace was placed on life support," Theo said as he picked up where Sylvie had left off. There wasn't a chance in hell that Mitch would reveal what punishments Sheila had doled out back then, and Theo couldn't blame the man. The mental abuse of a woman like Sheila Wallace stayed with a child into adulthood. "You mentioned that she was an organ donor to your brothers, didn't you? Ricky has solid alibis for the murders, but you don't. Neither does Carl."

"I didn't kill anyone."

"Can you say the same for your brother?" Sylvie asked, softening her tone. "If you can, then tell us where to find him. Once he provides us with alibis for the dates in question, we won't bother any of you again."

Mitch remained silent.

"If you spoke to Andrea, then you know what has happened over the past seven months." Sylvie was still attempting to gain Mitch's cooperation, but the man's body language suggested that he had already made up his mind. Theo realized there was nothing that they could do to change the outcome of this conversation. "There is a very good possibility that another woman is going to die in the near future, Mitch. And all because she was gifted a heart. Shouldn't something good come from that woman?"

"I want a lawyer."