CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Sheila stared at the whiteboard in the conference room, her eyes tracing the connections between the victims' photos. The faces of Laura Hastings, Sophie Tournay, and Rachel Kim looked back at her, smiling in blissful ignorance of the fate awaiting them.

"Okay, let's go over this one more time," Sheila said, turning to Finn, who was nursing his third cup of coffee. The lack of sleep the previous night and the intensity of their investigation were taking their toll on both of them.

Finn nodded, setting down his mug. "We believe the killer poisoned Jason Reeves to ensure Rachel Kim would be home."

"Right," Sheila said. "But we're still no closer to figuring out how the killer managed to poison Jason's takeout."

Finn sighed, rubbing his temples. "I know. We checked every angle. The restaurant's clean—all employees accounted for, no suspicious temp workers. The delivery service, too. We even got the security camera footage, but there was nothing out of the ordinary."

"And Jason swears he didn't leave the food unattended at any point," Sheila added. "It's like the poison just appeared out of thin air."

"There was that one manager who mentioned a surprise visit by a health inspector. Could that have been the killer?"

Sheila shrugged. "Possibly. No camera footage, though, no name or other identification, nothing more than a vague description: 'good-looking and of average height.' Not very helpful."

They were both silent for several moments.

"I know it's frustrating," Sheila said, "but we have to face facts—we don't know how the killer poisoned Jason's food. So for now, let's move on to the next thing we know."

Finn cleared his throat. "Alright. We believe the killer convinced Laura that he was a priest named Father Wayland, and probably did the same with Sophie."

"Right," Sheila said. "And he killed each of them with a blunt object—a candlestick with Laura and Rachel, and possibly the same with Sophie. But why these women? What's the connection?"

"It can't be about religion," Finn said. "Rachel was an atheist, while Laura and Sophie were devout."

Sheila nodded. "And they come from different backgrounds. Laura was a teacher, Sophie a volunteer, and Rachel a high-powered executive. Different education levels, different income brackets."

"The only common thread is that they're all women in their twenties," Finn said, his brow furrowed in concentration.

Sheila sighed, running a hand through her hair. "There has to be something we're missing. Some connection we haven't found yet. Let's dig into Rachels' background more—maybe we'll come across some kind of transgression similar to the infidelity Laura and Sophie were involved with."

"I'll start with her social media," Finn said, opening his laptop. "You take her financials?"

Sheila nodded, pulling up Rachel's bank statements on her own computer. The room fell silent save for the soft tapping of keyboards and occasional mouse clicks.

Sheila's fingers flew over the keyboard, eyes scanning the rows of transactions in Rachel's bank statements. She noted regular expenses: groceries, utility bills, and a hefty mortgage payment. Everything seemed typical for someone of Rachel's wealth. High-end restaurant charges, frequent spa visits, and donations to various charities were all present but expected. There were no suspicious withdrawals or unexplained expenses.

Sheila sighed, frustration mounting. "Nothing unusual here," she murmured to herself. She moved on to Rachel's investments and savings accounts, finding them in order and consistent with her affluent lifestyle. She glanced over at Finn, who was still engrossed in Rachel's social media.

"Any luck on your end?" she asked, hoping for a breakthrough.

Finn shook his head. "Not unless you count posting too many videos of her Shih Tzu as a sin. You?"

Sheila shook her head, gesturing at her screen full of spreadsheets. "Her finances are immaculate. No unexpected withdrawals, no suspicious transfers. She didn't even miss a credit card payment. As far as I can tell, she was a model citizen. No affairs, no financial irregularities, not even a parking ticket."

Finn leaned back in his chair, stretching. "Maybe we're looking at this all wrong. What if the killer just knows all the victims personally? Could be killing them for reasons we don't understand yet."

Sheila considered this. It wasn't an angle they had explored thoroughly. "Okay, let's run with that. We need to cross-reference their social circles, see if there's any overlap we missed."

Finn nodded, cracking his knuckles before turning back to his computer. "I'll start with Laura Hastings. You take Sophie Tournay?"

"Got it," Sheila replied, pulling up Sophie's social media profiles.

They worked in focused silence, the only sounds the clicking of keyboards and occasional mouse scrolls. Sheila meticulously went through Sophie's friend lists on various platforms, jotting down names that appeared frequently or seemed significant.

"Anything?" Finn asked.

Sheila shook her head. "Nothing concrete. Sophie's circles seem to be mostly other volunteers and church members. You?"

"Similar story with Laura." Finn sighed. "Lots of teacher friends, some family. No obvious connections to Sophie or Rachel so far."

Sheila pressed on, expanding her search to include work colleagues, gym memberships, and even grocery store loyalty programs. Her eyes burned from staring at the screen, but she forced herself to focus.

"Wait," she said suddenly, sitting up straighter. "Laura and Sophie both attended a charity gala four years ago. Different tables, but same event. It was called 'Coldwater Cares: A Night of Hope and Healing.'"

Finn leaned over to look at her screen. "Good catch. What was the event about?"

Sheila quickly scanned the event description. "It was a fundraiser for local mental health initiatives. Looks like it drew quite a crowd from different sectors of the community."

"Any sign of Rachel there?" Finn asked.

Sheila scrolled through the event photos. "No, it doesn't look like it." She swallowed hard, disappointed.

"Hold on, I think I have something," Finn said. He turned his laptop toward Sheila, pointing at a social media post from the event. It was a group photo. In the background, barely visible, were Laura Hastings and Sophie Tournay.

"What am I looking at?" Sheila asked, puzzled. "I already told you they both attended the event."

"See this guy?" Finn asked, pointing to a tall, broad-shouldered man with dark hair slicked back and a neatly trimmed beard standing off to the side.

His fingers flew over the keyboard as he pulled up another photo, this one from a corporate event at Elbridge Tech. There, shaking hands with Rachel Kim, was the same man from the charity event photo.

"Who is that?" Sheila asked, her pulse quickening.

Finn zoomed in on the man's name tag. "Juan Rodriguez. Let's look him up." He tapped away at his keyboard. "Apparently he's a local businessman, owns a chain of health food stores in the area."

Sheila's mind raced. "How did we miss this connection before?"

"He's not prominently featured in any of these photos," Finn said. "Just in the background or periphery. Easy to overlook if you're not specifically looking for him."

Sheila went back to her own computer to research this new suspect. "Rodriguez is forty-five years old, born and raised in Coldwater," she said. "According to this, he started his health food store chain, 'Nature's Way,' about fifteen years ago. It's grown to six locations across the county."

Finn nodded, taking notes. "Any priors?"

Sheila shook her head. "Clean record. But look at this," she said, pointing to her screen. "Rodriguez's stores specialize in herbal remedies and supplements. Including, get this, ipecac syrup."

Finn's eyebrows shot up. "The same substance used to poison Jason Reeves?"

Sheila nodded grimly. "Exactly. Doesn't explain how he could've poisoned Jason, but it's clear he'd have no trouble getting his hands on the poison. And there's more. Rodriguez is deeply involved in his local church, St. Michael's. He even runs a men's group that focuses on 'maintaining moral purity in a corrupt world.'"

"That could explain the religious angle," Finn said. "But what about Rachel? She was an atheist."

"Maybe she rejected his advances?" Sheila suggested. "Or maybe she knew something about him, something he couldn't risk getting out. There could be all kinds of reasons we haven't figured out."

She paused, thinking. "We really just need to talk to him. Maybe—"

"Hold on," Finn murmured. "I've got a news article here. Apparently, last year, Rodriguez tried to get the school board to implement a 'purity pledge' for high school students. It didn't pass, but guess who was one of the most vocal opponents?"

"Rachel Kim?" Sheila asked.

"Exactly. She gave a speech at the board meeting, calling the pledge 'regressive and harmful.'"

They looked at each other as the implications of their discovery set in. Juan Rodriguez had connections to all three victims, access to the poison used on Jason Reeves, and a history of extreme views on morality and purity.

"Let's go find this guy," Sheila said, rising.