Chapter 35

THIRTY-FIVE

Discussing the case with Wolfe often gave Jenna different angles to attack crimes. He had a wealth of knowledge and great insight. All their suspects just happened to be big tough men, so again any one of them could be responsible. Determined to catch this killer, Jenna slammed a fist onto the counter. “We need to find this monster before he murders again. After a new taste of blood, he’ll be finding it hard to control himself.”

“What else have you discovered about Marissa Kendrick?” Wolfe gave her a direct stare.

“Not much. After speaking to her friends, we know she didn’t like traveling any distance alone.” Kane straightened from leaning against the counter. “Whoever did this to her was someone she trusted if they were able to lure her out to the Old Mitcham Ranch. The problem is she didn’t trust many people. Since college she hasn’t had any male friends and keeps only a close-knit group of women around her.”

“Why would y’all figure the two cases are related?” Wolfe frowned. “It’s not out of the realms of possibility that Marissa’s murder could have been a thrill kill, and Abby’s and Cole’s were more like executions.”

Jenna peered at him over her mask. “I’ve given this a lot of thought and always come back to the same conclusion. What if a group of college students were involved in Cole’s and Abby’s murders and kept the secret for all these years? When the bodies showed, Marissa was running scared. Maybe she threatened to speak to me. That would be a motive to kill her.”

“Her brutal death would be a warning to the others to remain silent.” Wolfe nodded. “That makes sense. What else have you got?”

“That’s assuming that the person or persons responsible for Cole’s and Abby’s murders are involved.” Kane adjusted his mask. “Since college, the group on the mountain that night has drifted apart. We know Marissa, Josie, and Lily kept in touch. Twotrees and Wasser became business partners. They did mention running into their old college buddies at reunions but that’s it. It’s as if they’re consciously trying to avoid each other.”

“If I recall, you mentioned that they were all members of the same fraternity.” Wolfe covered the body and removed his gloves. “I’m sure y’all are aware a fraternity is a brotherhood and those guys usually remain close friends, especially if they live in the same town. Perhaps you should hunt down some of the other members. Maybe they can give you some insight into why these guys drifted apart?”

Nodding, Jenna removed her gloves and rolled them into a ball. “That’s an angle I hadn’t considered. Right now every time we ask about what happened that night on the mountain we get the same story. It’s as if they’ve discussed it beforehand to make sure they all tell us exactly the same version. That’s suspicious on its own and when you add the fact that they seem to be deliberately avoiding each other, it makes me believe they’re hiding something.”

“The avoidance and the verbatim stories point to collusion.” Wolfe nodded.

“Agreed. Especially if the decision to take out Marissa was, as you said, a warning to the others.” Kane narrowed his gaze. “We’ve seen how a psychopath can control people in other cases. It’s not beyond the realms of possibility that this is the same type of situation.” He looked at Wolfe. “If a close friend murdered Marissa and the killer is male, it certainly points to this group. Apart from Josie and Lily, she doesn’t appear to have any other close friends at all. She was a loner.”

Absorbing the information, Jenna thought for a beat. “So if this is a longtime conspiracy to cover up the murders of Cole and Abby, the group could be meeting in secret. This would account for the burner phone. In this case, Marissa would have trusted the others in the group and relied on them for years to keep their secret. Then the bodies show up and they all panic. They purchase burners to keep the group together and all on the same track.”

“A psychopath would be influencing the others.” Kane shrugged. “That wouldn’t be too difficult, not when Norrell revealed Cole and Abby had been buried alive. Now it’s not just the killer responsible for their deaths.” He looked at Wolfe. “We have four possible suspects and they’re all squeaky clean.”

“I’ve gone over the body with a fine-tooth comb. If the killer left any trace evidence whatsoever, y’all know I’ll find it.” Wolfe led them to the door. “Norrell found traces of skin under the nails of Abby. We have only Cole’s DNA to compare it to, and as the sample is degraded, it will take some time to process. There is also the fraternity pin. One of the people you’re interviewing will be missing theirs. Likely that is the person who killed Abby. Who murdered Cole is a mystery, but after seeing the results of the attack on Marissa, the pattern of ax marks on her back are similar. The depth and angle change direction. They remind me of the way a wood chopper wields an ax during competition. They swing one way and then the other.” He indicated with his hand as if chopping a V shape. It could be the same person, and I’d wager he has a woodcutting background.”

Intrigued, Jenna stared at Wolfe in disbelief. “If it’s the same person, it would certainly prove my theory that the killer murdered Marissa to prevent her from revealing who murdered Cole and Abby. Once their bodies were discovered and Norrell revealed we had leads, the killer needed to keep her quiet. Now we just have to untangle this group of friends and find him.”