Chapter 27

After a fairly sleepless night, en route to interview the Bearing men, Laurel sat in the front seat of Huck's truck finishing a phone call with Monty. "So both officers are still listed in serious condition? But out of intensive care?"

"Yes," Monty said. "We have folks back in the woods, and we've already found where Abbott was keeping his vehicle. We're trying to trace it by CCTV right now."

Laurel's eyes felt as if she'd rubbed salt in them. She'd tried to sleep but couldn't calm herself enough. Huck hadn't fared much better. "Good. We should have somebody reach out to Melissa Cutting to see if she knows anything about this. Although she is Jason's attorney, she must inform law enforcement if she has knowledge of an ensuing crime."

Monty cleared his throat. "We're both down too many team members right now. I might have to ask the locals to help out. Who notified Ms. Cutting about Haylee's death?"

"We had the Seattle FBI contact her," Laurel said. "I surmised they could reach her before we could, and I was worried about the news reporting on the death."

"Good call," Monty said. "Rachel Raprenzi already has it."

Just fantastic. Rachel must have a source within either the FBI or Fish and Wildlife. Or both. "Be gentle when you reach out to Ms. Cutting because of her niece's death, but let her know that Abbott has now committed several additional felonies. She needs to reveal the truth if she has any idea where he is or who any of his known associates might be."

Monty cleared his throat. "There's only one I can think of, and I've been trying. The crazy doctor who experimented on him."

Laurel shook her head. "Abbott wants Abigail dead, and survival is always her prime motivation. I did try to phone her, but my call went to voicemail. My guess is that she's lying low."

"Smart woman," Monty said. "I'll call you as soon as I have anything. Good luck with the interview."

"Thank you." She clicked off.

Huck looked tall and strong in the driver's seat. "There's a chance Abigail wanted those journals back even more than Jason Abbott did."

"That's true," Laurel said. "If they contain details of how she experimented on him, I might finally be able to build a case against her." At the same time, Abbott needed to kill soon, and Abigail fit his profile. Was she reckless or overconfident to the point that she felt she could control Abbott?

Huck shook his head. "Those two getting together again is like putting two cobras in a burlap bag and shaking it up."

"I know," Laurel said, looking at the Bearings' stately brick home on Royal Drive as Huck rolled to a stop in front.

He glanced at her. "I should go inside with you to interview the mayor."

"You can't," she said shortly. "You've been taken off this case. You probably shouldn't have driven me here, but I do appreciate the ride." Her whole body felt exhausted.

He glanced back at the dog snoring in his crate. "While you're inside the mayor's house, I'll start calling outfitting places in the area and see if anybody's bought crampons during the last year."

"I'm sure a lot of people have bought crampons."

"Me too, but it's the only thing I can do right now, so I'm going to do it."

She nudged his arm. "Thanks." She zipped up her coat. "What do you think about attending church services tomorrow? They're having a special service on Friday as a dry run for the first big, televised sermon. I read about the plans in the news."

He turned to look at her. "Why would we do that?"

"I want to put some pressure on Pastor John." He was a suspect, and observing his reaction to seeing the two of them in his congregation might be helpful. "I wouldn't mind seeing Zeke Caine's reaction either. Also, it'd be interesting to study how they relate to each other." With that, she stepped out of the vehicle and walked up to the front door to ring the bell. Saul Bearing instantly opened the door.

"Agent Snow, please come in," he said.

The mayor had silver-gray hair and pale blue eyes with dark circles slashed beneath them. For their meeting today, he wore pressed black slacks and a blue polo shirt. "Please sit down." He gestured toward a flowered sofa.

"Thank you." She slipped off her boots and removed her coat to hang over her arm before walking through the elegant living room to sit on the sofa. "I'm very sorry for your loss, Mayor Bearing," she said, unable to think of more comforting words.

He crossed around and fell onto the matching floral chair. "It's just too much. What with my sister-in-law Sharon dying just months ago and now Teri." He shook his head. "This is supposed to be a safe place to live. How do we have all of these murders?"

"I don't know." Laurel would never forget the sight of Sharon's frozen body at the cabin after Jason Abbott had brutally murdered her and then cut off her hands. Those hands had been found down by the lake near the cabin where Sharon had stayed. It had been owned by the mayor, actually.

The mayor scrubbed both hands down his face. "They say we have more serial killers in Washington State than anywhere else. Is that true?"

"No," Laurel said. "I believe the last time I checked, California had more active serial killers. However, Washington State has been associated with several high-profile serial killers such as Jason Abbott, Frank Zello, Ted Bundy, Gary Ridgway, and Robert Yates."

"So we just get more bad press?" the mayor asked.

Laurel nodded. "I suppose so."

The kitchen door opened, and Steve Bearing walked inside. "Hey, this interview didn't start without me, did it?"

"No," his father said. "We were talking about serial killers in general."

Steve took the other floral chair. His thick blond hair was swept away from his face, and his blue eyes appeared serious behind round black glasses. "I'm here in a representative capacity for my father."

"That is so noted," Laurel said, unsurprised that the young attorney wanted to protect his dad. "I'm very interested in finding the person who killed your mother, and I'm sorry for your loss, Mr. Bearing."

Steve looked away and then back. "As am I. Who in the hell would do such a terrible thing?"

"I don't know, but I will find out," Laurel said. "I need to ask you a few questions."

"Go ahead," Saul said wearily.

"Why in the world did you leave town during an active murder investigation, especially considering your wife was the victim?" Her voice remained level.

Saul flushed. "I had to get out of here. My cousin owns a cabin in the Flathead Lake area, and the boys and I went to grieve. We didn't know anything about her murder. Still don't." His voice cracked on the end, and his facial micro expressions showed signs of truth.

She tried to find the kindest approach with him. "Do you know at which spa your wife planned to stay during the time she disappeared?"

Saul ran a shaking hand over his eyes. "Apparently she didn't really have a reservation anywhere. I think she was lying to me."

Laurel sat back. "Why would you think that?"

He shook his head. "She'd been going off lately and not telling me where or why. I thought maybe she was moonlighting in Seattle, helping the homeless or something. She liked to have her secrets."

Laurel had read once that the spouse always knew deep down when their partner became unfaithful. Just how much did Saul know? "I hate to say this, but I have to ask you a difficult question. Are you aware that Mrs. Bearing was having an affair with Pastor John Govern from Genesis Valley Community Church?"

Saul paled and pushed himself even farther back in the chair.

"What are you saying?" Steve Bearing jumped to his feet. "That's a damn lie. You take that back right now. If you spew such slander about my mother publicly, I will destroy you."

She calmly studied both men. Whereas Saul had turned pale, red infused Steve's face. They appeared to be genuine reactions of shock. "As I said, I'm very sorry, but Pastor John has confirmed the fact, as have several other parishioners."

Saul shut his eyes and leaned his head back on the chair.

Steve dropped back onto his seat. "Dad, did you know this?"

Saul's jaw went slack. "No. I figured something was going on with her, and I did wonder if it might be an affair. She seemed happy and secretive, and she'd lost some weight." Saul stared down at his knees. "That's a fucking cliché, isn't it?"

"Stop talking," Steve said, sobering. "Right now, this interview is over."

"No, it isn't," Laurel said. "I really want to find who killed your mother. Where were you last Wednesday night, Mayor?"

He looked at her as if not quite seeing her. "Last Wednesday night?" He looked away. "I don't know. Let's see. Oh, yeah, that was a charity bowl-a-thon for the children's center. I was there until a little after midnight. The event was covered by the local news."

"And then?" she asked.

He gestured around the opulent room. "I came home. I went to bed."

"Did you call your wife that night?"

He sighed. "No. She seemed more than happy to be leaving for the spa, and frankly, I was tired after bowling. We hadn't been talking much for a while, and after her arrest, it just got worse."

"Were you angry about that?" Laurel asked.

Steve Bearing leaned forward. "Watch yourself, Agent Snow."

"No," Saul said, ignoring his son. "I wasn't angry. I was just, I don't know, tired." He sighed. "I should have talked to her, or I should have tried to figure out what was going on, but I've been so busy. Life is exhausting sometimes." He looked at his son. "I didn't know she was having an affair. But don't be angry at her. She's gone, Steve."

"I'm not angry," Steve said, the pitch and volume of his voice rising.

Saul nodded. "Whatever went wrong, it was on both of us. I wish she'd talked to me though, instead of turning to . . ." He jolted. "Did you say Pastor John?" His voice rose.

"Yes," Laurel said.

Steve slammed his hands on his legs. "That bastard. He was in a position of trust, and he took advantage of somebody in need." He looked at his father. "You don't suppose she went to him for counseling and then he seduced her?"

Saul nodded vigorously. "I'm sure that's what happened. With me so distant, she was vulnerable, she was lost, and instead of talking to me, she went to a trusted clergyman. I'm going to kill him."

"Whoa." Laurel held up a hand. "Mayor, I need you to take that back. I can't have you threatening Pastor John."

Saul swallowed and took a deep, shaky breath. "You're right. I'm not going to kill anybody, but you can bet your ass I'm going to sue that bastard and that whole church."

Steve looked at his dad and then at Laurel. "Does Pastor John have an alibi for the night of the murder?"

Laurel cleared her throat. "I can't discuss the case with you, but I can assure you that we're looking at all possible suspects. Mayor Bearing, can anybody confirm that you were here all night Wednesday into Thursday morning?"

Saul's shoulders sagged. "No. I was by myself. Unlike my wife, I don't have a lover. I go to work. I come home. I engage in activities like bowling for the city. We don't have any live-in help."

"What about your younger son?" Laurel asked.

Saul shook his head. "Tommy was at a sleepover Wednesday night after his basketball game. On Thursday, he was at school when the sheriff arrived to notify me of Teri's possible death."

None of that sounded helpful. "Where is Tommy now?"

"Sleeping," Steve said. "He finally crashed an hour ago—hasn't slept in days. I can awaken him if you like, but he doesn't know anything more. I'd prefer you let him sleep."

She'd need to speak with Tommy, but right now, she believed Steve. "Please have him call me when he's up and around. Preferably later today or tomorrow." Laurel looked around. "Do you have security cameras?"

"We have one with our doorbell in front," Saul said.

But not in the back or even on the garage, so Saul could have easily slipped out and returned without anybody seeing him.

"We are going to canvass the neighborhood to see if anybody saw you," she said gently.

"I don't care," Saul said. "I didn't kill my wife. If I had found out about the affair, I would've talked to her. I would've tried to make things right. I certainly wouldn't have murdered her."

Laurel nodded, noting the deep lines extending from his eyes. They could be a result of sorrow, or they could be guilt. "Have you ever met a woman named Delta Rivers?"

"No," Saul said. "Why? Is she one of the victims?"

"I can't discuss that," she said. "How about Haylee Johnson?"

Saul frowned. "Haylee Johnson. That name is familiar, but I can't think of who she might be."

His son leaned forward, his eyes glittering behind the stylish glasses. "You do know the name. She was the woman dating Jason Abbott, the serial killer who murdered Aunt Sharon."

"Oh," Saul said. "That's right. I remember the name, but I never met the woman. Why?"

Steve looked up at a family portrait over the fireplace that depicted the four Bearing family members. "Haylee Johnson's body was found yesterday. She's another victim of this guy. I heard about it on The Killing Hour ."

"She's another victim?" Saul asked. "What could Teri and that woman possibly have in common?"

Steve pushed his glasses up his nose. "According to The Killing Hour , Fish and Wildlife Officer Huck Rivers is a suspect in the killings. Rachel Raprenzi cited a confidential source, but she's asking more questions than providing answers. You know him, Agent Snow. What do you think?"

"I don't think he's the killer," she said.

But could she prove it?