Alex Kava Bundle - Alex Kava [35]
“You’re assuming he’s gay or that he’s a pedophile?”
“An adult male who does this to little boys—isn’t that a safe assumption?”
“No, not at all. He may be worried that he is, or he may have homosexual tendencies, but no, I don’t think he’s gay, nor do I believe he’s a pedophile.”
“And you can tell all that just from the evidence we’ve found?”
“No. I’m guessing that from the evidence we haven’t found. The victim didn’t appear to be sexually abused. There were no traces of semen in the mouth or rectum, though he may have washed it off. There were no signs of any penetration, no indication of sexual stimulation. Even with Jeffreys’ victims, only one—Bobby Wilson,” she said, checking her notes. “Only the Wilson boy showed signs of sexual abuse and those seemed very obvious. Multiple penetration, lots of tearing and bruising.”
“Wait a minute. If this guy is only copying Jeffreys, how can we be sure any of what he does is an indication of who he is?”
“Copycats choose murders that often play out their own fantasies. Sometimes they add their individual touches. I can’t find any indications that Jeffreys gave his victims last rites, though it could easily have been overlooked.”
“I do know he asked for a priest to hear his confession before he was executed.”
“How do you know that?” She looked down at him, only then realizing she was half sitting on the chair’s armrest. Her thigh rubbed against Morrelli’s arm. She stood up. Perhaps a bit too suddenly. He didn’t seem to notice.
“You probably know that my dad was the sheriff who brought in Jeffreys. Well, he had a front-row seat at the execution.”
“Is it possible to ask him some questions?”
“He and my mom bought an RV a few years ago. They travel year-round. They check in from time to time, but I don’t know how to get ahold of them. I’m sure once they hear about this, he’ll be in touch, but it may take a while.”
“I wonder if it’s possible to track down the priest?”
“No problem. Father Francis is still here at St. Margaret’s. Though I don’t know what help he could be. It’s not likely he’ll share Jeffreys’ confession.”
“I’d still like to talk to him. Then we better talk to the Tanners. You’ve obviously met them already?”
“His mom. Matthew’s parents are divorced.”
Maggie stared at him, then began digging through her files.
“What is it?” Nick leaned forward, almost touching her side.
She found what she was looking for, flipped through the pages, then stopped. “All three of Jeffreys’ victims came from single-parent households. Mothers raising their sons alone.”
“What does that mean?”
“It means there may be nothing random about how he picks his victims. I was wrong about him waiting to simply find a boy alone. He chooses each one very carefully. You said the Alverez boy left his bike and newspapers against a fence somewhere?”
“Right. He hadn’t even started his route yet.”
“And there was no sign of a struggle?”
“None. It looked like he carefully parked his bike and got in with this guy. That’s why we thought it might be someone he knew. These kids are small-town kids, but they still know the drill. I just don’t think Danny would get into a stranger’s vehicle.”
“Unless he thought it was someone he could trust.”
Maggie could see Morrelli growing more and more concerned. She recognized the panic, that look on people’s faces when they realized the killer could be someone in their community.
“What do mean? Like someone who pretended to know him or his mom?”
“Perhaps. Or someone who looked official, maybe even wearing a uniform.” Maggie had seen it dozens of times before. No one seemed to question whether a person in uniform actually belonged in the uniform.
“Maybe a military uniform like his dad’s?” Nick asked.
“Or a white lab coat, or even a police officer’s uniform.”
CHAPTER 16
Timmy slid against the wall until he was sitting on the floor, watching the bathroom door. He had to pee but knew better than to interrupt his mom. If