Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 122440 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 612(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 408(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122440 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 612(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 408(@300wpm)
“I’m missing something important here,” she announced. “All of us are. Something is going on here in Knightly, we know that. I believe it absolutely. It suddenly has occurred to me that several things could be connected.”
“I agree completely,” Stella said. “I’m glad I’m not the only one. I swear this toxic venom, or whatever is killing people, has to be related to some of the crazy things happening around us.”
“I’ve looked closely at the victims,” Raine said. “They have to be connected in some way. The ones from Knightly are easy to link. They all knew one another. Edith Shumaker, we believe, wasn’t the target. Chelsey Sarten was. She’s from Knightly. But the last four victims didn’t live here. What did they have in common?”
“They were all from out of town and were going camping,” Zahra said.
“I meant, what would they have in common with those killed that were from Knightly?” Raine explained. “Unless the four were targeted as random killings to throw off investigators, they have to have a connection to the killer.”
“Raine is correct,” Stella said. “Has anyone heard if any of them knew local people?”
They all shook their heads.
Shabina sighed. “So the only connection is that they ate in my café? Not at the same time, mind you, not even on the same day.”
“Wait,” Raine exclaimed, snapping her fingers. “I’ve got the reports on the accidents as well as everything found at the campsites. I swear I remember something, one small detail that caught my eye. It was nothing, and I dismissed it. At the time, I was still taking major painkillers, and they really affected me. Give me a minute and let me look at my notes.”
Harlow found herself holding her breath. She knew she had missed something important. She had to get as many pieces of the puzzle as possible and put them together.
“Here it is,” Raine said. “In one car, the one with the brothers, Ray and Doug Camello, they found coffee from the Blue Heron Bakery. A coffee mug bearing the logo of the Blue Heron Bakery was found on the ground just outside of the wrecked car of Malone Armstrong. The last victim, Tammy Dailly, had a coffee mug also from the Blue Heron Bakery. The reason I flagged this was because Rafferty targeted Shabina’s business but not the Blue Heron Bakery. If he was going to implicate someone or someone’s business, it shouldn’t have just been Shabina’s.”
Harlow knew the least little thing could be the deciding factor for Raine’s analytical brain to suddenly snap all the pieces together. She was slower than usual, the meds making her foggy right along with the pain. Harlow could certainly understand why Raine wasn’t her usual self. Being a nurse, she often witnessed people in difficult situations having problems with brain function. That would be the ultimate worst thing for Raine. She was used to her brain analyzing data at a rapid speed. She saw patterns in things others didn’t. She believed it was her brain that made her invaluable to people, not the woman as a whole.
Shabina shook her head. “We all go there for coffee when I’m closed. They’ve been in business forever, and they’re very sweet people.”
“They know Alek serves coffee at the Grill,” Vienna said helpfully.
“Madge and Leon Bower?” Zahra shook her head. “No way. The two of them have been friends with Alek for years. I heard a rumor that Alek actually helped them start their business.”
“You don’t seriously think either or both owners of the Blue Heron had something to do with the vandalism at the Grill, do you?” Stella asked. “I know them.”
“You knew Denver,” Raine pointed out. “But no, I doubt that they’re behind this. I’m just saying the four people who died ate at the Sunrise Café and got coffee at the Blue Heron. Locally, in Knightly, before they left town.”
“What would those four people have done to cause the killer to choose them?” Harlow asked. “That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?”
“He must have had some interaction with them,” Raine said. “If we’re going to assign a perceived reason rather than believing his victims are random, there had to be a time when the killer met each of those four people.”
All of them turned toward Shabina as if she could provide answers. She shook her head. “I was in the café when the brothers were having breakfast. No one stopped by their table and spoke to them.” She frowned. “Now that I think about it, the lone backpacker, Malone Armstrong, stopped Miguel Valdez as Miguel walked past his table. They had a brief exchange, but it seemed friendly. Miguel knows all the trails and best climbing areas. I assumed Malone was asking him about the best trails to go backpacking on.”
Miguel was one of the best personal trainers and guides in the area. All of the women went to him for training when they had the time. He tended to be hard on them—with the exception of Zahra, who rarely had to do the same reps as the rest of them. But he kept them in shape, reducing the possibility of injuries when they climbed, bouldered or backpacked.