Read Online The Traveler: Book 5, The Eddie McCloskey Paranormal Mystery Series (The Unearthed) by Evan Ronan - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Evan Ronan
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been polite before, but now there was an edge to him. He was back to all business.
“What I’m about to tell you cannot be released to the public. It will obviously fall under the NDA you signed but I want to stress the importance of this information.”
Eddie looked at Christie. She was deadly serious also.
“Okay.”
The skin around the chief’s eyes crinkled as he narrowed his eyes. “If this ever becomes public information, the town will sue you and I will deny ever having shared it. Is that clear?”
“Couldn’t be much clearer.”
The chief watched him a moment, then finally nodded. “To this day, we are certain Adrian Perks was the man responsible for these rapes.”
“Okay.”
“He was guilty as hell, there is no doubt about it.”
Eddie’s suspicion was correct. “He didn’t act alone, did he?”
***
Christie did her best to hide her surprise. Eddie had guessed correctly. She’d been right in asking him to come out here. He was an unconventional choice to assist in police work, but he had a good mind.
All the same, though, the chief didn’t want him being too smart .
The chief said, “For some time we pursued that as a possibility but in the end we believed Perks acted alone.”
Christie said, “Stalkers and rapists almost always work alone, so the theory was pretty far-flung.”
“But you must have thought it for a reason,” Eddie said. “Just like physicists think there are twenty-seven dimensions instead of twenty-six or twenty-eight.”
Again he surprised her with his knowledge. Just like Liam. Her ex-husband had often surprised her with how much he knew. He always seemed to have some vital piece of information at hand, just the bit of knowledge you needed at any given moment. He’d been good at solving problems and had lived on the edge, which had been a big part of the attraction. And after a long, hard day dealing with ugly crimes, she’d enjoyed coming home and letting him be in charge.
The ink on their divorce papers wasn’t completely dry yet. The painful memories of their separation still fresh in her mind.
Christie had caught Eddie looking at her earlier, and of course his comment in the car last night had not gone unnoticed, no matter how much she tried to play it down.
It was harmless flirting, but also the last thing Christie needed at a time like this. Not just personally because of her recent divorce, but also professionally. If the chief even suspected there was something between them, her credibility would be shot and he’d shuffle her off this case.
“Perks probably acted alone,” Christie said. “Though it was a point of contention. Ultimately we knew Perks was guilty for the assaults. There were just a couple things that gave us pause.”
She knew the chief wouldn’t let her last statement go without commenting. “If we had had an opportunity to question Mr. Perks, we would have closed those loops. Like Christie said, two people working in concert under these circumstances is unlikely.”
“I notice you said two people ,” Eddie said. “Any chance the second person was a woman?”
“Even more unlikely,” Knotts said. “Women aren’t generally rapists.”
Christie knew what Eddie was going to say next.
He didn’t disappoint. “I’m not here to Monday-morning quarterback your investigation, Chief. But I do need some details in order to help you.”
The chief nodded. “Christie will fill you in. But keep in mind very few people know this. We never once shared this with the press or victims. Doing so now wouldn’t help anybody. These people have suffered enough and I don’t want to reopen any of their wounds. Is that clear?”
Christie realized the chief wasn’t just asking Eddie. He was also asking her.
“Yes,” they both said.
The chief nodded and faced Eddie once more. “What else did you find during your research of our town?”
Eddie gave her a quick look before continuing. She wondered where he was going next.
“Two
“What I’m about to tell you cannot be released to the public. It will obviously fall under the NDA you signed but I want to stress the importance of this information.”
Eddie looked at Christie. She was deadly serious also.
“Okay.”
The skin around the chief’s eyes crinkled as he narrowed his eyes. “If this ever becomes public information, the town will sue you and I will deny ever having shared it. Is that clear?”
“Couldn’t be much clearer.”
The chief watched him a moment, then finally nodded. “To this day, we are certain Adrian Perks was the man responsible for these rapes.”
“Okay.”
“He was guilty as hell, there is no doubt about it.”
Eddie’s suspicion was correct. “He didn’t act alone, did he?”
***
Christie did her best to hide her surprise. Eddie had guessed correctly. She’d been right in asking him to come out here. He was an unconventional choice to assist in police work, but he had a good mind.
All the same, though, the chief didn’t want him being too smart .
The chief said, “For some time we pursued that as a possibility but in the end we believed Perks acted alone.”
Christie said, “Stalkers and rapists almost always work alone, so the theory was pretty far-flung.”
“But you must have thought it for a reason,” Eddie said. “Just like physicists think there are twenty-seven dimensions instead of twenty-six or twenty-eight.”
Again he surprised her with his knowledge. Just like Liam. Her ex-husband had often surprised her with how much he knew. He always seemed to have some vital piece of information at hand, just the bit of knowledge you needed at any given moment. He’d been good at solving problems and had lived on the edge, which had been a big part of the attraction. And after a long, hard day dealing with ugly crimes, she’d enjoyed coming home and letting him be in charge.
The ink on their divorce papers wasn’t completely dry yet. The painful memories of their separation still fresh in her mind.
Christie had caught Eddie looking at her earlier, and of course his comment in the car last night had not gone unnoticed, no matter how much she tried to play it down.
It was harmless flirting, but also the last thing Christie needed at a time like this. Not just personally because of her recent divorce, but also professionally. If the chief even suspected there was something between them, her credibility would be shot and he’d shuffle her off this case.
“Perks probably acted alone,” Christie said. “Though it was a point of contention. Ultimately we knew Perks was guilty for the assaults. There were just a couple things that gave us pause.”
She knew the chief wouldn’t let her last statement go without commenting. “If we had had an opportunity to question Mr. Perks, we would have closed those loops. Like Christie said, two people working in concert under these circumstances is unlikely.”
“I notice you said two people ,” Eddie said. “Any chance the second person was a woman?”
“Even more unlikely,” Knotts said. “Women aren’t generally rapists.”
Christie knew what Eddie was going to say next.
He didn’t disappoint. “I’m not here to Monday-morning quarterback your investigation, Chief. But I do need some details in order to help you.”
The chief nodded. “Christie will fill you in. But keep in mind very few people know this. We never once shared this with the press or victims. Doing so now wouldn’t help anybody. These people have suffered enough and I don’t want to reopen any of their wounds. Is that clear?”
Christie realized the chief wasn’t just asking Eddie. He was also asking her.
“Yes,” they both said.
The chief nodded and faced Eddie once more. “What else did you find during your research of our town?”
Eddie gave her a quick look before continuing. She wondered where he was going next.
“Two
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