A brief conversation with Morales on the way back to the city assured him that the victim would be delivered to the morgue where Liz worked. It was easier for the sake of consistency on the case to work with the same facility. He was hoping Liz would jockey to do the autopsy herself. The healthy respect he had for her was fueled at least as much by her professional talents as for her wicked tongue.
Risa waited until they’d jolted down the drive again and turned back onto the road. “Are we heading to Randolph’s house?”
He gave a grim nod. “The captain dispatched a team when we headed to the scene. We know he worked until eleven last night. A couple coworkers invited him to stop for a beer but he said he was going home. Now we need to figure out if he ever made it.”
“He took Randolph in his house.” Cass’s expression was sober. “The neighbor across the street got home at the same approximate time. Noticed the detective’s garage door going up about the time he was pulling in to his.”
“Did he happen to see a car leave here again?” Nate asked. They were standing in the empty garage. There was nothing to see except for a lone evidence marker near the door.
Cass shook her head. “He went right to bed, he said. We’ve canvassed the rest of the neighbors. Nobody else saw anything.” Seeing the direction of Nate’s gaze, she pointed at the evidence marker. “We did find a three-quarter-inch screw on the floor there. No telling how long it was there.”
“Using the oil stains on the garage floor as a point of reference, that might be the approximate area the rear license plate would be,” Risa murmured. He gave her a look. She’d still been quiet on the way over, but her color was back. And given what they’d seen on that video last night, he tended to agree with her.
“The UNSUB likes using cars from the victims to conduct the crimes,” he said for Cass’s benefit. “Let’s start running reports for stolen plates on similar makes and models.” He raised his brows and she consulted the notepad she held.
“Two thousand five Chrysler Pacifica, burgundy.” She read off the plates and vehicle identification number for Randolph’s vehicle.
“Check for stolen plates from others with that make and model. He’ll copy the VIN from them, too. And if you find one, talk to the owner yourself. See if we can get an idea where the UNSUB does his shopping.”
He followed Cass back into the house via the garage entrance. “We think the UNSUB was waiting for him in the house. There’s no evidence of forced entry, so either he had a key or he’s got some background with security systems.”
“We need to adjust the parameters for a ViCAP request,” Risa murmured behind him. “At least add in the kidnapping component.”
“Fine, but he hasn’t used the same method twice to snatch these guys that we know of,” Nate responded.
“And we need to factor in a possible criminal background,” she continued. “Someone familiar enough with stolen vehicles that he’s adept at changing VIN numbers. Circumventing security. He had to do that at least one other time that we know of. Christiansen’s car was equipped with an alarm.”
He stopped in the kitchen to allow Trimball time to finish the picture he was shooting. Then they progressed to the kitchen. “A nine millimeter was found lying there.” Cass indicated the spot where an evidence marker sat. “A check confirmed that it was a department-issued weapon identified as having been issued to Randolph. It hadn’t been fired.”
So the man had drawn it but hadn’t had an opportunity to get a shot off? Nate scanned the area thoughtfully. “How long had Randolph been on the force?”
Cass consulted her notebook again. “Nineteen eighty-four.”
Which meant if the victims turned out to be tied together by the mysterious Johnny, it was possible Randolph was in Tory’s the night that video was shot.
“We’ve got another commonality besides the fact that the men are detectives,” Risa murmured from his side. Glancing at her, he knew they were on the same wavelength. “They’re a similar age, aren’t they? Within a decade anyway. So far all of them were on the force by 1986 or sooner.”
“Roland Parker was the oldest of the four.” Nate shifted to the side to allow the crime scene techs room to pass. “He’d made it to retirement. Passed it. I think it’s time to pay