desk. “Bennett’s mom made blueberry muffins. I grabbed a few for you.”
“You’re an angel. I haven’t eaten since…” She frowned. “I can’t remember.” Claire opened the wrapping and breathed deep. “Oh, these smell amazing. Hold on, let me get some coffee. Composite sketch is right there under that folder.”
Emilia located the composite and groaned. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Bennett leaned over her shoulder to look. The man was wearing a hat and sunglasses. A scarf covered the lower half of his face.
He sighed. “That could be anyone.”
“The killer is willing to take risks, and smart enough to minimize them.”
Claire bustled back into the office with a fresh cup of coffee. “Sorry, I neglected to ask if y’all want anything.”
“Don’t worry about us,” Bennett said. “We know where the break room is. Sheriff King told us Malcolm has an alibi for the night Kathy died.”
“He was at a legal conference in Houston. Malcolm is refusing to sit down for questioning, but his attorney has sent me the information.”
“Houston is only four hours away. He could’ve driven back, killed Kathy, left her body in the park, and returned for the conference.”
“I had the same thought.” Claire broke off a piece of blueberry muffin. “One of my deputies is in contact with the hotel. We’re going to check the surveillance footage to verify Malcolm was there all night.”
Bennett grinned. He liked working with Claire. She was smart, dedicated, and willing to go the extra mile.
“What else did Sheriff King tell you?” Claire asked, popping the muffin piece in her mouth.
Bennett ran through their earlier conversation with Randy. “I want to believe he’s genuinely sorry and trying to help, but the meeting felt contrived. Especially since Malcolm could’ve cleared this up with a simple conversation.”
“I don’t think everything Randy said was a lie.” Claire tossed the muffin wrapper into the trash. “I followed your advice, Emilia, and went through the surveillance video from the diner where Kathy worked for the last two weeks. Malcolm never stepped inside. However, Henry did.”
Bennett’s heart skipped a beat. Was this the break in the case they were looking for? He prayed it was.
Claire opened a folder and removed a series of photographs. “These are stills taken from the video. As you can see, Henry is a regular. All the employees know him. They describe him as friendly and easygoing, a generous tipper. Henry often requested Kathy to be his waitress.”
Emilia leaned over the desk and pulled one of the photographs toward her. In it, Henry was talking to Kathy. The time/date stamp indicated it was one week before her death.
“He created a rapport with her,” Emilia said. “So later, when he approached her in the dead of night while she was walking home, Kathy wouldn’t be worried. She had no reason to run or be scared. To Kathy, Henry was one of her customers and a nice guy.”
“He could’ve created a ruse to kidnap her.” Bennett picked up on Emilia’s train of thought. “Like a broken-down car. Or that he was hurt. Something that would’ve caused Kathy to get close enough so he could shock her with the stun gun.”
Claire nodded. “I’ve got several deputies knocking on doors in the neighborhood, asking questions along those lines. A neighbor must’ve seen something.” She pulled out another photograph. “There’s more. You’ll never guess who Henry went to the diner with from time to time.”
Emilia’s eyes widened. “John McInnis.”
“Yep.”
Claire set the photograph down on top of the others. John and Henry were seated at a booth eating. Kathy was refilling their drinks.
Bennett glanced at the time/date stamp. “This is two days before Kathy disappeared.”
“It’s the last time Henry or John went to the diner. I did some digging, and it turns out the two men are related. Henry is married to John’s sister.”
Emilia sat back in the chair. “What’s the relationship like between John and Henry? Could Henry have put Kathy’s body on the running trail John uses to frame him for the murder?”
“Possibly. I asked around quietly and there’s bad blood between John and Henry. It stems from an old business dealing they had together. I don’t have all the details yet, but I’m working on it.” She wrinkled her nose. “I’d ask John, but I don’t think he’ll tell me the truth.”
Emilia nodded. “Sheriff King said Henry and Derrick were good friends. John never mentioned it. He’s protecting his brother-in-law.”
“That’s not unusual for family members. Even though there are issues between the two men, John and Henry hang