the same news reports they are about a mysterious killer targeting SF homicide inspectors and their families. He’s keeping his mouth shut. What’s it like where you are?’
‘We’re trying to connect the dots.’
‘Well, hang in there. I’ll call you if I hear anything more.’
THIRTY-SEVEN
The Stoltz family owned a small house in wooded hills west of the Napa Valley. The house sat well back from the road hidden from passing cars by a stand of oaks. Stoltz liked the house. He felt comfortable here. For hours he worked at the kitchen table with his laptop in front of him, and gave only occasional thought to the homicide inspectors. He was good at compartmentalizing things.
When he turned the TV on and Raveneau’s partner, Elizabeth la Rosa, was saying they’d just like to talk to him, it was for a moment as if she was speaking about another person, not him. She looked poised in front of the camera. She looked like a natural and spoke as though personally to him, asking that he just come in and talk with them. After that, she took questions, and answered with the usual police evasiveness.
‘Do the San Francisco police believe he should be questioned regarding the Walnut Creek shooting?’ she was asked.
‘We’d like to talk to him about a number of things.’
‘Do you have proof the Walnut Creek shooting is connected to the two murders?’
‘We haven’t connected the murder of Jacie Bates to Inspector Whitacre’s death. We have ongoing investigations and many open questions. We need the public’s help in locating Mr Stoltz and convincing him to talk with us.’
‘Are you aware the Walnut Creek police arrested a suspect an hour ago?’
‘Yes, we’re aware they have a person of interest.’
‘Do you have any comment about that arrest?’
‘No.’
The press conference ended and then his face was on the screen with the announcer saying, ‘Police are looking for help finding this man. Anyone who has seen him is urged to call—’
He left the TV and walked to the window. He looked through the trees to the driveway, wondering if they knew he was here. This wasn’t exactly a secret site. His mother paid property taxes. The house was in her name.
When he returned to the TV the report was over. They’d moved on to sports. Stoltz sat down and closed his eyes. So he was their prime suspect just as he’d known he would be, and they were trying him in the press because that’s the way the system works. Later, he’d sue them and win, and wasn’t that what he’d wanted? It had to end the way it was supposed to, which had nothing to do with the San Francisco police.
He listened to a branch scraping the roof and tried to think it through. The growing media presence was a factor that he needed to adjust to. If the media stayed with this story she might become aware. She might figure it out. She might know he was coming for her.
THIRTY-EIGHT
The next morning a partial toxicology report on Alex Jurika came in. Full screen would take another four to six weeks. Raveneau read through it and then handed the report to la Rosa. Jurika had a common date-rape drug, a horse tranquilizer, Ketamine, in her system. That was the most significant finding.
La Rosa read and stated flatly, ‘Heilbron,’ and Raveneau didn’t respond. Ketamine was in her system but she wasn’t raped. Was a sexual assault interrupted? Did she asphyxiate too soon and Heilbron lost interest in sex as he’d described, or was it a mistake to connect Ketamine to its usual companion, rape?
‘Here’s a different angle,’ Raveneau said. ‘Let’s say there’s no sexual element and the Ketamine was for a different purpose entirely.’
‘For what, then?’
‘To loosen her up and get her to talk about the credit fraud and identity theft businesses. Suppose someone wanted to gain control over her and in a drugged state get her to answer questions. So they brought her there, drugged her, and questioned her before killing her. Money as a motive.’
‘There are all kinds of other places easier than that building.’
‘True, but what if whoever wanted the information also planned to kill her afterwards? Then the building works well, or well enough. A filthy mattress used by junkies and whores puts a different spin on it.’
‘I like Heilbron,’ she answered. ‘I see him masturbating rather than raping her, and not leaving DNA evidence behind. He’s a voyeur. We know that about him already. It’s not hard to picture him getting aroused