could speak. They all huddled closer, everyone exhausted but determined.
“We reviewed the crime scene then looked through the security camera footage for the entire facility. We also spoke to a couple dozen people, anyone who could’ve possibly been in the area where the assault occurred,” Mark said.
“Your boys have a guaranteed job if they ever want to come to the blue side,” one of the deputies said, respect in his eyes.
“No one at the center saw anything. But we did get a break from some mechanics at the helipad garage. They’d been alerted to keep their eyes out and one of them saw a man attempting to hide behind the trash receptacles near the landing zone.”
“And?” Joseph practically shouted.
“The mechanic managed to sneak up on the guy before he knew what was happening,” Lucas said, excitement clear in his tone.
“So what happened?” Joseph asked.
“The mechanic threw him against the wall, got in the guy’s face, and questioned what he was doing, where he’d been, who’d seen him, and who he’d been with. The man clammed up, and that was answer enough for our mechanic. He marched the scumbag to the hordes of onsite security, cops, and others looking to assist.”
“I need you to get to the end of this story,” Joseph said.
“It didn’t take long for this piece of scum to break,” McCormack said. “He admitted he was there when your wife was attacked, but he swore he didn’t touch her, that he’d wanted nothing to do with it, and had begged his accomplice to leave. He knows exactly who you are and knew the hounds of hell would soon be nipping at their feet.”
“I don’t care if he laid his hands on her or not. He was there! He will pay,” Joseph said.
The sheriff nodded in agreement and continued talking, “Yes, he’ll pay. He’s more than willing to cooperate. He knows he’s in a world of hurt right now, so he’s spilling his guts. His name is Lenny. The man who was with him is called Travis, at least that’s the name the dealer gave him. Our perp doesn’t know Travis’s last name. Travis is a local drug dealer. Katherine simply ended up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Lenny has been staying at the center, and this Travis has been coming in for a couple of weeks. Lenny said he’s bought meth from Travis three times in the past two weeks. Lenny told us he simply texted the guy when he needed a fix.”
“So did you guys text him?” Joseph asked.
Joseph had no doubt Sheriff McCormack was fair, but also tough as nails. No one would give him a bullshit story and get away with it. He was impatient for the end of the story though.
“We took him to the interrogation room where he’s being questioned to see if his story holds, but I believe him. He had a cousin he said he got Travis’s number from, but his cousin died from an overdose last week. We confirmed the OD story. Unfortunately, we’ve seen a huge uptick in overdoses the past few months. There are some new strains of drugs out there that are killing people. We did try the number for Travis but there was no pick up or response, even using Lenny’s phone. We’re assuming this man knows our perp would get caught and sell him out fast. The number was a burner that’s already been burned,” the sheriff shared.
“I want him found,” Joseph said, his normally boisterous voice, scarily quiet.
“These thugs aren’t the best or the brightest, but they know how to keep hidden when a deal has gone south. But eventually they make mistakes,” McCormack said.
“I don’t have time for eventually,” Joseph said.
“Look, Joseph, we’ve known each other a long time so I’m not going to lie to you,” McCormack said. “We’re going to head back to the center in the morning, and we won’t give up on this, but it’s not hopeful. This lowlife, along with many of his colleagues, are real good at ghosting. And this Lenny, the one we have in custody, is so spun out there’s no way he’d be able to give a positive ID even if we do find someone we think is the attacker. That causes reasonable doubt, and it would be hard as hell to hold him.”
Joseph was stunned. This wasn’t what he’d been expecting. Why wasn’t the law working? He wanted to blame someone, but he also knew in his heart these men