20
4:28 PM
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation
Jordan stood outside the small interview room where Jason Fisher sat waiting for them. She took a sip of her coffee, surprised the man had agreed to come in without demanding to see a lawyer. He’d seemed perfectly willing to speak with them, even though their reason to bring him in was flimsy at best.
She studied his face while she waited for Garrett to show up. The man’s features matched those in the sketch they had of the abductor, but so did hundreds of other people in the city. There was simply no way they were ever going to make a positive ID based on that sketch. But what else did they have?
Garrett hurried down the hall, right at four thirty. “Sorry. Last-minute phone call.”
“You’re fine. I just got here and so did Fisher.”
He stopped in front of her. “You’re sure you’re okay?”
“My rental car’s window isn’t, but I am.” She brushed off his concern. “I just read the background check you had run on Fisher.”
“And?”
“There isn’t much, as I’m sure you saw. Two speeding tickets over the last decade. Nothing that pointed to him being a serial killer.”
“I didn’t think there would be,” Garrett said. “What about the connection between Raynott International Group and our victims’ families? Have they found anything there yet?”
“They’re still tracking that information down.” Jordan hesitated, taking the last sip of her coffee, then dumping the empty cup into a nearby trash can. “I just spoke with Sam. Not that you don’t already know this, but he reminded me that we need to be careful. We don’t have any solid evidence that this man is involved. And just because he showed up at a couple vigils for missing girls doesn’t exactly make him guilty.”
“I know that. That’s why he’s simply a person of interest. All I want to do is talk to him about what he might know.”
“The problem is that the only thing we do know about this guy is that he was at the house of two of the victims, but that isn’t exactly a crime. And the fact that he agreed to come in freely makes me tend to believe he’s not involved.”
“We don’t know that. Not yet.”
Jordan frowned. She understood the reasoning behind Garrett wanting to bring this man in, but she also wanted to make sure that they weren’t on another wild-goose chase. Marissa had already been missing twenty hours. If they focused on the wrong man, it could very well cost her her life.
She swallowed her frustration. She knew that Garrett had been agonizing over their powerlessness in this case ever since his first week on the job with TBI when they’d found the body of Jessica Wright. It was understandable that he was dogged about pursuing every possible lead, no matter how tenuous.
Garrett caught her gaze. “I just need you to trust me.”
“You know I trust you completely, but that really isn’t the issue here. I’m worried we’re not focusing on the right lead.”
“I’m not dismissing Gloria Mather’s statement. That’s why we’ve got the entire state looking for a gold Honda Accord. Agents are scouring camera footage of the area. We’ve even solicited help from the public. But I can’t just dismiss this as a coincidence.”
She held his gaze. Her job was to highlight pertinent facts and put them into a logical order to help him and his team solve the case. It wasn’t to make judgment calls.
“Okay,” she said. “So, do you have a plan?”
“Yes.”
Jordan frowned. “And do you plan on telling me what that plan is?”
“Just play along.”
“Garrett . . .”
Garrett turned and walked into the room. “Mr. Fisher. We appreciate your taking the time to come and speak with us. I promise this won’t take long.”
They quickly introduced themselves, then sat down across the table from the man.
“I don’t mind coming down,” Fisher said. “Especially with a girl’s life on the line, though I’m not sure how I can help.”
Jordan sat down next to Garrett across from Fisher, determined to let Garrett take the lead on the interview.
“On the phone you said you were aware of the recent disappearance of Marissa Dillinger?”
“Of course. I think everyone in the city’s aware of what’s going on. It’s horrible.” He looked from Garrett to Jordan, then back to Garrett again. “I just realized why you both look familiar. You were there earlier today. At the Dillinger home.”
Jordan glanced at Garrett. She was surprised at the man’s answer, though it wasn’t as if he could deny being there.
“How well to you know the Dillinger family?” Garrett asked.
“Not extremely well. At least not on a personal level. I work for a financial service company, and I’ve had some interaction with Nathaniel Dillinger. He’s one of our clients. And when I heard about what had happened . . . I don’t know . . . I don’t have children, but I just wanted to drop by and show my support. So I did.”
“I’m sure they appreciate that. We noticed the family has an incredible support network.”
“I wish I could volunteer in some way, but my workload is pretty heavy right now, and I simply can’t commit to the time. Stopping by seemed to be the least I could do.”
“And we don’t want to take too much of your time,” Garrett said, “but we’re currently interviewing those who knew the Dillinger family and could tell us what Marissa’s relationship with her parents was like.”
Jordan watched Garrett pause, as if waiting for the implications of what he was saying to sink in.
“Wait a minute.” Fisher leaned forward. “You think they’re somehow involved in their daughter’s disappearance?”
“I’m not implying that. All I can say is that there has been some new evidence that has come to light, and we’re simply trying to follow up on all leads. Often people have information without even knowing it.”
Jordan sat back in her chair, wondering if she should pull Garrett out of the room or simply go along with his plan. She wasn’t sure how his line of questioning was going to get them anywhere. They were already on thin ice just having him come in for questioning.
“From your interactions with him, what can you tell me about Nathaniel Dillinger?” Garrett asked.
“Like I said, I didn’t know them well, but I always had the impression that they were a solid family. He was active in choosing his investments and did well.”
“Did he ever speak of his daughter?”
“I think I saw a picture of her in his office. And he might have mentioned her once or twice, but when we met, it was to go over his financials. It was never a social call.”
“I understand. We just have to ensure we’re not missing anything. You probably know how teens can be,” Garrett said. “And unfortunately, accidents happen. There are things people have to cover up. Secrets to hide.”
“I guess I’m just surprised at the angle of the investigation, but even if there was something going on, I wouldn’t know. I thought the case was somehow supposed to be connected to the Angel Abductor.”
“The media has picked up on that, but at the present we aren’t eliminating any suspects. Did you know any of the other victims allegedly taken by the Angel Abductor?”
Fisher paused a few seconds before answering. “I know the Boyd family, actually, though again, not well. Rob Boyd has done some investments with our company. And like with the Dillinger family, I thought it was appropriate to stop by and express my condolences. Again, such a tragedy.”
“What about any of the other Angel Abductor victims?” Garrett asked.
“No . . . I’m sorry. I’ve heard the news reports over the past couple of years but don’t remember recognizing any of the other girls.”
“Last question. Can you tell me where you were yesterday evening between seven and nine?”
Fisher sat back in his chair, clearly not happy with the sudden shift in the conversation. “I’m not sure why you’re asking me that question.”
Garrett shook his head as if to wave off the importance. “It’s nothing more than a routine question. We’re asking everyone who comes in here.”
“I don’t know . . . the past couple days have been pretty hectic. I was in and out of meetings most of the day, including a dinner meeting. I didn’t get home until after eleven. My secretary can give you the details if you’d like.”
“I’m sure that won’t be necessary.” Jordan stood up. “We appreciate your taking the time, Mr. Fisher.”
“Jordan—”
But she was already walking toward the door. “An officer will be here in just a minute to escort you out.”
Jordan waited until Fisher had left before she spoke to Garrett. “He was supposed to be a person of interest. Not a suspect.”
“I wanted to see his reaction, but we have his alibi. We can check it out and—”
“We have nothing, Garrett.”
“He lied. He was at the Kerrigan house. I saw him.”
“You think you saw him. That was two years ago.” Jordan clenched her hands, then slowly released them. “Listen. We’ll check out his alibi, but we need to move on. Every moment counts—”
“You think I don’t know that?” His voice rose. “You might be the behavioral expert, but he’s playing us, Jordan. He walked in here knowing the answers. It was all too smooth. Too rehearsed.”
“Not everybody reacts the same way when they’re interrogated.”
“He never flinched. Never asked to see a lawyer—”
“So because he wasn’t anxious, he was lying?”
Garrett rubbed the back of his neck. “If he’s the Angel Abductor, he’s getting away with murder. Again.”
“He just gave you an alibi, he answered all of your questions. He doesn’t exactly act like a man who’s guilty of murder.”
“That’s what he wants. He’s playing us. This is a game. Why else would he show up at three different vigils?”
“You’re pulling at straws, Garrett.”
“Maybe, but I don’t think so. We should check out his alibi.”
“We shouldn’t waste time chasing an unsure lead when we have a solid one.”
Garrett pulled his phone out of his pocket and studied the screen. “I missed a call from Sam,” he said.
Jordan watched his expression as he talked to Sam and felt her stomach clench. Something was wrong.
“What is it?”
Garrett wouldn’t meet her eyes. “They just found Marissa Dillinger’s body.”