“What are we going to hold the people on?” I asked as we hurried back to our cars.
Sullivan dug the cruiser’s car keys out of his pocket. “I told the officers rounding them up to charge all of them with aggravated trespassing and starting an illegal bonfire on private property. It’s just petty bullshit charges. I doubt if any of them know the difference between something we can actually hold them on or not.”
“Sounds good to me. We’ll see you back at the station,” I said.
J.T. climbed in behind the wheel. I sat shotgun and clicked the seat belt over me.
My phone vibrated just as J.T. turned onto the road. I dipped my hand in my coat pocket, pulled the phone out and glanced to my left. “Spelling is calling.” I clicked Talk. “Hey, boss. We’re driving right now, so I’m putting you on speakerphone. What’s up?”
“Just wondering how the investigation is going. I had to send Moore and Delgado to Grand Rapids on a case. We’re spreading ourselves pretty thin here. Cam and I are the only agents left at the office. Until you four get back, we may have to call in help from the downtown headquarters if needed.”
J.T. groaned and rubbed his forehead. “I bet Val hated leaving her boy.”
“Yeah, but sometimes duty calls us out of town whether we like it or not.”
“Understood.”
“So, what’s the latest?”
“Unfortunately, another body was just discovered. Molly Davis, the young lady who went missing on Monday while out for a jog, was found this morning by a man walking his dog. It was purely coincidental. I doubt she would have ever been located otherwise.”
Spelling cleared his throat. “So you have a positive ID?”
“Not yet, but from her appearance and the clothing she wore, yes. We’ll let you know as soon as it’s confirmed with the DNA profile we’ve collected for her.”
I heard the disappointment in Spelling’s voice. “So, you’re no closer to finding the perp?”
“We’re hauling in the entire group of so-called vampires that hang out with Alex Everly. Molly’s body was found at Dasher Point, the very place Alex and his clan held a blood-drinking ritual two nights ago. That abandoned steel mill is so off the beaten path, it’s too much of a stretch to think her being found there was a coincidence.”
“That’s where the man and his dog found her?”
“Absolutely, and that sounds fishy at best.”
“Okay, keep me posted on the outcome of the interviews.”
“Will do. Goodbye, sir.” I clicked off and dropped my phone back into my coat pocket.
J.T. turned in to the station’s parking garage twenty minutes later, right behind Captain Sullivan. He pulled into one of the few visitors’ spaces and parked. We were five cars beyond the reserved spot that had a tin plaque with the captain’s name on it bolted to the wall.
After he climbed out of his cruiser and slammed the door behind him, Sullivan waited for us to catch up. “I talked to Putnam as I drove. He’s staring at eleven of the remaining twenty-five people that patrol rounded up. They’re downstairs in a holding cell, waiting to be questioned.”
J.T. frowned. “What about the female followers?”
Sullivan pulled off his gloves and pocketed them. He raked his scalp. “Everyone is getting talked to. Even if they didn’t take part in a crime, they may still have valuable information they’d be willing to share for a pass from us. Let’s not assume they’re innocent just because they’re female. Somebody like Alex could have anyone do his bidding.” Sullivan held the glass door open, and we crossed into the police department lobby. He jerked his chin toward the hallway that led to the bull pen and his office. “Let’s head into my office. I’ll call downstairs and have Putnam get us a count on the blonds in custody. We’ll begin with them and go from there. We have to plan these questioning sessions too. At this point, none of the people we’re holding actually know why they’re here.”
As we passed through the bull pen, we made a pit stop at the coffee station along the back wall of the room. Each of us needed a cup of the hot brew before we started the interviews. I poured creamer into mine and J.T.’s and gave them a quick stir. Sullivan drank his black.
A few minutes after we got settled in, a knock sounded on Sullivan’s door. Officer Putnam peeked around the glass wall. Sullivan waved him through.
“I have an update.” He tipped his head at each of us.
Sullivan pointed at a guest chair under a window overlooking the city. “Take a seat, Bruce. What have you got?”
“Well, sir, first off, the lab is comparing Molly Davis’s DNA sample to the residue left in those bottles. They should have the results in a few hours.”
“Good, and what else?”
“And out of the eleven people being held downstairs, five have various shades of blond hair, but two of those five are women.”
“I don’t care if they’re monkeys. Everyone is getting interviewed. We’ll take turns with them in the three boxes, and the blonds will obviously go first. As long as they have no idea why they’re here, they can’t make up a story that they’ll all stick to. After each interview we’ll separate the ones that have been questioned from the ones that haven’t. That way no one gets a heads-up.”
I crossed my right knee over my left leg and rearranged myself in the chair. “So we should keep the questions the same for all of them. If somebody expounds on their answers, it’ll all be recorded and on video, anyway.”
“That’s correct, and we’ll keep the questions simple. Ask when they arrived at Dasher Point Tuesday night. I want a minute-by-minute playback of the entire night up to the point where we stepped in and took over. We’re only gathering information right now to see if everyone’s account matches up. Any person that deviates from their rendition of that night’s activities will be kept aside and talked to again. The second time around we’ll press them a little harder.” Sullivan gave me an odd look. “I’m not trying to be sexist, but since you’re the only woman here, would you mind pointing out to us brain-dead men which people are the blonds? I don’t know the difference between dark blond and light brown.”
I grinned. “Sure, and I don’t take offense at your question.” I turned toward Putnam. “What I want to know is who told you there were five blonds?”
“Myra in lockup picked them out for me.”
At least we got one good chuckle before it was time to get down to business. We rose and headed back to the elevators with our notepads ready.