My phone rang seconds later and interrupted the theory Frank and I were working on. I pulled it from my pocket and checked the screen. Lutz was on the other end. “What’s up, Boss?”
“We have a description of the car Marie is probably using.”
I interrupted. “Hold on a second while I put you on Speaker. Mills is going to write this down.”
Frank pulled a pen and notepad from his pocket then nodded.
“Okay, go ahead.”
“Reynolds—and his first name was Brian—drove a silver 2015 Buick Encore, Illinois license plate ACJ-2201. We’ve already issued a BOLO on the vehicle but no hits yet.”
“Has anyone checked Tammy’s house?”
“No, but there are two patrol units outside the residence, and I’m going there now. After I clear her residence, I’ll head your way.”
Frank spoke up. “Do we know anything about Marie, as in a husband, kids, friends or family?”
“We’ll address that as soon as we get the murder victims removed from the house and shelter and then lock down both places. We do have officers watching Marie’s home, too, and so far, nobody has shown up. Like I said, there’s a BOLO on the car, and we have county deputies and state patrol units watching the local roads, highways, and interstates.”
“Good enough. Have those officers talk to Mr. Baker, Tammy’s next-door neighbor. Maybe he saw something going on there this morning.”
“Will do, and I’ll let you know when I’m heading your way.”
When I heard Henry call my name, I turned. He and Shawn crossed the street and were coming toward us.
“What did you find out?”
“None of the neighbors saw anything. I guess that makes sense if Ken’s female visitor showed up late last night.”
“And apparently she did,” Frank said. “According to Mark, both victims have been dead around twelve hours.”
I took over. “Okay, Lutz will be here soon. Until he shows up, let’s find out what we can on Marie Booth.”
With our cruiser’s computer, we used the wait time to research the woman. We found out that Marie had been married long ago, but there was no mention of a current husband. She had been the administrator of the shelter for thirteen years, and prior to that, she had worked in the women’s rights field for over twenty-five years. She had no children on record, and she had never been arrested.”
“So she’s an enigma,” Henry said after shutting down the computer. “There has to be more to the story. There just has to be.”
“Unfortunately, she’s killed everyone who might have had the answers.”
I climbed out of our cruiser and rubbed the back of my neck. “Except Tammy. Something tells me Tammy knows exactly what’s going on.”
Minutes later, a different cruiser slowed at the curb.
“That has to be Lutz,” Frank said, “and maybe he has some updates.”
Our commander exited his car and headed toward us. The frown embedded between his brows told me he didn’t have anything helpful to move the case along.
Lutz grumbled when he reached us. I gave Frank a quick glance, and he shrugged.
“Bodies inside?”
“Yep.” I walked alongside Lutz and pressed him for details. “Find anything at Tammy’s house?”
“Just the opposite.”
“What does that mean?” Henry asked.
“They were there. That’s a fact.”
“And?”
Lutz huffed at me. “And the guns you left at the house are now gone.”
I punched my fist into my open hand. “Sorry, Boss, but we had no reason to take them.”
Lutz swatted the air. “Yeah, yeah, I know. The neighbor, Mr. Baker, didn’t know anything other than what he told you from the night before. I’m guessing the two people who went to the house were Tammy and Marie. Why they were there is another question unless it was just for Dwayne’s guns.”
“Maybe they intended to flee, anyway, and Tammy needed important documents or something to that effect. Of course, we wouldn’t know what was missing since we didn’t have a warrant to give the house a thorough search prior to that,” Frank said.
“Anything on the BOLO?” I asked.
“Nothing on anything yet.” Lutz stepped over the broken door and frowned at Frank. “This looks like your handiwork.”
“Um.”
“Never mind.” Lutz crossed the room to the couch and let out a deep sigh. “Deceased since last night, huh?”
“Yes, sir,” Mark said. “Full rigor and low body temp. It’s obvious they were shot where they’re sitting. Blood on the wall behind their heads and lividity in their extremities.”
“Got it. You ready to take them out?”
“Yes, but I need help since Don is still at the other crime scene.”
Lutz jerked his head toward Frank. “Put on some gloves and lend a hand.”
Frank grumbled. “Got an extra pair of gloves, Nells?”
As I wondered where Marie and Tammy could have gone, an idea popped into my mind. Both houses were being surveilled, and so far, the women hadn’t appeared.
I’m sure we’re too late for either location. They were there and gone before we reached the houses, and chances are, they won’t be back.
I thought about Nancy and Duke Bingham as people who might have helped Tammy, but the officers watching the neighborhood had already banged on their door. They were told the Binghams hadn’t seen Tammy and they didn’t know Marie personally.
I don’t know what the connection is between Tammy and Marie, but I do know there’s something Tammy cares about a lot, and that’s Coby.
I stepped aside and called the animal shelter. I explained to the receptionist who I was and asked if Coby was still at the shelter.
“He is, Detective McCord. Were you planning to pick up Coby?”
“No, but has Tammy come by?”
“She did on Thursday but not since.”
I let out a relieved breath. “Okay, that’s good. I need you to pay close attention to what I’m about to say and make sure to pass it along to everyone who works there. Can you do that for me?”
“Yes, sir, and I’m listening closely.”
“Okay. Here’s what I need you to do.”