“The picture, the one Leslie drew after talking to your witness?” Ava asked. “It looks like that guy you were talking to in the backyard. You know, the one Maresol hates?”
“What?” Seth was stunned.
“I went looking for you,” Ava said. “I saw him through the windows. Then the doorbell rang, and a different old guy was looking for you.”
“And the picture Leslie drew?”
“Looks just like the guy you were talking to in the backyard,” Ava said. “Maybe ten years younger, sure, but a dead ringer for the smoking guy that Maresol hates.”
Seth felt time grind to a halt.
“Seth?” Ava asked.
He didn’t respond. The wheels of Seth’s mind began to move again.
“OK, I knew you’d do that,” Ava said. “Love you.”
She hung up the phone. Seth looked at the phone and set it down.
Major Cotton had been in the clearing that day. Mitch and Seth hadn’t reported in, so he’d come looking for them. He found them staring at the Rangers. He was the one who’d called in the CIA.
Seth blinked.
Seth had been so sure about Chiến that he hadn’t bothered to ask Soledad what the men looked like. He jogged across the room and pulled out the Major General’s file from where he’d stashed it under the box spring. He’d assumed the pages in the file on Major Cotton were about him and Mitch. He’d been so sure. He hadn’t even looked at them.
Seth set the file down on the desk and turned on the lamp.
Cotton was Davies’ stepfather. He’d married Davies’ mother when Davies was five years old. Davies’s mother died under suspicious circumstances after Davies had left for college.
Seth looked around the room for his cellphone. It was sitting on the table where he’d left it. He grabbed the phone and called Éowyn.
“O’Malley,” Switch answered the phone on the first ring.
“I know it’s late,” Seth said. “But I was wondering if I could ask Éowyn something.”
“Is it about that creep?” Switch asked.
“It is,” Seth said.
He heard Switch move across the apartment.
“He tried to get in here,” Switch said. “Came for her again.”
“What about Major Cotton?”
“Your old CO?” Switch asked.
“How did you know . . .?”
“Maresol,” Switch said. “I checked him out. He retired out as an option over a dishonorable, conduct unbecoming.”
“Retired?”
“Instead of conduct unbecoming,” Switch said. “I think he killed his wife—or . . . I asked the intel sergeant that’s what he said. Well, he said that it was likely a DV. They’d had a rash of that then—thin the ranks by getting rid of the abusers.”
“Did you tell Éowyn?”
“Not a chance,” Switch said. “You might like to bring this murder and mayhem home with you, but when I’ve got a gorgeous creature like Éowyn in my bed? I have other things on my mind.”
Seth chuckled.
“Hey, before I get her . . .”
“Yeah?”
“Would you mind if I ask her?” Switch asked. “You know, marriage?”
“You can ask,” Seth said. “But I doubt she’ll marry you, or anyone for that matter.”
“Damn, you know that’s right,” Switch chuckled. “I’m still going to ask.”
“I would if I were you,” Seth said.
“Just wanted to check,” Switch said.
He heard Switch call Éowyn’s name. They talked in the background before Éowyn took the phone.
“Seth?” Éowyn asked.
“I’m sorry to wake you,” Seth said.
“No, it’s fine,” Éowyn said. “Anything to help. Really.”
“I have a couple questions,” Seth said.
Seth heard the light click on. Switch’s deeper voice rumbled in the background.
“I have a pad in case I need to take notes,” Éowyn said. “Lawyer’s habit. Go ahead.”
“It’s about Brent,” Seth said. “Did he ever talk about his childhood?”
“He had this story about being Ted Bundy’s only son,” Éowyn said. “His mom was like fifteen when she had him. I always figured she got pregnant and left town.”
“You didn’t believe him?”
“No,” Éowyn said. “He got this weird thrill about possibly being related to that monster. I thought it was bravado and bullshit. Gross. Should I have believed him?”
“I don’t know,” Seth said. “I’m going to ask Ava to check.”
“God,” Éowyn said. “I can really pick them, can’t I?”
“Everyone has one or two they regret,” Seth said. “Ask Lizzie about her mom.”
Éowyn laughed.
“I have another question,” Seth said.
“Go ahead.”
“Did you ever meet his stepfather?” Seth asked.
“No, but I saw a picture of him,” Éowyn said. “Brent hated his stepdad, just hated him.”
“Any idea why?”
“He was really cruel, abusive,” Éowyn yawned. “Brent has these scars on his thighs—little straight pinpricks and some lines, like dashes, around his thighs. Stuff you could cover with shorts. I thought they were a tattoo or whatever, so I asked him about them. Well, he freaked out. Broke up with me. Of course, I took him back. He told me that when he did something his stepdad thought was bad, like kiss a girl or one time he caught him jerking off, his stepdad would wrap his thighs in barbed wire and make him wear it for days at a time.”
“God,” Seth said as an exhale.
“I know, right? I guess, the barbed wire wasn’t so tight as to be constrictive. It cut into him when he moved,” Éowyn said. “Or sat down. He had to go to school, play sports, sit in classes with the wire on. Horrible.”
“Awful,” Seth said. “Did it happen a lot?”
“I think so,” Éowyn said. “And other stuff, but he didn’t ever say what. Torture. That’s what I told him, ‘Your stepfather tortured you for just being a regular kid.’ He told me his stepdad had been in Vietnam. Learned it there. Then, his stepdad killed Brent’s mother. The case was bungled by a local cop—at least Brent thought so. Cop ended up shooting himself, so . . .”
Seth blinked.
“What?” Seth asked.
“Oh, I was just saying that Brent thought the cop screwed up the investigation intentionally,” Éowyn yawned. “His stepdad was some big deal in military intelligence, I think. Anyway, it all happened when Brent was in college, so I always thought . . .”
This is personal.
The thought hit Seth like a ton of bricks. He had assumed the murderers were playing cat and mouse with him and the other detectives because they were well-known problem solvers. Cat and mouse was a side game. They were getting back at people they thought injured them—or, specifically—injured Major Cotton.
This was personal.
Éowyn was still talking and yawning.
“Hey, I need to go,” Seth said. “Sorry.”
“Did I help? I was trying to say everything I remembered . . .”
“In the morning, will you call Ava and put together a sketch of the stepdad?” Seth asked.
“With Leslie?” Éowyn asked. “Sure.”
“Thanks,” Seth said. “I may call later.”
“Okay,” Éowyn said. “Nighty-night, Seth.”
He hadn’t set the phone down when Everest’s face appeared before him.
Seth grabbed the Major General’s file. Everest wasn’t in there. He took out Martha Jessep’s collection of files.
There was nothing about Major Cotton in any of the detective’s files.
The Major General’s files held only vague references to Major Cotton’s violent behavior toward women. There was nothing concrete here.
Rick would never remember arresting the man, and his case file, as shared by Martha, reflected what he’d said tonight. Rick Lopez thought this was an average case of a predator preying on illegal immigrants in the desert.
Major Cotton had managed to walk like a demon in the shadows of this case.
Seth needed to talk to Everest. Groaning at the idea, he placed a call to the only person he knew who could effortlessly talk to ghosts.
“Seth!” Delphie yelled into the phone. A low male voice mumbled in the background. In a more normal voice, the oracle said, “Seth finally called.”
“Delphie!” Seth said.
“Seth!” she yelled again.
“These aren’t cans,” Seth repeated what he usually said at this point in the conversation.
“Oh, I know,” Delphie said. “But they do need a good shout now and then. Wakes them up! Just a second—I’ll get out of bed.”
Seth paced back and forth in his room while Delphie did her thing.
“I made some tea,” Delphie said. “You seem pent up, Seth. Are things all right with Ava?”
Seth burst out laughing. He could almost hear Delphie grin.
“Just wanted to get your attention,” Delphie said.
“It’s this case,” Seth said.
“I know,” Delphie said. “There’s a demon near you.”