Chilled (Bone Secrets, #2)(20)

Patrick pasted on a smile and greeted Brynn’s boyfriend.





“What do you know about that plane?” Liam’s forehead wrinkled in concern, nearly touching his dark crew cut as he questioned Patrick.

The pilot wouldn’t stop peppering Patrick with questions. When did the team leave? How long did he expect the search to take? Had he heard from Brynn?

Patrick shot a black glare in the direction of the US marshal. “I don’t know f*cking enough about that plane.”

“I heard Darrin Besand is the escorted prisoner.” Liam dropped his voice.

Patrick’s eyebrows shot up. Darrin Besand? His skin crawled.

Besand had been sentenced to life in prison for a string of killings that went back twenty years. Raping and strangling women had been his favorite pastime. And he’d had no preference for age or race. No one had linked Besand to two-thirds of the killings until he’d confessed after his first trial. The killings were too varied. Detectives in eight counties and three states hadn’t realized they were looking for the same man.

After his arrest, the killer had become a media sensation when he’d started communicating with a Portland television reporter via mail. He’d made her his confidant, offering her exclusives in exchange for getting his stories on TV. Regan Simmons was young, beautiful, and searching for her big break to get out of the Portland television market and into something bigger, more glamorous, like LA or New York. The serial killer’s story had been huge, and Darrin Besand had offered her the opportunity for national exposure on a silver platter. She’d eagerly grabbed for it with both hands.

Turned out, Besand had been sending Regan Simmons mail for five years prior to his arrest. She’d kept the letters but brushed them off as coming from a nutcase who’d simply wanted attention. If only she’d taken his letters to the police back then… maybe there would have been fewer victims. Investigators had been furious to discover she’d had direct information from a killer with details about what he’d done to his victims, and she’d said nothing. She hadn’t believed they’d been true. Patrick slowly shook his head. What had the woman been thinking?

“Where’d you hear Besand’s name?”

“The name’s flying around the media corral over there.” Liam jerked his head at the cameras.

Could it be true? Is Besand the prisoner on the plane?

No wonder Whittenhall was about to have a stroke. A serial killer in his custody let loose in the woods. Patrick caught his breath.

My team. When will I be able to update them?

Reid was in charge of maintaining contact with the team. All efforts at phone and radio contact had failed since an hour after the team had left, but that didn’t surprise Patrick one bit. That was to be expected in this forest.

Patrick tried to relax. Jim had his head on straight. They’d known there was a felon on board, possibly a murderer. The men were all law enforcement and appropriately armed. Jim would take every precaution out there. Patrick didn’t have a better team leader than Jim.

Patrick glared in Whittenhall’s direction, furious the press knew the prisoner’s identity before him. And he was in charge! Who’d leaked the name? Whittenhall had seemed determined not to let the prisoner’s name surface.

Patrick spotted Regan Simmons in the crowd of media, filming a piece for her news station, the bright light from the camera highlighting her hair, which swirled out artfully from under her hat. Even from this distance, Patrick swore he could see the greedy gleam in her eye. She was still hustling for that break into the big time. She’d ruined her chances after the Besand story broke about her withholding information and two married state senators had admitted to affairs with her. She’d lost her job due to an ethics clause but rebounded two weeks later with a less discerning television station. Is she the one putting out Besand’s name? She was the most likely suspect. She had the right contacts to know what was going on in Besand’s life.

“How many did he kill? Twenty-two? Twenty-three?”

Liam nodded. “Something like that. At least that’s how many the police suspect. So far, he’s only been prosecuted for one murder, but they gave him life in prison. I think he’s being tried in other states too.” “Shit.”

“Maybe this plane wreck is a good way to save the state some money. Save on room and board for the rest of the guy’s life.”

Patrick snorted. “But then why is Whittenhall so uptight?”

“What do you mean?”

“He’s got steaming high blood pressure because an ex-marshal of his is out there with my crew.” Patrick chewed his lip and studied the marshal across the clearing. A thought formed in his mind and he voiced it slowly. “The more I think about it, I don’t think it’s the prisoner who’s worrying him. It’s Kinton.”

Liam’s nose wrinkled. “You didn’t tell me anyone else went out with Brynn’s team. Who’s Kinton?”

“Alex Kinton used to be a marshal. I don’t know if they fired him or he quit or retired. But when I told Whittenhall that Kinton showed up this morning to go out with my team, Whittenhall nearly had a stroke at my feet.”

“There’s a guy out there impersonating a marshal? And you were told he was supposed to go?” Liam’s expression was getting darker by the second.