Touch of Red (Tracers #12)(36)

“So, it’s not the killer,” Sean said, “but someone related to him.”

“Most likely, yes. Based on the level of similarity between these two profiles, I believe you’re looking for a close relative. A son, an uncle. Possibly a cousin.”

Sean whistled. “Damn, that’s a good lead.”

“I contacted the submitting agency on this,” Ric said.

“Who is it?” Callie asked.

“Austin PD. The profile in the database belongs to a James Ryan Mahoney, age twenty-seven.” Ric slid a piece of paper across the table to her. “He was convicted of aggravated assault up in Austin three years ago.”

Beside her, Jasper opened up his laptop computer and started typing.

“He serve time?” Sean asked.

“Two years,” Ric said.

“According to this, he now lives in Kyle, Texas, right north of here,” Jasper chimed in, reading from his computer screen.

“Interesting coincidence,” Sean said. “Are you sure he’s not our guy?”

“Absolutely.” Mia gave a firm nod. “And it’s not necessarily a coincidence if you consider that James Mahoney might be from around here, so some of his family members probably live locally.”

“And do we know for sure that this DNA profile belongs to a male relative of the guy who’s in the system?” Callie asked.

“That’s right. This profile includes a Y chromosome.”

“According to DPS records, we’ve got . . . damn, nineteen Mahoneys in this county alone.” Jasper glanced up.

“Narrow it to males,” Callie said.

Jasper refined the search as Callie looked on. “Okay, ten males. And that’s just registered drivers in this county. What if we expand it to neighboring counties?”

“And what if his name isn’t Mahoney?” Callie looked at Mia. “You said it could be a cousin, right? So if bloodline runs through the mother, then the perp may have a different last name.”

“That’s entirely possible.”

“Hey, check this out. One of these Mahoneys used to share an address with James Ryan Mahoney. I bet they’re brothers.”

Sean sat forward. “What’s his name?”

“Bradley John Mahoney. Age twenty-nine.”

“Any criminal record on him?”

Jasper pecked around for a few moments. “Looks like . . . nothing.”

“Nothing at all?” Sean asked.

“Not even a traffic ticket.”

“Damn.”

Callie sat back in her chair, both discouraged and intrigued. If this Bradley Mahoney was their guy, she would have expected a criminal record. Most people didn’t go from being law-abiding citizens to committing murder. But at least they had a suspect now. And possibly additional suspects, if they could trace more of the ex-con’s male relatives.

“This is a great lead, Mia,” Sean said.

“Yeah, and we appreciate you working this on a Sunday,” Callie added.

“No problem.” Mia checked her watch. “One other thing before I go. Familial DNA is a gray area from a legal perspective. A lot of courts aren’t allowing it in. So, you need to watch your step in terms of how you use this.”

“How do you mean?” Jasper asked.

“I mean, I can tell you with confidence that you have a partial match here. I corroborated my findings with a colleague. But I’m also obligated to tell you that you should run this by the prosecutor before you move forward.”

“Why?” Sean asked.

“This area of the law is controversial. A lot of civil-liberties people and privacy advocates aren’t happy about how this technology is being used by police, and they’re making noise about it. Fourth Amendment issues, unreasonable search and seizure, that sort of thing.”

“The DNA profiles are in the database for a reason,” Sean countered. “These are people who have been arrested or convicted of a crime.”

“Yes, but using those profiles to shine a spotlight on relatives who may or may not have done anything criminal . . . that’s a whole other matter. It’s dicey, and I’m sure the DA is going to have some opinions on how to proceed.” Mia checked her watch and closed her computer. “I’m sorry, but I have to take off. If you guys have any more questions . . .” She looked at Ric.

“We know where to find you.”

? ? ?

Sean watched Mia leave. Then he turned to Ric. “We need eyes on this guy ASAP.”

Ric nodded. “He may not be the killer, though.”

“If he isn’t, he’s related.”

“Wait, hold on.” Callie leaned forward. “Did you hear what Mia said? We have to contact the prosecutor. If we play this thing wrong, we could botch up the case.”

“That was your takeaway?” Sean shook his head in frustration. “Mia just handed us the best lead we’ve had so far. This isn’t some phantom witness or a vanishing fingerprint. We’re talking about actual DNA found under the victim’s fingernails from when she tried to fight off her killer. Far as physical evidence goes, it’s a slam dunk.”

“Maybe so, but using it to target a suspect isn’t a slam dunk.” Callie looked from Sean to Ric. “You want to screw up a court case? We can’t just rush out and start arresting people named Mahoney. I mean, what if we’re wrong? At the very least, we get ourselves in a bunch of legal trouble. And we could end up tipping off the real perpetrator that we’re onto him.”