Desperate Girls (Wolfe Security #1)(75)

Brynn launched into a detailed summary of Mark’s theory. When she got to the part about fabric fibers being found on Lauren Tull’s mouth, Lindsey was puzzled. When she got to the part about the Rohypnol, Lindsey was intrigued. And by the time she reached the part about the necklace, Lindsey was speechless.

“So Mark believes the killer staged the scene to look like the other recent murders that had been all over the news,” Brynn said. “And investigators bought it and played right into his hands when they planted that necklace at Corby’s house to beef up their case against him.”

Lindsey watched her, absorbing everything. A notorious serial killer framed for one—but not all—of his crimes. The idea was potentially explosive.

“What do you think?” Brynn asked. “This is the theory you came up with, just taken a step further.”

“A big step.” She looked from Brynn to Erik. As usual, the bodyguard was silent. By Lindsey’s count, he’d said zero words since stepping in here. “To be honest, this sounds like something a defense attorney would cook up. No offense to you.”

“None taken,” Brynn said. “But I didn’t cook this up. And the more I think back on certain aspects of the case, the more I believe this idea has merit.”

“And why didn’t Corby’s attorney come up with it?”

“I couldn’t tell you,” Brynn said. “But the guy’s a public defender, and he hasn’t exactly set the world on fire, career-wise. Jen and I rolled over him at trial. Also, there was so much other evidence against Corby—the first victim’s blood on his boot, the media clips at his house, the fact that Corby had done work at three of the victims’ homes. The jury was looking at a mountain of evidence when they arrived at a guilty verdict.”

“My other thought is if you’re right, if Mark is right, then Dallas PD has a problem on its hands.”

“They’ve got a rapist and murderer roaming free,” Brynn said.

“Correct, and his trail is ice cold at this point. They’ve also got a corruption problem.” Lindsey leaned forward. “Walk me through how you think this might have happened. How did Lauren Tull’s necklace end up at Corby’s house?” She nodded at the bulletin board where the photos were displayed. “By your own trial exhibits, it looks like Lauren wore that necklace a lot. Are you saying Mick McGowan or some investigator took it off the body? I don’t know if you’ve ever been to a murder scene, but it’s a zoo. People, vehicles, cameras everywhere. I can’t picture McGowan just reaching down and tugging a necklace off the corpse. Too risky.”

“I agree,” Brynn said. “More likely, he—or someone—found it elsewhere in Lauren’s home. Maybe on her dresser or something. This person might have pocketed it to use later, as an insurance policy when they zeroed in on a suspect. I think he kept it and either planted it at Corby’s house or somehow got it into the evidence room.”

Lindsey paused to think about it. “Evidence rooms—especially for a large department—are crowded and sometimes chaotic places. And people are people, so things can get lost or mishandled, either by mistake or intentionally. The reality is, it happens.” She sighed. “I’d have to see the logs from the evidence room to pin it down better.”

“Any chance you can get a look at those?”

“I could try. I have some contacts over there.”

For a long moment, she and Brynn simply stared at each other. Lindsey had never expected to team up with a defense attorney on anything, and yet here they were.

“Why is Mark analyzing this now?” Lindsey asked. “I mean, whether Corby killed Lauren Tull or not, he killed the other three. And he’s killed three more people since escaping from prison. What we should be focused on right now is how to locate him.”

“I’m with you,” Brynn said. “Mark thinks motive could be important in determining his next move.”

“Tell me what you’re working on in terms of locating him,” Erik said.

Lindsey looked at Erik, whose priorities clearly were aligned with hers. “I’m convinced Corby has someone helping him, offering him refuge. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to pull all this off.”

“Agreed,” Erik said.

“I got a new lead from that reporter, John Dewitt, who interviewed Corby in prison, hoping to write a book about him.”

“That guy is helping him?” Brynn asked.

“No. He’s in LA working for some magazine now. But I wanted to see what he could tell me about the prison interviews.”

“And what did he tell you?” Brynn asked.

“Two interesting things. One, Corby vehemently proclaimed his innocence. Said he was set up, and the whole crooked system was out to screw him over. In light of this new theory, maybe that wasn’t all just noise. The other thing he told me, Corby had a pen pal.”

“Who?” Erik leaned forward on his elbows.

“Some woman named Ann Johnson—not sure of the spelling. The reporter said Corby once asked him to mail a letter to her.”

“And he did it?” Brynn exclaimed. “That little shit.”

“My guess is he was trying to rack up some favors with Corby to get an exclusive or something. But it may be how those letters ended up with you and the judge.”