The Silence (Columbia River #2)(54)

“I’ll be there in a few hours,” Tony told Mason, his voice flat.

Mason gave him his contact information and ended the call with promises to connect when Tony arrived.

He exhaled and ran a hand across his forehead. “Could have been worse,” he told Nora.

“He didn’t have any information?” Nora asked.

“No. Maybe once he has more time to think, he’ll have something useful, but right now he’s a wreck.”

“You did good, Mason,” she told him, an earnest look in her eye. “You handled it really well.”

“Every parent’s worst nightmare,” Mason said, looking back at the house, unable to hold her gaze.

What if I got that call about Jake?

He shuddered.

It was too close. Jake was a good kid. Stayed out of trouble for the most part. But sometimes made poor decisions, like any young adult.

Did Kaden make a poor decision?

“Detective Callahan?” The tech who’d found the guns stood at the back door of the home. “The agent I spoke to at the ATF said to check your email.”

“They traced them already?” he asked in shock.

“I knew exactly who to call to push it up the ladder,” the tech said matter-of-factly. “We all know this is an important case. Everyone is making it a priority.”

“They’re all important cases,” Nora said under her breath.

Mason opened his in-box, pleased to see that the first one was from the resident agent in charge at the Portland ATF office. He scanned her email.

All five weapons found in Kaden’s room had gone missing during the ATF robbery—and she was sending an agent to the Schroeder home immediately.

“They’re all from the robbery,” he told Nora.

She tipped her head, her eyes thoughtful. “What in the hell does that imply?”

“I’m trying to process it too.”

She touched the first finger on one hand, counting. “Did our shooter get his gun from Kaden or the other way around?”

Mason pulled out his notebook and wrote a note. Check Kaden’s financials for cash withdrawals/deposits. Check for Kaden’s fingerprints in Reuben’s home and vice versa.

She touched the second finger. “Did the same person kill Reuben and Kaden?”

Mason considered. “One murder was physically brutal and mutilating, and the other was a single gunshot.”

“They’re on the same street and were killed within days of each other,” Nora pointed out. “Even if the killers were two different people, I think we were correct earlier when we decided the deaths are related.”

“What’s Kaden’s tie to Reuben is the third big question,” said Mason. “Was Kaden involved in the courthouse shooting? Or supposed to be involved? Maybe he didn’t do his part and was punished for it.”

Too many questions to count.

Nora thought it over. “The most likely scenario is that he knew something he shouldn’t about Reuben’s murder, so the killer came back for him.”

“If it’s the same killer.”

“My brain hurts.”

“What if they just happened to buy their weapons from the same guy?” Mason said, going back to the guns.

“And Kaden just happened to have weapons from the same robbery and just happens to live across the street from the man our courthouse shooter murdered?” she asked skeptically.

“You’re making the assumption the courthouse shooter murdered Reuben Braswell,” Mason said. “I keep doing the same thing. It’s not a given.”

“Dammit! You’re right.” Nora turned away and paced in a small circle. “I can’t do this on my fingers. We need to go back to the task force headquarters.”

“And fill three whiteboards with our questions,” added Mason, ignoring the fact that he wasn’t officially part of the task force. He read the ATF email again, trying to recall what he’d heard about the weapons robbery in Nevada. “I feel like we’re missing something . . . a very big piece to our puzzle.”

“We’re missing a lot of pieces,” Nora stated as her phone rang. “Hawes,” she answered. “Yes, sir.” She frantically gestured for Mason’s notebook and pencil. “Any damage, sir?” He handed them over, and she immediately wrote something down.

Mason tried to read what she’d scribbled. All he could make out was airport. And he wasn’t positive that was the right word.

Years of deciphering Ray’s chicken scratches punched him in the chest.

“Where is it being processed?” Nora asked. “Okay. Thank you, sir. I’ll update you on Kaden Schroeder’s murder when we return soon.” She listened for a long moment, saying yes and no occasionally before ending the call.

“The sheriff,” she told Mason. “Reuben Braswell’s truck was found in the airport parking lot.”

“Of course it was,” said Mason. “When are people going to come up with a more original place to dump a vehicle? Did they get the driver on video when he entered? Or on the shuttle?”

“They’re still looking.”

“Now I want to find a silver Mustang.”

“The sheriff says they’re checking the lots at the airport for the Mustang. They were looking for both.”