Gwen unfolded her arms, leaned back and drummed her fingers on the arm of her chair. “I’m no psi-techie, but you said that the weapon the killer is using is probably crystal-based technology of some kind, right?”
“That’s my working assumption based on where the killer was standing when the victims died. Can’t think of any other way the hits could have gone down.”
“You also mentioned that most high-tech paranormal crystal gadgets, with the possible exception of that ring you are wearing, require periodic tuning if they are to maintain optimum power.”
Adrenaline spilled into Judson’s bloodstream.
“The bastard needed someone who could tune crystals,” he said softly. “Louise was his para-tech IT department. She tuned the crystal in his weapon. Is that what you’re thinking?”
“Yes.”
“That’s brilliant, Gwen. I like it. I like it a lot.”
“Okay, slow down,” Gwen said. “There is one flaw in my logic. If the killer needed Louise to keep him in business, why would he murder her?”
“He concluded that he had no choice. Like I said, this guy is a pro and he thinks like a pro. He’s cutting his losses. Louise knew way too much about him. He had to get rid of her before we talked to her.”
“He’ll probably leave town now that he’s covered his tracks. Maybe he’s already gone.”
Judson watched the dancing flames, thinking about what he had learned at the death scenes. “I don’t think so. He’ll leave eventually once the heat has died down, but he would prefer not to disappear while we’re here, not unless he feels he has no other option.”
“Why not?”
“This is one very small town. If the killer is living here as a pillar of the community, so to speak, and he suddenly vanishes, everyone, including Oxley, will notice. Questions will be asked. A pro would prefer to avoid that, if possible.” Judson shook his head, rerunning the insights he’d gleaned at the kill sites. “No, he’s hoping that with Ballinger and Fuller both dead, we’ll hit a brick wall.”
“In that case, what do we do next?” Gwen asked.
“Try to think like he does. One thing we know for sure.”
“Yes?”
“Sooner or later, he will need another crystal tuner,” Judson said.
Thirty
Judson’s phone rang. He snapped it off his belt, glanced at the coded number and took the call.
“What have you got for me, Sawyer?” he said.
“He’s a pro,” Nick said. “He’s getting paid.”
“Believe it or not, I got that far.”
“Gee, aren’t you Mr. Sherlock Holmes.”
“Given your astonishing skill and talent, I expect a little more information,” Judson said. “Anything else?”
“I’ve got lots more, thanks to my astonishing skill and talent. First off, you were right, he wasn’t targeting psychics. None of the victims showed any interest in the paranormal. None of them claimed any kind of psychic ability.”
Judson smiled a little at the hum of excitement in Nick’s voice. Sawyer and he had more in common than either one of them would ever admit, he thought.
“So, what did all the hits have in common?” he asked.
“That greatest of all motivators—money. Four of the six definitely qualified as elderly. The other two were suffering long-term chronic illnesses. All six were standing in the way of very healthy inheritances and/or insurance policies.”
“We look to the heirs,” Judson said.
“I’m way ahead of you on account of my astonishing skill and talent,” Nick said. “I checked out a couple of them already. The forty-two-year-old son of the last victim recently transferred a very large amount of money into an offshore account. A similar amount was paid to the same account by a nephew of one of the other hits.”
“You know what? You’re good at this, Sawyer. I think you and my mother should spend some quality time together.”
“I’ve spent some time with your mother,” Nick said. “I’m in the wedding, remember? Nice lady. Turns out she and Girard both think I have excellent taste. I’m the one who suggested deep violet and gold for the color theme.”
“Glad to hear it, but that’s not why I think you and Mom should talk. Mom knows how to follow the money better than anyone else I’ve ever met. I’d say she has a psychic talent for it, but she doesn’t believe in the paranormal.”
“You’re kidding?” Nick snorted. “After raising you and your brother and sister?”
“Mom prefers to think we’re all just highly intuitive.”
“Oh, right. That sounds so much more pleasant than thinking that her kids are freaks.”
“Something like that.”
“That’s a mom for you, always looking on the positive side when it comes to her little ones,” Nick said. His voice had gone utterly flat.
Judson pushed past the sudden silence on the other end of the connection. “What I’m trying to say here is that it would be extremely helpful if you and Mom could get together for an afternoon, like today, and figure out if anyone connected to this case who is still here in Wilby has been moving large amounts of money around.”
“You want us to vet an entire town full of aging hippies, chronic underachievers, failed artists and assorted misfits? That would take days, not an afternoon.” But Nick was sounding interested again.
“I’ll have Gwen put together a list of folks who were connected to the Ballinger Study. I’ll call you as soon as I’ve got the names.”
“I’ll await your call with bated breath. Meanwhile, I’ve got one other factoid that might interest you. It’s true that none of the victims was into the paranormal, but in the case of at least two of them, I can tell you that about a month before the hits were made, the heirs—a nephew in one case and a daughter-in-law in the other—spent some time in a chat room run by an online psychic counselor. Until that point, neither the nephew nor the daughter-in-law had shown any interest in psychics or fortune-tellers or tarot cards.”
Judson tightened his grip on the phone. “You could have mentioned that sooner.”
“I wanted to save the best for last.”
“Got a name for this online psychic counselor?” Judson asked.
Gwen’s eyes widened.
“The online psychic goes by the name of Sundew,” Nick said. “And before you ask, I looked it up. Sundews are carnivorous plants. Cute, huh? I’m thinking that it would be interesting to find out if any of the other lucky heirs contacted Sundew prior to the murders.”
“Yes,” Judson said. “It would be very interesting. How the hell did you come across the info on Sundew?”
“I spent a little time on the computers of the two heirs I just mentioned,” Nick said smoothly. “It’s amazing how many people leave their passwords lying around.”
“You know, it would be very inconvenient if you happened to get arrested in the course of this investigation,” Judson said.
“You don’t need to spell it out.” Nick’s tone went cold and flat again. “I’m aware that if I get picked up, I will discover that the Coppersmiths have never heard of me.”
“Much as we might like to pretend we’ve never heard of you, that’s not an option.”
“No?”
“No. For better or worse, you now fall into the friends-and-family category. Mom would brain me if you weren’t around to walk Abby down the aisle. If you run into trouble with the authorities, you keep your mouth shut and you call me.”
“What will you do?” Nick said, reluctantly curious.
“Coppersmith, Inc., has a herd of lawyers, very good lawyers. They will take care of the pesky details. You won’t sit in jail long.”
“Good to know.”
“But my life would be vastly simplified if you did not get picked up in the first place,” Judson warned.
“Relax, I’ve never been caught. I’m not about to spoil my perfect record of non-arrest now. Send me that list of people you want your mom and me to vet, and be sure you take good care of Gwen. Anything happens to her, you’ll answer to me.”
“Understood.”
Judson ended the call and looked at Gwen. “Evidently not all psychic counselors conduct themselves according to your own high ethical standards.”