Part 17 (1/2)
”Landry thinks I might be the third target.”
”You?”
”He thinks that when I interviewed Channing six years ago-in Ohio, that first field a.s.signment I had?”
John nodded.
”Well, Landry thinks that my focusing on Channing spoiled a nice little run he was having in southern Ohio, forced him to move on before he wanted to.” Miranda looked across the desk at John. ”He thinks that maybe Channing was angry that his fun was ruined. Landry referred to it as my 'stopping his forward motion.' ”
”He was in his comfort zone, and you pushed him out of it.”
”That's Landry's theory.”
”Maybe you should back off the case, then.” John frowned.
”No, no. First of all, I think I know Lowell better than anyone at this point. Second, we don't know if Channing even remembered my name. And third, the plan is to stop him before he gets to Landry.”
”You're working with Fletcher,” he noted. ”Who else do you need?”
”I don't think we need anyone else right now. With Phillips keeping an eye on Landry, and the local police involved, I think we'll be able to get our hands on Lowell.” She grimaced. ”Christ, if the FBI can't outwit a loser like Archer Lowell, we're in big trouble.”
”So far, he's one up on the Bureau,” John reminded her.
”I'm well aware.” She nodded glumly.
”Frankly, I lay that one at the feet of the locals. You laid the whole thing out for them. Apparently they didn't take you very seriously.”
”Let's hope the Plainsville police have more on the ball than their brethren in Ohio. In the meantime, over the next few days, Will and I will be going over the reports of all Channing's known kills. We need to look at the whole picture. Where he'd been, how long he stayed, see if we can identify anyone who had contact with him.”
”You're going to try to re-create the last six years of his life through police records?”
”That's the plan. There has to be a pattern there someplace. We need to find it.”
The phone rang, and he glanced at it with weary eyes before picking it up. He listened for a few moments, then snapped, ”Find her,” before hanging up.
”Someone lost?” she asked.
It was a long moment before he responded. Then, finally, he said, ”We seem to be having a problem with Genna's signal.”
”Genna's still in Wyoming?”
”Yes. Before she left, we inserted a device in the heel of one of her shoes so we could keep track of her while she was in Reverend Prescott's compound.”
”And the signal is lost?”
”The signal hasn't moved in three days.”
”Maybe she took her shoes off. . . .”
”They're having record snowfalls out there right now. It's unlikely my wife is walking around barefoot.”
The phone rang again.
”Anything else?” he asked, his hand on the phone.
”No.” She stood to leave. ”Listen, John, if there's anything I can do . . . I could go back to Wyoming, I could see what I can-”
He shook his head, waved her off, turned his back, and took his call.
”Thanks, Annie, for coming in to meet me today,” Will said as he parked his car near the edge of the park.
”I'm sorry I don't have more time,” she apologized, ”but you sounded so worried on the phone.”
He pa.s.sed her the bag of sandwiches they'd picked up at the local drive-through. She opened it and searched for her selection.
”I guess I should just get to the point.” He ran one hand through his hair. ”Miranda and I paid a visit to Joshua Landry the other day.”
He explained why they believed Landry could be a focus of Channing's anger, then handed her copies of several of Channing's letters. She read through the first few while she unwrapped her chicken sandwich and nibbled on it.
”Well, I'd say that Landry certainly did push Channing's b.u.t.tons,” she said when she was finished reading.
”So you think he could be a target?”
”Oh, yes. Channing was clearly angry with him. There's no mistaking that. Channing even asked him to retract several statements Landry made in the book, and when he refused, he all but threatened him.” Annie paused to take another bite, chewed slowly, then said, ”But you figured that out for yourself.”
”Miranda and I did, yes.”
”So what is it that you really wanted to ask me?”
”There's one more letter you need to see.” From the inside of his jacket pocket, he withdrew an envelope, which he pa.s.sed to her. ”Read this.”
She did, then looked up when she was finished, and said, ”Channing was really angry with this woman-this woman police officer-when he wrote this, wasn't he?”
”I don't think it was a police officer,” he told her. ”I think it was a woman FBI agent.”
Annie raised a questioning brow. ”Anyone we know?”
”Miranda interviewed him right about the time he's referencing in that letter. She apparently rattled him enough that he moved on, disappeared. She'd tried to bring him back in for more questioning, but he couldn't be located.”
”So you think that maybe Miranda might be the woman he's referring to here? And could therefore be Channing's number three?”
”I'm asking you what you think. You're the one who has made a career of understanding these personalities. And you met Channing. You're the only person I know who spent time with him, talked to him.”
She tapped the folded letter on her crossed knee.
”What you want to know is, do I think Channing gave Miranda's name to Lowell?”