The Dead Woman

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

"Bullshit." The vein in Dale's forehead throbbed so hard Matt could actually see it. "There's no way Abbey is the killer."

How could he convince Dale without telling him about their ability to see evil? He'd never get Dale to swallow the idea that Abbey was almost eighty years old. Hell, Matt wasn't sure he believed it. If it wasn't for the picture that he'd mistaken for Abbey's mom...

Abbey's mom! That's it!

"Dale," he said, "who was the killer's first victim?"

"Abbey's mom," Dale replied. "Her name was Abbey, too. But she was an older lady. She'd lived here almost her whole life."

"Did she have any children?"

"Just the one. Abbey," Dale said. "But she didn't live in Crawford. She lived with her father up in Pocatah, Kentucky. Abbey moved here right before her mom died. Then she decided to take over the store since there was no one else. You should have seen her. She was a wreck."

"Did Abbey, the older Abbey, ever mention that she had a daughter in Kentucky?" Matt asked.

Dale grunted. "I can't recall if she ever did. But now that you mention it, I don't think so."

"So Abbey moves here, then her mom dies, and she takes over the store. Just like that?"

Dale didn't say anything. He just stared at the road ahead.

"You didn't find that suspicious at all?"

Dale shook his head. "She seemed so scared. So afraid. I never thought she could have..."

Matt understood. Dale had never considered that Abbey could be a suspect because he'd never wanted to. "The stuff Abbey has in little vials at her house," Matt said, "the stuff she has a ton of—it's ketamine, isn't it?"

Dale's mouth dropped open. "Yeah, that's the stuff. How did you know?"

"Isn't that the same drug the coroner found in every single one of the Blake County Killer's victims?"

Dale looked at Matt, and understanding lit his face.

"Son of a bitch," he said. "All this time. Could the answer have been right under my goddamn nose?"

"I bet if you call the Pocatah Police Department," Matt said, "you'll find out they have a string of unsolved murders. Murders that stopped three years ago. Right about the time that Abbey moved here."

"No," Dale said. "I still don't believe it. Not Abbey. There's an explanation. I'm sure of it. I'll drive you out to her place, but just to prove you wrong."

"I hope I am wrong," Matt said. Deep down, he knew he wasn't.