Wolfe opened his file and searched through the documents. He was old-school when it came to reports and he liked having the paperwork in his hands. “Yeah, I found prints on Chrissie Lowe’s shoes that match Alex Jacobs. The hairs found in the vehicle match Jacobs and Devon. The shoes were found where Stevens mentioned in his statement.” He glanced back through his notes. “The date-rape drug, jet, which Webber reported Lyons mentioned, was the one used on Chrissie Lowe—it all ties in. There’s no doubt Lyons used the same method with each of their victims. I’m sure now that the threat is over, the FBI will encourage more women to come forward to testify and make claims for damages.”
“Okay, so we can inform Chrissie’s parents that apart from Lyons and Stevens, the men involved are deceased. I’ll go and speak with them as soon as we have charged Lyons.” Jenna looked at Wolfe. “Okay, moving on to the other cases. Up to now, we’ve had three possible suspects, but I believe Lyons may have been involved as well.”
“I figure we’ll need to compile all the evidence we have from yesterday.” Kane’s gaze moved around the group. “Although Lyons made light of the fight with the guy on the trail, we need to know who he is and what scared Lyons enough to jump onto an unsafe bridge.”
“I know why.” Emily sucked in a deep breath.
Fifty-Four
Worried when the color drained from Emily’s face, Jenna took her seat at the desk and looked at her. “In your own time, Em. What happened when you headed toward the old bridge?”
“A man grabbed me from behind and pressed a gun to my head. He said he would shoot me.” Emily swallowed hard. “But would let me go if I did what he said, and he only wanted me to distract Seth for him.”
“Oh, Emily, why the hell didn’t you tell me this last night?” Wolfe looked grief-stricken. “Are you sure you want to do this now?”
“Yeah, Dad.” Emily squeezed his arm. “I’ll be fine.”
“Did you recognize him?” Kane leaned forward when Emily shook her head. “What did he look like?”
“I didn’t see him, he grabbed me from behind.” Emily glanced at Wolfe. “I couldn’t do a thing, Dad, he was strong and had my arms pinned to my sides.”
“I understand.” Wolfe took her hand. “You survived, that’s all that matters now.”
Jenna nodded at Emily. “Just take it slow, Em. No one is in trouble. We just want to figure out what happened.”
“I walked up to Seth. He was waiting for me by the bridge. I turned him around so I could see the other guy but I didn’t see a gun.” She looked at Kane. “He was tall and muscular and wearing a blue ball cap, black T-shirt, and jeans. He had the cap pulled down over his eyes and his face was in shadow. I couldn’t make it out.” She sighed. “Before you ask, he could have been Stein or Jones—they’re the same build and he was some ways away.”
“What about this man?” Kane held out a photograph of Steve Lowe. “Was it him?”
“Maybe.” Emily looked at Jenna. “They’re all much the same.”
“Okay.” Jenna smiled. “Go on, what happened next?”
“All I could think about was what Dad had taught me: distract and then run. So I told Seth there was a man with a gun behind him and then I ran onto the bridge. I figured he wouldn’t risk following me.” She let out a long sigh. “I heard Seth yelling at the guy but I didn’t look back. Next thing, the bridge started swaying and shuddering. I turned around and Seth was coming after me, and his face was bloody. The man wasn’t there and I told him so but he kept on coming, fast. Next moment the bridge broke and he was just hanging there. Then I saw Jenna and Dave. You know what happened next.”
“Do you figure the guy who gave you the flash drives at the bridge could’ve been him?” Kane looked at Jenna.
Jenna sighed. “Maybe but he didn’t look like he’d been in a fight, and from the state of Lyons, he’d have gotten in a few punches. I didn’t see a weapon either.” She looked at Webber. “Did you see who grabbed you?”
“Nope.” Webber rubbed his bruised neck. “He had me out in seconds. I didn’t so much as hear a twig crack.”
“The man who gave me the flash drive could’ve witnessed the fight. It shouldn’t be too difficult to track him down if he’s studying at the college.” Jenna sighed. “Big guy with a buzz cut. Could he be on the football team?”
“There are four or five big guys with buzz cuts on the team.” Webber narrowed his eyes. “Come to think of it, the guy Court took down to the cellar was big. I didn’t see his face but he was wearing a blue ball cap under his hoodie. I recall seeing it sticking out, light blue.”
“Maybe he removed his cap and acted nonchalant to fool you.” Kane rubbed his chin and looked at her. “He didn’t want to be seen running away, so he hung around for a few moments to give you the flash drives.” He shook his head. “Rowley took photos of everyone who came down the trail and you said he wasn’t one of them.”
The hairs on the back of Jenna’s neck rose. “So where did he go?”
“Maybe he found himself a vantage point and watched the rescue. Not many people hang around to assist the cops.” Wolfe let out a long sigh. “Jenna, did you see a weapon?”
“No.” Jenna shrugged. “I was a little preoccupied at the time to notice where he went.”
“He didn’t pass me.” Webber filled a cup with coffee. “If he didn’t go down the trail, he must have gone up. Maybe he watched from where they launch the kayaks and then came down later?”
“In the dark?” Jenna shook her head. “By the time everyone left the mountain, it would’ve been pitch-black. Only a lunatic comes down the falls trail in the dark, and it was cold last night. He must have slipped by us.”
“He didn’t come down either trail.” Rowley looked offended. “I had them both covered until Kane and Wolfe arrived.”