Ford
DETECTIVE BARRERA SITS US ALL down, poised to deliver his lecture in our dining room.
To elude suspicion of six guys turning up at the cop station, Detective Barrera proposed a home visit to keep us all abreast of the investigation of the girls, the search of information pertinent to Carson Henry and Jeanette Somerby, and Frederick's murder. It's first thing in the morning, though luckily, I just returned from delivering another hot chocolate to Genevieve.
Today, she looked down at the ground immediately as she threw open her front door. She picked up the steaming beverage—devoid of Bullet—and carried it to her car. She didn't call out my name as I remained concealed out of view, and then she drove to college. Whether she drank the hot chocolate is a different matter, but it's a start.
Now, Detective Barrera sits at the head of the table to my left, Clark adjacent to me and Jax at the end. Opposite me is Jeremiah, then Harris and William. Each of us are silent as we await Detective Barrera to begin, but he's quickly flicking through his small legal pad to refresh himself of the discoveries and potential evidence.
"Firstly, there's nothing relating to Jeanette Somerby. Or Jean Sommers, for that matter. No properties, no vehicles, no bank accounts. Nothing. She worked as a random checkout girl in Hortonville for a year and then suddenly, she falls off the grid. Given how high profile the Chasity Winters case was back in Glensdale, I'm not hard-pressed to theorise that she got an illegal name change or some shit. These things happen, especially when you're young and naïve. But it also means we have no chain for her. It stops at her employment, and there's no other reason to suggest someone of Jeanette Somerby's likeness—back then—has died."
This wild goose chase of Jean Sommers/Jeanette Somerby is really beginning to infuriate me. If this woman truly had nothing to do with Chasity Winters' death—which seems more than likely—she's picked up tips over the years from Carson Henry. And it could be that the death of her lover (Chasity Winters) desensitised her, making the transition into Carson's world a whole lot easier.
"We're working on it, though," Detective Barrera claims, rubbing his eyes with the heels of his palms, leaving them slightly bloodshot. The smudges under his eyes seem more prominent now.
"Anything with Carson?"
"He hasn't got a plethora of information. Though he's a contract hitman, he needs to stay off the radar as much as possible to cops, but he still needs to be an average guy and not draw attention to himself. He's purchased cars and various small properties over the years in Glensdale and Hortonville. Nothing in Westville." Detective Barrera's eyes shoot to me. "And yes, Ford, you were right. Shortly after Chasity's death, Carson was brought in for a minor assault. Served three months community service. No further criminal records."
"What's the most recent activity from Carson?"
"Bought a house in Hortonville three years ago. I sent a team to check it out at the crack of dawn this morning. The garden's overgrown to high hell and the inside décor is bland and minimal. If I have to guess, Carson has an incredibly realistic fake ID and he's using that to purchase other properties where he's truly living, and this is just to maintain appearances. We managed to get the license plate of the Ford Expedition. Took a shitload of time. It's registered to Carson Henry who purchased it in Hortonville from a car dealership. There's nothing more to that."
"No new leads with the girls?" Jeremiah asks, fracturing the tense silence that ensues after Detective Barrera's monologue.
"None whatsoever. I suppose he's a contract killer for a reason," he replies drily.
