“I know the type.” Noelle squared her shoulders. “I need to get back to the cell phone records of Jillian Francis. I’m so glad we’ve pulled in the FBI on this—and I really like your friend Mercy. She’s kicking things into overdrive to get more hands and eyes on these cases. I’m trying to find a connection between Jillian’s and the other two girls’ calls and texts. Somehow these three crossed paths with the same man. I’m determined to figure it out.”
Resolve filled her features, and Evan believed she’d find it.
Evan checked the time. It was nearly noon. “I need to call Shannon Steward and ask if she knew that Ken visited Jerry Chiavo in prison.”
“Did you ask Rowan?”
He grimaced. “I didn’t. As far as I know, Jerry and Ken are connected through Rowan because of something that happened twenty-five years ago. It’s logical to ask her, but something feels off.”
“Feels off with Rowan?”
“Not exactly.” He pulled out the notepad he’d written on after talking with Jerry. “Look. She’s connected to all these cases in one way or another.”
Noelle studied the page, running her finger from Rowan’s name to each of the cases. “But her involvement isn’t deliberate—it’s just where life placed her. She was kidnapped and everything radiates from that . . . although I don’t believe in coincidences, and this is a lot of them, so I see what feels off to you.” She handed it back. “But if she’s in the middle of everything, you should ask her the questions. What’s holding you back?”
“I don’t like so many connections either. I’ve never come across this in a case before, and it’s making me hesitate. I feel like I’m missing something.”
“Talk to her. Maybe she holds our missing piece. If you don’t do it, I will.” She raised a brow at him.
He knew she would. He was being ridiculous. “I’ll call her after I talk to Shannon.”
“Gotta go.” Noelle lifted a hand at him and left, pausing ten steps later to greet a nurse she appeared to know.
Again Evan was glad Noelle was on his team. She sliced through things to see the heart of the matter. He took out his phone and snooped around for a quiet corner, ending up down the hall in a nook with three vending machines. He dialed Shannon Steward and eyed a bag of Lay’s Classic Potato Chips in a machine. A weakness of his.
Shannon answered, and Evan identified himself.
“What can I do for you, Detective?”
“I have a quick question. Did you know Ken visited Jerry Chiavo in prison?”
There was a long silence. “What?” she finally asked. “Ken did that? When?”
“Two weeks ago. I saw his name on the visitor log. He only visited the one time.”
“I don’t know what to tell you. I’m a bit shocked because I know he hates—hated the guy. I can’t think of why he’d go see him. Especially such a recent visit.”
“Does it fall within the time frame of when you’d noticed Ken had been distant?”
“Well, yes, it does. I imagine the prison visit wasn’t a pleasant one. It could have affected him, but he was almost impossible to reach for quite a while. I have a hard time believing one talk with the asshole would affect him for that length of time.”
“You’re insistent that he hated Jerry. Why do you say that?”
“From years of hearing Ken blame the asshole for what he did to Rowan. And her brother. You know how he felt about her. Very protective.”
“Ken never spoke of a need to confront Jerry about what he did?”
“Not that I can think of.”
“Would you say he discussed Jerry too much? Considering it was someone he’d never met?”
Shannon paused before answering. “Well . . . I don’t know. Finding Rowan in the woods with a broken leg was a big event in Ken’s life. Almost life changing, I’d say—although I didn’t know him back then. Ken found a lot of missing people, but maybe because he was young when he found her, it may have left a bigger impression on him. His anger about that little girl’s situation was all channeled at Jerry Chiavo after he was arrested. Rightfully so.”
“From what I’ve read, the entire public was angry.”
“It was a big deal around here. Did you ask Jerry why Ken was there?”
“Not yet. I found out after my visit. I’ll line up a phone call and ask.”
“Let me know if you get an honest answer.”