Riverside's Perfect Murder

Dave's Not a Nice Guy

"How did Dave ever get a security job with that record?" Rita asked.

"Get this, before any of this comes to trial the girls all mysteriously die. One by car wreck which they rule mysterious — one during a possible rape where she gets strangled. One girl outside a back-road bar is abducted and never seen again. The last one from a drug overdose but her parents say she never did drugs. Now I know all parents say that but come on four for four all connected to Dave? Each girl in a different county and MO. No one connected these seemingly random events to Dave. We still can't say he is guilty of anything."

"He's not going to tell us now; that's for sure," Rita said sarcastically.

Joe was reading the second file and asked, "This girl's name is Shawna Wright."

"Yeah, some professor's kid," Frank said. "That's the one who's car doesn't make Corby's curve out on highway thirty-seven. They ruled it questionable because the car was a new BMW. Supposedly the steering went causing her to miss the curve and head-on into a tree. They think the car was tampered with but couldn't be sure."

"Professor Albert Wright?" Joe asked.

Frank looked like his feelings might be crushed, "Yeah, why?"

Joe looked at Rita, "I haven't had a chance to tell you, but I met with Professor Wright last night at the Wilcox Plant. He is in charge, and they make and stock Dimethyl mercury."

"Some coincidence," Rita replied.

"You got that right," Joe said.

"What was your reaction to the Professor?" Rita asked.

"Nice guy. I liked him. His wife died some time ago, and he recently lost his daughter. I didn't get the daughter's name and he didn't elaborate."

"Wait, there is more." Frank was looking from Joe to Rita and back again.

"Well?" Rita said.

"Joe, the next file is April Summers. The name didn't set off any bells but guess who her cousin is?" Frank could tell Joe didn't want to play.

"OK. April Summers is Mike Craig's cousin." Frank said, beaming with pride.

"Oh, it's a small world getting smaller," Rita said. "Frank. Nice job. Very commendable."

"Thanks, but there is one more detail I haven't finished yet, but it might be something: Joe, that first file, Donna Thomas. Her father is a bank manager in Florida except he has not been there for a year or so. His daughter came up missing around here so supposedly he came up to find her. I can't find anyone by the name of Mr. Thomas anywhere around here. His daughter is the one abducted or run away. No one knows for sure. Daughter's name is Samantha Thomas."

"What's his first name?" Rita wanted to know.

Frank shrugged his shoulders and looked at Joe.

"Cade. Cade Thomas." Joe said, looking at the file.

Rita smiled, "Here's a coincidence for you. We have a bank manager whose branch happens to, get robbed, named Thomas Kinkade and a missing bank manager whose name is Cade Thomas. What do you think?"

"Why change his name?" Frank asked. "He didn't do anything wrong, did he?"

"I think we need to go see Thomas over at Riverside," Joe said.

"I like your thoughts," Rita said, "Let's go."

"What about me?" Frank wanted to know.

"You did well. Now, make me proud, tie it all together, and find a link to Lawrence Oliver." Rita said, thinking of Ollie. Her Ollie. The Ollie she spent one glorious afternoon with and would now put behind bars if she could find a way to link him to all this.