The Stolen by Dan Padavona

Author:Dan Padavona [Padavona, Dan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Suspense, American Suspense, Police Procedural, Crime Thriller, Serial Killer, Murder Investigation, Vigilante
Published: 2022-04-20T16:00:00+00:00

22

The Ford Explorer’s air conditioner kept the day’s heat at bay as Logan Wolf glided through McCarthy, doubling back every few blocks, wary that someone was following him. Whenever he checked the mirror, there was a different vehicle behind his SUV.

Roseland Hogan seemed trustworthy, not the type who’d phone the police and check on Max Conway’s private investigator credentials after he drove away. Still, Wolf rolled the dice every time he interviewed someone about the murders. Before long, the police would question why an investigator they’d never heard of was a step ahead of them and asking about the Black River killer. His suspicion over Sutter Steen grew. Here was a man who led a double life, pretending to be a loving husband in church and inside the community while ignoring his wife at home. Not a crime, but a red flag. Wolf wondered if Sutter Steen hid more skeletons inside his closet.

Wolf’s first stop was River Valley Dental. As Hogan had described, the practice was the most successful in the city. A manicured lawn and immaculate landscaping greeted patients. The gray-brick building appeared twice the size of any dentist office Wolf had ever visited, and vehicles crowded the parking lot, taking up all but two spaces. A hygienist in olive-green scrubs agreed to speak with Max Conway. From the hygienist’s guarded answers, Wolf assumed Sutter Steen was a control freak and not well liked. Still, the hygienist insisted Sutter Steen wasn’t behind on his bills and hadn’t made enemies in McCarthy.

Hungry, Wolf crossed the street to a smoothie bar, craving something nutritious that wouldn’t burn a hole through his petulant stomach. The girl at the counter told him Sutter Steen purchased smoothies and acai bowls a few times every week. She described him as curt, but acknowledged he left generous tips. Once, Sutter Steen flirted with her, though he backed off after she eyed the wedding ring on his finger.

Hidden beneath his baseball cap and sunglasses, Wolf left the SUV at River Valley Dental and walked three blocks into the center of the city. He paused outside Grace Hill Church. The sign outside announced the next mass was Saturday evening at six o’clock. Music from the McCarthy festival carried on the wind, along with the smoky, tangy smells of barbecue. At the corner, he looked toward the rough section of McCarthy. A woman in high heels and a leopard-print skirt paced a groove in the sidewalk, assessing every vehicle that slowed as a potential john or an undercover cop.

Across the street from the prostitute, an obese man with long, greasy hair sat on a metal folding chair outside a mobile phone repair shop. Wolf removed a picture of Trinity Williams from a newspaper article and showed it to the shop owner. The man grunted that Trinity worked the corner and used her earnings to feed her habit.

“Who sold to her?” Wolf asked.

“Who wants to know? You’re not a cop. I’d recognize you if you were.”

Wolf considered handing the shop owner his business card and thought better of it.

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