Jake nodded slowly as a few tears streamed down his face."Is there anything else I can do to help?Any other information that might be useful?"
Kate considered this question."If you think of anything else your mother mentioned about the handyman, no matter how small, please call us immediately.And if you find any paperwork or receipts related to the work he did, that could be helpful too."
"I'll look through her papers tonight," Jake promised."Maybe she kept a receipt or something with more details about what he fixed."
"That would be great," DeMarco said, standing up from the couch."We should let you get back to your day.I know this has been a difficult time."
Jake walked them to the front door, his demeanor now completely different from when they'd arrived."Agents, I owe you an apology for how I acted when you got here.I was angry and hurt, but I can see that you're really trying to find out what happened to my mom."
"No apology necessary," Kate said."You had every right to be upset after what you've been through."
"Just please find whoever did this," Jake said, his voice thick with emotion."My mom was a good person who didn't deserve to die like that."
"We will," Kate promised, though she knew such promises were dangerous to make."We'll be in touch as soon as we know more."
As they walked back to their car, Kate felt the familiar mixture of excitement and apprehension that came with a major breakthrough in a case.The connection between Michael Torres and both crime scenes was too significant to be coincidental, but it also meant they were dealing with someone who had been planning these attacks carefully.He could already be several steps ahead of them.
"Looks like we need to find Michael Torres," Kate said, pulling out her phone to call the field office."And we need to do it quickly, before he has a chance to claim another victim."
DeMarco nodded and pulled away from the Bennett House, not quite sure where to go yet but confident that they were at least headed in the right direction.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Kate sat in the passenger seat, looking at the picture she had taken of the business card in the Rodriguez house."Michael Torres - Handyman Services," she read aloud, then dialed the phone number printed below the name.
The phone rang four times before going to voicemail.A man's voice, slightly accented and professional-sounding, delivered a brief message: "You've reached Michael Torres.I can't take your call right now, but please leave a message with your name, number, and a brief description of the work you need done.I'll get back to you within six to eight hours."
Kate waited for the beep, then kept her voice casual and businesslike."Hi, this is Kate.I got your number from a friend who said you did some excellent work for her recently.I have a few repairs that need attention at my house, and I was hoping we could set up a time to discuss them.Please give me a call back when you get a chance."She left her cell phone number and ended the call.
"Smooth,” DeMarco said with a sly smile.“Think he'll call back?"
"If he's innocent, probably," Kate replied."If he's our killer, he might be suspicious of unfamiliar numbers calling for work.”
DeMarco nodded and then hitched a thumb toward the back seat.“Grabe the smart pad and see what you can find on Michael Torres in the system."
Kate did as she was asked, grabbing the small case DeMarco had for the iPad and the small personal WiFi device she carried everywhere.She hadn’t used the smart pad all that often, and it took her a bit longer than it would have taken DeMarco to access the database.But once she was in, it all came back easily enough.She typed in the name and waited for results to populate.After a few moments, the information she was looking for began appearing on the screen.
"Here we go," Kate said, scanning the results."Michael Torres, age forty-three, last known address on Maple Street in Richmond… and it looks like he’s been in the city for at least eight years.No criminal record, but there are a few minor traffic violations.Looks like he's been running his handyman business the whole time he’s been in Richmond."
"Any family information?"Kate asked.
"Married to Carmen Torres, with two children.And here's a home phone number."She considered it for a moment and said, “Maybe I should try calling the house?"
"Might as well."
Kate nodded and started punching in the numbers."I don't want to identify myself as FBI just yet, though.If his wife tips him off that law enforcement is looking for him, he might disappear."
Kate dialed the home number and waited.On the third ring, a woman answered with a slightly harried voice."Hello?"
"Hi, is this Mrs.Torres?"Kate asked, injecting a note of urgency into her voice.
"Yes, this is Carmen.Who's calling?"
"My name is Kate, and I'm trying to reach Michael about an urgent repair situation.I called his work number, but only got voicemail."
"Oh," Carmen said, and Kate could hear the sound of a child in the background.It was a young girl, laughing about something."He's out on a job right now, but I'm not sure exactly where.He had several appointments today.That’s likely why he didn’t answer the phone."
Kate felt a flutter of concern.If Torres was currently at another client's house, he might be in the process of selecting his next victim or tampering with more medication.Or, there was, of course, the possibility that he was simply a very busy and sought-after handyman.
