“That’s because I never told anyone. He let that slip during a ‘conversation’ we had one day in the hallway.”
“That was highly unprofessional of him,” said Rabinowitz sharply.
“Perhaps. But I also never considered that it might be the motivation for what happened at Mansfield.”
Jamison said, “So the million-dollar question: Where is Dr. Sizemore now?”
Rabinowitz said, “I don’t know. I haven’t heard from him since I left the institute.”
“Maybe he moved to the Burlington area?” commented Jamison.
Decker said, “If he’s still in the profession he has to be on a database somewhere for licensing purposes. We should start there.”
“I can call the institute and get whatever information I can,” offered Rabinowitz. “Since it doesn’t involve a patient, I think they would be more forthcoming. Some of them might know where Chris is now.”
Decker gave him their contact information.
“We’ll be in town for a day or so.” Decker rose and said, “Thank you, Harold, you’ve been a big help.”
Rabinowitz stood too. “I pray that Chris is not your man, but if he is I pray even harder that you will be able catch him and stop him from harming anyone else.”
“Then let’s hope that God is listening,” said Decker.
“So you think the person might kill again?” said Rabinowitz.
“I know he’ll try.”
Chapter
43
AFTER THEY LEFT Rabinowitz, Jamison and Decker stopped to grab some lunch. While they were at a café, Decker called Lancaster and filled her in.
She said, “Okay, we’ll track down this Sizemore guy if we can. And if his prints are online somewhere we’ll subpoena them and compare them to Leopold’s. As soon as we find out anything I’ll call you.” She paused. “So, back at your old stomping grounds. I never knew you were at this institute place.”
“No one knew, other than Cassie.”
“We were partners for a long time, Amos.”
“It never occurred to me that you would be interested in my past, Mary.”
“Well, that goes to show, even people with big brains make mistakes,” she said curtly, her frustration and disappointment evident.
She clicked off and Decker set his phone down next to his plate containing a half-eaten cheeseburger and a small mound of fries.
“Everything okay?” asked Jamison.
“Yeah,” said Decker as he picked at a fry.
Jamison said, “If it turns out Sizemore is Leopold, he must be one sick dude.”
“If he killed thirteen people he is one sick dude.”
“That’s not what I mean.”
“So explain.”
She slid her plate aside and leaned in. “The ‘diss’ was you got more attention than some of his protégés? Like it was a beauty pageant for brains? Really? So in retaliation he kills all those people?”
“Correction, if he is Leopold, he killed no one. Well, we don’t know who killed Agent Lafferty. But Leopold was in jail when my family was killed and also when the shootings at Mansfield happened. He has a rock-solid alibi. And it seems that both incarcerations were planned.”
“Meaning he knew your family was going to be killed and he knew the shooter was going to attack Mansfield?”
“The timing of his coming in to confess to the Burlington police was a little too coincidental. And I checked on the arrest record from Cranston. Disorderly conduct. He spent one night in jail and that was it. They didn’t even bother arraigning him. They just let him go the next morning. But that unequivocally proved he could not have committed the murders of my family.”
“Right, so he’s partnered with someone, our five-foot-eleven skinny dude turned broad-shouldered maniac, to do the actual murdering.”
“And there is no way that person is Sizemore.”
“So if Sizemore is the one you dissed, he’s partnered with this person who impersonated a waitress at the bar. I wonder who that person is that kills so readily?”
Decker remained quiet, but his gaze moved steadily around, taking in everything.
“That’s it, the third on the left with the black shutters. Pull past it.”
Jamison drove on, and then Decker had her park at the curb on the opposite side of the street about a half dozen homes down from Sizemore’s.
“Decker, Rabinowitz said that Sizemore had left the institute several years ago.”
“That’s right.”