Gagging from the pungent stench of cleaning fumes, Jack motions Rachel inside the cramped enclosure. "We'll breathe easier in my office," he explains, pulling the door closed behind them. Handing her a report, he begins, "According to what I found, Becca was able to trace the Muller genealogy several generations back." He points to the first page as he continues, "It seems William Muller was married twice. His first marriage was to Margaret, his childhood sweetheart, in 1973. They had two sets of twins barely a year apart, and Margaret gave birth to their fifth child just a month before she disappeared."
"When did she disappear?" Rachel asks.
"According to Rebecca's research, William reported her missing in November 1977. He claimed she had gone to visit her mother in Kentucky two days prior, but that morning, her mother called asking about her delay. The police investigated the disappearance, but neither Margaret nor her car was ever found. They declared her legally dead a year later, after William claimed he had discovered a suicide note among her belongings. The handwriting matched, according to the police report. William married Angela shortly afterward. That marriage lasted nearly fifteen years and produced four children, while his first set of kids continued living with them."
Rachel shakes her head, recalling her struggles with her kids. "Poor woman, raising so many little ones."
"That's a houseful, for sure," Jack agrees.
"What happened to his second wife?" Rachel inquires.
"William came home drunk from a bar one night and beat her to death. It was Timothy, Margaret's youngest, who found her. He started hitting the bottle shortly after."
"I imagine he would, finding the only mother he's ever known dead on the floor."
"It gets worse."
Rachel gasps. "What could possibly be worse than that?"
"He was driving home drunk and killed his siblings in a crash. He was charged with vehicular manslaughter and spent the next twenty years behind bars."
"Was William Muller convicted of Angela's murder?" .
"I'm afraid not, sergeant He disappeared shortly after her death. At first, we thought he was evading the law, but according to Becca's findings, his disappearance marked the beginning of a series of vanishings. She concluded that whoever was behind the murders was seeking justice for abused kids."
"Which aligns with the letter's claims. Did Becca ever figure out who the killer was?"
"Her research stops there."
"When was Timothy arrested?" Rachel presses.
"Two months after his stepmother's murder."
"And did all the Muller kids die in the crash?"
"Only Margaret's children died."
Rachel nods grimly. "Leaving four children to avenge their mother's death. Thanks, Jack, that's been very helpful."
***
Rachel quickly notices that the morning's chaos has simmered down to a tolerable low rumble as she heads toward the back of the precinct. The front desk is no longer crowded, and the few remaining officers are finishing up their reports for the day.
I wish it was always like this, she thinks with a sigh, continuing toward the office. Stepping through the door, she finds her detectives hard at work at their desks.
Kirk glances up. "The courthouse security guards have been notified."
"And we've contacted all the lawyers we saw," Jeff interjects.
Rachel nods. "My father said he'll alert his staff and request a list of acquittals." Turning to Jerry, she adds, "I need you to look into William and Angela Muller's children."
Running his fingers through his thinning gray hair, Jerry asks, "Anything specific you're looking for, Sergeant?"
"What happened to them after their mother's death, where they are now, and whether any of them are suffering from major health issues."
"You think one of them could be the phantom killer?"
"The letters and what Rebecca uncovered fit the profile of someone with a traumatic childhood—especially with William being as abusive as he was."
"I went ahead and checked Nadia's financials, just in case she might've orchestrated the hits," Kirk says.
Rachel raises an eyebrow. "What did you find?"
"It seems she's living paycheck to paycheck like the rest of us—maybe worse off. Her car is twenty years old, and she's staying in the rundown trailer park on the south side of town. The captain asked for an update on what I found." He finishes, pushing away from his desk.
"Grab the sergeant a coffee before you go. It looks like she could really use it," Jerry quips.
"You know me too well." Rachel says, sinking into her chair. Noah, her youngest, is teething, and she hasn't had a decent night's sleep in a week.
"One cup of coffee with one cream and one sugar is coming right up," Kirk replies.
As he heads off, Sharon brushes a stray curl from her face. "Ah, Sergeant," she begins.
"What's up, Jerry?"
"Sharon asked me to remind you to call her when you get back."
Rachel turns away from the medical examiner and says, "A little late to tell me that now, don't you think?"
Jerry shrugs. "I got so caught up in things, I completely forgot." He smirks, watching Kirk walk into the break room.
Rachel follows Jerry's gaze, shakes her head, and asks, "What did you do, Jerry?"
"You'll see," he chuckles. Moments later, Kirk bolts from the break room, a look of startled panic flashing across his face. Composing himself, he walks back in, picks up a rubber snake, and chuckles. "You got me, Jerry."
Rolling her eyes, Sharon snickers. "While you've been busy pranking each other, my team managed to ID all but one of the victims in the storage shed. The decomposition on the last one was too severe to work with."
"So, what did you find?" Rachel asks.
"You were right—they were the men reported missing between '93 and '94." Sharon hands Rachel a list of names.
Scanning the list, Rachel looks up. "One of them was William Muller?"
Sharon nods. "His level of decomposition nearly made it impossible to identify him."
Rachel grimaces. "So someone killed him to avenge Angela's death and then escalated from there."
"Just like Ms. Clark claimed." The forensic tech confirms.
Rachel notices Bill approaching from behind her.
Smiling, he says, "Honestly, Sergeant, I wouldn't have figured it out without you."
Puzzled, Rachel tilts her head. "How did I help?"
"Your questions got me thinking. I dug deeper and found out who the killer is."
Rachel and the team collectively ask, "Who is it, Bill?"