“Last evening a woman called the tip line whose ex-husband has a tattoo on the back of his calf. She’d called his work and he hadn’t shown up Sunday or Monday. She gave me the name of the dentist to forward to the medical examiner to request digital dental films.”

Zander’s bright eyes told her he was saving the best morsel of the story for last.

She bit. “Where’s he work?”

“Universe of Tires.”

“Sounds like a good match. Did he work or live out toward Vernonia?”

“No. That’s the odd part. He actually lives in Oregon City, and his store is even farther south in Canby. Someone made a special trip to take him all the way to Vernonia.”

“Possibly that’s our unsub’s stomping ground. You said the woman is the ex-wife? So she doesn’t know what he’s been up to for the last few days.”

Zander leaned against her doorjamb and crossed his arms. “That’s right. Her name is Laura King. I called her back last night after the lead first came in and asked. She said he’s been staying with a friend and gave me his number. She also emailed me a photo. I think we found her ex-husband, Aaron King.”

“Show me,” Ava requested. She got up and followed Zander back to his desk and waited while he pulled up his email. He opened a photo of a man holding a huge salmon on the deck of a fishing boat on a gorgeous sunny day. “Oh, I think you’re right.”

The man grinned at the camera, proud of his catch. Life shone in his eyes, but Ava recognized the facial features of the body they’d found the day before. “His hair is a bit longer in the photo.” She leaned closer to the screen and pointed at his lower leg. “Is that some of the dragon’s tail coming around the side of his leg?”

“I noticed that, too. Yes, our guy’s tattoo shows up that much when viewed from the front.”

Ava sighed. “What’re his stats?”

“Assistant manager at Canby Universe of Tires. Age thirty-five. No kids. Divorce was finalized less than a month ago.”

Hearing “no kids” made Ava feel the tiniest bit relieved. Her brain started to process the new man’s information. Carson Scott had also been single with no kids. Close in age and build. “Did you ask Laura if Aaron knew Carson Scott?”

“I haven’t. She’s going to be here soon for an interview, and then we can start putting the pieces together.” He spoke faster in his excitement.

Ava felt it, too. They’d just moved a step closer to finding out who their killer was.

“Did you hear the president made a statement about Carson Scott?” Zander asked.

“No. But that makes sense considering his position. What’d he say?”

“Hardly anything. ‘We’re saddened, yada yada, praying for his family, yada yada.’ He didn’t even go on camera. He simply did a press release.”

“What? For the death of a member of Congress? That seems a little cold.”

“You haven’t read what the public is saying about the case online, have you?”

“Oh, crap. I can just imagine what’s being said. I know better than to look online. You shouldn’t read that stuff, either. Are they accusing the other political party of having him murdered? Or was it done by terrorists?”

“No, the rumor that’s flying around in cyberspace is that it was a twisted sex crime.”

Ava wished she were surprised. “Because he was naked, right? People really need to get over themselves. Is that why the president simply did a press release?”

“Probably. When the second body turned up, the stories and comments shot into overdrive. Bondage and S&M and all sorts of weird suggestions are circulating about the two men together. I suspect the president is putting some distance between himself and Carson Scott. His aides are probably worried that a political scandal will be associated with Scott’s death.”

“We don’t even know if the two victims crossed paths!” Ava fumed. “Some days I hate the Internet, I really do.”

“There are a lot of bored people out there who like to add their two cents to everything.”

“Is there a press conference scheduled?” she asked.

“Yes, Duncan set one up for tomorrow. He got calls from both the Portland and Vancouver mayors. People are worried there’s a serial killer wandering around.”

“There is,” Ava stated. “Well, we’re pretty sure there is. To hell with it. I know we’ve got a serial killer.”

“They’re calling him the Bridge Killer in the press,” added Zander.

“Seriously? A name already?” She thought for a moment. “I wonder if that makes him want to continue to use bridges, or do the exact opposite and change it up. Some people don’t like their actions taken for granted.”

“Hopefully we’ll solve this before we find out.”

“The question is, ‘Who’s next?’ ” said Ava. “Someone doesn’t create elaborate scenes for us to find and then simply stop; they’re enjoying the attention and our shock.”

“It bothers me that the second body was found so soon after the first. Usually there’s a bit of a cooling-off period for the killer. If that twenty-four hours was his cooling-off period, I don’t want to know what he’s like when he’s on a roll.” Zander shook his head.

Ava’s personal phone vibrated. She checked the screen and moaned. “Oh, crap. What’s the date today?”