“What sort of models?” Zander prompted.

“His rockets. He belonged to the rocket club all through high school. Is that what you wanted to know?”

Mason flipped through the yearbook in his hands, looking for the clubs. “Was there a rocket club in yours, Ava? I don’t see one.”

“I don’t have one listed in the index,” said Zander. “But what if it wasn’t a school thing? It could be outside of school. I think my high school had an unofficial rocket club. Something run by one of the science teachers after school. This sounds like something Joe Upton would have done in high school, right? He was a space travel fan.”

“I think that’s what Aaron did,” said Laura. “The after-school thing. I don’t quite remember.”

“Wait. How long were you two married?” Ava asked.

“Fourteen years. We started dating in high school.”

Ava exchanged a knowing grin with Mason and Zander. “Perfect,” she whispered. Mason agreed—someone who had known Aaron back then.

“What was Aaron like in high school?” Zander asked. “Was he one of the smart ones? Or a jock? How do you remember him?”

“Umm. None of the above?” Laura said through the speakers. “I’d always thought he was a bit of a wild guy through school—the type I tried to avoid. But we had one class together our senior year, and I discovered he wasn’t really like that.”

“Maybe he changed,” Mason suggested. “Maybe he matured a bit and realized life wasn’t party, party, party.” Joe Upton changed during high school. Did Aaron do the same?

“I guess. It’s hard to say. I didn’t pay much attention to him before then.”

“Can I come by to pick up the yearbooks tonight?” Zander asked. “I wouldn’t mind seeing what else is in that box from his high school days.”

Laura agreed, and Zander wrapped up the call.

“Good. She might remember something that happened to him in school,” Ava said. “Joe’s parents said he changed. Maybe something affected all three men.”

“I’m still wondering if our killer is done. We haven’t had a new body in two days. Will there be more?” Zander questioned. “Or were we supposed to figure out what was going on from just these three?”

Mason’s ears perked up. “You think he wants us to solve the murders? You think he wants us to expose him?”

Zander shrugged. “I don’t know about exposing him, but he wanted these men publicly punished for something. I assume he wants us to crack that code and reveal it.”

“We’re not stopping until we take him down,” promised Mason.

Ava’s phone buzzed on her nightstand, and she didn’t recognize the number. Jayne?

“Ava, it’s Michael Brody.”

She exhaled, disappointment and relief simultaneously rushing through her. She’d left her personal number with the reporter. “You found something already?”

“I have a convenience store employee who knows Derrick and says he was in his store this afternoon. He claims Derrick sometimes pops in twice a day, usually buying cigarettes or alcohol. And he’s had the same woman with him several times.”

“Jayne always swears she’s quit smoking.” Ava shook her head. Why was she pissed at her sister for smoking when she was taking drugs and clinging to a guy who was known for beating women? Jayne had been sneaking cigarettes since middle school. “Where’s the store?” She tapped the address into her computer as he spoke and studied the location on a map. “Southeast Portland?”

“Yes. Not the greatest neighborhood. And I’ll tell you my source says he’s lost track of the number of women Derrick comes in with. He seems to enjoy showing off the new faces.”

“Lovely. Sounds like a true romantic. But we already knew that, right?”

“She needs to get away from this guy,” Michael said. “Do you need some help?”

“I work for the FBI and I’m dating an OSP detective. I’d like to think I have some resources,” Ava said. She wrapped up the call and pressed her palms to her temples.

Who am I fooling? The Marines couldn’t convince Jayne to change her path.

“Problem?” Mason asked, stepping into the bedroom.

She lowered her hands and smiled at him. “One guess.”

He sat on the bed next to her, gently pulling her computer off her lap and setting it on the floor. She’d been going over the trace evidence reports from Carson Scott’s home. Her work was never finished and thank goodness Mason had a job that followed the same guidelines. Working in bed wasn’t uncommon. The sudden loss of her laptop startled her, but then she relaxed. She needed to set it aside more often.

“What’s happened?” he asked.

She explained her call from Brody.

“Nothing to do about it tonight. Maybe you can swing by that store sometime tomorrow.”

“I know. But the need to rush over there right this instant has clouded my brain. It’s almost like a reflex. Jayne does something; I react. At least it’s not like it used to be. When we were kids, I swear eighty percent of my life was spent reacting to something she’d stirred up. Part of me has always believed that if I could just set her on the right path, she’d handle the rest herself.”

“How’s that worked out for you in the past?”

“A zero percent success rate.”