Ava half listened, wondering how “David” could be related to the mask murders.

“A hanging, two cut necks after a blow to the head, and now a gunshot with a blow to the head,” Zander said. “I’m a bit surprised by the variety of murder methods.”

“Has someone tried to see if the methods relate to that particular mask and movie?” Ava asked. “Does the villain in each movie prefer a method? Maybe our killer is using movies for his inspiration.”

“I looked into that after hearing the Weldon case involved a mask. I couldn’t find a correlation,” Nora said. “Good thought, though. Let’s go talk to our witness next door. Maybe that will shine some light on these cases.”

20

Zander thought Audrey Kerth looked too young to have a baby. A quick request to see her driver’s license showed him she was twenty-seven. At first he thought she looked young because he was getting older, but after Nora asked him her age in a whisper, he knew it wasn’t just him. Audrey sat in a living room chair, her legs crossed at the ankles and her hands twisted in her lap. The home smelled like baby shampoo.

“Mr. Fujioka was the nicest guy,” she said tearfully. “I thought it was cool living next door to a police officer. It always felt safer, you know?”

Her manner of speaking made her sound young, too.

“His wife Jeanine bought the cutest outfit for Molly when she was born.” She wiped her nose with the back of her hand. “Did you get a hold of her yet? Does she know that her husband’s been . . .” Fresh tears streamed.

“I haven’t heard,” said Nora. “I asked the local Sacramento Police Department to go to her hotel and notify her.”

Beside him Ava sat very still as she watched and listened to the young mother. Zander’s train of thought kept wavering from the crime at hand to Ava’s possible stalker. A definite stalker. The man had shown up three times at Ava’s location and vanished out front the moment he’d thought someone had spotted him.

Zander wasn’t surprised to hear Jayne’s name associated with the stalker. Anything disruptive in Ava’s life traced its origins to her twin.

“Then I heard a gunshot,” Audrey said. “I waited a few seconds to see if there’d be another. That’s when I crept into Molly’s room and took her out of her crib. I wasn’t going to let her out of my sight if someone was shooting.”

“There was only one shot?” Nora asked.

“I only heard one. I thought it’d come from the direction of the Fujioka house, so I peeked through Molly’s blinds. I could see someone moving in the kitchen.”

“Show us,” said Nora. She, Ava, Zander, and the female officer who’d been waiting with Audrey followed the mother down the hallway. Audrey stopped outside a bedroom door that was open a few inches.

“Please be quiet,” she whispered. “Molly’s asleep.” She pushed open the door. Inside she reached over the diaper changing table and twisted the rod to open the blinds. She had a perfect view through the window over the Fujioka side yard and into the kitchen. The distance appeared to be about twenty feet.

Zander could see Dr. Trask talking to one of the techs.

“What did you see?” Nora whispered. Audrey motioned for them to leave the baby’s room. Zander stood back to let the women leave first. Ava paused and looked into the crib. She reached out as if to touch the baby but pulled her hand back at the last second. She glanced up and looked Zander’s way, but he couldn’t see her expression in the shadows. She gazed in his direction for a long moment and then followed the other women.

Huh.

He didn’t know what to think of her behavior. Women loved babies, right? It was in their genes to touch soft baby hair and cheeks. But he’d never heard Ava say a maternal word in her life.

But she’s getting married. Married can mean babies.

He couldn’t see Mason Callahan going the kid route again. His son was in college, and he seemed content to blissfully move on, just he and Ava.

Is that how she feels, too?

He put it out of his head. The same way he’d earlier dismissed the images of a winery wedding. He was good at mentally filing away things he didn’t want to think about.

“I saw a man leaving the kitchen,” Audrey said as Zander entered the living room. “His back was to me, so I never saw his face.”

“You knew he’d fired the gun?”

“No,” said Audrey. “But he wasn’t someone I’d seen over there before.” She looked down and blushed slightly. “I don’t spy. But sometimes when I’m changing Molly, I look over there. It’s hard not to.”

“So he was a stranger to you.” Ava paused. “But you didn’t see his face. How do you know he was a stranger?” She smiled at the young woman to take the sting out of her direct question.

Audrey’s brows furrowed. “I don’t know. You’re right, though. I guess it’s just my instinct telling me I didn’t know him. I saw him again when I went outside.”

“You went outside with your daughter? After a gunshot in the neighborhood?” Zander asked.

“Looking back, that was rather stupid,” Audrey admitted. “But I was holding her. Your baby feels safe when she’s in your arms, you know?” She raised her brows and looked at Ava for agreement. Ava gave a stiff nod.

“I had my phone in my pocket when I stepped out on the front porch. I wasn’t worried about the man I’d seen next door, because I didn’t realize that the gunshot had hurt someone. I thought it was an accident . . . that maybe one of Mr. Fujioka’s guns had gone off while he was cleaning it or something. But then I saw someone dash across the street and I could see the gun in that man’s hand. That’s when I called 911.”