My bed in the homeless shelter, definitely a first for me, was a pull-out in a small room behind the main hall. I wasn't relegated to the large first floor dormitory-style quarters behind the eating area. It was anything but quiet as an open stairwell was next to me and I could hear shuffling, snoring, farting and grunting throughout the night.
I tried calling Betsy but her cell went to message. It was still early in California and I assumed she was at dinner though I'd been more comfortable knowing she and Molly had reached their destination without hitch. I left word I'd call from the airport in the morning and set my phone alarm in time for my early departure.
Reverend Humphries called me a cab after an early pancake breakfast he insisted on cooking. His other guests had not yet stirred. I had more than an hour to wait at Philadelphia International Airport. Though I was anxious to speak with Detective Jackson for an update, it was too early to call. Instead, I called fisherman Dan Brennan, figuring he might have arose with the dawn. He answered without chastisement, but a half-awake voice. I detailed to him my conversations with Willard Humphries.
"So you're buying he's innocent?" Brennan asked.
"Innocent of murdering Annie Abbott. What he said made sense. Her murder wasn't close to his style nor was she the right age. As for Luke the Fluke, he sounds like John Luke Grasso to a tee and a prime suspect for killing my friend's sister. Is the FBI going to go public using his name?"
"They claim there's not enough evidence it's him. No judge would sign a search warrant on the place where he lived in California either. The search for the motor home is broadening out but so far, no sightings. The speculation says he's heading back west. You've got four or five days before you have to look over your shoulder again."
"Damned! He used an alias and he fits your time table perfectly. We know he's the killer. Isn't that enough to go after him with guns blazing?"
"So? He signed in at a camp ground under a different name. That's no crime; he didn't do it to defraud anyone. They want to go easy on this and not make any mistakes. There's a new term floating around; crystal ball search warrant. It's a no-no because defense attorneys are all over any hint of psychic involvement. You guys were too successful."
"So, what's next?"
"They're hot to get the motor home. They figure it for a killing site. Maybe he hasn't been as careful with it as everything else."