Reacher picked up the small key and examined it carefully. "When your foster father passed away, did he have a filing cabinet or a locked box at home?"
Roscoe pondered. "No, I organized all his belongings after he passed, and I didn't find anything unusual."
"Does he have any other place where he could keep important items?" Finnley asked.
"Gray was either at the police station or in this house. Wait, I never told you my foster father committed suicide. How did you know? Have you been investigating me?" Roscoe's eyes filled with suspicion as she looked at Jack.
"Eh?" Jack was equally puzzled. He had indeed asked Justin to look into Gray's background, but Justin hadn't given him any information yet. Where did the impression of suicide come from?
"The barber, Mr. Mosley, from the shop you recommended. I remember now," he slapped his forehead.
"When Reacher was provoked by little Kleiner, I chatted with Mr. Mosley. He said your foster father, Gray Conklin, was a good man and was surprised by his suicide."
Jack saw no need to hide it. "I learned from him that Gray was the former police chief of Margreve, so I paid attention and asked my friend to reinvestigate his death."
Roscoe's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Are you saying you suspect my foster father's death wasn't a suicide?"
"What do you think? You were the closest person to him."
Jack tossed the question back to her. "Like Reacher said, if this key was indeed his most important item, why would a suicide give it to you a year before his death? To me, it seems more like a precaution."
"He might have done it to protect me because he loved me very much. Every year on my birthday, he would give me a bouquet of my favorite daisies."
Roscoe buried her fingers in her hair, her face filled with pain.
Hearing Jack mention the barber, Reacher seemed to catch a spark of inspiration.
"Roscoe, the photos in the house, those were of you and Gray, right?"
Roscoe didn't speak, just nodded with her head down.
"You did mention that your foster father visited Mosley's barber shop every week, but in the photos, he barely had any hair."
Roscoe lifted her head and looked at him blankly, unable to think clearly amidst the mix of guilt, anger, and sadness.
"Gray might have hidden something that requires this key at the barber shop. Mosley must know something," Reacher stated confidently.
"There's no rush. Our barber friend is still safe, meaning he hasn't been exposed. We're likely being watched. Visiting him now might put him in danger," Jack said, waving his hand, indicating it wasn't urgent. His deduction wasn't finished yet.
"Roscoe, you keep the key for now. We need to wait for the right moment."
Jack turned to Reacher again. "About little Kleiner's provocation, do you remember the scene?"
Reacher nodded, indicating he should continue.
Jack then looked at Finnley. "Do you remember what Reacher said when discussing the crime scene?"
Finnley nodded, still puzzled. "He said there were at least three people: a calm shooter, a lunatic who desecrated the bodies, and someone with some empathy."
"Are you suggesting little Kleiner and his crazy cousin Dawson?" Reacher's eyes lit up.
Jack asked Roscoe, "Little Kleiner is your suitor, right? How's his shooting?"
Roscoe began to understand. "His marksmanship is excellent. He once boasted about hunting in Africa."
Jack clapped his hands, pointing to the front door. "Isn't it possible that the people who attacked the victim under the overpass and Reacher's brother, who caused the bloodbath at Morrison's house, and who broke in here this morning are..."
"Those sons of bitches, those hybrid bastards, I'm going to kill them!" Roscoe stood up in fury and was about to rush out.
Jack, prepared for this, moved quicker and blocked her path. Roscoe struggled to push him away but ended up being spun around and fell into Reacher's arms.
"Keep an eye on your girl." Jack returned to his seat and slammed the table.
"Now that my deduction is complete, let's hear your thoughts. Roscoe, no need for you; you've made your position clear."
"I don't have any thoughts. I just want to find everyone who hurt my brother and kill them all," Reacher said, holding the struggling Roscoe, his face expressionless.
"I'm a police officer. Although this town doesn't welcome me, I must fulfill my duty. Fighting crime is my duty," Finnley said, his tone haughty but his meaning clear.
"Then, I have a plan," Jack hesitated and then decided to change his word choice. "I have an idea. You can add to it at any time."
"First, we need to confirm if the Kleiner family is indeed behind all this. We don't necessarily need evidence to take them to court, but so far, everything is just my and Reacher's deduction. Joey is awake, but he doesn't trust my friends. Apart from his name and identity, he refuses to reveal more details."
"So, we need to get Reacher to Atlanta to meet his brother as soon as possible, safely, without being followed."
Finnley objected, "But that's hard to do. Margreve is too small. Any move we make will be noticed. We might be followed as soon as we leave."
Jack pointed at him, agreeing. "So, why not make the opponent expose themselves more clearly? Give them a reason to stop us."
"Paul Herborg is missing, but his wife and daughter are still here. Sorry, Roscoe, I eavesdropped on your conversation with Stevenson."
Seeing Jack apologize, Roscoe quickly waved her hand from Reacher's arms, indicating she didn't mind.
"If we take Paul's wife and daughter and protect them, what do you think their reaction will be?"
Roscoe hesitated. "I have a good relationship with Charlie. I should be able to convince her to come with us, but isn't that too dangerous? You're using her and her children as bait?"
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