Page 89 of Girl Betrayed

“The last time I called you in, he blew up my phone like it was the Dr. Gray hotline.”

“That’s my fault. I got detained by Homeland Security after I left here.”

Hartwell stopped short, looking her up and down with amusement. “Christ, you’re both shit magnets!”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. Just tell Shepard to lay off the speed dial. I’m not your babysitter. I pulled strings to get you on this case because I’ve seen what you can do. You and the BAU are the best chance we have at catching this psycho. But this is happening in my city, so I’m making the rules, which includes running the investigation from here, so don’t mention that you’re willing to go to Quantico. I’m needed here. The department’s overworked as it is, and this case is wearing me thin.”

The deep purple bags under Hartwell’s eyes were proof of that. He looked like he hadn’t slept since the last time she’d seen him here. “Understood,” Dana replied.

The answer seemed to suffice, because Hartwell led her into a busy room and began making introductions. “This is Dr. Dana Gray. She’s our expert witness. I’ve worked with her on a case like this before. Her background in occult studies was paramount in identifying key evidence, so take what she says seriously, no matter how bizarre it sounds.”

There were brief nods of acknowledgement before everyone returned to the work they’d been doing prior to Dana’s interruption. She did her best to ignore the mocking murmurs ofWitch Doctorthat always followed her in the narrow-minded FBI circle.

This was always the part she found most difficult, integrating herself into an established unit. She never knew where shebelonged, and her tendency to jump right in often rubbed people the wrong way.

Deciding to take a page from Jake’s book, she took the temperature of the room. There were ten people examining a mountain of evidence from all three cases. Officer Lennox was a familiar face, and so was Dr. Raynard, but Dana didn’t expect the world-renowned forensic scientist would be happy to see her after their last interaction. Opting to save that confrontation for later, she decided to start at the top.

Approaching Agent Richter, she asked, “Where would you like me to begin?”

He faced her with open assessment, scratching the salt and pepper stubble already showing on his freshly shaved face. “Dr. Gray, you come highly recommended. I hope you can live up to the hype.”

“So do I,” she answered. “I look forward to continuing my collaboration with the FBI. I’m familiar with standard policy and procedure thanks to my work with Agent Shepard, but if there’s a particular way you prefer to operate, please let me know.”

Agent Richter laughed. “You’ve worked with Jake Shepard? How is the one-man army?”

Dana smirked. “So, you know him then?”

“We go way back. If you’re good enough for that blow hard I’m sure we’ll get on just fine.” He turned back to the folders spread out in front of him. “How familiar are you with the evidence?”

Dana informed him of the crime scenes and evidence she’d already examined. “Then you know we haven’t got much to go on. No prints, no DNA, no fibers. Whoever this Unsub is, they’re meticulous, organized, and know how to contain a scene.”

“The weapons,” Dana asked. “Have they been analyzed?”

Richter waved over another BAU agent. “This is Agent Walsh, our analysis and algorithms specialist.” Dana shook the young man’s hand.

“Show Dr. Gray the weapon analysis,” Richter commanded.

Walsh obliged, pulling up the results and mirroring them onto the large smart board covering one wall of the exam room. “The weapons are identical. Steel iron alloy. A substance produced in massive quantities in fourteen different countries.”

Dana frowned. “What about the snath?” She’d been about to explain the snath was the wooden handle attached to the scythe’s blade, but Agent Walsh needed no explanation.

“All three snaths are also a match, constructed of American ash wood.”

“That’s something we can use,” she suggested.

“Ash grows throughout the entire eastern US from New York to the Gulf of Mexico,” Walsh explained. “The American Hardwood Export Council is only required to catalog raw material distribution. Tracking manufacturing beyond that point is impossible.”

With her hopes dashed, Dana expressed what evidence she wanted another look at.

Richter, nodded. “Have at it. Flag anything you want another set of eyes on. Agent Vaughn will add it to the board. I’d like to narrow our scope by finding patterns that intersect.”

“Find the intersect, find the killer,” Dana replied.

Richter grinned. “Looks like Shepard found a disciple.”

“Or perhaps it’s the other way around,” she teased.