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Thirty-Four

Over lunch Jenna spoke to Susie Hartwig, the manager of Aunt Betty’s Café, and Wendy, the assistant manager, about seeing Birch in town.

Both of them recalled seeing him drop by for meals occasionally but couldn’t recall exactly what days he was in and what time.

Susie had offered them copies of the CCTV footage over the last forty-eight hours.

It was something Jenna could consider if she required an alibi for him, but right now, she needed to know if he’d been seen in any of the places where they’d found the murder victims.

Time flashed by and they needed to be at the medical examiner’s office for the autopsy, so they decided to forgo visiting the ranch to speak to Silas Thorne until later.

In normal circumstances Jenna would have sent Rio and Rowley to interview Thorne but was hesitant to send Rio alone into a possible serial killer situation.

The problem being that most psychopathic serial killers gave the impression of being safe and nice.

They could easily lure people into a false sense of security.

Not that she believed Rio would fall for such a ruse, but over the years she’d learned to err on the side of caution.

If she couldn’t make it with Kane later this afternoon, she’d send Rio with Raven first thing in the morning.

Right now, her priority was to collect evidence to build a case and the only evidence available would be on the victims. As she headed into the morgue, the acrid smells of antiseptic and decaying remains greeted her.

Ignoring her roiling stomach, she chewed on her bottom lip.

It was crucial that Wolfe discovered something of value during the autopsy.

Like a boat without a rudder, the overwhelming feeling of inadequacy surrounded her.

It was as if every turn she made brought her up against a brick wall.

The vicious killer had left no clues, nothing, and girls were dying.

Serial killers and criminals now had access to instant information about DNA and trace evidence and made sure they left none behind.

Each case was getting harder to solve and more and more she relied on instinct to guide her in the right direction.

She gripped her hands so tightly her fingernails bit into her palms. I must stop this monster, but I don’t know where to look.

She closed her eyes for a second. Please, God, help me.

“Jenna.” Kane’s arm came around her shoulder. “I figure we need to look closer into the men convicted of the crimes this guy is copycatting. There may be a connection. Did any of our suspects come into contact with the convicted killers during their time in prison?”

Jenna removed her jacket and pulled on scrubs and PPE gear from the alcove outside the examination rooms. “I’m sure Rio asked Kalo to hunt that down for us.

” She sighed. “I’ll need to ask him. It might point us at least in the right direction.

” She looked at him. “Although, I’m not visiting any serial killers in prison.

Not when I’m this close to giving birth.

Can you imagine being stuck there and telling our kid when they grow up that they were born in a prison? ” She shook her head. “No way.”

“Oh, there y’all are.” The door to the examination room whooshed open and Wolfe beckoned them inside.

“I’ve completed the preliminary examination.

We know which girls are missing from the limo.

Norrell was able to obtain dental records and mitochondrial DNA samples from the mothers.

Although I do have a positive ID from the parents of the victim found in Stanton Forest. The one with the copper pennies on her eyes?

There is no doubt she is Samantha Haimes.

” He frowned over the top of his face mask.

“All the victims that we found in the limo have been identified. I’ll give you a complete rundown of the autopsies that Norrell completed in my absence.

As we assumed, four died from asphyxiation due to drowning and one to a gunshot wound to the heart.

I have released the bodies of the male victims to the parents for burial. ”

Jenna leaned against the counter and folded her arms across her chest as Wolfe removed the sheet from the victim found on the bench outside the old library on Stanton.

She had no desire to remain while he cracked the victim’s chest and checked the organs.

Her main concern was the cause of death, when it occurred, and if he’d discovered any trace evidence they could use against the killer.

“There is one thing that seems to link these victims together that wasn’t in the original crimes.

This killer sexually assaults his victims. I figure there’s a reason for this and we’ll be talking to Jo later, in the hope that she can shed some light on why he is doing this. ”

“The two victims that I’ve examined have both been raped.

” Wolfe’s eyes showed deep concern. “The killer didn’t take any chances, using not only spermicides but also condoms during the attack.

They’ve showered and washed their hair prior to death, which leaves very little evidence to go on.

However, the last victim has traces of vegetation under her nails.

I’ve examined these very closely under a high-powered microscope.

I believe the samples could be of moss. The exact species and where it can be located is unknown but I’ve sent the samples and all the information I have available to a colleague of mine who specializes in species of flora from Montana.

I’m hoping we’ll be able to narrow down an area where it came from.

It might tell us where the killer is keeping the girls. ”

“Do we have an ID on this last victim?” Kane moved closer to the body and examined the face.

“No, not a positive ID at this time but I am assuming this is Isabella Coleman, going by the photographs supplied by the parents. I’m arranging for them to come by for a formal ID at four this afternoon.” Wolfe raised an eyebrow. “Why? Is there something I’ve missed?”

“No, I just find it strange that the faces of the victims haven’t been touched.

” Kane glanced at Jenna. “It’s obvious he used his fists on this victim’s torso.

He made her suffer and then walk to her death.

” He shook his head, his eyes flashing with anger.

“This reminds me of the men who beat their wives but don’t touch their faces to hide it from the neighbors.

” His gaze returned to Wolfe. “We assume he didn’t know these girls, so this violence toward them must be part of his fantasy. ”

“It’s a violent crime and very personal.

” Wolfe nodded. “I agree. Usually a man will attack a woman’s face during the assault.

They know deep down that a woman values her looks, so messing them up makes them feel good.

In the back of their minds, it’s not about sex; it’s about punishing them.

They’ll often strangle them or put a hand across their mouth.

All these aspects are missing in these cases, which makes me believe that raping them meant something completely different to this guy.

” He pointed at the pattern of bruising.

“Look at that. It’s almost methodical, as if he did this to get a reaction from his victim.

A frenzied attack where the victim is fighting back would appear different. ”

Shivers ran up and down Jenna’s spine. She couldn’t believe what they were saying. “You’re saying she didn’t fight back when he was beating her? That’s hard to believe unless she was unconscious at the time.”

“She wasn’t unconscious. The killer wouldn’t have gotten pleasure from punching an unconscious woman. I figure she refused to give him what he wanted. As in screaming and fighting back. She might have encountered brutality in her life previously and these women turn off and just take the beating.”

Horrified, Jenna nodded. As an undercover agent, she’d faced abuse and taken it to survive. “Is there any other proof of this?”

“If y’all look here, see, there are no defensive wounds.

” Wolfe lifted the victim’s arms. “During a beating like this, I would normally see bruising to the forearms. She might have had them up to protect her face.” He indicated toward the refrigerated wall where he kept the bodies.

“Samantha Haimes’ case is different. She fought back but not with her arms; she has bruising on her knees and legs.

In my opinion, he restrained her hands above her head during the assault.

There are ligature marks on both wrists. ”

Swallowing hard, Jenna considered the evidence and then shot a glance at Kane.

“I need to know if any of the victims have studied serial killers or had an interest in them. Look at what we’re seeing here.

This is exactly what I would do. Screaming and pleading is what they love, right?

They tend to lose interest if the victim is passive.

If the victims knew not to try and reason with a psychopath and not to feed his fantasy, they might be spoiling his kills.

The beating is to get a reaction—he needs the fear to make it perfect. ”

“That makes sense on what I’m seeing here.” Wolfe leaned against the counter. “He’s not angry. This is controlled violence.”

“If it wasn’t anger, maybe it’s some type of twisted sexual gratification?” Kane nodded slowly. “Doing this is significant to this killer. It separates his victims from the originals. I’d just like to know his reason. There must be a reason.”

“One other thing.” Wolfe went to the screen on the wall and scrolled through his notes. “The stomach contents of Samantha Haimes indicated that she’d been living on Army rations. If you recall the case where the killer kept his victims in an old mineshaft, he fed them on Army rations.”

It was as if a light came on in Jenna’s head. “Yeah, vividly. So if we can discover an area where that moss is growing and if it is found deep underground, we’ll know he is keeping the girls in caves or an old mine.”

“The problem with that is there are thousands of them all over Stanton Forest.” Kane blew out a sigh. “We’d never get to them before this killer proves his point.”