Page 25

Mac held up the phone again. “I looked at his messages. At one point, there was an interesting discussion among the members about mental health. Some people were complaining about spouses and parents trying to send them to therapy. And McAuley, Monty31, said that his therapist was fine. He’d just sit in silence during the sessions, but as soon as they ended, he and Bill would chat it up like bros. Anybody know a Bill?”

“Dr. Bill Silow? From Claymore Township.” Stella glanced at Hagen.

Tysen stopped her. “This is the guy in Pennsylvania, right? Where you investigated these murders for the first time?”

Dr. Bill Silow headed the Claymore Psychiatric Hospital and was the mayor of the small mountain town.

He’d seemed more like a kind grandfather than a fanatical killer.

Stella and Hagen had managed to rule him out of those first murders.

He’d been at the hospital when Maureen King had committed the murders with the help of her former student, Trevor McAuley.

Something wasn’t adding up. Maybe Silow himself didn’t add up. Guilt bubbled up inside Stella, triggered by the idea that she and Hagen had missed something so large in Claymore. Again.

How many times did they have to solve this case?

“Yeah, Bill Silow is the hospital administrator, but?— ”

Tysen held up her hand. “So this Silow treated not one but two of the killers? And he didn’t mention this to you? And he’s an ‘administrator?’” She dropped back in her seat. “We’ve got to talk to him again.”

Stella shook her head. “Administrator is just a job title, and he doesn’t know anything about cuneiform. He was into…what was it? Entomology.”

Guy spoke up. “Insects?”

“He collected dead butterflies and things. Framed them and put them on the wall.”

“Gross. And I thought my interest was weird.”

“It is.” Stella gave Guy a smile to cut the sting of her comment. “But his dead bugs don’t make him a killer any more than your interest in the Akkadian empire makes you one. And the behavioral profile we’ve created for the Administrator suggests that he’s an expert in cuneiform, not insects.”

Tysen shifted in her seat. Her enthusiasm was growing.

She’d caught a thread, and she didn’t look like she wanted to let it go.

“Agent Drake, didn’t you say no one’s seen any images of this tablet?

He might’ve just cobbled enough stuff together about the ancient world to create a cult.

Doubt his followers would know any different. ”

Journey spoke up. “In my experience, when a large number of people do terrible things, it’s because some big, charismatic cult leader has told them to.

Charm is more important than expertise here.

The fact that the Administrator hasn’t released his source, the tablet, merely adds weight to this theory. He could just be lying.”

Stella wanted to argue with her. She knew Silow.

She liked him. But Journey’s instinct might’ve been on the money.

Silow was charming. He knew two of the killers, had treated two of the killers.

His title might not have been a coincidence.

She looked to Guy. “How are you doing with your search for experts in cuneiform?”

Guy rifled through a notebook in front of him.

“I’ve drawn up that list you asked for. It’s still too long, though.

Too many names, and they’re all over the country.

California, South Carolina. There are even a couple of people in Canada who could talk about this stuff intelligently on the Dispatch platform.

” He rifled through the pages again. “New York, New Jersey, several people in Pennsylvania. Just about everywhere’s got someone. ”

“Professor Whelan?”

Guy nodded. “Yeah. I included everyone until we can start ruling them out.”

Hagen frowned. “Professor Whelan, though? I think that guy’s older than these tablets. And we met a guy named Napp in the Laurel Mount library when we interviewed Whelan. He’s not much younger. Hard to see either of those old guys being so sophisticated as to launch the Dispatch group.”

“Alfie Napp? From the Pittsburgh Museum of Ancient Art? Yeah, I’ve met him, and he’s on my list. He’s a knowledgeable guy.

I wouldn’t underestimate either of them.

They’re not exactly undergrads, but Napp is a natural leader, and Whelan is more ambitious than he looks.

But I agree. I think we’ve established that the Administrator isn’t the one getting his hands dirty. And look here.”

Guy took out his phone and opened his browser. The page showed a story in The New York Times .

“I was just reading this before the meeting. Looks like the press got wind of the cuneiform markings on the arm of the subway victim in New York. They asked Whelan what they mean.”

Tysen pressed her lips together. She looked like one more piece of bad news might make her explode.

“That’s all we need. If we didn’t have copycats before, we’ll definitely get them now.

Every killer in the country will be carving lines into their victims to throw the cops off their scent.

Idiots. And what’s this Whelan guy doing helping them? ”

“I think he’s enjoying his moment in the spotlight.

” Guy looked embarrassed at the behavior of his colleague, as though Whelan’s decision to talk about the details of a murder reflected on him.

“How often does an Assyriologist get interviewed in the news? Believe me. He wasn’t going to turn that down. ”

Tysen was right. The interest of the press could complicate an already overly complex case. Stella folded her arms across her chest. “What did he tell them?”

“That the killer wouldn’t need to be an expert to leave those marks on a body. Anyone who’s ever read an ancient history book could’ve done it. The good news for the police, he added, was that so few people read ancient history books.”

Tysen shook her head. “That’s something, I suppose. And it backs up my theory that the mastermind doesn’t have to be an expert. Agent Knox, how did you get on with Whelan?”

Stella shrugged. “Okay, I guess.”

“Good. Give him a call. I don’t think you need to drive there for this. Ask him if he’s serious about anyone being able to copy those characters. If that’s true, this Silow guy could be the one pushing it.” Tysen turned off the screen. “And for pity’s sake, ask Whelan to stop talking to the press.”