Page 37 of Line of Sight

Dan was so still. “Who’s dead?”

Gary swallowed. “Sean. Same MO, Riley says.”

Dan gave a choked gasp; then his gaze locked on Gary. “And what is it you’re not telling me?”

“Seems as though we’re both getting notes from this guy.”

“Oh God.” Dan gave him a stricken look. “Gary, we have to catch this guy. First Brad, now Sean? He’s making this really personal.”

What concerned Gary was that it could also get dangerous.

Chapter Twenty-Six

GARY DUCKEDunder the yellow police tape, Dan following, and they walked toward the bridge where Riley stood on the riverbank. The forensic pathologist, Del Maddox, was already there, along with two of his assistants, a body bag at their feet. A couple of uniformed officers were talking with a woman dressed in running gear, presumably the person who’d discovered the body.

Del approached Gary, his face tight.

“I’m sorry, Gary. Riley says the deceased is—was—a friend of yours.”

Gary took Del’s proffered hand. “He was more than that. He was a link to Brad.” He walked over to the boat and gazed into it. “Christ, what a mess.”

Sean lay in the bottom of the boat, eyes open, his face bruised and spattered with blood, presumably from the deep wound to his side. His sweatshirt was covered in blood too, a piece of paper pinned to his shorts. The cause of death was all too obvious.

An oar pierced him like a bayonet, the paddle end pointing skyward.

Wait a minute.

“I’ve seen this in a movie.” The oar, the boat…. Dammit, this rang bells.

Riley nodded. “The Talented Mr. Ripley. By the same author who wroteStrangers on a Train, Patricia Highsmith. Except in the movie, Ripley scuttles the boat. I guess the killer wanted us to find him.” He pointed to the note. “This guy isplaying with us.” He glanced at Del. “Okay, you can take him away now.”

They stood in silence as the body was carried carefully up the bank toward the road where the ambulance waited.

Del stripped off his gloves. “I’ll call you with my initial findings, Riley, but I don’t think there’s any doubt about what killed him.”

Gary wasn’t so sure.

“Riley, Del, I’d like to know if you find any drugs in his system. Especially one that would knock him out, or even kill him.”

“Got it.” Del gave a brisk nod to Riley. “Detective.” Then he walked away from them to where his car was parked behind the ambulance.

Riley’s expression was grim, his jaw set. “This was my case, but now it’s ours. I’m gonna ask Travers if I can work with you two. Three heads are better than two, right? Besides, you’ve already got five cases to deal with, so I’d be useful.” He stared at the boat. “We’re dealing with a real psycho here.”

A statement Gary couldn’t disagree with.

“Now what?” Dan asked.

“Now we go back to the precinct and start investigating murder number three. And pray we find something that points us in the right direction.”

“Something else we need to do first,” Dan said in a low voice. “We have to add Sean to the whiteboard.” When Gary glanced at him, Dan stared back, his eyes cool. “From five cases to six.”

“Unless he decides to keep going.” Gary shivered. The books, the notes… all of it pointed to a killer who was having way too much fun to even think about stopping.

Which is why we have to find him before the body count gets higher.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Saturday December 15, 2018