Page 22

TWENTY-ONE

He watched through the window. The women sat in the living room. They seemed to be concentrating on something. Suddenly, pictures appeared on the large screen television on the wall. He recognized them. His work. His offerings. He felt excitement explode in him like dynamite. His god whispered something in his ear, and he laughed. Yes, he knew what was coming. He was scouting now. Looking for the next one. It had to be just right. Would they figure it out? He was sending them a message, but so far, they hadn’t understood it. Clearly, they weren’t as smart as he was. No one was. His god would make sure the killing continued. It was his will.

He backed away and left them to it. As he walked toward the trees, he smiled up at them. Watcher Woods. A spirit of death existed here. The wind whipped up suddenly, and the forest whispered his name. In the glow of moonlight, he laughed and planned for his next sacrifice.

“Okay, let’s go over this together,” Kaely said. She was impressed by Erin’s natural ability to read a crime scene. Although Kaely had helped with her book, much of what she’d written hadn’t come from her. It was Erin’s own innate ability to see things others couldn’t.

She picked up the notebook that held Erin’s observations at the scene. “You were right about the victim being a tourist. Seems this isn’t part of our UNSUB’s MO though. The other two victims that have been identified weren’t tourists.” She read through the notes. “You saw the hair on her shoes and decided she has a cat.” She looked at Erin. “What made you think that these were her shoes? I agree with you, but I’m just curious.”

“The shoes fit her perfectly. They weren’t new... like the dress. There were scuff marks on the soles, so I felt they were probably hers. Also, her lipstick matched her shoes. If the lipstick had been a shade that didn’t go with her shoes, I would have gone another way. Also, the dress was pristine—except for the dirt and leaves beneath her. And the wound where she was stabbed. He dressed her carefully, yet the shoes were muddy. The shoes weren’t important to him, but the dress was.”

“Exactly right,” Kaely said. “Very good.”

Erin’s slight smile told Kaely that her praise was important. Good to know. It would help her learn.

“I also agree with you that our UNSUB put something under the body when he transported her,” Kaely said. “Something that didn’t leave any trace evidence. Or if it was there, it was lost in the dirt and the leaves where he put her. I’m wondering if he has knowledge of forensics. Did he purposely pick something that wouldn’t leave any evidence for the police to find?”

Erin frowned. “Isn’t it possible they missed something? This isn’t St. Louis—or Quantico.”

“It’s always possible, but I get the feeling Adrian runs a pretty tight ship. And Detective Johnson has excellent training.”

“Not so sure about Doctor Gibson,” Erin said.

Kaely understood Erin’s reservations, but there really wasn’t anything they could do. They had to trust that Gibson was doing his job the best he could.

“I also agree with you that Chloe was getting ready to go out before she was killed,” Kaely said. “Her makeup was perfect. I don’t think our UNSUB put it on her. If he had, it would have been messy.” Kaely frowned. “But there aren’t any signs that he tried. Nor did he remove her shoes. High heels. Hot pink. They don’t really match the style of the dress.”

“Maybe shoes and her makeup weren’t important to him. Or their jewelry. He’s focused on something else,” Erin said. “But why the white dress? Is he trying to make her like the angels? And what about the blue ribbon?”

“My guess?” Kaely said. “The dress is important, as is the ribbon. The shoes and makeup don’t bother him because... maybe his mother wore makeup and fancy shoes? Maybe unlike some serial killers, he actually loved his mother.”

“Could she have been a sacrifice? You know, to the angels? He tried to make her seem more virginal as a way to...” She shook her head. “I started to say maybe he was trying to appease the angels, but that doesn’t fit, does it? He desecrated the figurine.” She met Kaely’s gaze. “We touched on this before. That maybe he’s actually angry with the angels. Or with God.”

“I think that’s very perceptive,” Kaely said. “And from these pictures, I also agree with you that if, as the owner of the resort said... What was his name?”

“Hubbard,” Erin said. “Merle Hubbard.”

Kaely grinned. “I started to say Merle Haggard, but I was pretty sure that was wrong.” Kaely found his name in the notebook. “Yeah, that’s right. Mr. Hubbard said she was going to the Grits and Grains event, but he didn’t see her leave the resort with anyone. So, either she planned to meet someone there, or she was hoping to meet people at the event. Either way, it would explain why she was so dressed up.”

“That’s true,” Erin said. “How far away was this event again?”

“About twenty miles, it says in your notes.”

“Wait a minute. Where’s her car?”

“That’s a good question,” Kaely asked. “If it was at the festival, she probably met her killer there.”

“But if it’s still at the resort...” Erin said.

“Then she never left on her own,” Kaely finished for her. “So that means the killer probably lives in Sanctuary. He’s been killing for a while, so he’s not a visitor.”

“Unless he comes here just to kill,” Erin said slowly.

“Either way, he has ties here. Whether he lives here, or he travels here to kill, this place is important to him. Sanctuary is important to him. Remember that most serial killers have comfort zones. I’m guessing that he lives here.”

Erin looked at her and nodded. “Do you need to call Adrian and ask about her car?”

Kaely turned Erin’s question over in her mind. Finally, she said, “Yes. It could tell us if he purposely tried to avoid being seen at the resort.”

“So, it’s possible Mr. Hubbard might recognize him?”

Kaely nodded. “I’d like to know if she ever made it to the event. It’s entirely possible that he asked her to pick him up somewhere along the way.”

“Then her car could be anywhere.”

“That’s possible,” Kaely said. “If I had to guess, I think she met him there. But I doubt they ever went inside. Too risky. If I was the killer, I would have met her near the event. Then I would have gotten her into my car.”

“Would he have stabbed her there?”

“No. He wouldn’t taint his own property. He’s smarter than that.”

Erin sighed. “I’d bring up chloroform, but you taught me that people don’t instantly go unconscious when it’s used.”

“It’s possible that if a large enough amount of chloroform was used, the victim would become unconscious quickly, but they would fight back. Besides, the amount needed could kill them.”

“So, what did he do?” Erin asked.

“I don’t know. He could have choked her, but I didn’t see any bruises on her neck. Maybe he hit her.”

Erin frowned. “No one said anything about her being hit on the head, and I didn’t notice blood in her hair.”

Kaely picked up her phone. Adrian probably hadn’t gotten home yet. She clicked on his number. He picked up on the second ring.

“Sorry to bother you,” Kaely said, “but we have a couple of questions. I need to know everything I can to write you a profile that will help you.”

“Sure, I understand.”

He sounded drained. This was a huge case for a small-town police force. Kaely felt guilty, but she was being honest about needing his help. She wanted to give him a profile that would help him find this killer before anyone else died.

“Where did you find Chloe’s car?”

“What makes you ask that?” he said.

“It has to do with where the UNSUB took her and why. Did he try to stay away from everyone because someone in this area might recognize him?”

“Interestingly enough, we haven’t found her car yet. Merle said she drove away in it, and that she was alone. But that was the last time he saw it.”

“Okay. My other question is this: It’s possible he stabbed her immediately. If that happened, there might be blood in her car. I just wanted to find out if he did anything else. Did Gibson find any other wounds? Was she hit on the head? In the pictures, there’s no bruising around her neck.”

“There’s no indication of any other kind of trauma to the body except for the knife wound. Maybe Gibson missed something. I’ll check with him, but it will have to wait until the morning. He doesn’t take kindly to being bothered this time of night.”

“Whereas you don’t mind at all?”

Adrian chuckled. “It’s fine. I’m just tired. It’s been a long day.”

“I understand,” Kaely said. “One last question. Has the tox screen come back?”

“No. We had to send the results to Knoxville. We won’t have anything back until sometime tomorrow. Why? What are you thinking?”

“Just trying to find out how he got her into a situation where he was able to stab her. I don’t see any defensive wounds on her body.”

“You’re right. There weren’t any that Gibson could find. You think he drugged her?”

“I don’t know,” Kaely said, “but I’d like to. Will you let me know as soon as possible if you find out anything helpful from the tox screen?”

“Yeah. I will. Hopefully, I’ll have something for you by the time you get here tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” Kaely said. “Appreciate it.”

“Not a problem. I’m grateful for all your help. See you tomorrow.”

Kaely said good-bye and disconnected the call. She looked over at Erin and shrugged. This UNSUB was unusual, and she hadn’t written a profile by herself in quite a while. Was she up to it, or would a serial killer claim another victim because she couldn’t help Adrian find him in time?