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TWENTY-NINE

“So, have you had time to read the profile I sent you? Do you have any questions?” Kaely asked. She wanted to go over it with him, but at the same time, she didn’t want him to think she didn’t respect his acumen as a law enforcement officer. She did. Adrian was sharp. Smarter and more intuitive than most police officers she’d worked with in the past.

“No. It makes sense. I realize it’s an educated guess, but it feels right to me. He’s in his late twenties or thirties. Fairly attractive. Probably has a respectable job.” He frowned. “It looks like he picked her up, so wouldn’t you say he had a nice car?”

“I think so,” Kaely said. “That goes with his persona. He wouldn’t be seen in something that didn’t make him feel important.”

“Can you tell by the tracks what kind of car or truck he drives?” Erin asked.

“Not really. We can narrow down the kind of tires and then check to see what vehicles use them, but to be honest, there are a lot of cars and trucks out there that use a variety of different tires. Now if there’s something wrong with a tire, that could help us match it to a specific vehicle. We’re working on that now. If we get anything that helps, we’ll add it to our search.” Adrian frowned. “He’s not a tourist, is he?”

Kaely shook her head. “I’d say no for two reasons. Number one, he would have to come in and out of town to hunt. Usually, killers like this guy like to scout things out ahead of time. And they stay in areas they know. The other reason? Whatever their trigger is, it probably happened here. In Sanctuary. He’s trying to strike back at whatever it was—or whoever it was—that hurt him.”

“You believe there’s a spiritual side to this?” Adrian asked.

“Yes. The angels are important. Like we said, he’s angry at God, but he’s taking vengeance out specifically on angels. I’d look for someone brought up in a dysfunctional religious home. Maybe with parents or guardians who blamed angels for everything bad that happened to them. Or to him. These people wouldn’t be well versed in the Bible since he’s using the figurine of a female angel, although male figurines might be hard to find.”

Adrian nodded. “So, I’m looking for an attractive man in his twenties or thirties who probably grew up here, in a dysfunctional family. Who has a nice car and probably a good job. So, forget eighty-year-old hillbillies with skin conditions?”

Kaely couldn’t help but laugh. “Yeah, I think you can ignore them... for now.”

“Shouldn’t the police look for the angel figurines?” Erin asked. “Even the material the dresses are made from... and the blue ribbon?”

“Sure,” Kaely said to Adrian. “You have to try to track those things down, but I don’t think you’ll be able to. The dress looks homemade, but not well-made. I think he sewed it, by hand, himself. It’s not hemmed, and it’s not cut correctly. My guess is that he’s already made several of them. And it’s almost impossible to trace blue ribbon. Too much of it out there. The figurines? Maybe. But again, they’re plain. I believe he bought them online.” Kaely leaned down and reached into her bag. She took out a folded piece of paper and handed it to Adrian. “I found those on Amazon last night. As you can see, there are hundreds of reviews. My guess is they sold thousands of them. And not just through this site. I’m sure they’re available from a lot of different online stores, as well as in brick-and-mortar retailers. Tracking down our killer that way is nearly impossible.”

“That looks like the figurine,” Adrian said. “Amazon works with law enforcement, but I’d need a subpoena or a court order for them to open up customer records. And I can’t fish. I’d need someone’s name. So, until I have a suspect, this won’t help me. And like you said, Amazon is probably not the only seller.” He frowned. “Wouldn’t hurt to look around town, just in case. I’ll have one of my officers check it out.”

“Even if they were,” Erin said, “this guy would have covered his tracks. He’s smart.” She shrugged. “Too smart to be caught this way. But he’s also crazy, so that should help.”

Kaely smiled at her. “We try not to call UNSUBs crazy, but you have a good point. If you understand the killer’s psychopathy, it will help you narrow down your search.”

“Can you define that a little more for me?” Adrian asked.

“Normally, I’d tell you to look for someone with a lack of empathy and remorse. A man with a grandiose sense of self-worth. He’s manipulative and deceitful. Impulsive and reckless. He has poor impulse control. He seems callous and unemotional. He had early behavioral problems. Poor relationships. He may also have exhibited some early criminal behavior. The thing to understand, though, is that he’s hiding. Psychopaths can learn to copy others. Pretend to have empathy. Make you think he’s humble and caring. It’s harder for him to hide his childhood, but the adults in his life may have already done that for him.” Kaely paused a moment. “If I were searching for this guy, I’d look first for someone who helps others. Like I said, he’s hiding. But many times, these men will go too far in trying to make you think they would never take a life.”

“Let me get this straight,” Adrian said. “You want me to look for someone who couldn’t possibly be our killer? Seriously?”

Kaely laughed. “I know, it sounds ridiculous, but there were several times when I was with the FBI, that we found our UNSUB by looking for the person it couldn’t be.”

“Or you could just yawn around him,” Kaely added, grinning.

“Yawn around him?” Adrian looked confused. “Not sure if while I’m facing down a murderous psychopath, my first reaction would be to yawn. Can you explain that a little more?”

“She means that a psychopath won’t yawn after you do,” Erin said, grinning. “Remember? No empathy?”

“Unless he’s learned to do it because it’s normal behavior,” Kaely added. She pointed at the profile. “There’s much more in there. But don’t forget, as you said, it’s an educated guess. However, most of what we profiled when I was in the BAU was on target.”

“She’s being modest,” Erin said. “Most of the profiles she wrote were on target. In fact, while writing one profile in particular, she was actually able to name the killer.”

“I’d appreciate it if you could do that now,” Adrian said. “It would make my job much easier.”

Kaely appreciated Erin’s enthusiasm, but it also embarrassed her. “There were much more experienced analysts at the FBI. I learned from them, and trust me, without their help, our profiles wouldn’t have been so accurate.”

“Thank you for this,” Adrian said. “I know you didn’t do it to get paid, but while you’re here, maybe you’d let me take you both to dinner? With the insight you’ve provided, I feel we have a shot at catching this guy.”

Kaely looked at Erin, who nodded. She smiled at Adrian. “We’d like that. I guess we need to get past this storm first.”

“You’re right. Today is going to be busy. How about the first day the roads are open again?”

“You think the roads will be closed?” Erin asked.

“If we get the snow amounts that are forecasted, yes. Of course, we might end up with just a dusting and be fine.” He frowned. “Your cabin has a generator, right?”

Erin nodded. “Steve said that if we lost our electricity, it would automatically kick on.”

“Good. I won’t worry about you then. We have other residents who could be in a lot of trouble if their electricity goes out. We’ll need to keep an eye on them if things get dicey.” He leaned forward in his chair. “Make sure you have all the supplies you need in case you’re stuck inside for several days.”

“Several days?” Kaely looked over at Erin. “When we stop for lunch, let’s make a list of the things we might need from the grocery store. We have a few things in mind, but maybe we should expand our list?”

“You mean if we can’t exist on all the food Steve put in the cabin? If you can come up with something, I’ll give you money.”

Kaely smiled. “I noticed there wasn’t much toilet paper in the bathroom cabinets. I take Venmo.”

“Just remember I didn’t mention how much,” Erin said, her eyes wide in an attempt to look innocent.

Adrian laughed. “I have a feeling you two will be fine no matter what happens.” He stood up. “Thanks again for the profile. I’ll check with you on the other side of the storm for that dinner.”

“I know it’s not really our business,” Erin said, “but is there a way you can keep us updated on your investigation?”

“Sure, not a problem. I’ll be in contact soon.” He walked over to the door and held it open. “I hope you’re going to spend some time in town today. We have lots of great shops. You mentioned groceries. There’s a small store three blocks away where you can get most of what you’ll need. A larger big-box store is outside town about five miles, but I really think you’ll be okay at Grady’s. I recommend lunch at Dolly’s Diner.” He shrugged. “It’s Tennessee. Dolly Parton is pretty popular here.”

“We do intend to putter around today,” Kaely said, getting to her feet. “We’ll get back before the storm hits though.”

She smiled at him and then walked out the door. As she headed for the front of the station, something inside her seemed to whisper a warning. But about what? The storm? She hadn’t been an analyst for a while, but when she was, she would sense things. A warning in her spirit.

And that’s exactly what she was feeling now.