Page 33

THIRTY-TWO

“We’ve been patrolling the area constantly,” Adrian said. “Of course, we can’t cover every square inch twenty-four seven.”

“It didn’t matter how many people you had out here,” Kaely said. “He would have found a way. I’m convinced he’s watching you.”

Adrian appreciated Kaely’s comments but still couldn’t help but wonder if he could have done something to prevent this. Maybe if he hadn’t been so bullheaded, he would have asked Knoxville for help. And if he’d done that, perhaps this poor girl would still be alive.

Once they reached the site, Adrian led them to the body. They all stared down at her. Curly black hair tied with a blue ribbon. The white dress. Black pumps. She looked like she was sleeping—except for the blood stain on the front of her dress. She was holding a white ceramic angel with a 2 painted on it with red paint. This angel had red tears, just like the other one.

“I don’t think she’s been dead long,” Dale said.

Adrian sighed. “Doc Gibson is on his way. I also called Tim.” He looked at Kaely and Erin. “What do you see?”

“Well, the most obvious thing is that this girl is African American,” Kaely said slowly. “Older than the others.” She shook her head. “I still can’t see what connects his victims. They’re all different.”

“But there has to be something, right?” Erin asked.

Kaely nodded. “There’s always a connection, but I have no idea what it is yet. She may have just been convenient.”

Erin knelt down, next to the body. She was being careful not to disturb anything. “Same kind of wound. From the bloodstain, I’d say she was stabbed just like Chloe. She was wearing something else and then her clothes were changed.” She looked down at the woman’s shoes. “My guess is that these are her shoes. Also, she’s wearing makeup, but not as much as Chloe.” She shook her head and looked up at Kaely. “You’re the expert here, but from what you’ve taught me and from my research, this just doesn’t make any sense. Do you see something different than I do?”

“Cheap nail polish, shoes that are supposed to look like Louis Vuitton Archlight pumps ... but are knockoffs,” Kaely said. “Also, her hands look a little dry, and I can see some calluses. This gal wanted to look classy, but she didn’t have a lot of money. My guess is she works around here somewhere. Maybe as something like a housekeeper? I’d check the hotels and resorts in the area. She wanted to look good for someone. Either it’s a boyfriend or someone she recently met. You need to find out who it is, Adrian.” She was quiet for a moment before saying. “No defensive wounds that I can see. She didn’t see it coming. Whoever this is, he’s getting close to them first—before he kills them.”

Adrian started to ask Kaely a question when his phone rang. It was Lisa. After speaking to her, he disconnected his phone.

“You said she could be a housekeeper?” he said.

“That’s just a guess,” Kaely said. “Her dry hands and her calluses make that a possibility. In an area where there are so many hotels and resorts, it made me wonder if that could be the case.”

“That was Lisa, from the station. The friend of a local girl who works as a housekeeper in the Brentwood Hotel, a few miles out of Sanctuary, is at the station. She reported her friend missing when she didn’t show up for work and wasn’t answering her phone. Her name is Hailey Duncan, and she fits the description of our victim.”

“Well, that was fast,” Erin said.

Adrian called Lonzine over to where they stood. “Would you go back to the station? Interview a gal there who may know this woman. Take a picture and have her confirm her identity.”

“Yes, boss,” Lonzine said. “I’ll let you know what I find out. By the way, we’ve called every bar and club in Sanctuary and the surrounding area near where Chloe’s car was found. No one reported seeing her. If she was all dressed up, it should have made her easy to spot. But some places were really busy and admitted she could have been there and they just didn’t notice. We’ve requested video surveillance tapes from any place that has them. Unfortunately, most of those that have cameras have them trained on the cash registers and the card machines. Not on their customers.”

“That’s because they want people to feel secure,” Adrian said. “Some of them may be there with people they aren’t married to.” He sighed. “Thanks for trying.”

“Lonzine,” Kaely said, “ask specifically about anyone Hailey might have been dating. Especially someone brand new.”

“You think he could be the UNSUB?” Lonzine asked.

“It’s entirely possible,” Adrian answered. “Get a description of the guy. We really need one.”

Lonzine snapped a picture of the victim and hurried away.

Adrian looked back and forth between Erin and Kaely. “Anything else?”

Erin shook her head. “Same MO as the others. Killed somewhere else. Brought here. I doubt you’ll find any evidence.”

“I agree,” Kaely said. “You have an organized psychopath who isn’t done.” She frowned. “The only thing that surprises me is that you haven’t heard from him. Usually, these kinds of killers like to get attention. They crave it. I would have expected at least one letter to the editor of your local paper. Or a phone call to one of the local news channels. Something. His silence is unusual.”

“Can you guess why haven’t we heard anything?” Adrian asked.

Kaely looked over at Erin. “What do you think?”

“I don’t know,” she said. “Maybe he’s sent a message, but we just haven’t recognized it yet.”

“If that’s true,” Kaely said, focusing her gaze on Adrian. “It won’t take long before he tries to communicate again, in a much clearer way. It would be much better for everyone if you can keep that from happening. Right now, he feels strong. Empowered. He’s bested the police—and us. If he doesn’t get the attention he wants soon, he could become angry—and things could get much worse.”