Page 60 of The Grave Artist

Carmen said, “No slang” as Heron began to say the same.

“All right. Now. You have a request, I believe?”

“We’re considering the possibility that HK will strike again. We’re looking for patterns. What days of the week did the cases in Italy occur?”

“The two were four days apart, the first on Saturday and the next on the following Wednesday. The killing here was on Saturday of this week, so if you are looking for patterns, it is logical to posit that he will attack again today, four days later.”

Carmen wondered how many weddings there were on a Wednesday. She recalled her own ceremony many years earlier, in which she’d beenforced to reserve a church and reception hall months in advance to be assured of a coveted slot.

“Worldwide, most Christian marriages occur on Saturday, and Muslim on Friday,” Declan said. “But other days are gaining in popularity due to availability issues and cost savings. Social media suggests that elopers and impulsive individuals get married on weekdays.”

Carmen said, “Let’s take people who elope out of the mix. If we can’t find them to protect them, then HK can’t find them to attack. No, we need traditional, scheduled—announced weddings. Something that HK could find online, wedding announcements, social media, like that.” She was curious. “How many weddings are in LA annually, Declan?”

“Last year, 54,744.”

“How many of those were in June?”

“On a national level 10.8 percent of weddings occur in June, which means in LA that number would be about fifty-nine hundred.”

“How many on Wednesday?”

This took some calculation. “I can only answer from a statistical perspective. Given that weekday weddings are less popular, it’s reasonable to estimate 190 weddings on any given Wednesday in June in Los Angeles. Factoring in the freeway system and extreme mobility of residents, it would be logical to consider other cities in Los Angeles County. There are eighty-eight of them. I estimate the total number of weddings in the county at 265.”

She considered the possibility of HK striking today. How could she narrow down the list of potential targets? “Declan, of the weddings today in LA County, are any taking place at venues with water features where a victim could be intentionally drowned, with the death appearing to be an accident?”

“But not swimming pools,” Heron added.

He was right, Carmen thought. For one thing, nearly all venues would have pools, and at the height of the summer season, the deck around it would be too populated to be an efficient murder site.

They waited a few seconds for Declan to scan through social media, and whatever other sources of information he could access.

“Seven. One at the Grand Palace in Venice. Two at the Sunset Gardens. One at the Malibu Hills Inn. One at the Beverly Glen Resort and Spa. One at the Hollywood Crest Inn. One at the Chinampas Grand Resort in Bel Air. I’ve selected them, as they all have secluded grounds with lagoons or ponds on the property, according to their sales material. Note that there will be others, but I am limited by the amount of public information I could access.”

“Understood,” Carmen said, then added: “He’s already hit the Hollywood Crest, so we can eliminate that. Gives us six possibilities.”

Heron said, “That’s doable. Declan, can you give us an overview of each ceremony?”

“All are occurring in the next one to three hours. Couples are scheduled to renew their vows for their wedding anniversaries at the Grand Palace, the Sunset Garden and the Malibu Hills. The others appear to be traditional weddings.”

“I’d put the vow renewing lower on the list,” Carmen said.

“Agreed,” Heron said. “Doesn’t fit the pattern of him targeting classic newlyweds. But which of the others?”

Carmen’s eyes were on the murder board. “I want profiles of the brides and grooms.”

“What exactly would you like?” Declan asked. “There’s a great deal of information on social media, and in their résumés. Hundreds of pages.”

Frowning, Carmen asked, “You have their résumés?”

“LinkedIn, Carmen.”

“Oh.”

She’d been thinking that Declan had done some unauthorized hacking à la Jake Heron.

She asked, “Were any of the brides and grooms married before?”

“I don’t have that information, Carmen.”