Page 47 of Watch Me

“My guess is it’s a chef’s knife. Same as the other case.”

“So, we definitely have a serial killer on our hands?” I asked, though I already knew we were dealing with the sameguy.

“Yes, I’d say so,” Rikki answered. “Stab wounds are consistent in depth, even though the number is different.”

All the knives were tested at Amy’s, and none of them had blood on them. There wasn’t a knife missing either, so that meant the killer brought his weapon with him—the crime was premeditated. I’d bet the same would be true for Daisy’sknives.

“Fuck,” Shawn breathed.

“Did you get the tox report back from Amy’s case?” Iquestioned.

Rikki turned to her computer. “Actually, it just came in.” She clicked open an attachment to an email. “It’s clean.”

“There’s nothing?” Iasked.

“No.”

“But there was a wine glass,” Shawnstated.

“After death, bacterial invasion of the body commences almost immediately. The body starts to metabolize numerous sulfur-containing drugs and alcohol.”

“So, since it was almost twenty-four hours before we found the body, it is possible the killer slipped her something that metabolized before we could run the tox screen?” Iquestioned.

“Yes, unfortunately.”

We had little to go on, but we needed to search every database we had available for leads on killers who use a chef’s knife, go after students, and leave behind woodplaques.

The wood plaques that would haunt me for years tocome.

Shawn and I made our way back to our desks. “Valor,” I heard Captain Rapp call out. “Another minute.”

I looked at Shawn, and he shrugged. Being called to the captain’s office was like being called to the principal’s office—it wasn’t good.

I made my way to his office, and as I got closer, I noticed there was a Cook County Sheriff with him. “Sir?”

The Sheriff handed me a piece of paper. “Sergeant Valor, I’m here to serve you with this emergency order of protection.”

I snatched the papers from his grasp and scanned them. “So she went through with it then?”

“Do you blame her?” Captainasked.

“This is to stay away from my kids,” Isnapped.

“I know that, but given the—”

“They aren’t in danger,” Icountered.

“You don’t know that.”

I went to open my mouth and argue again, but then everything hit me. We didn’t know when or if this asshole would strike, and if Reagan was with my kids, theywouldbe in danger. I looked at the papers again and read the hearing date. “Two weeks?” I asked theSheriff.

“It’s standard,” he replied. My gaze moved to his name: Pierce.

“This”—I waved the papers in my hand—“is bullshit.”

“Not to throw salt into the wound,” Captain said, “but you’ll need to be on desk duty.”

“No!” I shouted and then lowered my voice. “We already went through this.”