Page 60 of Zero Divergence

“I should go to the vigil. There’s no way Beatrice will be able to resist attending and showing her ass,” Holly said.

“No fucking way,” Jace said. “I don’t want you anywhere near that psycho.”

Holly tilted her head to the side and leveled Jace with a glare so hot it could’ve melted an iceberg. “Weren’t you just the one who called me a badass?” she asked.

“I did. It’s true,” Jace said, nodding. “That doesn’t mean I want you sticking your neck out there when you don’t need to. Royce and Sawyer are going to interview the florist tomorrow. We think this woman is a killer, Holls.”

“I’m a cop, Jace. I put killers away,” she countered. There was no anger in her voice, only firm resonance. Jace’s mouth opened to argue, but then he must’ve thought better of it. Instead, he took a deep breath and kissed her temple once more.

“I’m not convinced you showing up there is the best course of action, right now,” Royce said.

Holly turned her laser-like gaze on the younger Locke brother. “Why?”

“We’re close, Holls. I can feel it,” Royce replied. “You know better than any of us that it’s all about the timing with undercover work. If we push too hard, we’ll scare her off.”

Holly heaved a frustrated sigh and conceded with a nod.

“Beatrice Ryen, aside from having a first name starting with the letter B, has a lot in common with Bonita Brothers,” Jonah said, scrolling through his phone. He showed the screen to Holly. “Is this the right profile?”

“Yeah, she used to have a Dachshund as her profile pic but changed it to a vase of flowers today.”

“Dachshund?” Alarm bells started ringing in Sawyer’s head. “Let me see the photo, please.”

Jonah turned the phone around so Sawyer and Royce could see the screen.

“That’s not just any wiener dog,” Royce said. “That’s Humphries’s dog, Beatrice. The photo was one of the Halloween pictures the media blasted all over the place.”

“Ryen,” Sawyer said absently. “Pumpernickel is a type of rye bread.”

“Holy fuck. It is her,” Royce said. “Bonita Brothers is our Bonnie ParkerandBeatrice Ryen.”

Royce’s heart pounded in his chest. “We just need to tie all these loose strings together.”

“What about the profile picture of the flowers?” Sawyer asked.

Jonah nodded and pulled up Beatrice Ryen’s current profile picture.

“Fuck me,” Sawyer and Royce said at the same time.

“Those look like the pink roses in Vivian Gross’s office,” Royce said.

“Theyareher flowers,” Sawyer said in a voice barely above a whisper. He cleared his throat. “I recognize the ivory vase with cherubs on it. This psychopath took photos of the flowers in her office for whatever reason.”

“Trophy?” Royce asked. Why not just take the flowers with her, then?”

“I toggled between the two profiles while you guys were discussing the candlelight vigil. Both women are claiming to major in psychology at South University,” Jonah said.

“Her grandfather mentioned she was enrolled at South, but my discreet inquiry revealed she just suddenly stopped attending classes,” Rocky informed them.

“It’s an avenue we need to explore,” Sawyer said.

“They also have the same birthdate,” Jonah added.

“Isn’t that careless?” Felix asked. “If you’re smart enough to create alternate personalities, then why not make it drastically different from your real identity?”

“It’s smarter to keep your fake profile as close to your real one as much as possible,” Jonah replied. “It’s much less likely you’ll trip up and give yourself away if you’re only changing minor things.”

“It’s true,” Holly agreed. “You don’t try to pass yourself off as a brain surgeon if your only work experience is as a fry cook.”