The Last Move
“He’s behind bars,” Palmer clarified.
“Yes.” Kate studied the wounds, noting that they were almost identical to the patterns of Carter’s three victims. “There is no way he could have done this.”
“You were the chief profiler on the case?” Mazur asked.
“Yes.”
“Two murders in three days,” Palmer said. “And you worked on cases similar to both. This ain’t a coincidence, Agent Hayden.”
Kate stared at the body. Sadness and regret tried to breach her composure, but she wouldn’t allow it. Later, when she was alone, the emotions might get the better of her, but not here at the crime scene. “No, it’s not.”
Mazur nudged Kate. “We need to talk.”
She allowed him to guide her away from the body.
“What the hell is going on?” he asked. “I’ve spent the last two days following the trail on a case that appears to be a copycat of one of your cases, and now I’ve another killer impersonator?”
She tipped her head up to meet his gaze. “I can’t explain it except to say someone is following my cases.”
“Was Carter working with anyone?”
“When I did his profile I determined he was a loner who was living out his own fantasies toward women. And when he was arrested we discovered he lived alone, had lost his job, and was having his food delivered to the house. A shut-in, he only went out when the moon was full. That’s when he picked up a prostitute, stabbed her to death, and left her just like this woman here. When I interviewed him after his arrest, he was very proud of the fact that he did the work alone.”
“Could you be wrong about an accomplice?”
“Of course. There’s always the chance. But my team checked his online profile, and though he commented often on certain occult sites, he never appeared to be in communication with anyone.”
“What are the chances that I’d have two murders mirroring your cases?”
“Zero. Clearly my work and I are the common denominators.”
“Who has access to your case files?”
“A few people in the bureau. And each of the jurisdictions had copies. But all those are closely guarded.”
“What about boyfriends, lovers, friends, family? Ever left files out and someone got a peek?”
“No. Never.”
“I want a list of all the cases you’ve profiled.”
She shook her head. She’d worked several very grisly cases that still woke her up in the middle of the night. She wouldn’t wish that list on anyone.
“Could this be Bauldry?” Mazur asked. “Could this be his way of sending you another message? Could he be following your work?”
“He would have been incarcerated at the time of the Soothsayer murders, but the case received quite a bit of press locally and some nationally. It would have been easy to research considering the case is now closed. And it’s clear whoever killed this woman wanted her left in a humiliating position to send a message.”
“We need to find out more about this woman.”
“Start with her vehicle. It’s new and it was purchased from Sanchez Motors.”
Kate stood apart from the cops and dialed her boss, Jerrod Ramsey. He picked up on the third ring. “There’s another complication.”
He cursed. “I hate complications, Kate.”
Her voice was steady and gave no hint to the growing worry that threatened to cloud her thoughts. “There’s been another homicide.”
“A Samaritan shooting?”
“No. The victim was killed like the Soothsayer’s victims. She was stabbed, her eyes removed, and an eye drawn on her forehead.”
Silence crackled over the line. “That case was solved.”
She could take his yelling and his curses. That’s what Ramsey did to blow off steam. He only worried her when he was quiet, careful. “I know.”
“How much does this crime scene resemble the ones in North Carolina?”
“It’s almost identical.”
“Almost identical.”
She could picture him standing at his desk now, his hand pressed to the small of his back. He’d be pacing past the multiple diplomas framed on his office wall toward the window.
“I’d like to stay and work with the local authorities. Though I’ll tell you right now, they aren’t pleased with me.”
“No wonder.” He dropped his voice a notch. “Do you have any idea what the defense for Richardson and Carter will do with this information? They’ll argue you’ve not botched one case but two. Both legal teams will file for retrials.”
So much hard work unraveling. A recreation of one of Richardson’s murders had been surprising enough, but a second murder mirroring one of her investigations was not a coincidence. She pressed her fingers to her temple. “Do you have any updates from Nevada regarding Drexler?”
“Don’t worry about Drexler. Nevada is on his trail.”
Promises made to Sara Fletcher felt as flimsy as old tissue. But her business allowed no personal feelings or ego. You did what you could, when you could. “I’ll stay in San Antonio and figure this out.”
“How are you holding up? Do you need Nevada to back you up?”
“No. His priority is Drexler. I’m fine.”
“Understood. Who’s your local contact again?”
“Detective Theo Mazur.”
“He’ll shadow you for this entire investigation.” No inflection at the end of the sentence. It was a statement, not a question.
Her voice dropped. “I don’t need a babysitter.”
“You need a partner and backup until Nevada can get there.” He sighed. “This isn’t the time to be a cowboy, Kate.”
“Right.”
When she ended the call she rubbed the side of her neck. Sweat had soaked through her blouse, making it cling to her skin.
Mazur answered his phone, and his mouth hardened into a grim line. He looked toward her, the phone to his ear as no doubt someone above his pay grade told him to work with her. Like it or not, they were in this together.
She approached him after he hung up, seeing no reason to delay the inevitable.
“Looks like we’re joined at the hip,” she said.
“Right. There’s not much more we can do here. The forensic team is collecting data, and the medical examiner will be here soon to collect the body.”
“What about witnesses and security cameras between here and the interstate?”
“Got it covered. I’ve uniforms searching local businesses. Maybe we’ll get lucky.”
“Maybe.”
He walked her back to his car, and when he opened the door, heat washed out. As they slid into the front seat, he switched on the air conditioning, which felt good for the first few minutes. Soon it chilled her skin.
“I’ll be right back,” he said. “Stay put.”
“Sure.”
He left her and crossed to Palmer. They spoke, their heads ducked slightly toward each other, and a couple of times the two glanced back toward her. Palmer shook her head and rubbed the toe of her boot into the dirt.
Mazur returned to the car. A grim expression deepened the lines around his mouth and eyes.
“We should go through my cases,” she said.
“A parade of freaks and demons. Can’t wait.”
At the office Mazur hustled Kate toward the conference room. He wondered how she contained all her emotions as she pulled out her laptop from her backpack and set it up at the head of the table.