Page 4 of Haunted By Sin

"Did you know that there are over four thousand Mary Jane Reynolds in the country?" Bit chimed in, much to Theo's dismay if his expression was anything to go by. He muttered something about paying attention to the road, but Bit must have caught sight of the screen. "Hey, Little T! Gumshoe found us a rental on a lake. He'll be sending you the address shortly."

Bit's propensity for nicknames was endearing unless he didn't like someone. Fortunately for the team, he had given them accurate monikers. While Bit referred to Theo as Big T due to the man's muscular frame, Sylvie's was Little T for her love of tea. Gumshoe was simply an old reference to what people used to call private investigators back in the day, and it suited Arden perfectly. As for Brook's nickname, only Bit was able to get away with calling her Boss. She didn't view herself as such, because they all contributed their talents equally to their cases.

"I'll start drafting a profile of the unsub once we set up shop at the rental tonight," Brook said with a hint of annoyance. She didn't like working out of sync, but this case wasn't a typical serial investigation. "I reviewed what files Arden was able to upload into our software system. On the surface, the two common denominators between the victims are their names and their state of residence."

"Mary Jane Reynolds." Sylvie had also read over the uploaded reports on their flight to Michigan, and her memory was close to eidetic. "All three Mary Janes were stabbed to death. Mary One was murdered last October at her residence in Ann Arbor. Mary Two was killed inside her home located in a neighborhood outside of Lansing this past January. And Mary Three’s body was discovered on the side of a jogging trail near her parents' home in Mount Pleasant last month. Brook has her work cut out for her on the profile due to several factors. The unsub doesn't seem to care about race, age, profession, physical attributes, or even societal classes. Basically, we are left with no pattern except for the method of killing."

The root of the problem lay in the fact that these three murders were now inextricably tied together by the powerful influence of social media. All it had taken was one person to post a comment in a thread regarding the odd coincidence of the names to spark a ton of conspiracy theories. The local police in each of the cities had been working tirelessly to solve their individual cases, but they didn't have the manpower needed to form a task force. Now that a third victim with the same name and cause of death had emerged, the FBI had been forced to act quickly, especially given the most recent scrutiny.

"Maybe you should let Theo drive for a while, Bit," Brook suggested much to Theo's apparent relief. "You can start to create an application that compares the victims' information side by side as we collect data. There must be similarities between the victims that were overlooked at first glance."

"We'll start by interviewing Mary Four," Sylvie advised Theo and Bit as she reached for her seat belt.

"Why are we giving Mary Four a number?" Bit asked over the sound of his blinker. He was taking Brook's advice, which had prompted Theo to remove his hand from the ceiling overhead. "She's not dead yet. Plus, she took advantage of her name to gain notoriety on social media. How do we even know we're in the right town to solve this case? The killer could easily still be in Mount Pleasant. Not to mention that there are still sixteen other women listed as potential victims."

While Bit's observation about Mary Jane Reynolds' video being a blatant grab for fame was not wrong, it only scratched the true extent of the situation. The woman’s plea for protection had gone viral, spreading like wildfire across the internet. No one could blame the woman for living in fear, but she had also inadvertently placed herself in danger.

Mary Jane had also managed to put several law enforcement agencies under the microscope of the public eye. While no detective involved was completely convinced the three murders were related other than by mere coincidence, the FBI was unwilling to risk their reputation being tarnished. S&E Investigations, known for their high success rate in complicated cases like these, had been brought on in a desperate attempt to appease the public and quell their fears.

Brook didn’t care for the firm being used as a public relations stunt, which was why she intended to solve all three deaths…whether or not the team was dealing with one killer or three.

"Unfortunately, we don't know if we're in the right area to solve this case, Bit." Brook paused and shared a knowing glance with Sylvie. They had already spoken at length about the investigation on the drive from the airport, both coming to the same conclusion. "But if the unsub had no prior knowledge regarding Mary Jane Reynolds’ existence—Mary Four, in this case—he certainly does now."

Chapter Three

Brooklyn Sloane

May 2024

Thursday — 10:32 am

The quiet suburb of Crestlake, Michigan had been transformed into a hive of activity. The middle-class neighborhood was made up of cookie-cutter homes, all of which had pristine lawns, colorful flowerbeds, and perfectly pruned hedges. While it was possible that the residents might have ignored something slightly amiss in their sheltered environment, it would have been impossible to overlook the commotion taking place right outside one particular home.

The white picket fence surrounding the two-story house should have signaled domestic tranquility, but it now served as a barrier against the press and onlookers who buzzed with morbid curiosity. Neighbors were clustered together on the sidewalk, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and trepidation. A young woman in leggings and an oversized sweatshirt stood on the sidewalk and spoke with a local reporter. Her hands fluttered like distressed birds as she spoke animatedly about the individual in question—Mary Jane Reynolds.

"Looks like a block party," Sylvie murmured as she fixed her gaze on the scene ahead. She raised her cell phone and began to capture screenshots of the spectacle. In their line of work, details mattered, and sometimes those details were lurking in the crowd. "You realize that you're going to have to give a statement, right?"

"I really dislike being put on display as some sort of PR stunt," Brook stressed her displeasure, well aware that she would need to give a statement to the press. S&E Investigations had become the face of this investigation. The FBI didn't want to waste time or resources if these cases turned out not to be connected, and they were more than willing to pay to make the problem go away. "I guarantee that Agent Tirelli was instructed by his supervisor to steer clear of the area."

"Well, at least he was nice enough to give you a heads up," Sylvie pointed out as she tucked her phone into the side pocket of her purse. She kept her sunglasses on instead of exchanging them with her usual, black-rimmed glasses. "I don't see any of the local police parked in the neighborhood. I'll place a call to the sheriff to make sure he keeps a deputy in the area until we have more answers. Ready?"

Brook had parked a few houses down from their intended destination to give herself time to study their surroundings. The theatrical performance playing out in front of Mary Jane Reynolds' residence didn't seem to bother the woman. Otherwise, she would have closed the curtains on her front windows. Every now and then, someone inside the home would pass by the windowpane. His or her presence would inevitably be a trigger for the cameramen to shift their focus.

"No," Brook muttered in response to the question. She shouldered open her door anyway. She slipped her phone into her purse before she stepped out of the SUV. Once Sylvie had done the same, Brook pressed the lock button to secure the vehicle. She hid the wince in response to the loud beep capturing everyone's attention. "Sylvie, walk on the inside."

Sylvie parted her lips as if to argue, but the resounding voices of excitement seemed to have changed her mind. She gave a curt nod before joining Brook on the sidewalk. They didn't have to stroll far before the frenzied media had created a barrier between them and the gate of the white picket fence.

"Can you believe it?" someone whispered over the snapping shutters of cameras and the questions being hurled from the reporters. "Right here in our own backyard..."

The reporters began their own line of questioning.

“…is Mary Jane Reynolds the killer’s next target?”

“Will the FBI provide every Mary Jane Reynolds in the state of Michigan with a security detail, or will…”

Brook held up her hand to stop the flow of inquiries.

"Please, if you would allow me to speak, I'll give you a brief statement for your noon segment."

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