Page 103 of I'm Watching You

‘I saw the body at the park.’

Steve looked at her, his eyes alight as if he’d found someone who understood. ‘Was he missing a hand?’

That caught her up short. ‘Yes,’ she lied.

‘Jesus, whoever this nutcase is, he’s sending the hands of his victims to Lindsay. She said he sent her a hand on Monday as well.’

Kendall hid her smile. ‘Does she know who’s doing this?’

‘She doesn’t have a clue. But it’s starting to mess with her.’

She leaned forward, and in a low tone said, ‘I can’t imagine what she’s going through.’

Chapter Twenty-Two

San Francisco, Wednesday, July 9, 10:00A.M.PST

Detectives Dominic Rio and Monica Perry arrived at the burned-out New Age bookstore, which was still hissing with charred timbers. Lights on three fire trucks flashed as firemen sprayed a stream of water on the coals. A collection of people stood behind the barriers looking stunned and frightened.

Rio put the car in park and set the emergency brake. Perry grabbed her notebook. Perry was in her early thirties, divorced, and originally from Minnesota. She was brutally efficient, detail oriented, and cool to most. Rio was a bachelor, a Texan by birth, dark skinned, and had hair so black it looked blue in sharp sunlight. At first glance, he seemed outgoing and laid-back but he was just as detached as Perry.

The two had worked together for two years. They’d fallen into an easy relationship, each able to anticipate the other’s thoughts. Other cops in the division jokingly called them an old married couple, though romance had never sparked between the two.

A lazy mist had settled over the city, sending temps into the sixties. Rio got out of the car and pulled off his sunglasses. He paused at the front of the car and waited forPerry. She wasn’t fond of the chivalry but had long ago accepted that it came with his Southern roots.

They walked side by side up to Fire Battalion Chief Stanley. Stanley had thick silver hair and mustache and a booming voice that could be heard over any siren.

Rio stuck out his hand. ‘Stanley.’

Stanley shook both their hands. ‘Thanks for coming.’

‘You have a body?’ Perry asked.

Soot deepened the lines on Stanley’s face, making his grim face sterner than usual. ‘Yeah. She wasn’t killed by the fire. She was murdered.’

Rio hooked his thumb in his belt loop. ‘You know this how?’

‘The fire was pretty hot and would’ve completely obliterated the body if a metal shelf hadn’t fallen on it. It acted as a shield against the flames.’ He released a breath. ‘Her body was in the back, out of sight of the street.’

Perry scratched down a few notes. ‘Is it safe for us to take a look?’

‘Yeah, but I’ve got helmets for you both, just to play it safe.’ Stanley handed each a helmet and glanced at Perry’s steel-tipped boots and Rio’s loafers. ‘Rio, your shoes are pretty but not practical. Take a page from your partner’s book and wear a more substantial shoe.’

Rio raised an eyebrow as he stared at her practical, but ugly boots. ‘Naw.’

Perry smiled crookedly at her partner. ‘Rio’s got a thing about his image. Likes to look good.’

Rio shrugged. ‘And you’re a Girl Scout.’

They made their way into the charred building. Thesmell of smoke blended with the scent of Perry’s perfume. Carefully, the trio picked their way through the rubble of incinerated books and collapsed shelves and beams toward the back of the shop.

Perry’s stomach tumbled when she saw the body. The dead woman lay on her back, her hands stretched out in a T-shape. The heat of the flames had all but incinerated or melted the bottom half of her body. But her torso and head had remained untouched by the flames. ‘Jesus.’

The victim’s face had been systematically cut with diamond-shaped patterns. By the looks of it, the killer had used a scalpel.

Stanley’s jaw tightened. ‘Like I said, that metal shelf shielded her face from the worst of the blaze; otherwise, there wouldn’t be anything left of her.’

Perry leaned forward and studied the position of the shoulders. ‘This some kind of ritual killing?’

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