Page 43 of Criminology of a Character

“Thank God for that storm,” Bel said.

“I know, but now I’m worried we’ll never find the killer with the constant news coverage. Ewan keeps texting me photos of me on his television.”

“Eamon too,” Bel said.

“Whoever this Matchstick Killer is, he’s probably long gone.”

“Maybe,” Bel said. “But he likes to watch. He watched those girls freeze. Let’s hope he’s watching us. He trusts that he’s safe walking among us like a friend. Let’s pray he’s arrogant enough to stay.”

“In other news, college student Sarah Bristol was reported missing by her family after the Thanksgiving break,” the reporter on the breakroom television said, and both detectives snapped to attention.

“Centerville University confirmed that Bristol never returned to her dorm after the holiday, and her family is begging anyone with information about their daughter to call the tip line below,” the reporter continued. “Sarah was last seen driving a tan Toyota Camry, wearing blue jeans, a pink sweater, and a pair of ladybug earrings.” A photo of Sarah Bristol flashed onto the screen, and while her outfit wasn’t the one described, the unique ladybug earrings sat visibly on her ears, signifying they were the girl’s trademark jewelry pieces.

“Oh, thank god,” Bel sighed, her chest deflating as she released her held breath.

“What?” Olivia asked.

“She isn’t one of The Matchstick Girls. When the reporter said missing college student, my brain instantly went to the freezer, but that girl wasn’t there.”

“I hope she just ran away with a boyfriend,” Olivia said. “I realize that’s probably not the case, but after the freezer, I need her to be okay.”

“I know.” Bel wrapped an arm around her partner’s shoulder. “We can’t worry about her, though. We have enough missing girls to worry about, and maybe you’re right. Maybe she decided college was stressful and a trip with a cute boy was worth freaking out her family.”

The women exchanged a knowing look. If the parents were begging for the public’s help, Sarah Bristol wasn’t with a boy, but that scenario was all their brains could handle.

“What’s that?” Olivia asked as their skin vibrated. “Oh, it’s your phone. Someone texted you.”

Bel released her and dug her cell from her blazer pocket. “They have an update on the freezer camera. The techs want us to stop by.”

“Hopefully they have good news,” Olivia said as they abandoned their coffees and walked to the lab.

“Thanks for coming down,” the tech greeted. “Don’t get your hopes up, though. I don’t have much for you.”

Olivia’s chest visibly deflated as the women gathered around his station.

“The camera that the Matchstick Killer used was basically an expensive security system equipped with low-light night vision,” the tech began. “High-definition visuals in the dark with motion detection. It served its purpose, but it’s nothing the average person can’t get if they’re willing to spend the money.”

“Could you trace the connection?” Olivia asked.

“No,” he said. “Because the barn’s location was so far from any wireless routers, the killer physically wired the connection.No Wi-Fi, no cloud storage, no account. It seems the moment we found Walker in the wall, he cut the wires. We have no way of finding him.”

“Of course,” Olivia mumbled under her breath. “But can’t we follow the cables?”

“Much like the electricity, he tapped into the town’s lines for most of the heavy lifting, and I’m sure he’s ripped out the connections on his property. I will say this, though,” the tech added, clearly bothered that he couldn’t offer the disappointed detectives the smoking gun they were hoping for. “The camera was expensive, and someone who knew what they were doing wired it. I doubt our killer hired a technician to install it, so we’re looking for someone well-versed in technology.”

“Like the power siphoning,” Bel whispered to herself.

“What was that?” he asked.

“Nothing.” Bel tugged Olivia’s elbow lightly as she turned to leave. “Thanks for everything. Call me if you find anything else.”

“Will do,” the tech said as the women climbed the stairs to their desks.

“You said, like the power siphoning, didn’t you?” Olivia asked.

“Yeah, I think we’re looking for someone skilled with technology and electronics,” Bel said. “As well as a Bajka resident.” She collapsed at her desk, and after waking up her computer, she pulled up her case notes and typed her two observations into a list. “I believe he lives here because of his knowledge of Walker’s property, but Lina’s call made me realize something else. He drugs them with Rohypnol to make them compliant during transportation, but the drug dissipates shortly after he places them in the freezer. He wants them to wake up before they die, but it was bitterly cold in there, and we had the door open. The Matchstick Girls didn’t, so hypothermia would have set in quickly. They would’ve eventually lost consciousness,so the killer wouldn’t have had time to drive far. He would’ve missed their deaths, so he has to live close.”

“But it’s a half-hour drive from Bajka to the farmhouse,” Olivia said.

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