Page 17 of So Wicked

“Ah. I’m not familiar with that.”

“It’s the drug most commonly used for pet euthanasia.”

Another piece of the puzzle fell into place for Faith. “So two vets killed with the drug used to put pets to sleep and then laid to rest in a ritualistic fashion in pet cemeteries.”

“Pretty much. Fun, right?”

“Do you have any leads yet?”

Slade released a tense laugh. “We’re less than forty-eight hours into the case. I thought we were moving fast. Now I’m looking at another body.”

Faith nodded. “That’s the trend nowadays.”

“Trend?”

"Yes. Since the Donkey Killer was exposed roughly three years ago, we've seen an increase in the number of ritualistic serial killers like this one who move exceptionally fast. Most of them fit the criterion of a spree killer in terms of their speed, but in every other way, they fit the criteria of a serial killer. Victims are chosen on purpose, not randomly, the killings themselves are hyper-ritualistic, and there's always some sort of warped moral or message to the deaths."

“So basically like normal serial killers except they kill a slew of victims in days instead of years.”

“Essentially, yes.”

Slade put his hat on his head and took a seat next to Faith on the bench. The two of them watched as CSI gathered their materials and prepared to release the crime scene.

“Any idea why that’s going on?” Slade asked. “The rise in quick-moving serial killer freaks?”

Faith shook her head. “The prevailing opinion right now is that Jethro Trammell inspired a lot of otherwise closeted psychopaths to come into the light.”

“Trammell is the Donkey Killer, I’m guessing?”

“Was. He was killed by my partner when he rescued me.”

Slade’s eyes widened. “Oh, that’s right. I remember reading about that now. He was the crazy farmer who captured people and tortured them in his barn.”

Faith’s shoulders stiffened slightly. “Yes, that was him.”

“Damn. Well, good for you for getting out of that and not being a complete basket case.”

Faith didn’t like the direction this conversation was heading, so she returned the subject back to Slade’s original question. “I don’t agree with the FBI’s analysis, though. These kinds of killers don’t act because they’re inspired by others. Their motivations are always internal. Frankly, they could care less that the Donkey Killer ever existed, and they would have done what they did anyway.”

“What about the other guy? West? You don’t think he was inspired by Trammell?”

“In a way, yes, but he was the exception.”

Actually, if West’s claims to Faith were to be believed, West had been killing people since long before Trammell ever showed up. Faith didn’t want to get into that with Slade, though, and in any case, Trammelldidinspire West to change his MO.

“Got it. So why do you think there are more of them now?”

Faith smiled grimly. “I don’t think there are. I think killers like this have always existed. I think we’re just paying more attention now.”

The two of them fell silent again. Turk whined softly as the uniformed cops gathered the yellow tape and cleared the scene. Where a moment ago, a dead woman had lain posed to the world as a message that Faith hadn't deciphered was now only a plot of grass. It was as though the murder had never happened.

“Are we taking the witness with us?” one of the uniforms asked Slade.

“No,” Slade said. “She’s not a person of interest anymore.” He cocked his head. “Actually. Miss Bold, I know this is a lot toask. I’m sure you’re probably here for personal reasons, but this sort of thing… Well, like I said, it’s like nothing we’ve ever seen before. If you’re able to offer any kind of help or insights, we’d love to have them.”

Faith felt a rush of excitement followed immediately by disappointment. “I… I wish I could. I’m afraid that the FBI has… They have me on another assignment right now.”

Slade’s eyes widened. “There’s another killer out here?”

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