Page 25 of Cold Threat

“What?” He knew her well enough to see that something wasn’t sitting right with her.

“Something doesn’t fit.”

As he waited for her to explain, it hit him.

“Why is he here?” he asked.

“His psychopathy certainly includes egotistical traits,” River said, “but I don’t see anything that would make me think that one of his main urges is to try to outsmart the authorities.”

“And besides, he wouldn’t walk away from his number one goal of bringing justice to engage in some kind of contest with my father.”

“So why is he in Burlington?” Tony repeated.

“I don’t know,” River said, “but if we could help find the answer to that question, your father might be able to stop him.”

CHAPTER

FIFTEEN

River stood at the window, watching the snow fall. It was beginning to pile up. Tony had checked the weather report, which predicted it would snow throughout the rest of the day and into the morning.

She and Tony hadn’t said much after asking why the Snowman was in town. What they could profile about him showed nothing to make them think he would have simply followed Ray here because he wanted to go head-to-head with him. The killer was committed to his calling. Playing games with law enforcement didn’t line up with his signature. He saw himself as God, and the guilty had to pay. He would never veer from that goal.

“Maybe it’s just a coincidence,” Tony said suddenly. “We’re so used to seeing something in every move someone makes, we’ve skipped over the most obvious answer. Burlington isn’t that far from Des Moines. I’m sure a lot of people have moved here. Crime increased in Des Moines while my father was there. It’s even worse now, so a lot of people have moved away. It’s happened across the country. It’s one of the reasons housing prices shot up in smaller towns like Burlington. Maybe the Snowman’s next victim or victims moved here, and he followed them.”

River walked back over to her chair. “That’s possible. I mean, your parents moved here for that reason.” She pointed at him. “And didn’t your father say someone else from the police department transferred here? At least your father can narrow down his list of suspects by looking for other people who relocated here a couple of years ago.”

“But what about his next victim?” Tony said. “We’re assuming they moved here too?”

“Well, he’s killed twice here.” She frowned. “So, what does that mean? Maybe he’s not hunting individuals. Maybe he’s looking for people who have all done something he finds reprehensible? Something he believes makes them worthy of execution?”

Tony nodded. “That’s got to be it. It’s the only thing that makes any sense, but the problem is that my dad couldn’t find anything that connected the victims.”

“That’s a problem we can’t deal with right now,” River said. “We have to keep working this, hoping we find that link.” She turned to look at Tony. “We know that the UNSUB is narcissistic. Could he see your dad as someone challenging his superiority?”

“So maybe this is a two-for-one deal?”

“I’m not saying it is,” River said slowly. “But it’s possible.” She frowned at him. “I mean, his mission still comes first, don’t get me wrong. But remember that this guy is organized. How could he not know that the cop who was injured during his first fire is now a detective in Burlington? Is he aware that your dad is determined to catch him? I can’t answer that. Unless he’s connected to law enforcement, I’m not sure he could access that information.”

“At the same time,” Tony said, staring at the photos on the corkboard, “he could probably assume it. For the same reason he would be interested that Dad is here—he could also conclude that Dad would be dedicated to catching him.”

“Except that someone was arrested,” River said. “Maybe he thinks the heat’s off of him?”

“Not possible.” Tony walked back over to the table and plopped down. “He’s already committed murder here. And he left behind the snowman ornament.”

River sighed and slipped into the other chair next to Tony. “You’re right. Sorry. I’m a little tired. I didn’t sleep well last night.”

Tony looked at her with concern. “Any particular reason?”

River had been wrestling with her strange dream all day. She’d finally realized that she had to tell Tony about it.

“I had ... a weird dream.” She took a deep breath and let the details of the dream spill out. When she stopped talking, she studied Tony. Did he think she was losing it?

Tony looked down at the floor for a moment, but when he raised his head, River didn’t see anything in his expression that made her think he was taking her dream lightly.

“It’s about the children?” he repeated softly. “Could you see the woman with him?”

“I ... I don’t think so. She was more like a presence. Ifelther, but I couldn’t see her clearly. Her face was hidden.”

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