Page 36 of Cold Threat

“Yes, but you might be surprised to know who the witness is.”

Ray rubbed his face as if trying to keep himself awake. Then he said, “I can’t explain exactly why it went wrong, but a woman named Sandra Cooper was attacked in her home this evening. Someone surprised her while she was in bed. She was injected with something that made her confused and disoriented, but she managed to stay conscious. Thankfully, she had the presence of mind to play dead. After about ten minutes, the person in her bedroom bound her hands and ankles with wire and then poured gasoline on the floor around her bed. Then he struck a match. Thankfully, he left the room before it was fully engulfed. She was able to drop to the floor, roll through and then away from the flames, and struggle to her feet. She grabbed her phone, hopped out of the bedroom and into the living room, where she dialed 911. After that, she called her next-door neighbor who has a key to her house. He came over and got her out before the fire grew out of control. She was transported to the hospital, where she’s being treated for burns. The doctors say they don’t appear to belife threatening, but at her age and with her health problems, they can’t guarantee that she’ll survive. At least I was able to take her statement before they started her on a morphine drip. They say it will be at least a day or two before I can talk to her again. If she makes it, they’ll have to treat her burns. It will be very painful.”

“He injected her with something?” River repeated. She looked over at Tony. “That’s why his victims don’t fight back. He gives them something that either causes them to become unconscious ... or dead ... and then he puts the wire around their wrists and their ankles to keep the body straight before he sets the fire.”

“Yeah, it’s a lot easier to sneak up on someone and inject them in their sleep than it is to just bind them and set their surroundings on fire,” Tony said slowly. “They could fight back, and that could disrupt his plan. That’s also why he always strikes at night.”

“I don’t know why I hadn’t thought of that,” Ray said. “I assumed it was because he didn’t want to be seen. As far as injecting them, by the time we get the corpse there’s not enough skin left to find any kind of puncture mark.”

“Do the doctors know what was injected?” River asked.

“Not yet.”

“So, what does your chief think now?”

Ray offered them a small smile. “Let’s just say he’s intrigued. This is the third case here in town with the same MO. Even if it was a copycat, which we know it’s not, he realizes we’re definitely dealing with a serial offender.”

“I feel bad about not backing you up before now,” Bobby said.

Ray waved his hand at him. “I understood. I appreciated what you said at the station. It’s harder for him to ignore two of us.”

“He’s not unreasonable,” Bobby said slowly. “Just ... cautious, I guess.”

“Here, Bobby.” Beth put a cup of coffee in front of him.

“Thanks. It’s freezing out there. This will help to warm me up.”

“You both smell like smoke.”

“Sorry, Beth,” Bobby said. “We couldn’t go inside the house, but the smoke was pretty thick outside. I’m not surprised that we smell.”

“So is your chief connecting this incident with the murders in Des Moines?” River asked.

“He’s still guarded about that,” Ray said. “He’s careful about casting aspersions toward Chief Watts.”

“The first murders happened over twenty years ago,” River said, frowning. “Has Watts been chief that long?”

“Yes and no. I served under Chief Watts, and Chief Watts is the current police chief.” He smiled at River’s confused look, and Bobby chuckled. “Father and son,” Ray continued. “You can see why the current chief would be defensive about the previous chief.”

“Yikes,” River said. “That could definitely be a problem. A son admitting that his father made a mistake.”

“Exactly,” Ray said. “For now, I think we need to concentrate on this attempt and the other two here in Burlington.”

“I agree,” Bobby said.

“So the Snowman murders a couple in Des Moines, waits two years for the next one, and then a little over twenty years later, he starts killing here, each with a two-year gap,” River said. “I wonder about the timing.” She met Ray’s gaze. “I know you feel you should focus on these murders, but I believe the first one is the most important. Why did he kill that couple? I believe it will hold the key to the other murders.”

“I think you’re right,” Tony said. “It’s usually the first murder that leads us to the truth.”

“I hear you,” Ray said with a sigh. “Why don’t you two keep working on the profile? We still don’t know who we’re looking for. Meanwhile, I’ll investigate this incident. Hopefully, we’ll find a connection.”

“Your dad has told me all about your training with the FBI,” Bobby said. “It’s great that you volunteered to help him.”

“Happy to do it,” Tony said. “Still not sure we can do anything that will lead to an arrest, but we’ll do our best.”

“Will you contact Chief Watts?” River asked. “Or should I say Chief Watts Jr.?”

Ray smiled again in spite of his weariness. “Not yet. When I do, I need something solid. Irrefutable.”

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