Page 75 of Cold Threat

“Elizabeth ... that’s the aunt’s name ... emailed me these pictures. First of all, here’s a picture of Michael when he was six.” Ray handed an 8 by 10 glossy picture he’d obviously copied from his laptop. Tony took it and held it so that River could see it too. She couldn’t help but gasp. Michael Wilson had a black birthmark on his face.

“That’s not all,” Ray said. “Here’s a picture taken at Christmas. Look at the ornaments on the tree.”

River and Tony peered closely at the tree. River gulped when she saw it. It was a felt snowman, exactly like the ones left at the crime scenes.

“Michael Wilson is the Snowman,” River said to Tony, who nodded. He looked at his dad.

“We’d come to the same conclusion based on our profile. Everything we came up with fit Michael Wilson. Now we know we were right.”

“Remember the school pictures we saw?” River said. “Where Michael’s cheek was resting on his hand? Michael and the photographer were trying to hide his birthmark.”

“Exactly,” Ray said. He plopped down onto his desk chair. “Knowing who the Snowman isshouldhelp us, but unfortunately it doesn’t. We don’t have a clue where Michael Wilson is. Or what name he’s using.”

Ray was right. “Look,” River said, “all we can do is give you our profile. Even though we no longer have an UNSUB, maybe it can help you figure out how to find him.”

“By tomorrow?” Ray asked. The doubt on his face was reflected in River’s mind. Still, she was committed to trying. As she’d said, it was all they could do.

“Let me get something to drink,” Ray said. “Then we can go over it. At this point, anything you can add will be helpful.”

After Ray left, Tony sighed and shook his head. “I wish we had something that would really send him in the right direction, but I’m not sure we do.”

“We can tell him some things that might be beneficial. I mean, we know Wilson probably won’t be working a menial job. And we know he’s in this area.”

Tony sighed again. “Too bad he’s not the kind of person who would have a record. That would make it much easier. My dad’s also tried looking for similar crimes, but there weren’t any exactly like the Snowman’s. I mean, except for the Snowman’s.”

“I know.” She smiled at Tony. “Look, we came here to write a profile. We did it. And redid it. And redid it again. At this point, we need to give Ray what we have and put this in God’s hands.”

Tony stared at her for a moment, and then returned her smile. “Thanks,” he said. “I’m glad you reminded me.”

“Not a problem,” River said. “To be honest, it will take God to stop Wilson from killing anyone else.”

Tony pulled his chair up next to River’s. Then he took her hands. “Let’s pray now, okay?”

As Tony prayed, River could hear the sincerity and urgency in his voice. This was it. Tonight just might determine whether or not they’d done enough to stop Michael Wilson. It really was in God’s hands now.

CHAPTER

FORTY-TWO

An hour later, after they’d gone over the profile with Ray, he leaned forward in his chair and picked up the notes he’d written.

“So, Wilson most likely has a good job. His personality wouldn’t give anyone a clue to who he really is. You don’t think he’s got a record. He’s probably single, but he might be living with his sister. He may be outgoing at work, but he keeps his personal life very private.” He frowned. “You think he’s killing because of something that happened to her or to someone else he cares about? But not something that happened to him?”

“Yes,” River said. “The way he kills tells us he is angry, but he’s not completely comfortable with killing. Giving his victims an overdose of insulin and letting them die before he sets the fire tells us this. We believe he’s convinced he’s delivering some kind of deserved judgment against people he believes are evil.”

Ray frowned. “Well, if he’s not comfortable with killing, is it possible he’ll stop?”

“We’re not sure. Maybe,” Tony said. “We think it’s possible he waits two years between killings because it’s distasteful to him in a way. The two-year gap is self-imposed. Maybe he’ll stop once he feels he’s delivered all the justice he needs to.”

“But you think he may strike again soon?”

Tony nodded. “These kinds of killers are very narcissistic. Their mission is everything. Sandra Cooper thwarted him. My guess is he’s been to the hospital in an attempt to get to her, but you’ve got an officer outside her door. We think that this failure will drive him to kill again.”

“We also believe that Sandra’s life is in danger once she leaves the hospital,” River said.

Ray frowned. “And the only connection you’ve found is that all of the victims have been involved in some way with foster care.”

“Yes, but each case is a little different,” Tony said. “Edward Wilson gave his kids up to foster care. The other victims were involved in the system—but a long time ago. Except for Sandra Cooper.”

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