Page 76 of Cold Threat

“Who had been accused of child abuse,” River said.

“But was cleared,” Ray said. He crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. “So, if Wilson is killing for someone, and not himself, you suspect that person is his sister.”

Tony nodded. “We feel that he identifies the most with her.”

“But you haven’t profiled her?”

“We really can’t because we don’t have enough information.” River cleared her throat. “They may be doing this together, yet Michael Wilson profiles as the kind of person who works alone. But ... well ... we were wrong about the Salt River Strangler. We don’t want to be wrong again. We have to consider the possibility. If we had to guess about Stacy, that is if she’s alive, she would be someone who is overshadowed by her brother. A weaker personality. He probably takes care of her. I doubt that she has much interaction with the outside world. Unfortunately, that’s about all we can give you.”

River felt good about their profile, but she was still uncertain about Stacy Wilson. Was she really helping her brother? After missing it with the Strangler, she didn’t feel confident enough to answer that question.

“The trigger behind this occurred in Wilson’s childhood,” Tony interjected. “And we know it happened in the winter. Probably in December. And when it was snowing.”

“It could be connected to Christmas,” River said. “The ornament makes that clear.”

“By the way, Dad, did you ever check with the hospitals?” Tony asked. “Look to see if either one of the Wilson kids ever showed up there? It might give you some valuable information. Help us to find out what triggered Wilson’s desire to kill.”

“No,” Ray said slowly. “I guess I figured social services would have that information. They never said anything.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to look,” River said. “If we can find out if someone abused either one of them, it could give us some insight to his motives.”

“Good point. Let me see what I can uncover.” He picked up his notebook. “Thanks for this, by the way. You know, we’ve done almost everything we can. We’re running out of options. At this point, we’ve got to believe God will help us.”

“River and I were just saying the same thing,” Tony said. “We both hope this profile will help you to locate Wilson, Dad. He has to be here somewhere. He was in Des Moines, and now he’s in Burlington. When you have a suspect, check to see if he used to live in Des Moines. I realize a lot of people move here from there, but it could certainly help to narrow down the possibilities.”

“That birthmark should help you too,” River said.

“I’m going to put out a BOLO. He could have changed his appearance in some ways, but that birthmark could be his downfall.”

River shook her head. “You might want to hold off on that. If you do, and he sees it, he could run, and you might never catch him. Besides, he might be covering it with makeup. If you have law enforcement concentrating on that birthmark, he could get away.”

“But if it stays with the police...”

“Wilson has been able to get information he shouldn’t have,” River said. “I’m not saying you have a leak in your department, but if you do, a ‘be on the lookout’ could backfire.”

“I’ll think about what you’ve just said,” Ray said, “but if I feel like a BOLO might save lives, I’ll have to issue one.”

River and Tony were used to others in law enforcement ignoring their advice based on their own experiences and training. All a behavioral analyst could do was to give an opinion and hope the recipients used it wisely. That didn’t always happen, and there wasn’t a thing they could do about it.

There was a knock on the door, and Beth walked into the room, a smile on her face. “I know you’re all very busy, but can you give me an idea about supper? It’s already six.”

“You go ahead and eat,” Ray said to Tony and River. “I want to follow up this hospital angle.”

“You don’t have to go to the station to do it, do you, dear?” Beth asked.

Ray hesitated a moment. “I guess I can get it done from here. Let me call Duggan at the station. I’ll ask him to check the hospitals in Des Moines.”

“Well, good,” Beth said, her smile widening. “In that case, supper will be ready in fifteen minutes. My roast and the au gratin potatoes are warming in the oven. As soon as I make the salad, we can eat.”

Tony stood up. “Let me help, Mom.”

“Well, maybe you could get the drinks. That would be great.”

“I’ll be there after I talk to Duggan,” Ray said.

Although HIPAA laws prevented most people from accessing personal medical records, when someone in law enforcement said that they needed the information to stop or investigate a crime, warrants weren’t needed. Still, there were a lot of hospitals in Des Moines. Finding out something from so long ago might not be all that easy.

“Okay, Dad,” Tony said. “Don’t take too long. You don’t want Mom’s roast to get cold.”

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