Page 19 of Cold Vengeance

River sighed. “Well, her notebook is interesting, but it’s going to take me a while to go through it. She took really good notes. Lots of them.”

“What about the Casanova case?” Tony asked.

“I was just looking at it. April believes it was connected to two other murders four years earlier.”

“Anything that makes you think she was right?”

“Photos of the crime scenes look very similar, but she wasn’t able to prove a connection,” River said. “I was thinking about the possibility these kids were killed by the same person, but if they were, we’re missing something important.”

“No one took credit for it?”

“Exactly,” River said. “As we know, serial killers are narcissistic. They want people to know who they are. What they’ve done. I can’t find anything that makes me think the killer got attention for himself. Also, I’m not finding a signature. Except for the way the teenagers were killed, where the bodies were found, and the time of year they died, nothing else links them. And killings in parks during the winter certainly isn’t unusual. It happens because they’re usually deserted. Oh, and the killer didn’t use the same gun.”

“But if these murders are related and we wrote a profile for them, what would we be looking at?”

River paused a moment before saying, “This may be a waste of time, but let’s give it a go.” She thought for a moment before saying, “Okay, the killer would have to be a younger man sincehe was able to overpower these teenagers. He probably presented himself as someone non-threatening. These parks were basically empty of people or traffic. Perhaps he told them he worked for the park. Like a security guard. Or he could have been dressed like a police officer who was there to tell them they needed to move on.”

“Like Dennis Rader,” Tony interjected. “He was a city compliance officer. That made it easier for him to get close to his victims.”

“Exactly.” River couldn’t stifle another yawn, but she wanted to keep going. She and Tony had worked on a lot of profiles for the FBI. It was a part of her. She couldn’t help but think along those lines.

“He’s probably white since most serial killers are Caucasian. My guess is he chose young lovers probably out of some kind of jealousy.”

“Which means he may not be that attractive,” Tony said. “Or he has something that makes him feel inferior. A disability? Perhaps he’s a stutterer? We’ve seen that combination before.”

“Possibly,” River said. “Honestly, we may be reaching. I couldn’t find much to convince me these cases are related. We can talk about it more tomorrow. I’ve just begun to look through everything. April’s notebook is pretty big. Every page filled, plus notes, articles, and photos stuffed into the sleeve in the back. Like I said, this will take some time.”

“Well, I copied the files from both the laptops to a USB drive.”

“Good. So, I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”

There was a short pause before Tony said, “Yes. Are you still upset about having your own personal chauffeur?”

“I know you’re trying to be careful, but why do I have this picture in my mind of being eighty years old and waiting for you to take me to get my blue hair permed?”

“You plan to have blue hair?” Tony said. “Not sure that would be a good look for you.”

River sighed loudly.

“Look, once the Strangler’s accomplice is behind bars you can drive anywhere you want,” Tony said, his tone firm. “But until then...”

“I know, I know. Big Brother is watching out for me.”

Tony chuckled. “I think the phrase is ‘Big Brother is watching.’”

“I edited it. Fits my situation better.”

This time, he laughed out loud. Tony’s laugh erupted from somewhere deep inside him and then bubbled up to the surface. River hadn’t laughed a lot before she met him. Even when they were working at the BAU, he had the ability to break the tension of the job with a dumb joke or by kindheartedly teasing someone in a way that would make everyone laugh. He was able to bring a touch of healing to the horror they faced on a day-to-day basis. River had never really poked fun at anyone before Tony taught her how. Now, she felt free to tease him whenever she wanted to. There was no way to explain the joy he’d brought into her life, or how he’d helped her find her way to a God she’d never really known.

“I need to go,” she said. “My mother wants me to come by her room and say good night. After that, I’m going to look through this notebook a little longer. As long as I can stay awake, that is. April could have worked in law enforcement. Her instincts were excellent. She was a natural.”

“We can talk about it more in the morning,” Tony said. “Breakfast before or after we go by Nathan’s place?”

“If we have to be there by eight o’clock? After, please.”

“I second that.” Tony yawned, which made River do the same. “Good thing you yawned. I’m always watching people. If someone yawns and anyone around him doesn’t...”

“You decide they’re most likely a psychopath?”

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