Page 30 of Shattered Sanctuary

Erin frowned. “No one said anything about her being hit on the head, and I didn’t notice blood in her hair.”

Kaely picked up her phone. Adrian probably hadn’t gotten home yet. She clicked on his number. He picked up on the second ring.

“Sorry to bother you,” Kaely said, “but we have a couple of questions. I need to know everything I can to write you a profile that will help you.”

“Sure, I understand.”

He sounded drained. This was a huge case for a small-town police force. Kaely felt guilty, but she was being honestabout needing his help. She wanted to give him a profile that would help him find this killer before anyone else died.

“Where did you find Chloe’s car?”

“What makes you ask that?” he said.

“It has to do with where the UNSUB took her and why. Did he try to stay away from everyone because someone in this area might recognize him?”

“Interestingly enough, we haven’t found her car yet. Merle said she drove away in it, and that she was alone. But that was the last time he saw it.”

“Okay. My other question is this: It’s possible he stabbed her immediately. If that happened, there might be blood in her car. I just wanted to find out if he did anything else. Did Gibson find any other wounds? Was she hit on the head? In the pictures, there’s no bruising around her neck.”

“There’s no indication of any other kind of trauma to the body except for the knife wound. Maybe Gibson missed something. I’ll check with him, but it will have to wait until the morning. He doesn’t take kindly to being bothered this time of night.”

“Whereas you don’t mind at all?”

Adrian chuckled. “It’s fine. I’m just tired. It’s been a long day.”

“I understand,” Kaely said. “One last question. Has the tox screen come back?”

“No. We had to send the results to Knoxville. We won’t have anything back until sometime tomorrow. Why? What are you thinking?”

“Just trying to find out how he got her into a situation where he was able to stab her. I don’t see any defensive wounds on her body.”

“You’re right. There weren’t any that Gibson could find. You think he drugged her?”

“I don’t know,” Kaely said, “but I’d like to. Will you let me know as soon as possible if you find out anything helpful from the tox screen?”

“Yeah. I will. Hopefully, I’ll have something for you by the time you get here tomorrow.”

“Thanks,” Kaely said. “Appreciate it.”

“Not a problem. I’m grateful for all your help. See you tomorrow.”

Kaely said good-bye and disconnected the call. She looked over at Erin and shrugged. This UNSUB was unusual, and she hadn’t written a profile by herself in quite a while. Was she up to it, or would a serial killer claim another victim because she couldn’t help Adrian find him in time?

TWENTY-TWO

After telling Erin what Adrian had said, the women went back to the photos. Erin couldn’t shake the feeling that she didn’t belong here—trying to help Kaely. She hadn’t worked for the FBI, and she’d never received the kind of training Kaely had.

“You’re pretty quiet,” Kaely said after a few minutes. “Anything wrong?”

“I’m just thinking that you’d do better if you had someone else to help you. Someone who actually knows what they’re doing. Not a clueless author who’s only parroting the information you’ve given me.”

To her surprise, Kaely laughed. When she saw the look on Erin’s face, Kaely reached over and took her hand. “You know, I’ve worked with several analysts at the FBI. They were great. But my interaction with you matches or exceeds anything I ever experienced on the job.”

Erin started to protest, but Kaely waved her comment away. “I’ve taught you a lot, but you soaked all of it up like a sponge. And some of the things you noticed on the body? I didn’t teach you that. It was instinct. You’re a natural. Notonly as a cop, but as an analyst. I realize a lot of that comes from working on the streets of St. Louis. But when we’re working together, it’s like our minds are in sync. That doesn’t happen very often. I think you’re extraordinary. Forgive me for saying this, but I wish you wouldn’t give up on your dream of joining the Bureau and applying to the BAU. In the end, it’s your decision. And you might be right. It’s possible that the FBI might not see you as an acceptable candidate. But I’m willing to go to bat for you, if you ever change your mind.”

Erin sighed. “I know you’re trying to help, and I appreciate it. Let me think about it. I’m not sure what I want. Do I want to try for the FBI and fail? Or even win? Or do I want to keep writing? I know it’s frustrating, but I just need some time. I never expected this book to take off the way it did. Like I told you, I had a couple of novels published by a small press when I was in college. People seemed to enjoy them, but I didn’t sell a lot.”

“Are they still available?” Kaely asked.

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