Page 32 of Shattered Sanctuary

“Exactly. But trust me, there’s a method to this guy’smadness. We just need to find it. Understand it. That way we can help Adrian catch him.”

“I hope you’re right about the local police department being up to the challenge,” Erin said.

“We better pray they are.” Kaely rubbed her temples as if she had a headache.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, I will be. I just need to get this profile right.”

“Are you going to... you know...”

Kaely met Erin’s gaze. “Yes, I am. And yes, you can watch.”

“Great. I think it’s fascinating. But why won’t you let me write about it?”

“Because it isn’t standard practice. The analysts at the BAU don’t use it, and I don’t want to anyone to think it’s a valid procedure.”

Erin nodded her assent, but she still couldn’t understand Kaely’s reluctance to allow her way of profiling to be included in a novel. The stories in novels weren’t real. Everyone knew that. But, if it was what she wanted, Erin wouldn’t go against her wishes.

She was excited to finally be able to watch this unique way of profiling.

And to be honest, just a little bit frightened.

TWENTY-THREE

After he got home, Adrian changed clothes and made himself a cup of decaf caramel cappuccino. He’d purchased a one-cup coffeemaker for Christmas and had been experimenting with different flavored coffee pods until he found these at a large discount store in Knoxville. They were much better than some of the more expensive types of coffees and cappuccinos. He sat down on the couch and turned on the TV. Jake jumped up next to him and put his head on Adrian’s lap.

“Yeah, you love me until you get the chance to flirt with a couple of pretty women,” he said, stroking Jake’s head. “I can’t believe how fickle you are.”

Jake made a low moaning sound, and Adrian laughed. “Sorry. You’re not getting away with your disloyalty that easy.”

Jake’s head went up and he placed a paw on Adrian’s leg. He sighed dramatically. “Okay, okay. You’re forgiven.”

As if he understood, Jake put his head back down, closed his eyes, and went to sleep. Adrian kept the TV on for a while, but he wasn’t really watching it. As he sipped his cappuccino, he kept going over the case in his mind. He felt uneasy, but hewasn’t sure why. Of course, he was bothered by the murders, but there was something else. Something he couldn’t seem to remember. As he clicked through everything in his mind that he’d seen, and all of the facts they’d accumulated, it was as if there was a voice whispering to him, trying to get him to listen.

His grandmother used to tell him that if he learned to listen to the Holy Spirit, he would always have access to everything he ever needed.

“The Holy Spirit will guide you along your way, boy,” she’d said. “Just learn to listen with your heart.”

Problem was, his heart didn’t seem to be paying much attention lately. Although he had to act confident in front of his officers in their ability to solve these murders, he couldn’t help but wonder if they should contact the FBI—or get Knoxville involved. Were they really up to this? The only reason he was willing to wait was because of Kaely Hunter and Erin Delaney. If his heartwastelling him anything, it was that he had some of the best resources available to anyone through the training and talent of these two remarkable women.

He felt himself begin to nod off in front of the TV. As he drifted off, the brilliant green eyes of Erin Delaney seemed to look deeply into his. And it made him smile.

If she didn’t know better, Erin would have been worried that Kaely could actually hear her heart beating. It seemed loud to her, but she knew that wasn’t actually possible. Ever since Kaely had told her about her “process,” she’d wanted to watch it. She would never tell Kaely that she’d tried it herself, but that it hadn’t worked. In fact, she’d felt silly. Whileworking on her book, she’d asked several questions about Kaely’s method, but her responses had been a little strange. At one point she said that there was a spiritual side to her method that Erin wouldn’t understand. Kaely was right. She didn’t understand. Kaely was good about not bringing up God very often in their conversations. Erin had made it clear from the beginning that she wasn’t interested. When Kaely read parts of her novel that contained profanity or graphic violence, Kaely hadn’t said a word. That had surprised her. Erin had wondered if she might back out of the project—tell her she couldn’t lower herself to work with someone who wrote things that went against her Christian principles. Funny thing was, Erin didn’t use profanity when she talked to Kaely on the phone—or now that they were together. It wasn’t that she thought Kaely would judge her. She honestly didn’t want to make her friend uncomfortable. Kaely wasn’t one of those judgmental, critical Christians. Instead, she was sweet and understanding. She’d been a better friend to her than the people she’d worked with for several years. Although she had no intention of asking questions about God, if she ever changed her mind, Kaely would be the person she’d turn to.

Now they were sitting at the kitchen table, Kaely on one side, and Erin in a chair a few feet away. The chair across from Kaely was empty. Kaely had her phone set to record and had left it on the table in front of her.She had Erin’s phone next to her with the crime photos pulled up on the screen. She’d asked Erin not to say anything until she was finished. Why was she so nervous? It was more than excitement. It was as if there was something in the room. A kindof energy. She had no idea what it was—but she was certain it wasn’t her imagination.

“Before I start,” Kaely said, “I need to explain that I used to actually eat dinner with the UNSUB.” Kaely laughed at Erin’s expression. “No, the UNSUB didn’t actually eat. When I originally got the idea of trying toseethe person I was profiling, it came about while studying what people eat and why. For example, someone with bad table manners might have been raised in a certain type of home. Those who ate certain foods could also be profiled because of their choices. Eventually, I dropped that part of the profile. I still think looking at what people eat and how they eat can be really helpful. I’ve just moved beyond it.” She stared at Erin for a moment before saying, “As I told you, there’s a spiritual aspect to this. At one point, there were some problems with... well, with the wrong spirits becoming involved. I’ve learned how to take authority over that, but if for any reason, you should become uncomfortable, just leave the room. I’ll understand. But like I said, please don’t say anything. I need to complete the profile. Do you understand?”

Erin nodded and tried to look nonchalant about what was getting ready to happen. She tried to dismiss her feelings, but they wouldn’t be easily vanquished.

Kaely spread out their notes in front of her. Then she closed her eyes and lowered her head. She’d explained to Erin that she always prayed before she started. This was one time when she didn’t seem to be concerned with how Erin would react. She didn’taskif it was okay. She simply informed her that this was the way it was going to be.

After she lifted her head, she rifled through the notes,clicked through the photos, and then she started to speak. She looked at the chair across from her as if someone was there.

“You’re angry,” she said in a matter-of-fact voice. “You’ve been angry a long time. Ever since you were a child. Something happened to make you this way. You’ve been planning to pay someone back for a while. Not long ago, you started practicing. Practicing for vengeance. Against God. Against the angels.”

Kaely frowned as she looked at the chair. “You’re in your late twenties, early thirties. Maybe even your late thirties. You’re nice looking, but not so handsome that you are considered unattainable by your victims.”

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