Page 57 of Shattered Sanctuary

“Good. If you need me for any reason, you may have to leave me a message. Everyone in town seems to be calling, and we’re busy setting up shelters and providing supplies for those who need them.”

“Thanks for checking, but you don’t need to worry about us. And I imagine your angel friend is also inside for a while too. Maybe that’s a blessing in the midst of the storm.”

“I agree,” Adrian said. “Oh, one other thing, the first body has been identified. Knoxville had a BOLO for her. Ifit wasn’t for the necklace she was wearing and her broken leg, it might have taken a lot longer. Turns out the necklace was a family heirloom. Very distinctive. Her family had mentioned the necklace when the BOLO was issued. She broke her leg when she was twelve. Her name is Willow Abbott. She was twenty-seven when she disappeared. She’s from Memphis and rode buses from her home in Missouri, heading to Charleston, South Carolina. It was a long and arduous trip, but she was going to see an old friend who lived in Charleston. Obviously, she never made it. The last time she boarded a bus was in Knoxville. Then she just disappeared. Until now, that is.”

Kaely sat down and grabbed the notebook she had on the table. “Hold on, I want to write this down.” She quickly scribbled everything Adrian had told her onto a page in her notebook. “Adrian, can you give me a quick description of Miss... I assume it’s Miss Abbott?”

“Yes. She was single.” She could hear him rustle some papers. Then he said, “Medium build. Red hair. Small frame.”

“Hmmm.”

“Does thathmmmmean something?”

“Maybe,” Kaely said. “Adrian, the other victims. Weren’t they all small in stature?”

He was silent for several seconds. “Well, now that you mention it, you’re right. I hadn’t really thought about it.”

“That means that our unknown subject doesn’t need to be particularly large or strong. I still believe it’s a man. It would still take some strength to move those bodies, and serial killers are usually male. But that fact might help you narrow your search. You’ll want to add that to the profile we provided you.”

“Thank you. I will. By the way, how’s Ozzy doing?”

Kaely chuckled. “Well, Ozzy is now Chester. He’s been fed, thanks to our friend Steve, and is sleeping in front of the fire. And I’m not sure yet, but you may have to fight Erin for him.”

“I’d like nothing better than for him to go home with her,” Adrian said. “Our other dogs are easy to get along with, but Ozzy—I mean, Chester—would probably be happier being the center of attention. Poor guy deserves it, don’t you think?”

“Yes, I certainly do. Well, I’m sure you need to get back to work. I’ll be praying for you and everyone else in town to get through this storm safely.”

“Thank you,” Adrian said. “We certainly need all the prayers we can get.”

Kaely disconnected the call and hung up.

“You’re pretty sure of yourself about Chester, aren’t you?” Erin asked with a smile.

“Aren’t you?”

“Maybe.”

“I think it would be wonderful. Not just for you, but also for Chester. You two are going to be so good for each other. I don’t know what I’d do without Mr. Hoover.”

“You told me a while back that you and Noah are trying to get pregnant. You haven’t said anything lately. How are things going?” Erin asked.

Kaely shrugged. “We’ll get there. It’s just taking longer than I anticipated.” She didn’t want to make her struggles part of the conversation. For now, Erin needed to be the center of attention. “Did you hear that the first victim has been identified?”

“Yeah. Who was she, and do they know why she was in the vicinity?”

“Adrian said she was traveling from her home in Missouri to Charleston, South Carolina. She was planning to meet a friend. She was supposed to change buses in Knoxville, but she didn’t get on.”

“Knoxville? I realize it’s not that far away, but if I remember right, all the other victims were closer to Sanctuary.”

Kaely picked up her notebook and looked through notes. “Yeah, you’re right. Some of them lived farther away, but they all disappeared closer than Willow. Seems our UNSUB started off as far as twenty miles away, but now his comfort zone is tightening. I think Sanctuary was his intended target all along. As he perfects his murders, he seems to be focusing on this town.”

THIRTY-NINE

Erin found Kaely’s statement rather chilling. “So, the victims don’t seem to connect to each other, but the area is important?” Erin frowned. “He has something against women, angels, and this town? Suddenly, I wish we’d picked someplace else to stay.”

Kaely smiled. “What? And miss all the fun?” She shook her head. “Sorry, that was in poor taste. At the BAU we had to find something to joke about so we could get through the day. None of us took our jobs lightly. It was just... necessary.”

“I understand. We did the same. Police officers in St. Louis see things you wouldn’t believe.”

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