Page 44 of Killer Clone

“Well, Walker had the ideal kill location, didn’t he?” Stacy straightened in her chair. “If he killed Marrion at the funeral home, it’s not like he could leave Marrion’s corpse there. So he’dhave to dump him. We should go there and see if there’s security footage.”

“I think we need to remember that someone killed Walker. And the most likely option when we consider that angle is an accomplice covering their tracks.” Stella released the stud in a gesture of frustration. “Or some combination of both.”

The room went silent while the agents contemplated their options.

Slade lifted his chin. His face was flushed. “Looks like we’ve got some angles to investigate. But I think it’s clear with the cuneiform marks in the Walker case that there’s a connection with Pennsylvania.”

Hagen’s frustration rose. “No. It can’t be the same killer. Maureen King is dead. We saw her die. And Douglas King, the sheriff, her husband and accomplice, was murdered as well. There can’tbea killer from Pennsylvania.”

Stella lowered her hand slowly from her ear. Hagen’s heart sank. She’d thought of something. And he wasn’t going to like it.

Slade had seen it too. “What’s on your mind, Stella?”

She blinked and hesitated before she spoke. “Maureen King certainly killed Laurence Gill. But we could’ve been wrong about Sheriff King’s involvement.”

“How?” All Hagen’s attention focused on Stella.

“Do you remember the sheriff’s reaction at the sight of Deputy Mark Tully’s body? We were with him. He was devastated. And do you remember how shocked we were when we realized he was helping Maureen? When he shot at us? We couldn’t believe it. Maybe we were right not to.”

“But…he shot at us.”

“Maybe he was just trying to protect his wife. Maybe he hadn’t known she’d killed Tully. I’m certain he didn’t expect her to kill him. And she did kill him. Her own husband. Would she have done that if he were her accomplice?”

Hagen thought about the awful situation for a moment. Maureen had murdered her victims in a strange attempt to save them. She was one of the only killers he’d ever met who murdered people she liked. “She might have done it to save him. Maureen King was not in her right head.”

Stella frowned. “But I don’t think that changes the equation when you consider her first murders. We know Maureen King had an accomplice for those. There were two sets of boots at the crime scenes. But there’s another reason.”

“What do you mean?”

Stella dropped back into her chair. Her gaze fell on Hagen, and in that look, she seemed to deliver an apology.

“Maureen wasn’t good at tying knots. I saw her in the kitchen trying to tie herbs and failing. But the victims were tied from trees. She must’ve had help stringing up the bodies.” She sighed. “If her accomplice wasn’t the sheriff, then there very well could be a murderer running free. And they could be here to send us a message.”

Hagen took a deep breath. Anger rose in his chest. It’d been a while since he’d felt that old familiar sensation. He wasn’t mad at Stella. He was angry that they’d left their work unfinished. They’d left a murderer free, and now, the killer had followed them. If they’d done their job properly?—

Slade broke his thought. “Did you collect DNA from the scenes in Pennsylvania?”

Stella nodded. “We did, but the evidence was pretty contaminated because of the snowstorm and our lack of access to forensic resources. We didn’t have anything by the time we left, and I doubt the results will be much use when we do get them.”

“There is something though.” Hagen felt itchy, like he needed to do something. “Maureen King fell down a rabbit hole after she joined some Dispatch group prophesying the end ofthe world. That’s where the cuneiform comes from. We could try to get into the group. Maybe they’re still around.”

“Patrick Marrion met his ‘friend’ online. Maybe that was on Dispatch too?” Stella threw the idea out. “That was the only social app on Maureen King’s phone.”

Ander was still rocking on his chair, though he kept leveling out before Slade could catch him. If the morning’s revelations had surprised him, he didn’t show it. “Did either of you join the group?”

Hagen crossed his arms, as if physical pressure would stop the heat burning through his rib cage. “Once we cracked that case, when we thought we’d cracked it, we didn’t think we needed to join. Mac, can you get us in?”

Mac was sitting at the end of the table. She spun her phone gently between her fingers.

“Unlikely. Even if we could identify the group, it would take ages to get cooperation from the Dispatch administrators. You’d need to wrangle an invitation.”

“I’ll handle that.” Anja raised her hand. “Should be a good place to find sources.”

Slade rubbed his hands together. “Okay, we’ve got two victims to investigate, and that’s on top of the three you found on your little break. I do not want more. Let’s find the link between the victims. What connects them, if anything, besides a killer?” He nodded at Hagen. “I want you and Ander to focus on Otto Walker. Check his workplace. Go visit that church he volunteered at in Idlebrook. Stella?—”

Stella’s phone pinged. She lifted the device and touched the screen. “Sorry, it’s Guy Lacross, that cuneiform expert. He says…” She paused and read, her thumb sliding along the glass. “The writing on the wall says, ‘only blood will redeem the world and redemption is coming soon.’”

Hagen was ready to leave. He’d heard that before, though he’d hoped he’d never have to hear it again. “Sounds familiar.”

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