Page 397 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

Given what Zimmerman had told her about this giving her a clean slate to get promoted, she figured if it was true then that meant she could move on from here when it was done. If she succeeded.

Probably she’d be fired.

Either way, Addie didn’t have to get stuck in Benson forever. That would be a nightmare when her history was around every corner. Ready to rush at her when she least expected it.

But this investigation—and her own history that seemed to be related somehow—was a serious hurdle.

“Wow.” Dr. Carlton stood at the door in a skirt suit and heels, a trench coat over her arm and a briefcase in hand. “This is a lot of cases.”

“Hey, Sarah.” It was nice to see a friendly face.

Jacob had been hauled in for questioning by the police, and no one updated her on how that had gone. She’d kind of thought Hank would come by. Not yet though. Were they questioning Jake still?

Addie needed to focus on work, or she would realize it was hours later and all she’d done was think about Jake. That wouldn’t be good. It made her long for DC, where she’d rarely been distracted by personal stuff. Even with Zimmerman, and their relationship.

Which made her wonder if she’d had feelings for him or if it was simply about connecting with someone? She knew how Russ felt about it—because the first book he read every day was theBible. What about Sarah? Maybe Addie needed to figure out the answer on her own as to the kind of person she wanted to be here or anywhere.

Focus.

Addie turned to the ME. “I have a question.”

“Hit me.” Sarah put her briefcase beside the coat tree and hung up the trench.

“Was there anything from the autopsy on Celia Jessop that I don’t know?”

“There’s always the unexpected.” Sarah folded her arms. “She was stabbed twice, and there are some shallow cuts.”

“Methodical?”

Sarah nodded. “Clean and precise. But I don’t think the killer had medical training and the blade had a serration close to the handle. Maybe a pocketknife or small hunting knife.”

Addie had three other similar cases. They didn’t look like torture, which was why she’d settled on experimentation. It was more common than she wanted to see in cases where the killer had no empathy.

Sarah frowned. “So you believe this was the first death this year?”

“Unless you have anything.” Addie shrugged. “All the others were in a series of two or three, over two months. They’re spaced a few years apart each time. Each killing season, as it were, shows a pattern. The first kill is opportunity and looks like desperation. The others are more methodical, like he’s testing things out in some cases. But there are always a few common elements.”

“Like the bruise?”

“I’d noticed that. I wasn’t sure what it indicated.” Addie frowned. “Mostly because I’ve been distracted by the bug bites. It’s on my list to tackle next.”

“Can I show you something?” Sarah unfolded her arms and pointed to one of the victim photos. That one had a broken hyoid bone and petechiae around the eyes.

Strangulation.

Addie figured she knew what this was. “Sure.”

Sarah moved around behind her. “Each of the victims shows swollen skin around the neck. Not exactly bruising, but pressure was applied. This one that has a broken hyoid bone? Celia had the same thing when I took a look at the X-rays. I’m wondering if you’ve got more than just these two, and it was overlooked because of the other injuries. I think he’s right-handed. And I can tell you he’s over five eleven but not taller than six one.”

Sarah’s arms came over Addie’s shoulders, she bent her right elbow and grasped her wrist with her left hand. The inside of her wrist touched Addie’s throat. “If I apply enough pressure, it squeezes off the carotid. You’ll pass out because blood backs up in your brain.”

Addie’s mind spun with the implications. “And the bruise by the throat? The broken hyoid?”

Her arm constricted against Addie’s throat. Addie patted Sarah’s forearm. The ME lowered her arms. Addie felt the pieces click together in her mind. “It’s a chokehold.”

“He pulls. I think a watch may be responsible for the break.”

“But it’s not on all of them. So maybe he doesn’t always wear it.” Addie walked along the row of whiteboards and looked at each victim. “Or he didn’t have a watch for a while, but he wears one now and didn’t account for it.”

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