Page 25 of Silent Home

Their quiet moment was interrupted by Sheila's phone buzzing.A text from dispatch: 911 call from the Mountain View Hotel.Possible homicide.

"We have to get to the hotel," she said as she pushed off from the wall.

"Why?What is it?"

"Possible homicide," she said grimly."I think our killer may have just struck again."

***

The Mountain View Hotel's service corridor was already crowded with emergency personnel when Sheila and Finn arrived.Red and blue lights from police vehicles outside strobed through the windows, creating an eerie light show against the industrial carpet and bare walls.

Dr.Jin looked up from where he knelt beside the body."Same killer," he said without preamble."Gaffer's wire, similar bruising pattern.And this victim, too, was repositioned after death."

Thomas Rivera sat propped against the wall near the emergency exit, his hotel uniform pristine except for the ligature marks on his neck.Unlike Jessica Gregory, he hadn't been dressed in any special costume—just his regular work clothes, though they'd been meticulously straightened after death.His hands were folded in his lap, his head tilted as if listening to something.Most disturbing was his expression—peaceful, almost serene, like an actor waiting for his cue.

Sheila's heart sank.She'd been right to want to shut down the festival.If they had, this might not have happened.But because she'd allowed Rider to have his way, because she hadn't exercised her powers to do what she believed was right, there was blood on her hands.

She took a moment to calm herself.Easy,she thought.Berating yourselves won't do anyone any good.You have to keep your head in the game.

She circled the body slowly, taking in every detail.The killer had positioned Rivera with the same careful precision used with Jessica, but something was different."The first victim was dressed specially for the scene," she said."This time he used what the victim was already wearing."

"Maybe he didn't have time to change the clothes," Finn suggested, crouching to study the ligature marks.

"Or maybe the uniform was part of the scene he wanted to create," Sheila said.She noted how the victim's shirt had been tucked in neatly, his name tag perfectly straight."Everything's so...precise."

She turned to Jin."Time of death?"

"Between nine and nine-thirty PM," Jin said."Body temperature and lividity suggest he was killed here, then positioned about an hour later."

He pointed to some scuff marks on the carpet."Signs of a struggle, but brief.The killer likely took him by surprise."

Deputy Neville approached with a preliminary report.She had to step carefully around the crime scene technicians who were photographing every angle of the scene, their flash units creating stark shadows with each burst of light.

"Victim is Thomas Rivera, thirty-four, night clerk.Been working here three years.The front desk got an alert when this emergency exit was breached around nine PM.They radioed Rivera to check it out since he was already on this floor."

"Security cameras?"Finn asked, standing and moving to examine the emergency exit.

"Nothing useful.This is a blind spot—cameras cover the main corridors but not this service area.The killer must have known that."

Sheila joined Finn at the door.The lock had been jimmied professionally—someone who knew what they were doing.She ran her fingers over the mechanism, feeling the damage."This wasn't forced in a hurry," she said."They took their time, did it right."

She turned back to the scene, where Jin was supervising the placement of evidence markers."What do we know about Rivera?"

"Divorced, lived alone," Neville said, consulting her notes."Used to do community theater but quit a few years ago.Coworkers say he was reliable, kept to himself mostly."

Something clicked in Sheila's mind."Community theater—when did he quit?"

"After his divorce, according to his supervisor.About three years ago."

Jin stood, removing his gloves."The bruising pattern is nearly identical to what we found on Jessica Gregory.Same killer, same technique.But this feels..."

"More practiced," Sheila finished."Like Jessica was a dress rehearsal, and this is the real performance."

Crime scene technicians continued their methodical work, the click of their cameras punctuating the silence.One of them called Jin over to examine something near the victim's feet, but it turned out to be just a scuff mark from the struggle.The emergency exit door creaked slightly in the cold wind from outside.Somewhere down the hall, a vending machine hummed.

"There's no denying it," Finn said quietly."We've got a serial killer on our hands."

"A serial killer with an artistic vision," Sheila said."And he's giving this town all it can handle.Come on, let's go talk to Rider.Maybe, just maybe, he can help us connect some dots—and put a stop to this for good."

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