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“I know who the killer is,” Kari said without preamble.

Yazzie’s weathered face registered surprise, then cautious interest.“You have evidence?”

“Circumstantial, but solid.”Kari took a breath, organizing her thoughts.“It’s Dr.Elaine Redford.Anthropology professor at Canyon State University, specialist in Navajo ceremonial practices.”

“The woman you interviewed about the ceremonial elements?”Tsosie asked, his expression thoughtful rather than dismissive.

“Yes.”Kari laid out her reasoning, the connections falling into place as she spoke—Redford’s academic knowledge of ceremonies without practical experience, and how Kari had to explain to her the ceremonial mistakes before Redford caught on; her connections to all three victims; the timing of the improvement in ceremonial accuracy after Kari’s visit; her access to the museum where the items were stolen.

“But what’s her motive?”Yazzie asked when she finished.“Professors don’t typically become serial killers over academic disputes.”

“I don’t know yet,” Kari admitted.“But everything else fits.She has the specialized knowledge to understand these ceremonies academically without the cultural context that would make the initial errors unlikely.”

Yazzie considered this, his expression giving nothing away.“It’s thin, Blackhorse.Suggestive, but not enough for an arrest warrant.”

“I know.But it’s enough to investigate her more thoroughly.Check her movements against the timeline of the murders, see if she had access to the museum during the thefts, look for connections to the victims beyond what we already know.”

The door opened without a knock.Daniels stood on the threshold, his expression a mixture of irritation and curiosity.“Private strategy session?I thought we agreed to inter-agency cooperation.”

Kari met Yazzie’s eyes, a silent question passing between them.The captain gave an almost imperceptible nod.

“I have a new suspect,” Kari said, turning to face Daniels.“Dr.Elaine Redford.”

Daniels’s eyebrows rose.“The anthropologist?The one who helped you analyze the ceremonial elements?”

“Yes.”

“That’s… unexpected,” Daniels said diplomatically.“What evidence are you basing this on?”

Kari repeated her reasoning, watching Daniels’s expression shift from curiosity to skepticism to thinly veiled dismissal.

“So your theory,” he summarized when she finished, “is that a middle-aged female academic with no history of violence has suddenly embarked on a series of ritualistic murders, overpowering victims who in at least two cases were considerably larger and stronger than herself?”

“Serial killers don’t always fit convenient profiles,” Kari said.“And we’re not talking about random violence.These are planned, methodical killings with specific victims selected for specific reasons.”

“Selecting them is one thing.Physically dominating them is another.”Daniels shook his head.“Harrington’s neck was broken with considerable force.Delgado was an experienced outdoorswoman who would have fought back.Mitchell was slight but wiry, with the conditioning of someone who spent decades on archaeological digs.Are we expected to believe this Dr.Redford—what is she, average-size woman, five-foot-four, a hundred and twenty pounds give or take?—overpowered these people?”

“The element of surprise would be significant,” Tsosie interjected.“And we don’t know if she’s working alone.”

“Now it’s a conspiracy?”Daniels didn’t bother hiding his skepticism.“This feels like grasping at straws, Detective Blackhorse.We have a solid profile built on established patterns of ritualistic killers.This… academic veneer doesn’t fit that profile.”

“Your profile is wrong,” Kari said flatly.“It was wrong from the beginning because it assumed a traditional Navajo practitioner would make the ceremonial errors we observed.No one with lived cultural knowledge would make those mistakes.But someone with academic knowledge—someone like Redford—absolutely would.”

“And she conveniently corrected those mistakes after you pointed them out to her?”Daniels shook his head.“That would require her to be simultaneously methodical enough to construct elaborate murder scenes and careless enough to reveal herself by improving her technique immediately after your consultation.”

“Or arrogant enough to believe no one would make the connection,” Kari countered.“Psychopaths often overestimate their intelligence relative to others.She might have seen it as an irresistible challenge—to demonstrate her learning, to prove her superiority.”

Daniels sighed, his expression suggesting he was dealing with a particularly stubborn child.“I’ve been building profiles for violent offenders for over twenty years, Detective.The type of killer who performs these ritualistic murders is almost invariably male, physically dominant, with a history of escalating violence and boundary-testing.They don’t emerge fully formed from anthropology departments.”

“And I’ve been dealing with my culture’s ceremonies my entire life,” Kari shot back.“Those ceremonial elements tell a story that your profile doesn’t account for.”

“I think what Detective Blackhorse is suggesting,” Yazzie intervened smoothly, “is that we expand our investigation to include Dr.Redford as a person of interest, not that we abandon other avenues.”

Daniels looked like he wanted to argue further, but professional courtesy prevailed.“Fine.Assign someone to look into her background, check her movements against our timeline.But I want the primary focus to remain on finding suspects who match our established profile.”

“I’ll handle Redford myself,” Kari said.

“With Detective Tsosie,” Yazzie added firmly.“No one works alone on this case.”

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