Page 39 of Their Haunted Hearts
“I wonder what he’s found.” Kane wiped his mouth and stood. “Or maybe Jo has found something interesting about the killer?” He shrugged slowly into his coat. “I guess we’re going to find out.”
Thirty-Nine
By the time they’d walked back to the office, the street lights had come on. The temperature had plummeted, and Jenna’s cheeks became stiff with cold. The sky looked angry and way in the distance lightning streaked across the sky. People were covering the displays with tarps and staring at the dark clouds. One woman stopped Jenna. “Is there a problem?”
“No, I just wondered if you’d heard a weather report.” The woman frowned. “They said likelihood of rain at noon and look at the sky. That’s a bad storm and we’re getting no warnings.”
Shaking her head, Jenna glanced into the sky. “It doesn’t look good but it’s some ways away. Maybe it will blow over.”
“I hope so.” The woman picked up her grocery bags and hurried along the sidewalk bent against the wind.
The moment Raven returned, Jenna collected the team in her office and set up the computer for a conference call. It was good to see Agent Jo Wells and her partner, Ty Carter, as they always came to Black Rock Falls for Halloween, and Tauri had become close friends with Jo’s daughter, Jaime. “I know we’re in the middle of a case but it would be great to see you here again. The cottage is ready and waiting for you, if you’re planning on coming.”
“We wouldn’t miss it and I don’t figure Jaime would be very pleased to stay in Snakeskin Gully over Halloween. It’s very boring there.” Jo turned to Carter sitting beside her. “When can we leave, do you think?”
“Saturday night or Sunday morning, depending on the weather.” Carter moved a toothpick around his mouth. “The weather doesn’t look so good out here at the moment.”
Jenna nodded. “Same here. I figure we’re in for one heck of a storm.”
When Wolfe joined the meeting, they got down to business. Jenna leaned on her desk and stared at the computer screen. “I know you’ve been discussing the cases. Have you discovered anything of interest that we can use to catch this killer?”
“I’ve analyzed each case, taking into account the killer’s escalation.” Jo stared into the camera. “The corn maze crime scene portrays the same ritualistic intent, but according to the time of death, he spent more time with this one than the others. He didn’t risk leaving the body out where the wolves could consume it. I believe you discovered it not long after it was left in the corn maze. He risked being seen, which means he’s becoming bolder and more confident.”
“I have the victim’s name.” Wolfe stared into the camera. “Her fingerprints came up on the database. Her name is Gabby Turner. I’ve discovered something significant about her that’s different from the other two victims.” He leaned forward on his desk. “The wounds on the neck were contaminated with what I believe is the blood from the last victim. Previously to this, the tools he used to make the marks on the neck and draw the blood were sterilized. Apart from that, I found absolutely no trace evidence whatsoever.” He sighed. “It tells me that he was in a rush to get this one drained of blood. Also, it’s of interest that this is the only one that has a slight bruise on her face. This one had a bruise just under the left eye, but it was covered with makeup. As the killer hasn’t used makeup on the victims’ faces previously, I can only assume she wore makeup when he abducted her.”
“Why is this significant?” Raven’s eyes narrowed. “She meets all the criteria of his last victims.”
“She doesn’t.” Jo shook her head. “The others were perfect, no injuries to their faces. This makes me believe he was anxious to find another woman to kill. He decided to overlook the bruise, which would go against his vampire ideal. He’d believe they never age and recover from injuries immediately, and yet Wolfe mentioned the bruise was over a week old. This tells me he’s moving into another phase.”
Jenna raised one eyebrow. “Can you explain in more detail?”
“Before this murder, his previous two victims had reinforced his delusion. They had pristine skin with no visible signs of human frailty and then we come to the last one. Why did he choose her when the bruise disrupted his illusion, as in his mind, vampires regenerate and should be flawless?” Jo’s lips pursed. “The move is out of character. It’s a sign he’s losing control. In my opinion, he’ll risk everything to get his next kill. It’s his ultimate as it gets closer to Halloween. He needs to be gone from Black Rock Falls.”
Jenna leaned back in her chair, twisting a pen in her fingers. This was all very good information but it didn’t get her any closer to the killer. “Have you profiled this man? We assume he is over six feet tall with broad shoulders.”
“I have some information on this killer.” Carter cleared his throat. “Although we have no reason to believe that the cases are linked, a year ago three women were found in Austin, Texas, with bite marks on their necks and drained of blood. At the time there was a cult known for blood drinking, and although the local law enforcement interviewed everyone suspicious, they couldn’t get enough evidence for a case against anyone. It reminds me of this case as from reading the documentation there’s nothing to link any of the victims to the killer.”
“I took this case into consideration when I was profiling the killer.” Jo scrolled through her tablet. “The fact that he is tall and broad it makes perfect sense for him to move around in states where his size wouldn’t stick out.” She looked directly at Kane. “You’ve traveled all around the US. Where do you find the biggest guys?”
“Montana, South Dakota, Alabama, Tennessee, Utah, and Nebraska maybe.” Kane shrugged. “It’s not something I worry about.”
“From what I’ve seen, this man is methodical and cautious. It also suggests a deep awareness of how he’s perceived.” Jo checked her notes. “Wolfe figures he’s been doing this for a long time and yet has remained undetected. I would say we’re looking at a man between thirty-five and forty years old. Someone who adjusts his occupation, clothing, posture, and speech pattern to blend in seamlessly. He hides in plain sight and no doubt carefully studies the places he intends to go for his next murder spree. This would make him even more difficult to track. His ability to disappear into the background is a calculated and deliberate act.”
Intrigued, Jenna nodded. “So, we should concentrate our search for similar crimes anywhere where the men are over five-ten to six feet. Starting with the states Kane suggested?” She pushed both hands through her hair. “The problem is this won’t help us catch the killer in Black Rock Falls.”
“It will.” Carter smiled around his toothpick. “From what I understand, you’ve been chasing down the employment records of the men you suspect did this. This information means that you can eliminate people who do the same job. For instance, the horse breeder. Although he travels around, he’s still a horse breeder and high profile. He’s recognizable and not hiding in plain sight.”
Scanning the files on her tablet, Jenna nodded slowly. “Ah, yes and the other three, the maintenance man, Daniel McCulloch; the ranch hand, Dale Cash; and the cleaner at the Triple Z Bar, Sly Goldman; all have a variety of casual occupations. I just figured they took what jobs they could to survive, but if I look at them with your profile in mind, any one of them could be the killer.”
“That would be my assessment.” Jo smiled. “Another thing, if we look at the opposite to this perp, we’re talking about a disorganized killer. It would be unlikely they would map out their next kill. They’re more opportunistic. I don’t believe for a minute this person restricts themselves to Halloween. This is a sideline for him, a fantasy, or something that’s triggered each year by a childhood memory. He needs to follow the same path each year because of something he has either seen or believes to have seen during his childhood. This guy is well organized.”
“He figures he’s doing his bit for society.” Carter shook his head. “The fact that he doesn’t rape or touch them in any other way leaves his other crimes open to interpretation. This guy is way too clever to commit the same type of crime everywhere he goes. The problem is it might not be until we track him down that we discover the extent of his killings.”
“I believe he will stage his last killing soon and be gone by Halloween.” Jo reached for a glass of water on her desk and sipped. “In his mind, he’s given the vampires enough warning to stay away from the town. If you intend on catching him, it’s going to be over the next two nights. Come Sunday, he’ll be gone.”
Milling over what they had said, Jenna glanced around the table at her team. “So, we take Withers out of the equation and that leaves three suspects. We know where they live and if he’s going to strike, it’s usually late at night. Suggestions?”
“Trail cams would work the best. We could set them up on the roads leaving where they live and take shifts watching them overnight.” Kane raised both eyebrows at Jenna. “We have a stack of them on hand. It wouldn’t take more than an hour to set them all up.” He indicated toward the window. “But we’ll need to do it before this storm hits. I don’t figure anyone will want to be out when that comes to town.”
