Page 102 of Girl Between
“Would’ve been too easy,” grumbled LaSalle.
“I thought we examined all the surveillance footage from the crime scenes,” George said, pinning LaSalle and Neville with an irritated glare.
“Did boss,” LaSalle said. “Hearses come and go from those cemeteries on a daily basis. Seemed legit.”
“Those are the kind of mistakes we’re here to prevent,” Creed said in his condescending tone before continuing his briefing. “Here’s a list of suspects within a two-hundred-mile radius that fit the profile.” The smart screen filled with mugshots of hundreds of white male criminals. “We’ll be spending the next 24 hours examining their records with a fine-toothed comb. BAU check your attachés. We’ll divide and conquer. NOPD, you’ve each been assigned a BAU agent to assist.”
“Two hundred miles?” George griped. “Think Junior knows that’s out of our jurisdiction?”
“Doubtful,” LaSalle grumped.
“Why are we only looking at men with criminal records?” Dana asked. “One of the unsubs might be in the medical field. Something he wouldn’t be able to do with a record.”
“Depends,” George said. “We’ve been in need of medical professionals and first responders since Katrina.”
“Still,” Neville argued. “Two white males, one with a medical degree, driving a hearse around our city murdering young women?” He harumphed. “No way that many suspects fit the bill.”
“Casting a wide net ensures we don’t miss our target,” Creed offered.
“Yeah. Ensures the body count increases, too,” George said underhis breath as the meeting dissolved and Agent Creed doled out assignments.
“Hey,” Dana said, trying to remain positive. “This is the most attention this case could’ve asked for. And the timeline includes the Harvest Girls.”
George and Lena exchanged wary glances.
“That’s a good thing,” Dana insisted. “I know no one wants to open old wounds, but isn’t it worth it if it leads to the truth? Plus, with the medical angle, I think I can help narrow the parameters.”
“You’re talking doctors, nurses, EMTs, first responders. City’s full of ‘em,” George argued.
Dana shook her head. “TNC is an antiquated technique. Hardly any universities in the United States even teach it. We can cross-reference the suspect pool to those who would’ve been exposed to the few medical schools that do.”
“And you know what schools those are?” Lena asked.
“No, but the BAU should be able to run a search of medical programs that will tell us what universities had TNC on their syllabus and when. That should narrow our scope considerably.”
“It’s worth a shot,” George agreed. “Go broach it with Creed.”
“And what about the black market organ angle?” she asked. “Does Creed have anyone looking into that?”
George nodded. “He does, but that’s a whole other can of worms. Illegal organ trade is global. Creed wants to start local and expand if necessary.”
LaSalle shook her head. “This unsub is harvesting organs for a reason. Selling them makes the most sense.”
“Or maybe it’s something darker,” Dana offered.
“Like what?” Neville asked.
“Occult sacrifice.”
LaSalle huffed a laugh. “Sure, let’s blame Voodoo. Maybe vampires sucked the blood, too. Great job, Dr. Gray. Case closed.”
Dana was left slack-jawed as LaSalle turned on her heels and marched away.
“Don’t take it personally,” George said. “She’s just pissed the Feds are treating us like we need babysitters.”
“They’re here to help,” argued Dana. “We all are.”
“I know. She does, too. I’ll talk to LaSalle. You should follow up on your theories with Creed.”
