Page 26 of Ace of Spades
She kicked him.
“... profile of our killer back from Pauline.” He smirked at her, then popped a Tic Tac into his mouth.
She glared at him before lifting innocent eyes to their boss. “Pauline agrees that our bad guy is trying to atone for something in his past. He’s thirty-five to forty and probably lives alone. He has a job that is detail oriented, something along the lines of a technical writer or something in the finance area. He is or was very close to his mother. She thinks his mother is probably dead, most likely murdered. What’s new here is that she says we should watch for someone who grew up in one of the towns near Tamiami Trail, considering his familiarity with the area.”
“Was she a prostitute?” Rothmire asked.
“Pauline believes she was, or possibly the mistress of a married man,” Nate said. “If the latter, she feels the woman was abused and probably the son, too.”
Rothmire frowned. “Assuming Pauline’s right, does she have a guess as to how old our man was when his mother died?”
“No, unfortunately,” Taylor said. “If we knew that, it would narrow down our search for a murdered woman who lived somewhere along Alligator Alley. I wouldn’t be surprised if we find out the case was unsolved.” It was possible Pauline was completely wrong, but all her profiles in the past had been spot-on.
Nate flicked the button on the pen he held, making clicking noises. “Court will be back Sunday night. I’ll put him on looking for women who were murdered during the past thirty years or so in that area. It’s a lot of years and a lot of ground to cover, but that kind of thing is right up his alley. I want Alex to start reviewing all the files on our victims, see if he can find anything we missed. You and Josh can keep looking for witnesses who might have seen our three victims get in a car right before they disappeared.”
“A definite description of the car he uses would be a big help.” Taylor pulled out Pauline’s profile, scanning it. “There’s one other thing of interest. She doesn’t think he knew Linda Harding had children, that he would have picked someone different if he had. In talking to her daughters, they said that their mother kept them hidden in the building when she was working, so he probably didn’t know.”
She’d given that some thought, wondering how they could use it. Nate and Rothmire watched her expectantly, both of them knowing that her brain was in high gear and that she had more to say. That was what she loved about the Miami office. She didn’t know if it was the same for female agents elsewhere, but her boss and male counterparts respected her opinions, and best of all, they treated her as their equal. Not one of them had ever asked her to get them a cup of coffee. Ofcourse, if they had, they’d have gotten it dumped on their heads, which they knew, so they weren’t stupid ... Another thing she liked about them.
“I’m wondering if we should release a statement to the media that Linda was survived by two daughters. Pauline believes he would have picked a different prostitute if he’d known Linda had children. What does that mean, exactly? Would knowing that send him spiraling into a guilt trip, maybe cause him to make mistakes? Or would it send him into hiding, making it harder to find him? Or worse, up his game?”
“Your mind is a wicked thing, Taylor.”
There was admiration in Nate’s voice, which she soaked up like sunshine on a winter day. “How so?”
“I read that and didn’t think anything of it. So, he would have chosen someone else if he’d known about her daughters? I didn’t question that, and I should have.”
Rothmire stared at the two of them, the hint of a smile on his face. “I’m not going to tell either one of you that you’re my best two agents. It might be true and it might not. My vote’s for releasing a statement to the media, but don’t let that sway you just because I’m your boss. Keep me informed.”
Taylor laughed as he walked away. “I guess we need to write a statement.”
“Once we do, the media’s going to connect the dots, realizing we have a serial killer on our hands.” Nate scooted his chair back to his desk, close enough for her to catch his scent, which was definitely a distraction.
Why did he always have to smell so good, like pure male musk and something earthy combined with a hint of something spicy? “Yeah, but they’re going to catch on sooner or later. Probably sooner.”
“True, so we might as well control the narrative. Include all three women.” He stood, pushing his chair back under his desk. “You want to write up the release?”
“Sure. Still no on Rosie’s spaghetti dinner?”
“Still no.” His shoulder lifted in a shrug. “It’s just me and Alex at Aces and Eights until Court gets back. See you in the morning?”
“I’ll be there.” It wasn’t a date, since he hadn’t been the one to invite her, but it felt kind of like a date. She tried not to be too excited about spending the day with him outside of work. As she tidied up her desk before heading over to Rosie’s, she mentally reviewed the clothes hanging in her closet that would be suitable for a day on the back of a motorcycle, smiling when she thought of the perfect outfit.
