Page 11 of Nothing Watching

“So he overpowered these victims, strangled them swiftly, and disappeared?” Juliette asked.

“Yes.”

“Nothing taken, and only the pages left?”

“Correct.”

“Do you have them here?”

“They have been taken for forensic testing, but I have clear photos.”

Feeling very curious to see these photos, Juliette waited as he looked them up and flashed them onto the big screen on the wall.

She recognized the lettering instantly as she speed-read the words, feeling surprised by the texts that this killer had chosen. The German was fromFaust, the famous work by Goethe, about a man who sold his soul to the devil.

She felt a chill as she saw the words. The page had been torn from one of the most famous passages in the book.

Two souls live within me, alas, irreconcilable with one another.

Was that the killer, giving a window of insight into his twisted psyche? Was it some other message? Or might it be just a random page ripped without thought, from a book that had simply fallen open at one of the most used and often read places?

“That one is from the most recent victim. Initially, we thought that the page found on the first victim was her own, as she was a literature student,” the pathologist explained. “It was only when the second victim was found that the police realized the killer was leaving them.”

Dr. Schmidt flashed the other page up on the screen. This one was a Spanish text, and Juliette saw it was from the famous romance of Tristan and Iseult. Again, the quote was one that she knew well and had studied during her language classes.

Fold your arms round me close and strain me so that our hearts may break and our souls go free at last.

It was a key passage in the book. That might mean that the killer was in fact a well-read person, and had chosen these pages for a reason. What did that say about him and his mindset?

Juliette pondered the possibilities as Dr. Schmidt continued to explain the forensic evidence they had gathered. The torn pages had no fingerprints or visible marks, indicating that the killer had taken precautions to avoid leaving any evidence behind. They were now being more intensively analyzed at a specialist laboratory.

“Can they tell anything about the books they are from? Are they a particular print run, a certain year of publication?”

Surely they must be able to tell something? And the doctor nodded, looking resigned.

“Many things may be possible with the analysis of the pages, but it will take time,” he said. “A full analysis might take weeks, even though it is prioritized. They are first sending them to experts who work with old literature, to see if anything can be picked up. Then they will go for actual analysis.”

Reluctantly, Juliette acknowledged that the processes and the testing were not going to be fast. They could not rely on this for a quick breakthrough.

“And the hairs?” Juliette asked, thinking of the struggle she was sure had played out.

Dr. Schmidt nodded. “The second victim wore a watch with a metal link strap. The hairs were found caught in the metal on the links, which led us to think that the killer might have had his hair, or perhaps a longer beard, caught in the links as she tried to fight him off. We are saying ‘he’ although as yet, we have no proof. A very strong woman could also have strangled these victims.”

So he—if it was a he—had been meticulous, but in a struggle, you had to expect the unexpected, and that watch might have provided them with a lead, because the killer wouldn’t have realized he left hair behind.

The image of what had played out was chilling, but if it led them to the killer then it would save other lives.

“Any early impressions about those hairs?”

“They were both a couple of inches in length, and gray in color. We’re testing them to see if the color is natural or if they were dyed,” he said.

“Gray,” Juliette repeated, feeling a sense of surprise. “That’s not what we were expecting.”

“It could be a dye job,” Wyatt said, as he studied the photos on the screen. “But it’s definitely something to consider. And we’ll need to start looking for someone fitting that description in the area.”

“Do you think the killer has a particular type?” Juliette asked. “Over and above the fact both the victims are American?”

Dr. Schmidt shook his head. “We cannot say for certain. However, there are similarities between the victims, as you can see. They are both young women, around the same age and build. They are both blonde and have fair skin. It is possible that the killer has a preference for this type.”

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