Page 32 of The Girl He Wanted

"We can see that," Christopher said. "Shouldn't the balloon be on the ground by now? Shouldn't the coroner's people have the body?"

"There's been a problem with the winch system used to pull the balloon in," Johnson said. "Someone, probably the killer, broke it once he got the balloon up there."

"He wanted her to stay up there," Paige said, staring up at the victim. “He wanted people to see his work.”

"That's what it looks like," Johnson agreed. "We think she might have been up there since some time last night. We've got a team working on getting her down as quickly and carefully as possible."

Paige felt a wave of anger and frustration wash over her. This killer was taunting them, playing games with them, frustrating even their efforts to do the simplest things. She couldn't stand it.

The police officers hauling on the line continued to pull the balloon closer and closer to the ground. Paige watched it approach, knowing that she would have to look over the body as it reached the ground, trying to find any clue the killer had left behind. She saw the flash of cameras in the background, the press obviously taking the opportunity to get as many pictures as they could.

As the balloon reached the ground, Paige couldn't help but feel a sense of dread. She knew what she was about to see would be gruesome, but she had to be strong for the victim, for justice. She had to remember that she was there to do a job. Sympathy for the victim was important, but Paige couldn’t be so overwhelmed by it that it stopped her from doing her job.

The body was carefully lowered to the ground, and Paige and Christopher quickly made their way over to it, pushing their way past the forensic teams and the police.

Paige's breath caught as she looked at the victim. It was clear that this victim had suffered the same fate as the others. Her throat had been cut, and another Greek letter was written on her body in blood. Paige recognized it as the letternu.

"Do we have any idea who the victim might be?" Paige asked Detective Johnson.

"A woman named Sarah Creasling was reported missing yesterday," the detective said. "And this victim seems to match her picture. We’ll need to wait for a formal ID though before we can be certain."

"What do we know about Sarah Creasling?" Paige asked.

"Early twenties, a student at the local college," Johnson said. "No known enemies or conflicts reported when she went missing, no criminal record, nothing out of the ordinary. We'll start looking into her social media accounts and any recent relationships she may have had. We'll also look into her background, trying to find any connections to the other victims."

Paige nodded, her mind already racing with questions and theories. She knew that they had to find a way to catch this killer, to stop him before he could harm anyone else. But how? They had no leads. They’d come here after yet another suspect had come to nothing. They needed to find somewhere to start.

"Are your men searching the area?" Christopher asked the detective.

"Yes, we have a team combing the field for any evidence or clues that might lead us to the killer," Johnson replied. "But as you know, it's difficult with the terrain and the darkness."

Paige and Christopher exchanged a look, both knowing that they had to take matters into their own hands. They weren't going to be able to do more here. It seemed obvious that they weren't going to find anything in the dark, so it was better to leave it all to the local PD.

As they walked back to their car, Paige tried to work out where this new murder fit into the broader pattern of the other deaths.

"We need to go back to the station and go over everything again," she said to Christopher. "There has to be something we're missing, some connection we're not seeing."

Christopher nodded in agreement. "I'll drive," he said, pulling out his keys. "You see if you can find a connection here to the other cases."

Paige nodded, feeling a sense of determination wash over her. They had to catch this killer, and they had to do it soon. That meant coming up with something new.

As they drove towards the station, Paige went over the case files again, looking for any connections between the victims. She started to look for any information she could find on Sarah Creasling, trying to find anything that might connect her to the therapy group, the climbing gym, anything that might push her and Christopher back in the direction of one of the leads they'd already pursued.

"I don't know what to do with all this," Paige said as they pulled up at the Winterly PD.

“It isn’t working?” Christopher asked.

“There are no obvious connections.”

“We have to find a way to catch this guy," Christopher said, determination in his voice. "We can't keep letting him get away with this."

"I know," Paige agreed. "But how do we do that? We don't have any leads, any evidence. He's too careful."

“Paige, you need to focus on what you’re good at,” Christopher said. “You’re a psychologist first and foremost. Stop looking just at clues and start trying to figure out what he's thinking, what he wants."

That was the part Paige didn't have an answer for, not yet. Paige braced herself to get out of the car; there were reporters waiting in front of the Winterly PD, and she knew that she would have to run the gauntlet of them asking questions as soon as she left the safety of the vehicle.

As soon as they got out of the car, Paige's fears were realized. The reporters surged forward, their microphones and cameras thrusting into her face. She could hear their rapid-fire questions as they jostled for position, trying to get the best angle for their shots.

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