Page 38 of The Girl He Wanted

"He's written extensively on the symbolism of the winds in Ancient Greek mythology," Christopher said. "And he's done research on the Tower of the Winds specifically."

That was too much of a coincidence not to be connected to this case somehow. Especially when the academic was local. Paige went online, looking for more about Dr. Kostopoulos.

She found an old academic profile, with a list of his publications and a picture. Paige couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. There was something eerie about the way that Dr. Kostopoulos looked in his photos, as though he knew something that other people didn't. According to the page, Dr. Kostopoulos had published several articles on the subject of the Tower of the Winds.

Paige was more interested in the web articles she found about him.

Local Lecturer Fired After Harassing Students

It seemed that Dr. Kostopoulos had been let go by the university he taught at after a series of students complained about him. He'd been outspoken, even erratic, according to the report.

Paige went looking for the academic's social media pages next. They were just as concerning. She found a series of bizarre posts that had been made by Dr. Kostopoulos on his account. They were all about the Tower of the Winds, and they ranged from the cryptic to the downright disturbing.

He seemed to post about it as if it were some mystical thing, the heart of his personal spiritual being, rather than an ancient archaeological site. There were pictures of Dr. Kostopoulos at ancient ruins around the world, with captions that hinted at obsession.

"We need to talk to this guy," Paige said, turning to Christopher. "Can you find an address for him?"

"I'll get one from the DMV, but it's pretty rough weather outside. Will we be able to speak with him?"

"We have to try," Paige said. With a man this obsessed with the Tower of the Winds, there was a chance that he was their guy. If this was the killer, then for all they knew, he could already be planning the next murder he needed to complete his Tower of the Winds. They couldn't risk leaving things until the rain abated.

They had to go speak with Dr. Kostopoulos right away.

CHAPTER TWENTY

Paige kept looking into Dr. Kostopoulos as Christopher drove the two of them over to the academic's house. She quickly read through his works on the Tower of the Winds, skimming them the way she might have done back when she was a grad student to work out what was important and what wasn't the day before a tutorial.

But this time, it wasn't just academic. This time, they were looking for something that could help them catch a killer. The more she read, the more it seemed that Dr. Kostopoulos had an unhealthy obsession with the Tower of the Winds, one that went well beyond the interests of an academic.

His early works seemed straightforward enough: articles on the symbolism of the tower in Greek society, a work on the rediscovery and uncovering of the ruin as an archaeological site.

His more recent works, however, seemed to have wandered off into pseudo-science, linking the Tower of the Winds to everything from mystical systems to the possibility of aliens. Then there was the last book, the novel.

From the moment Paige started reading it, she saw the violence in it. The whole thing was set in the Tower of the Winds, and it seemed that the point of it was a death at every station of the tower, appeasing the Ancient Greek deities of the wind one at a time.

The more Paige read, the more she became convinced that Dr. Kostopoulos was their man. He fit the profile of a serial killer to a T: obsessed with his chosen subject matter, highly intelligent, and with a history of erratic behavior.

When they arrived at Dr. Kostopoulos's house, Paige's mouth was dry. Was it possible that they were really about to confront the killer? She couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.

The house was huge, practically a mansion. Paige guessed that Dr. Kostopoulos's more recent works must have done well for him, because it wasn’t the kind of place that could be bought with a professor’s salary. The place was large and creepy, with vines crawling up the sides and a wrought-iron gate that creaked as she and Christopher opened it. The dark windows of the house seemed to be staring back at them.

Christopher parked the car, and they got out, walking up the long driveway while keeping a careful watch for trouble. Paige couldn't help but feel uneasy as they approached. Something felt wrong here.

One thing wasdefinitelywrong: the front door to the mansion was open, light spilling out from the hallway. Paige found herself reaching for her gun automatically, while she saw Christopher doing the same. An open door? Even if Winterly was a lot smaller and safer than a major city, Paige doubted that was normal.

They stepped into the mansion, their guns drawn and ready. Paige could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she and Christopher slowly made their way through the hallway, searching for any sign of Dr. Kostopoulos.

"Dr. Kostopoulos?" Christopher called out. "It's the FBI. Are you there? We need to ask you a few questions."

There was no answer. That was concerning. Was Dr. Kostopoulos here?

The hallway was filled with objects that Paige guessed were connected with Ancient Greece. There were display cabinets off to one side holding fragments of pottery and bronze swords. There were several shields set above the staircase, bearing insignia that Paige recognized as those of the various Ancient Greek city states: the club of Thebes, the axe of Crete, the owl of Athens.

Everywhere Paige looked, there were statues in the Ancient Greek style, while books stood on stands. Several seemed to be about the Tower of the Winds, carefully positioned to catch the eye.

"Dr. Kostopoulos? Are you here?" Christopher called out again. "This is the FBI. If you’re there, answer me."

There was no reply, which only raised Paige’s concerns. Why would the door be open if there was no one here? It didn't make sense.

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