Page 45 of Nothing Left

At that apartment, the killer had tried to create a plausible scenario. But now, perhaps, the knife had simply fallen from his belt or from his hand as he'd climbed down in a hurry to get away because this crime had been committed in broad daylight, probably in the late morning according to the time of death.

At last, they might have the murder weapon and with it, a way of tracking the killer.

Juliette waited with bated breath as the testing progressed.

"Yes. I am picking up prints," he said. His English was good, which Juliette was glad about because Wyatt and Sierra were standing nearby, listening intently.

"We need to look these up on the system, and urgently," Juliette insisted.

"Right," Wyatt said. "What's the fastest way we can get these checked? Can the FBI help at all?"

"I think the fastest way is for us to upload them to the national database," one of the forensic techs replied. "It is usually a time-consuming process, and occasionally, prints are not on the system at all." He paused. "That is the bad news."

Juliette stared at this man, with his face and head swathed in protective clothing and his wise, knowledgeable eyes.

"What's the good news?" she asked, hoping that there was some.

"The good news is that if the owner of this knife has a criminal record, then the prints can usually be matched up much faster. That always comes up first in the search."

Juliette exchanged a glance with Wyatt. This was what they were looking for. It was likely that their killer did have a previous record, and in that case, getting the prints might be quick.

"I'm going to send these three fingerprints through straight away to start the search, he said, taking his phone out of his pocket and pressing keys with quick familiarity. “There. It is done. Now the search will be in progress."

And now, frustratingly, all they could do was wait while the forensic tech continued with his painstaking search of the outside area.

Keeping a safe distance from where he was working, Juliette paced back and forth, her mind playing out different scenarios.

"What if he doesn't have a record?" she said, mostly to herself.

"Then we just wait longer for the prints," Wyatt said, joining her in her pacing. "But let's just hope we get the hit we need."

Juliette checked her watch, feeling anxious. The afternoon was wearing on, and there were only about two hours of daylight left. And worst of all, she feared that this killer was gaining momentum and that if he had another night, then he would use it to kill again.

It felt like eons, although it was probably only a few minutes when the tech's phone beeped, and she spun around.

"Agents Hart and Thompson!" the tech called. "We are in luck! There has been an early match with the fingerprint!"

Juliette rushed over, her heart accelerating.

"Who is the person? Where does he stay?" she asked.

"The fingerprint is a match for Dominic Sanchez, who has a record of burglary and assault from a few years ago. Sanchez now lives just outside of Condilla. He stays on a small farm." The forensic tech paused. "You should not go there alone. Take backup with you. This man is most likely dangerous, and you should have some manpower with you when you make the arrest."

"Can you organize backup?" Juliette asked.

"Yes. I will ask our station commander if he can send a car out. He is eager to solve this as fast as possible, and I am sure he will agree to do this immediately."

Finally, they were working in a truly cooperative way with the local police. This was how criminals were caught. Juliette felt relieved as the forensic tech got on the radio and spoke to the station commander.

"Okay," he said. "The commander says you can drive out to the farmhouse now and wait at the crossroad nearby. He will call you on the way and will organize for a team to meet you there."

"We're on our way," Juliette said. She turned and ran for the car. She felt breathless, and not just from the speed with which she was racing to their vehicle. It was because of the pace at which things were finally moving. After a nail-biting series of dead ends that had been frustrating and demoralizing for the entire team - suddenly, they were on the right track to catch the killer. And it seemed the Condilla police were just as anxious to see these crimes stopped as the task force was.

As Juliette, Wyatt, and Sierra piled into the car, Wyatt's phone was already ringing, and the radio was crackling.

"There's a police car in the area," he told Juliette as she pulled off, following the pin drop on his GPS which would lead to the house. "They're going to meet us at the corner in ten minutes."

Juliette pressed down harder on the gas as she swung onto the main road. She couldn't waste a moment in getting to the farmhouse. She hoped that Sanchez had gone home after his crime and was holed up there, regrouping and planning his next move.

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