Page 10 of Echoes of Sin

“There might be a couple of sweatshirts in the back of my closet, but my turtlenecks are in the third drawer of my dresser,” Brook said as she rinsed out the glass carafe in the sink before filling it with water. “Jeans are in—”

“Fourth drawer,” Graham filled in before lowering his voice. “Do you need anything out of the first drawer?”

Brook slid the glass carafe onto the burner before gently pressing the brew button. Her previous relationships consisted of sex and doors. First one, then the other. Graham had an intimate, playful side to him that he’d never revealed before they’d taken their relationship to the next level. At times, she still wasn’t quite sure how to respond.

“Be safe, Brooklyn,” Graham said with a soft laugh before the line disconnected.

Brook cleared her throat before lowering her phone. She then tucked it back into the pocket of her jeans before reaching for the porcelain cup that was stacked on top of the pile. Considering that she’d heard the chairs being taken off the tables and set on the floor, Riggs and his two friends had almost certainly made themselves comfortable. She distinctly recalled telling Riggs that their morning meeting was at seven o’clock, but he seemed to have his own schedule.

“You’re early,” Brook called out as she turned with her coffee in one hand and the carafe in the other. She reluctantly set both on the counter. “Meeting is at seven o’clock.”

“Let’s just say that I had a feeling you were up working on that profile of yours.”

Brook was usually able to read people rather well, but Riggs wasn’t making it easy. She assumed there was a hint of sarcasm to his words. He was going to have to do better than that if he wanted to offend her, which was why she wasn’t so sure about her initial take on his statement.

Considering that Sylvie and Bit were still sleeping and Theo was in the shower, it wouldn’t hurt to be formally introduced to the two men keenly observing Brook and Riggs’ interaction. She took her time ensuring that three additional mugs were placed next to the carafe.

“Jace Mathers and Dominic Ryder, this is Brooklyn Sloane.”

Brook slowly made her way out from behind the counter, wanting to catalog each of their mannerisms before she shook their hands. Jace seemed more curious of the two, and Dominic appeared to be the more reserved of the group. Jace had dark blond hair with a scruffy beard, and Dominic sported black hair while keeping himself clean-shaven.

“I take it that the two of you volunteer your time for search and rescue around these parts?” Brook asked as she pulled out a chair. “Has Riggs explained what we need from you today?”

While she’d put on jeans this morning, she’d opted to wear one of her black blazers over a long-sleeved burgundy shirt. She wasn’t sure if she would be needed at one of the sites being checked on today, but she wanted to be prepared for anything. Business casual was appropriate under these circumstances to meet with Luna Breen’s family members.

“Yes, ma’am,” Jace replied first, though that wasn’t unexpected. She got the sense that Dom wouldn’t say much if he could get away with it. “We’re going to split up the abandoned dwellings that we know are off the grid into three quadrants. With some rockslides over the centuries, a lot of those areas just aren’t inhabitable anymore. We can still hike in and out, but I can think of four cabins off the top of my head that were just left there to rot.”

“Only four?”

“There have been a couple of cabins struck by lightning and burned down.” Jace glanced toward Riggs, who had walked over to the counter to collect the three mugs and carafe. He set them all on the table before filling each to the brim. “Remember Doc’s hunting cabin? There was nothing left but ashes, and he never bothered to rebuild.”

“That might have been due to his drinking problem,” Riggs replied wryly as he leaned back in his chair. He shrugged, as if it was common knowledge. It probably was, given the size of the town. “Doc’s now in his seventies, though how his liver has managed to hold out is anyone’s guess.”

Brook set her coffee down on the table. She leaned forward enough to reach her cell phone, feigning as if she’d received a message that needed attention. She quickly typed out the names of the two gentlemen who she’d joined at the table before sending a text to Bit with instructions to initiate background checks. They had a protocol they adhered to with anyone even loosely connected to the case. Bit would see the message when he woke up, which should be relatively soon.

“There’s too much ground to cover.” The statement came from Dominic. He’d wrapped his right hand around the porcelain mug, but he made no move to enjoy its contents. “You’ll need us for more than a day.”

“That’s fine.” Brook didn’t see the harm in divulging some of the profile that she’d worked on last night. “There is a chance that whoever is responsible for Luna Breen’s death has done this before. Her body wasn’t meant to be discovered, which tells me that the killer was going back to the crime scene to clean up his mess.”

“Mess? That’s what you believe was left behind?”

The animosity radiating from Dominic was obvious, but Brook had dealt with individuals like him most of her career. As a profiler, she needed to be able to see things from the unsub’s point of view. It’s what she taught her students in the course she’d been asked to teach at a university located in D.C. Not everyone had the ability to alter their perception of reality. Those who managed to do so without effort would go on to be excellent in their chosen field.

“A mess is how the killer views the aftermath of what he’s carried out,” Brook explained patiently as she set her phone face down on the table. She picked up what remained of her coffee. “Why the unsub chose to carry out such torture remains to be seen, but it is key to figuring out his identity.”

“You make it sound as if you sympathize with this guy,” Jace said with a frown. “Riggs told us how that woman suffered, and it sounds to me as if it was some random lunatic who got off on killing someone.”

“Each of you will be taking a member of my team to as many locations as possible over the next couple of days,” Brook explained, not bothering to address Jace’s statement. She’d already given a brief explanation about the unsub’s perception of reality, and she wouldn’t waste the rest of the morning by defending her process. “They’ll be checking to see if there was any trace evidence left behind to indicate this has happened before.”

Maybe it was due to Riggs’ experience in law enforcement, but he was the one to connect the dots first. He’d pulled his chair close enough to the table that he was able to rest his elbows on the hard surface. He rubbed his five o’clock shadow as he voiced his thoughts.

“You’re thinking that if there is evidence to support your theory, the killer might still be somewhere in those mountains. Maybe even a local,” Riggs suggested even as doubt laced his tone. “Lack of evidence would indicate that he’s long gone.”

“Maybe,” Brook said while purposefully remaining noncommittal. She wouldn’t box herself in, nor would she hinder the case by being closeminded. “We’re not sure of anything right now, which is why we need to come at this from all angles. As you know, I’ll be speaking with Luna Breen’s mother and sister today. We’ll peel Luna’s life back in layers to see if there was anyone who wanted to hurt her. Why was she hiking by herself? Why this area? Did she have an ex-lover? A profession that made her a target? These are questions that need to be answered, but we also can’t take our attention off the killer. What was his motive? Why did he choose Luna Breen?”

“Is there something about this murder that we don’t know about?” Dominic asked cautiously, his steady gaze never leaving her face. He’d still not taken one sip of his coffee. “Your firm consults with the feds on cold cases and serial killer investigations. You are obviously here because they don’t believe this is an isolated murder.”

“Federal land, federal case. And yes, it is true that S&E Investigations specializes in cold cases that involve serial murders. With that said, my firm has a special arrangement with the Bureau. The Charlotte office has a lot of irons in the fire right now, and my colleagues and I were here for another investigation. They merely asked if we’d assess the crime scene to let them know if their presence was needed, but I decided to see it through.”

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