Page 20 of Crossing Lines

Holden turned and shrugged. “Yeah, I think he likes me.”

Lucy glanced warily at the top of the cabinet then proceeded to sniff around the side, presumably looking for the toy they’d been fighting over. Apparently it wasn’t there, because she continued on sniffing under desks and in corners. Major watched her with smug luminescent green eyes as if challenging Lucy to discover where he’d hidden it.

“What brings you here?” Sam asked. If the FBI was coming to visit, it couldn’t be good.

“I heard about the body found in the woods,” Holden said.

“That wasn’t necessarily the work of a serial killer.” Jo popped a K-Cup into the coffee machine then gestured to the mugs as a way of asking if either of them wanted a coffee. They didn’t. “We’ve only found one body.”

Holden nodded, his expression grim. “I know. However, Joseph Menda has had the prison warden contact the FBI. Seems he’s got another email, and he thinks it might have something to do with the case.”

One of the things that had sickened Sam the most about the last case was that serial killers actually worshipped other famous killers like Joseph Menda. Menda was in jail now but received fan mail regularly. Some of it was just from sick people who got their kicks from communicating with a killer, but others were serial killers in the making or, even worse, active killers.

“What makes him think the person who sent the email is our guy?” Sam asked.

“He wouldn’t give details, but he sounded pretty certain.”

Jo looked at Holden over the rim of her mug. “Why would he be contacting us, though? Don’t tell me he suddenly wants to help catch killers.”

Holden laughed. “No such luck. He wants to barter the contents of the email and his interpretation of it for expanded outdoor exercise time.”

Jo looked like she still wasn’t convinced. “He could just be making it up to try to get more time. How did the email get past the censors, anyway?”

“As usual, the contents are in code. It doesn’t mention any violence or killing. There are no trigger words in it, so it got through.”

“I guess we have no choice but to look into it,” Sam said.

Jo glanced at Holden. “Either way, it’s not the guy we’ve been looking for. No beech trees near the body.”

Holden’s expression registered surprise, and his glance flicked from Jo to Sam. Apparently he hadn’t expected Jo to confide in Sam so soon.

Jo’s phone dinged, and she put the mug down and pulled it out of her pocket. “Sam knows about our case. He’s going to help.” She said the words to Holden but looked up from her phone at Sam, her gray eyes hopeful. Sam smiled and nodded, hoping to reassure her that he was going to help on the side case. Had she doubted he would?

Jo glanced back at her phone. “Vicky Rutherford says she’s working the rest of the day, but maybe we could interview her tomorrow.”

“Vicky Rutherford?” Holden asked.

“One of the victim’s friends. We’ve already interviewed two of them. Don’t have much so far. We got the name of a potential love interest, and one girl saw someone lurking in the woods.” Sam wouldn’t normally give out any information, no matter how insignificant, to the FBI, but seeing as Jo and Holden were buddies now and the three of them would be entering into an unofficial investigation together, he supposed he should trust him.

Holden’s nod was almost friendly, showing none of the animosity that had been between them when they’d first met. “Hopefully Vicky will have something solid.”

Jo took the last sip of coffee and put her mug in the sink. “Or maybe Menda will.”

Wyatt came into the squad room, a large fruitcake in his hand. “I brought a snack.”

“Yech.” Jo shook her head when he offered it to her.

This wasn’t the first time they’d been gifted with a fruitcake. Rita Hoelscher had somehow gotten the impression that they loved her fruitcake, and now every time one of them went on a call, she proceeded to send one back to the station.

“I got your message about Ricky Webster, and I’ll look into that right away.” Wyatt glanced curiously at Holden.

Sam quickly filled Wyatt in about the letter. “We’re heading there now.”

“Sounds like you should definitely check that out.” Wyatt put the fruitcake on the edge of his desk and sat behind it. “I guess I get this fruitcake all to myself.”

Sam laughed then turned to Jo. “I’ll have Reese alert the prison, and we can head out. They should have Menda ready by the time we get there. Are you coming, Holden?”

Holden shook his head. “You know Menda and I don’t get along. You’ll get more out of him if I’m not there.”

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