CHAPTER NINETEEN #2
"It's definitely connected to our case," Kate said, more to herself than to Hall. "Same method, same victim profile, same timing."
"Agent Wise?" The voice came from behind her, and Kate turned to see a woman in her early forties standing in the doorway between the garage and the kitchen.
She had the same basic facial features as the victim but looked several years younger.
Her eyes were red and swollen from crying, and she was holding a tissue that had clearly seen heavy use.
"Are you Samantha Harper?" Kate asked gently.
"Yes. Are you with the FBI? The officer said someone from the FBI was coming.
" Samantha's voice was shaky, but she was clearly trying to hold herself together.
"Is Linda's death connected to something bigger?
Because I don't understand what happened to her.
" Her voice grew thin near the end, as if she might cry again. But she managed to hold it together.
Kate approached Samantha carefully, noting the grief and confusion in her expression. "I'm Agent Wise, and I'm very sorry for your loss, Ms. Harper. And yes, we're investigating some deaths that might be related to your sister's."
"Related how?" Samantha wiped at her eyes with the tissue. "Linda didn't have any enemies. She was just trying to help Ben get back on his feet."
"Ben is your sister's son?"
"Yes. He's twenty-two. He's been in rehab for almost three months, and he was supposed to come home tomorrow." Samantha's voice broke on the word 'tomorrow.' "Linda has been so excited. She's been working on this apartment for weeks, getting everything ready for him.”
Kate felt the final piece of the pattern click into place. "Ms. Harper, had Ben been living with your sister before he went to rehab?"
"Yes, for a few weeks. Well, off and on.
He'd been struggling with addiction for a couple of years, and Linda finally convinced him to get serious about treatment.
But before he left for the program, he was staying here with her.
" Samantha looked around the converted garage with fresh tears in her eyes.
"She wanted him to have his own space when he got back, somewhere he could feel independent but still be close to family. "
That was the confirmation Kate needed. Linda Harper fit the exact same profile as Carol Bennett and Thomas Rodriguez: an empty-nester who had recently welcomed an adult child back home, killed by poisoned pills just before what should have been a positive milestone in their family's recovery.
"Ms. Harper, I know this is difficult, but I need to ask about your sister's medication. Do you know if she was seeing a therapist or taking anything for anxiety?"
Samantha nodded. "She started seeing someone a few months ago, when Ben's addiction got really bad. She was having panic attacks and trouble sleeping. The stress of watching him destroy himself was killing her."
"Do you remember the name of the therapist?"
"Dr. Walsh, I think. Patricia Walsh. Linda said she specialized in helping parents deal with children's addiction problems." Samantha paused, looking confused. "Why are you asking about her therapy? Does that have something to do with what happened?"
Kate didn't want to go into detail about the poisoned medication while Samantha was still processing her grief, but she needed to understand the connection.
Three victims, three different doctors prescribing medication, but all fitting the same basic pattern of empty-nesters struggling with adult children's problems.
"We're still investigating," Kate said carefully. "But your information is very helpful. So thank you."
Officer Hall approached them from across the garage. "Agent Wise, the coroner just arrived. Should I have them wait for you to finish examining the scene?"
"Yes, please. I want to take a closer look before anything is moved." Kate turned back to Samantha. "Is there somewhere you can stay tonight? Family or friends who can be with you?"
"I'll probably stay at my boyfriend's house. I need to figure out how to tell Ben what happened." Samantha's voice broke again. "He was doing so well in the program. He was finally getting his life together… and now this."
Kate felt a deep sadness for this family that had been working so hard toward recovery and reunion, only to have it destroyed by someone who saw their situation as an opportunity for murder.
This killer wasn't just taking lives; they were destroying hope and shattering families that were already fragile.
She wondered what might become of Ben, to have finally beaten his addiction, only to lose his mother.
As Samantha was led back into the kitchen by one of the officers, Kate pulled out her phone to call DeMarco.
Three victims in less than a week, all following the same pattern, all killed by the same method.
The case was escalating rapidly, and they needed to identify the killer before more families were destroyed.
She looked around the converted garage one more time, taking in the careful preparations Linda Harper had made for her son's homecoming.
Tomorrow should have been a day of celebration and new beginnings.
Instead, it would be another day of grief and loss for a family that had already endured too much.
Kate scrolled to DeMarco's number and pressed call, knowing that the conversation would confirm what she already suspected: they were dealing with a methodical killer who was targeting vulnerable families at their most hopeful moments.
And in an unknown number of locations throughout the city, more poison pills were waiting in medicine bottles, ready to claim additional victims.