Chapter 19
By the time the team gathered in the Sapphire Shoals conference room, it was nearly eleven o’clock. Ryder had brought in a
buffet for the team and even though Catherine hadn’t eaten all day, she only nibbled on some cheese and crackers, her stomach
tight with anxiety.
Jim was the last to arrive, looking as drained as Catherine felt. He ran a hand over his long, hangdog face, grabbed a sandwich,
and sat down.
“I may have something,” he said, but without much enthusiasm. “I flew samples to Quantico. They’ll be there first thing in
the morning. The state lab could handle it, but Tony has assurances from the director that anything from us will be prioritized.”
“What kind of evidence?” Catherine asked.
“First, the county lab processed everything in their room and discovered a strong prescription-strength muscle relaxant in
the coffee mugs. While the mugs they drank from were removed, it’s likely all the mugs had been lined with the drug.”
“What would that do?” Michael asked.
“Make them feel sick, tired, disorientated.”
“Can we trace it?” Sloane asked.
“No,” Jim said. “It’s a very common prescription. We can look for it among our suspect’s belongings.”
“But they were shot with a tranquilizer gun,” Michael said. “Why do that if they were drugged?”
“My guess,” Jim said, “is that there was no guarantee they would drink the coffee, or that they would both drink coffee at
the same time. By this point, the suspect would know they were cops, right? So I’m thinking she drugged the coffee, but couldn’t
guarantee it would knock them out before they could call for help. So she waited for a reaction, then hit them with the tranq.
Also, even if she’s a good shot, if she hit one of them, the other might have time to get to safety or apprehend her. Drugging
them first makes their reaction time slower.”
“Extreme foresight,” Catherine said. “A planner. She didn’t want to leave anything to chance.”
“Two other things stand out,” Jim said as he picked at his sandwich. “First, an unusual algae found on the second couple is
typically found in freshwater, like stagnant ponds, not the ocean. Initially dismissed, it’s actually distinct and potentially
traceable, so we’ve prioritized that analysis. Second, trace amounts of rust were found on all the victims.”
“That was in the original reports,” Catherine said.
“Right, but after the lab analysis, we have more information. The state lab identified yellow rust on an iron alloy, suggesting a high-moisture environment—probably near standing water, like a swamp or pond. While they couldn’t pinpoint the source, we have good samples of the alloy.
If we can identify its exact makeup, it might help locate where the victims were held.
There was also plant matter mixed with the rust—too small for testing at the local lab.
Quantico might be able to match areas where the algae and rust overlap and identify the alloy.
I’ll be back at the morgue tomorrow to examine more tissue samples.
It’s clear, however, that all the victims were held somewhere damp, moldy, with nearby stagnant water.
The more we learn, the closer we get to a location. ”
“Thank you, Jim,” Catherine said. “That’s good work.”
“Not good enough,” he grumbled.
“Every piece of information helps,” she said.
“Why didn’t Reid go to his apartment?” Sloane asked, changing the subject. “He had his lawyer take him to a hotel in Jacksonville.
The sheriffs are watching him, but why wouldn’t he want his things?”
“Maybe because he thought we’d be watching there,” Catherine said, “or he thinks it’ll be easier to disappear from a hotel.”
“It will be,” Michael said, “if that’s his plan.”
“Which is why there will be multiple teams of law enforcement watching him,” Catherine said.
“I hope it’s enough,” Sloane said. “I can go back after the meeting.”
“We all need sleep if we’re going to be sharp in the morning,” Catherine said. “But I wanted to share a new profile first.
It’s rough and I don’t want to commit to anything yet. I need the insight of everyone on the team to make sure we’re heading
in the right direction. After interviewing Garrett’s brother and father, then reviewing everyone’s notes, I have a better
understanding of his personality and possible psychopathy.”
She glanced at her notes. “Initially, I assumed, based on the victim similarities, that Reid worked alone and the female victim
was a surrogate for someone in his past. But we now know he’s working with a partner, and that she’s female changes everything.”
“So you concur with Ryder that his partner is a woman,” Michael said.
“Yes,” Catherine said. “I talked with experts at Quantico, and probability based on analysis of the image we have leans 90 percent female.
“Garrett Reid is a con artist,” she continued. “He seduces older women, and this is backed up by interviews and info from
his brother. He’s well-liked by staff, especially older female staff. He’s charming, diplomatic, well-educated. He manipulates
and seduces. However, I don’t think he’s a natural killer.”
Ryder, who rarely spoke unless asked a direct question, said with some surprise, “Are you saying the dominant killer is the
female partner?”
Catherine nodded. “I was skeptical at first, because it’s rare for a woman to be the dominant in a male-female partnership.
But in this case, while I won’t say that she is the leader, she’s certainly his equal. Based on his clear narcissism, I don’t
see him as subservient to her. They are partners in every sense of the word. They’ve worked together to con individuals or
couples, using sex as the weapon. We don’t have any unsolved homicides that fit our parameters in the cities where Reid has
worked, which suggests that either they recently started killing, or their victim profile changed. I am inclined to think
recent because victim type rarely changes.”
“They,” Jim repeated flatly. “They’re working together because they enjoy killing. That’s messed up.”
Catherine had been refining her profile, but doubts still lingered. She couldn’t afford to be uncertain. “Garrett has a romantic
relationship with his partner. He’s been with her for at least two years, likely longer. He trusts her. He gave no hint that
he had a girlfriend during his interrogation. No one on staff suspected he was in a relationship, but confirmed that he didn’t
date staff or guests. This is a strong bond, one that will be hard to fracture. They believe they are in love, and that their
crimes are a sign of devotion.”
She slid a one-pager across the table with details of the six victims laid out in two columns.
“The male victims died from blunt force trauma or blood loss, but also sustained other, nonfatal injuries—such as the first male victim had a broken ankle. The female victims survived for up to three days longer than their husbands, enduring multiple injuries—cuts, bruises, extreme dehydration, broken bones—though not the same bones. The women were the primary victims in a cat-and-mouse game. Reid and his partner toyed with them before they grew tired of the game and killed them. Each woman died in a unique way: one was impaled with a wooden stick, but we haven’t yet identified the wood.
One died from internal bleeding. One drowned. ”
She paused, watching her team absorb the information. “I believe the women were targeted out of jealousy.”
“Hold on,” Sloane said, “you’re saying that the female partner is jealous of these women, and that’s how she picked them?
Did Garrett have a relationship with any of them? Or express an interest in them?”
“Doubtful,” Catherine said. “I think they were targeted because of their type—blonde, attractive, successful, and married.
The female partner feels inadequate compared to the victims. Perhaps she feels she’s not ‘good enough’ for Garrett, or that
Garrett has a type that she doesn’t fit into. My guess, when we find Garrett’s first girlfriend—Becca McCarthy, his high school
sweetheart—she will be a classic girl next door type, at least in her appearance. She will be successful and intelligent,
like our female victims. And that success is likely the primary trigger.”
Catherine took a sip of water, continued.
“All three victims had advanced degrees and personal success—a lawyer, a doctor, a CFO who was also a tax attorney. They were all thirty-five or younger. That was why we made Kara’s undercover background a lawyer.
That, even more than their physical looks, tells me why they were specifically targeted.
Reid’s partner may be a natural blonde; if not, she will dye her hair.
She is attractive with outward confidence, but also jealous of attractive and successful women.
She hasn’t accomplished what she wanted in life—academically or professionally—and she hates women who have succeeded.
That is the primary reason they were targeted.
There could be secondary reasons we can’t know without identifying Reid’s partner. Likely, their
appearance is a factor in who was targeted, but whether the appearance was because of Reid’s attraction or his partner’s jealousy,
I can’t say.”
“We need to comb through all of Matt and Kara’s notes and see when and to whom Kara mentioned her fictional background,” Ryder
said. “If anyone asked questions or seemed unduly interested in Kara’s life.”
Michael added, “And you think the partner works here?”
“Yes,” Catherine replied. “She likely started within three months of Garrett Reid, before or after. She’s older than him,
but not middle-aged. I’d guess between thirty-five and forty—but that’s a guess. I wouldn’t limit our pool of suspects based
on age.”
“Reid worked here, his partner works here,” Jim said. “They could have accessed Kara’s registration and the false address
we used that would lead them easily to her fake employment.”
Catherine conceded the point, but also knew accessing guest registration was limited to the front desk and management. Possible
to access, but they had flags on Matt and Kara’s fake backgrounds. If anyone looked them up—address, employer—it would have
triggered an alert.
“We’ll look again at those staff members,” Catherine said.
Ryder looked up from his laptop. “I found Blanche Richardson. She moved from Pasadena to Fort Myers over seven years ago.”
Catherine considered the distance from Flagler County to Fort Myers. “It’s a long drive for a face-to-face. I’ll call her
in the morning.”
“I’m a pilot,” Sloane reminded them. “If we can get access to a small plane, I could be there and back in four hours, interview included.”
“No one works alone,” Michael said. “We can’t make an exception just because you’re flying out of the area, Sloane. But I
agree it’s important to talk to her. Catherine, can you ask Bianca or Brian to go with Sloane?”
Catherine nodded. “But we still would need a plane. I’m sure Tony would approve it, and, Sloane, you don’t need to fly if
we get a charter.”
Jim raised an eyebrow. “Is it really that important to meet her in person?”
“It’s about body language and how people react in person,” Catherine replied. “A phone call won’t give us that. I can’t risk
missing something important.”
Sloane thought for a moment. “What if we involve the local FBI? I could direct the interview over the phone, over FaceTime
or on speaker, but another agent would be in the room to assess Richardson’s reaction. It would save time, as well.”
Catherine considered, then nodded. “That works. You lead the interview.”
Sloane made a note, and Michael said, “We need to reinterview every woman who fits the profile.”
“She’ll be single,” Catherine added. “She may or may not have a boyfriend, but she won’t live with him, and he’d be a pawn
to her, part of her game. She believes that Garrett Reid is her true love.”
Ryder said, “I just skimmed through Matt and Kara’s reports again. Kara’s law background came up three times: once in the
hotel bar, once in the gym, and once when Matt was talking to a guest the morning before the abduction attempt.”
“I remember the gym incident,” Sloane said. “Bridget Thomas. She kept showing up wherever Matt and Kara were and chatting
them up. She lost her husband last year and is lonely. This is her first trip without him.”
“She’s currently still a guest,” Ryder confirmed, “but is scheduled to check out tomorrow.”
“She might have seen something,” Catherine said. “We need to talk to her.”
Sloane raised an eyebrow. “You think a sixty-year-old is working with Reid?”
“No,” Catherine said. “I think Reid would seduce a sixty-year-old, but we’re looking for a more confident, calculating killer.
Mrs. Thomas may have overheard something, seen someone watching Kara. Michael, can you approach her?”
“First thing in the morning,” Michael replied. “I’ll have management flag her so that if she checks out earlier, they’ll call
me.”
Ryder added, “The third time Kara’s background came up was when Matt was talking to a guest in the gym the morning before
the first kidnapping attempt. The guest asked where his ‘hot wife’ was, and they had a conversation about Kara being a lawyer.
That guest is gone now, but I can track him down.”
“Get his name and contact info, talk to him,” Catherine said. “We’ll start with Bridget Thomas.”
After a long silence, Jim stood up. “We all need sleep if we’re going to be any use to Matt and Kara. Let’s reconvene at six.”
“Agreed,” Catherine said. “I’ll reach out if anything new comes in.”