Chapter 9 #2
“We can try, but I doubt we’ll find anything.
” Bel leaned against the counter, coffee mug almost too hot in her hands.
“Jax Frost was an award-winning photographer who worked both at Bajka’s news station and internationally.
He crossed paths with countless people. It’ll be difficult to pinpoint an unusual or criminal connection. ”
“I realize this is a needle in a haystack, but what else do we have?” Barry shrugged. “Did you find anything at the tattoo shop?”
“We found something, all right,” Olivia chimed in. “But can we use any of it? No.”
“You found something?” Sheriff Griffin asked as he joined the trio in the breakroom.
“Not exactly,” Olivia clarified, and the detectives launched into a quick recap of their visit to Neptune’s Ink, earning a curse from their boss when they ended their summary.
“It’s not illegal to have mermaid tattoos.” Griffin crossed his arms over his chest as if he were trying to contain his frustration. “Or mermaid décor, or a hot tub, for that matter.”
“Tattoos, mermaids, a body of chlorinated water,” Olivia said. “It seems so obvious… but then again, when is it ever the simple answer with these cases?”
“Agreed,” Agent Barry said. “Neptune’s Ink might be what we’re looking for, but I still want to revisit Jax Frost with fresh eyes.”
“Why Frost?” Griffin asked. “Is he connected to this?”
“We aren’t sure, but I’ll fill you in,” Barry said.
“Detectives.” He nodded his goodbye, and Bel offered him a smile.
Contrary to popular cop dramas, the police usually welcomed the FBI when cases were beyond their capability, but Bel particularly loved having Agent Jameson Barry in her corner.
She was certain that Eamon also loved that another layer of protection had been added to her equation.
“We’ll revisit the Jax Frost evidence,” she promised as Barry and her boss left the room. “I’ll call you if we find something.”
“I got nothing.” Olivia threw the papers she was scouring onto the table. It was well past dinnertime, and the detectives wouldn’t have minded working through their meal if they’d had something to show for it, but they were frustratingly empty-handed. “Tell me you’ve found something?”
“Nothing.” Bel leaned back in her chair.
“But Jax Frost froze girls to death for over a decade. Dr. Charles Blaubart murdered his wives and ran a black market surgery for years. These weren’t sloppy men.
The only reason I put two and two together was because of a framed news article in a doctor’s office.
And if we hadn’t identified the Matchstick Girl Killer, that photo would’ve meant nothing to me.
I doubt our Mermaid Killer made his acquaintance with Frost known, though… if they even knew each other at all.”
“And if our killer is local, there’s probably no record of their relationship. They lived too close to risk traceable connections,” Olivia said. “No phone calls. No text messages. No emails to order dark magic-infused embalming fluid.”
“There are many ways to communicate without leaving traces,” Bel said.
“They could’ve dropped notes in each other’s mailboxes and then burned the letters.
Or they could’ve employed ways that leave traces but are undetectable to anyone but the recipient.
These men operated under the radar for years.
Both Jax Frost and Charles Blaubart were smart and well-respected.
They were people no one ever suspected.”
“And you think the Mermaid Killer is the same?” Olivia asked.
“I do. They’re probably someone who’s in the public eye, or someone no one would suspect because the life they created acts as a shield. You can’t see who they really are because they’re skilled at hiding in plain sight.”
“Like a tattoo shop,” Olivia said. “But not just any tattoo shop. The best in the area. The place everyone trusts with their health and safety when they’re getting needles shoved into their skin for the sake of art.”
“Yeah.” Bel stared at the mountain of unhelpful paperwork spread out before them. “Exactly like the best tattoo shop in the area.”
“I got you a—”
“We received the employee list from the funeral home,” Olivia cut Bel off mid-sentence.
“Awesome.” Bel placed the Espresso Shot to-go cup in front of her partner. “And I got you a latte.”
“Oh, thanks.” Olivia took a giant sip without pausing to test the flavor or heat.
The detectives had worked late scouring the evidence for any links between Dr. Charles Blaubart, Jax Frost, and their mystery Mermaid Killer, but they were as empty-handed this morning as they were when they’d first had the idea to look for a connection.
Bel had fled her house bright and early, desperate for a vanilla latte with an extra shot from everyone’s favorite coffee shop, but it seemed Olivia had fled her apartment even earlier.
“It isn’t a long list.” Gold clicked on the email link as Bel pulled her chair closer to the desk. “But it looks like she included more than just employees. Interns, part-time staff, students who—”
“Stop.” Bel lunged forward and jabbed her finger against the screen. “Maybe it can be that simple.”
The women stared at the all-too-familiar name printed on the document before them.
“Experience tells me no,” Olivia said. “But it seems it is this time.”
“Come on.” Bel shot to her feet and snatched her keys and coffee off the desk. “I’ll drive.”