CHAPTER NINE
It was late, past midnight, when Alison pulled up at the police station to receive a debrief on the third victim from Detective Moore.
The tiredness and the double espresso fought for superiority within her as she got out of the car and walked through the darkness to the front door.
Even though she knew Moore and other officers were inside, and that no one would be stupid enough to attack her outside the building, she still hurried her step.
She entered and walked past the front desk toward the bullpen, and a waiting Detective Moore.
"You got here quickly," the detective noted.
"I wasn’t at home when you called," Alison replied. "I was working at my old office with my former boss. She’s been helping me build a profile of the killer and locate potential victims. I thought we could stop this one before now."
"What?" Moore asked, her brow furrowing and her eyes narrowing. "Oh, goodness, no. Didn't I say on the phone? There’s no third crime scene."
"What are you talking about?" Alison asked.
"We have them in the station," Moore said.
"Who?" Alison asked, thoroughly confused. "The killer?"
"No, the potential victim," Moore said. "Sorry, it’s been a bit chaotic having to call people back in and try to work out the killer's motives.
We believe a potential target was sent a psychological report and a threatening letter.
Forensics is now examining the letter, and officers are out in the area, but we don't know why they sent the report and the letter and did nothing else.
I mean, we sure are glad they did nothing else. "
When Alison was back at Victoria’s office, it had almost felt like her soul had left her body when she had heard the supposed bad news. Now that the detective had clarified what was actually happening, Alison felt a wave of euphoria.
She couldn’t contain it and took a step forward and hugged the detective, whom she barely knew.
Alison knew it was weird, but she didn't care.
She thought someone else had died because of her, and hearing they were alive felt like saving them.
She held on tight to Detective Moore as tears filled her eyes, and then became embarrassed to let go and have the detective see her like that, so she continued to hug her for a few seconds more until she had collected herself.
"Sorry," Alison said to the slightly dazed detective as she pulled back. "I thought we had lost another one, and I can't deal with that right now."
"It’s okay," Moore said.
"Okay, so who’s the potential victim and what have they given us?"
"Harold Jenkins," Moore said. "He was released from prison four years ago on your recommendation. He hasn’t continued in society as the two victims have by making a positive difference, but he seems to be making an honest living."
"I remember Harold," Alison said. "He was in prison for burglary, right?"
"With a deadly weapon," Moore added. "He was arrested for breaking into a home, and he was carrying a gun at the time."
"He never used it, I remember that. There was always the question of whether he would, if he were confronted on a property, but he claimed it was carried only as a warning, nothing more. I remember believing him. He was prolific in his time, but never hurt anyone."
"He was an addict," Moore reminded her.
"Yeah, I know. Do you know if that’s continued?"
"As far as we know, he hasn’t been using since he was released from prison, and he hasn’t been arrested since then," Moore said.
"I have an officer taking his full statement now, but it looks like the killer was in his home.
Harold returned home late tonight, and when he got to his kitchen, he found the report and the letter. Maybe he was scared off."
"What was the letter?" Alison asked. "Can I read it?"
"Forensics has it right now, but as soon as they’re done, it’s all yours. I have the psychology report if you want to read that."
"I don't think I need to immediately," Alison said. "I’m sure it’s the same as the other two: the killer picking apart my report. The letter, I am interested in, though. Who was it addressed to? What was the content?"
"It wasn’t addressed to anyone," Moore said. "The letter was a warning that people like Harold needed to be behind bars, and they were going to make sure that happened."
"Did they say how they planned on doing that?"
Moore shook her head. "No, they didn't. The letter was vague in what it was trying to achieve."
"The killer might have been disrupted," Alison admitted. "Have someone talk to the neighbors and see if they saw or heard anything. If they were disturbed, they were disturbed by someone or something. Still, if that were the case, someone should have called it in. It’s different this time with the letter. It’s almost as if the killer is evolving. They are showing how much they are in control by going to a man’s house but not killing him.
The killer would know that Harold would read the letter and report before calling the police. This is new."
"Hopefully, the result in forensics is something new," Moore said. "Maybe they’ll find DNA this time. They’re also looking at the four documents together: the three reports and the letter, looking for any handwriting patterns or identifying characteristics."
Alison sighed. She was glad that the third ‘victim’ had not been killed, but they were still left with nothing.
"We should still put a protective detail on him," Alison said. "The killer targeted him and left him alive, but that doesn’t mean they won't come back to finish the job, especially if they were disturbed. I’ve been narrowing down my files from when I was consulting with the prison system, and there are a lot of potential victims. Even if we take only the ones in the city, we can’t protect them all. "
"Give me a list of names, and I’ll see what I can do," Moore said. "Even if we get in touch with them and warn them of a potential killer, it might be enough."
"I was also thinking about the killer," Alison said. "We’re looking for someone who had access to my reports, and that could include the person who represented either Thomas or Jennifer or both. Add them to the search."
"Got it," Moore said.
"Perhaps someone with an ideological mission to expose rehabilitation assessments. They’re targeting me, but the reports show they are targeting the system and using me to do that.
Thomas was released five years ago, and I haven’t consulted for two years.
We’re looking for someone who has been waiting, but why? "
Moore shrugged.
"Perhaps they have been trying to fix the system in other ways.
I don't believe this is someone who has been quiet about early release. That could be public, or it could be someone within the field known to others to oppose it. Someone who has spent time trying to change the system and failed, so they’ve resorted to this.
Someone with some anger against the system, perhaps.
Someone who might have anger toward me or is connected to me. "
"I might have someone," Detective Moore said. "A name did pop up earlier, and they have a connection to you. They might be worth checking out."
"Detective Moore!" an officer called to her as he came through the door that led to the back half of the station. "He won't accept any protective detail."
"Officer Grant," Moore introduced to Alison. "He’s the officer with Harold." She turned to the officer. "What’s going on?"
"I’ve taken Mr. Jenkins’s statement, and we don't have anything more than what he already told us, but he refuses a protective detail."
"Okay," Moore said softly, talking lower to try to soothe the annoyed officer. "Why won't he?"
"He went on some rant about the letter and report being right, and maybe he did deserve to be punished more for what he did. He rambled about being on drugs back then and losing his entire life, and resorting to taking from other people, and while he went to jail for his crimes, he was never able to repay what he took from the families. He said that he deserves what the universe gives to him, and he’s not afraid to die. "
"Okay," Moore said with a sigh, rubbing her forehead. "Okay, talk with him some more and get that in writing from him, and hopefully, just doing that will calm him down. Can you explain to him that he’s not going to have a bodyguard, just someone outside his house, maybe his place of work, making sure he isn’t attacked and killed? "
"Yeah, I can do that," the officer said.
"You can also explain to him that it’s not only about him," Alison added, "but about getting the killer. If the killer comes back for him, someone being there to arrest him means no one else has to get hurt."
"And he likely won't even know the officer is there," Moore added. "Do whatever you can to help him see the benefits. If the worst comes to the worst, we’ll put an officer on him for now anyway, and if he wants to claim harassment or anything else, then he can, but I’m taking no risks here."
"Got it," the officer said before leaving to relay the information.
Alison shook her head. It almost felt like psychological warfare.
Not only was the killer drawing attention to the early release of inmates, but the inmates themselves were being targeted.
Now, he had one former inmate admitting that they needed more punishment.
If the killer could weaponize that and get it out into the press, it could aid their cause.
"Maybe this is why they did things differently this time," Alison suggested. "If the killer got into Harold’s home easily enough to leave the letter, then they could have easily waited and killed him. They’ve been careful and meticulous on two occasions so far. This could be the evolution of their plan. I think we need an officer on Harold Jenkins, both to ensure the killer doesn’t come back, but to stop Harold from talking to the press.
If it goes public that Harold believes he needs more punishment, then it proves the killer’s point. "
"No matter what Harold says, I’ll have an officer watch him twenty-four-seven for the foreseeable future," Moore said.
"Good," Alison stated. "The possible suspect? You were about to tell me about someone you might have pinpointed."
"Yes," Moore said, turning her full attention back to Alison. "Dr. Philip Grayson. You know him, right?"
"Yes, very well," Alison agreed. "We haven’t kept in touch, but I remember working with him. I don't remember him being vocal about early release."
"It’s been more recent," Moore said. "The algorithm threw up his name and some articles. There’s time for you to go home and get some rest, and we can go and visit him first thing in the morning."
"No," Alison said. "I don't think I’m going to be able to sleep. Send me any information you have on Philip, and I’ll call Victoria and see if she’s heard anything. I need to go back over there anyway and finish going through the files to give you a comprehensive list of possible victims. They have a wonderful espresso machine that’s going to help me stay awake during the night. "
"Yeah, I’m not going to get much sleep either," Moore admitted.
"We do have a relief room here, so I can get a couple of hours when we are done with Harold. I'll make you a deal. If you’re not going to sleep, I’ll pick you up from the office in the morning, but I want one of those fancy espressos in return. "
Alison held out her hand. "You have a deal. First thing in the morning, we pay Philip a visit and see what he has to say for himself."