Chapter Fourteen #4
Gene also had that.
“He is a photographer. He owns his own business, and still does it. He has a website, and it says he does all kinds of photographs.”
Okay, that really didn’t connect to any of the suspects she had in mind. The last thing she wanted to do was deal with the families. It was bad enough that she was going to have them exhumed.
That was going to piss them off.
GREATLY.
Now, she took her suspect list and considered what she knew.
Oh, and it was a very short list.
‘Trenton Balkin
Jeffrey Von Gunter
Devon Slater
Larry Springer
The man who found Jonathan’
Yeah, that was a pretty good list for day one, but she was able to immediately remove two of them. The caretaker of the cemetery, and the current owner of the building.
She rattled off the names for her partners, and Gene wrote them down to upload them.
“Gene, see if you can connect ties to any of our suspects. For day one, we don’t have much, and I don’t believe Devon Slater belongs on that list, nor Jeffrey Von Gunter, but I like to cover all of my bases.”
Gene got it.
He was on research duty tonight. Luckily for him, by morning, MATE would have it handled. Oh, and he was definitely using their AI assistant.
Someone was still sleeping tonight.
Ethan continued.
“We have a collector, but we know he’s watching.
So that makes him trickier. We need to make sure we’re careful.
He’s going to lurk, and he’s going to take it all in.
Everything we do will be studied, and now, it’s going to be a game.
He’ll consider this a challenge. We removed his collection, and that goes to Hell in a handbasket REALLY fast.”
Yeah, they knew that, unfortunately.
“The media was at the crime scene. We ditched them, but it’s only a matter of time before they figure out what’s going on, or tomorrow when we have two victims exhumed.”
That was concerning.
That would escalate it even more.
For now, the killer couldn’t watch or hear what they were doing, but that could change.
“He’s going to have an attachment to the victims, as in he wishes he could have them.
So, by killing them, that’s his way of keeping them his forever.
They can never replace him. Someone has had issues with women.
They either broke his heart, betrayed him, or he lost one that damaged him.
He will have started this years ago, but not killing at first.”
Elizabeth was curious.
“Like how?” she asked.
Ethan shared.
“I wouldn’t doubt if he’s been sexually assaulting women for years, and now, he’s moved on to killing them.”
Elizabeth lifted a brow.
“Gene, make sure the DNA Chris is working on is run against any old cases—unsolved ones.”
He nodded.
“Got it.”
Ethan was to the point.
“Watch your backs. You won’t see him, but he’ll see all of us. You’re easily researchable. He’s going to be smart. By the hyper fixation that seems to be going into this with his plotting and planning, someone has some ADHD. You’ll become his hyper fixation.”
That was bad.
That was the last thing she needed.
“So, he’s going to be damn good at what he does?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Like you’re good at what you do, his hyper-fixation is long-term, and stems from his childhood.
Someone broke this kid, or he learned from seeing something.
It’s often the same when a killer is spawned.
Bad kids aren’t born that way. They are made that way.
If you can find that catalyst, like I said with women in his past, you’ll have him. ”
That meant researching their pasts.
“Callen, everyone Gene researches, I need to know about their childhoods. Find me something.”
He nodded.
“On it.”
Ethan continued.
“If pushed, this person will be very dangerous. By now, he is desperate because he’s lost his collection. Expect him to respond. Expect escalation.”
Yeah, no shock there.
“How dangerous are we talking?” Ivan asked, since his job was to keep them safe.
This was the part Ethan didn’t like.
“If Chris finds out that all of the victims were women, we’re good. She isn’t. He’ll hyper focus on her.”
Well, shit.
No one liked that.
“I’ll be okay,” she admitted. “It’s damn difficult to get to me,” she reminded them. “Uriel is three inches from my back, and Ivan is scanning the area like we’re expecting Taliban to pop up. I’m good.”
Only, Ivan didn’t like it.
Not.
One.
Bit.
He kept his mouth shut since this was the nature of the beast for her. Truthfully, he was tired of bitching about it all of the time.
Ethan kept going.
“It will become a game, like it always does for a collector. He’ll study, and he’ll regroup. The game will change. The whole point will be to catch you off guard.”
Elizabeth was accustomed to this kind of a thing.
She played with crazies all the time.
“Okay, anything else, Ethan? I’m ready for this one,” she said, so he would calm down.
The muscle in his cheek was ticking, and that always meant he was worried.
Or ready to lose his shit.
“I’ll have more once the remaining DNA comes in. Let’s hope there’s a man thrown into the mix. If there is, we’ll be good. That means he isn’t as much obsessed with women, but an equal opportunity killer.”
She had a favor to ask.
Then, she told him about the man’s box of medals, and how Jonathan Miller deserved a burial.
When she was done, Ethan knew what she wanted.
“When Chris releases him, I’ll get the military to give him a full burial at Arlington. Consider it done. I’ll call my friend the general. He loves you, so he’d give that dog a full military funeral if you asked.”
She snorted.
“He’s afraid of me. That’s all.”
Oh, no doubt.
“Keep sending information. I’ll keep the profile going,” he offered. “Be careful in the cemetery. We don’t know where he is in the process. We have no clue if he is currently watching or if he has his next ‘victim’ with someone who was just buried.”
Well, they had the list.
Gene chimed in.
If the latter was the case, they might have an upper hand on this one.
“A woman by the name of Steph Lewis was the most recent person to be buried,” he admitted. “She’s last on the list we got, and her burial was yesterday.”
Ethan was to the point.
“If we’re on target, he’ll make a move for her. You might have to get tricky.”
Oh, she knew what he meant.
Cameras, surveillance, and all the things that Marines were damn good at. If they could catch him while he was trying to dig her up, they would have him.
She’d fill the whole cemetery with Marines in night vision to play catch the cuckoo.
“I’ll utilize that if need be.”
Oh, there was no doubt there.
“Call me if you need me,” Ethan said. “I’ll be awake working,” he added.
Elizabeth was to the point.
“Be safe yourself, and good luck tomorrow. You’ve got this, Shaman.”
He smiled.
“Thank you, my loves. I love each and every one of you. Not you, Ivan. You’re not my type.”
She laughed with Ivan looked relieved.
“See you tomorrow, EJ. Love you,” she added, and then she hung up.
When the call was disconnected, she was curious.
“Do we know where the newest burial site is in this cemetery?” she asked.
Gene pulled up the master list. On it, there was the name of the section of the cemetery.
Each area housed certain bodies. The one where they’d been today was for just anyone.
There was a children’s section.
There was a veterans section.
And there was one for members of the church.
“Yeah, nowhere near the others,” he said. “She was laid to rest at the other end of the cemetery in a family plot.”
Well, they were going to head there.
“We’re splitting up,” she admitted. “We have three names. Callen, you and Uriel take Joan Gehert’s grave. It’s over by where the killer likes to play. Check out Penny Rich’s, too. Let me know if you see anything weird.”
Ivan said nothing.
That was new.
“No comment, peanut gallery?” she asked.
He laughed.
“No, I’m just questioning my sanity. Guns and drive-bys, I get. Playing hide-and-seek in a cemetery…my world has hit an all-time new level of insanity.”
Yeah, tell her about it.
“Let’s just do it,” Ivan said. “I don’t like how creepy it is here. All those red-light candle thingies are giving me the willies,” he admitted.
Normally, splitting up was a problem, but they had enough people to cover her.
Elizabeth shrugged.
As a Catholic, the lights didn’t bother her at all.
“We’ll go toward the new section with Steph Lewis’ family plot. Be careful, since this person is consistent. Don’t go running into the trees or divide up. Got it?”
Callen unsnapped his gun holster.
“Oh, I’m in a cemetery at night. I’m shooting first and asking questions later.”
She laughed.
“What’s that like?” she asked. “You know, having to walk around something so goddamn haunted that it gives you the willies and makes you want to piss yourself?”
He sighed.
“You’re comparing the gold baron’s mansion to a cemetery?” he asked.
She nodded.
“I am.”
He shrugged.
“Well, I know one thing.”
Elizabeth waited.
“The skeletons in this cemetery aren’t sick. They have good bones.”
She stared at him.
Did he just dad joke her again?
Really?
“NO, THANK YOU, CALLEN JAMES.”
He just laughed.
As a matter of fact, Ivan did too.
She just rolled her eyes at both of them.
“Then don’t buy Christopher Anthony joke books. I have to read them to him every night before bed. This is all your fault,” he joked.
She snorted.
And they went separate ways.
Gene was beside her, Ivan was behind her, and the dog was walking along with her, a slow wolf-y pace. She’d be lying if she said it wasn’t creepy as fuck on this side of the cemetery.
Now, she was focused on the red lights that she’d not noticed before.
Great.
As they got closer, she stopped dead in her tracks, making Gene look around, and Ivan borderline freak out.
“What?” Ivan asked, his gun out as his head was on a swivel.
“Did you hear that?” she whispered, keeping her voice low enough that only they could hear her.
He hadn’t.
And now, he wanted to freak out. Elizabeth was good when it came to her surroundings. That didn’t bode well for them.
At.
All.
“What did you hear?” he whispered, ready for an assault at any second.
She couldn’t help herself.
“Coffin.”
Gene got it first, and he actually laughed. He was amused by her humor. They were both like teenage boys. Callen wasn’t the only one.
Ivan, on the other hand, wasn’t as amused.
“I’ll shoot you and your mangy dog, too.”
She snorted.
“That’s how you deliver a dad joke,” she stated, continuing to walk toward the location of Steph Lewis’ burial.
As they kept walking, she could hear talking, but she assumed it was Callen and Uriel’s voice in the air. Things echoed in cemeteries. There was no way she was thinking it was the dead. She was NOT letting her mind go there.
That was a shitmess on a good day.
As they got closer, immediately, she knew something wasn’t right.
Oh, shit.
“Is that a light?” she asked.
Ivan nodded.
“Yep. I don’t like this,” he whispered. “It’s not one of those creepy red ones. It’s a regular light.”
Know who else didn’t?
Shadow.
Immediately, he began growling, and the hair on his back stood up, and somehow, she didn’t think he’d seen a cat.
Elizabeth wasn’t quite that lucky.
Pulling her gun, Gene did the same, and they slowly walked toward the section of the cemetery where the glow was coming from.
At first, she thought it would be those lanterns that glowed red and came on after dusk—but one where the red glass was broken, so the normal light showed through.
Yeah, but it wasn’t.
It was way too bright.
This glow was off.
It was more yellow.
Like candles.
When they were almost there, that’s when she heard it again. This time, it was laughter, and it wasn’t from any of them.
Oh, Jesus Christ.
She hit her vest com, knowing that they were about to have one hell of a problem.
“Callen and Uriel, abort. Get your asses over here,” she whispered. “The killer has been here,” she said, taking a wild stab at it.
How did she know?
Well, when they got to the location where Steph Lewis was buried, the grave was open.
But that wasn’t the worst part.
On one of the tombstones nearby, there was an ominous little present left for her.
A skull.
Only, it had devil horns, and someone sick, had peeled off a wide swath of skin from that person, and laid it over the face of the skull.
Two mismatched eyes were placed there.
Underneath in red was something scrawled on the stone.
‘Welcome to the game, Deputy Director. You’re next. I’ve been waiting for you.’
Well, holy shit.
This didn’t go well for day one.
Not.
Even.
Close.