Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
Dan closed the door to his room. Gary had been correct—he was bone tired.
He kicked off his shoes, removed his jacket, and loosened his tie.
The bed had been made, and the sight of plump pillows and the smooth white comforter proved too tempting to ignore.
He grabbed the Do Not Disturb door hanger and hung it outside.
He took his phone from his pocket and put it on silent.
After placing it on the nightstand, he undressed, pulled back the soft cotton bedding, and climbed in.
God, that feels good. The mattress topper was supremely comfortable, and the pillows were the perfect shade of firm. He closed his eyes. His intention had been to search for a clinic where they could get tested, but he was too tired to think straight.
It can wait. I’ll find one after my nap.
11:30 a.m.
Gary stared at the list he’d written on the board. Am I on the right track? If Dan was correct, the killer was out for revenge. He cast his mind back to his psychology classes in college and when he was training to be a homicide detective.
Maybe I need a refresher course.
A much simpler—and faster—solution was to call in an expert.
Riley came into the case room as Gary scrolled through his contacts and placed a call. “Kathy, are you available for a quick consult?”
“I will be in a few minutes. I’ll come to you. Are you at your desk?”
“No. If you come down the hallway toward Homicide, we’re in the small room on the right. You can’t miss it. Some joker pinned a notice to it.”
“See you there.” She disconnected.
“Kathy Wainwright’s coming?” Riley asked.
“Yeah. I want to pick her brains.”
“You might’ve warned me.” Riley straightened his tie and checked his shirt.
Gary cackled. “Will you relax? You’ve already said she doesn’t want a boy toy.” He bit his lip. “You might want to smooth your hair down at the back, though.”
“What?” Riley jerked his head. “Why isn’t there a mirror in here?” He reached around to brush his hair flat, and then narrowed his gaze. “My hair is fine, isn’t it?”
Gary grinned. “Gotcha.” That earned him a glare.
“Why didn’t you take that sign down, by the way?” Riley inquired.
Gary snorted. “I do that and there’d be another to replace it.
Besides, Serial Killers 101 had a ring to it.
And most of the guys out there are only jealous.
” He chuckled. “Will Freeman is working on a case of a woman who shot her husband. She claims she didn’t mean to do it and that the gun ‘just went off.’ He told me he’d love to be investigating a serial killer. ”
“He wouldn’t love the pressure,” Riley mumbled. He pointed to the board. “What’s that?”
“I got to thinking about the similarities between the cases, so I made a list.”
“We did that three victims ago.”
Gary nodded. “This time, I’m coming at it from a different angle.” He glanced at Riley. “Any news on the medical reports?”
Riley nodded. “You were right. They were all on PrEP. How’s Lewis doing with the clinics?”
“I’ll ask him when he shows up.” There’d been no sign of him.
“Why do you want to talk to Kathy?”
Gary stared at the board where he’d written I’m doing this for you. Under it, he’d written Anger and Guilt. “Something Dan said has got me thinking.” There was a knock at the door, and Kathy entered.
She gave Riley a bright smile. “Hey there.”
Gary pointed to an empty chair. “Take a seat.” He waited until she’d sat, then pulled up another chair and tugged it to face hers.
“You were right about the sign. Subtle, very subtle. Who was the artist?”
Gary frowned. “What artist?”
“The joker who drew a box of Cheerios lying on the ground, bleeding. Cereal killer?” Her eyes twinkled.
He hadn’t even noticed.
She stared past him to the board, and her face grew solemn. “Tell me you’re getting closer to catching him,” she murmured.
“We’re working on it.”
Kathy snapped her attention to him. “Okay. What can I do for you?”
“Let’s pretend that sign out there is for real. Serial killers. Why do they do it? What motivates them?”
She pursed her lips. “That assumes there is motivation. The media would have us believe they kill because they simply enjoy the act of killing. There could be multiple motives. Anger, financial gain, psychosis, sexual need, exhilaration….”
“What about revenge?”
“That too.” She tilted her head. “Is that your theory?”
“That’s all it’s been until now, but I think it’s time we explored it some more.” He looked across to where Riley stood, his back against the wall. “Who’s our whiz kid when it comes to searching the net and finding a needle in a haystack?”
“Barry Davies,” he replied without hesitation. “The guy’s a genius.” He paused. “What do you want him to look for?”
Gary got up from his chair and went over to the board.
“What are the constants for each of the crime scenes?” He pointed to the list and worked his way down it.
“A bottle of GHB. Rope. Cuffs. Possible link to BDSM. Victims with a very active sex life. Multiple partners. And they all died from a fatal drug dose.”
“You missed out the condom. And the letters.”
Gary shook his head. “No, I deliberately left them out. Let’s assume everything I’ve listed here is important.
I want Barry to look for guys who died as the result of an overdose.
Then cross-reference them with gay men who were sexually active, gay men with established links to BDSM. Not guys who were murdered, okay?”
Kathy let out a soft sound. “Oh. I get it. You think your killer is murdering these guys in the same way someone close to him was killed, is that it? He’s replicating the way they died.”
Gary nodded. “Like I said, it’s just a theory. There’s a pattern to all this—let’s assume it’s deliberate.”
“How far back do you want Barry to look?” Riley asked. “And where?”
Gary stroked his beard. “The first victim died in March 2016. Start there and go backward. And let’s stick to Boston for now. Tell him to keep going until he’s got enough data to analyze. If nothing turns up, we’ll widen the field.”
Please, let something turn up.
“I’m on it.” Riley met Gary’s gaze head-on. “Expect results. He’s fast.” With a nod to Kathy, he left the room.
Kathy got up from her chair and went to the board.
“Can I ask you something?” She pointed to where he’d written Anger.
“This one I get. If your theory is correct, someone the killer loved died a wrongful death, and he’s out to avenge him.
” Then she pointed to Guilt. “This intrigues me, however. What made you come up with this?”
Gary hesitated for a moment. “You know who’s helping us on this, don’t you?”
Her gaze grew thoughtful. “That psychic who’s worked with the police before? The one in the newspapers?”
“Yes.” Gary tapped the board where “I’m doing this for you” was written. “He feels this is the killer’s mantra. And these”—he indicated Anger and Guilt again—“were the two strongest emotions he encountered when he was at one of the recent crime scenes.”
She studied the words in silence. At last she took a step back.
“We won’t find out if he’s right until we catch the killer.
” She breathed deeply. “I’ll watch this case with great interest.” Kathy gave him a speculative glance.
“Why did you ask me to consult on this? As far as I see, you’ve got a good grasp of what might motivate him. ”
“I wanted to check that my theory made sense.”
“It does.” She heaved a sigh. “Seeking revenge for a wrongful death does not justify what he’s done. He’s destroyed lives, and I don’t just mean the victims.”
Gary swallowed. “And we’re making sure we avenge their deaths.”
Kathy gave him an approving glance. “Good luck.” She exited the room.
Gary walked over to Cory’s photo. We’re getting closer, Cory.
God, he prayed he was right.