CHAPTER FIVE
Alison paced her hotel room, the phone to her ear, as it began to ring. The room was nicer than she expected, not that she expected to be put up in a dingy motel or a complete dive, but she was aware of spending and budgets and how less and less money was being given to law enforcement in general.
The queen bed was comfortable (she had flopped down onto it after kicking her shoes off on entering the room), and the table in the room was spacious (something she was glad for as retiring to her hotel room was either to rest or to do some more work, and there was lots of room to spread out files).
"Hey," Derek answered.
"Hey," Alison answered with a sigh.
"You sound tired," Derek noted. "How’s it going over there?"
"I don't know," Alison admitted. "I’ve been attacked personally before, but this is a different kind of personal attack. I wasn’t a big part of the Riverside Strangler case, but I was around it enough to feel some guilt that they were never caught. It was my first case, and it feels like I’ve spent the rest of my career trying to make up for it. It’s stupid. "
"It’s not," Derek said warmly. "I get it. Our successes never make up for our failures, no matter how many we have, and for you, it’s been a lot of successes. It still doesn’t balance out.
It’s not like we’re keeping score, and our wins cancel the losses.
No matter how much we win, we can't fix the past."
"I know, I just…" Alison continued to pace, foreseeing a sleepless night. She looked out the window at the dark night descending over the city.
"I know," Derek replied. "You were on a case where the killer wasn’t caught, and it has you thinking about Emma. It’s not the same."
"It is the same," Alison argued. "I—"
"No," Derek interrupted, his tone deepening. "You admitted that you weren’t on the case for long. You weren’t the lead profiler. I know that won't ever alleviate your guilt, but this is not the same as your sister’s case. You were young back then, nothing more than a trainee. That’s not who you are now.
You weren’t equipped to catch a killer back then, and you were barely given the chance.
You are, however, equipped to catch this killer.
Less dwelling in the past and more looking toward the future. "
"You’re one to talk," Alison commented.
Derek laughed.
"Yeah, you might have me there, but I can't do anything else right now other than work those cases. We’re connecting the dots slowly and surely."
"It’s been nice to see Dad out of the house and just…
having a focus, you know?" Alison asked.
She smiled as she looked out of the window.
"He’s always had Rex to keep him company, and I try to see him even though I know I don't see him as much as I should. Still, there’s a difference in having people or pets to keep you company and something to keep you occupied. He needs this."
Derek let out a small laugh through his nose, and when he spoke next, Alison could almost hear him smiling.
"It’s been really good to work with him on this case.
He was a cop for many years, and he’s still retained a lot of that.
He’s not as young as he used to be, but his mind’s as sharp as a tack. "
"It’s been nice for me, too," Alison admitted, the smile still on her face. "I like seeing the two of you working together. I remember how nervous I was when you first met Dad, and I know you’re an amazing person, but it’s different when it’s a family member meeting your partner.
Seeing the two of you working the case is amazing.
I mean, obviously, I wish you didn't have to do that with Dad, and the two of you could go fishing or something instead, but you can't have everything. "
"Once it’s all done, James and I can go fishing. You’re welcome to tag along, too, if you like."
"Ugh," Alison said, far too hastily. "Not that I don't love both of you, but I can think of nothing worse than going fishing. Don't you just sit there all day, waiting for the tiniest nibble?"
"It might do you some good to give your mind a rest when all of this is done," Derek laughed.
"Yeah, I really can't see myself out in the middle of a lake, fishing."
"How about standing waist-deep in a river?" Derek asked.
"Are you trying to convince me to go or not to go?" Alison asked.
Derek laughed, a deep laugh that came from the pit of his stomach. It sounded like the type of laugh that someone needed to give to remind themselves that things were going to be okay.
"So, can we establish that all of the evidence is pointing toward my not going fishing when this is all done?" Alison asked.
"Uh, the jury’s still out on that," Derek replied.
He fell silent after that, and so did Alison.
She felt her heart beating steadily in her chest as she watched the darkening sky, a small sliver of daylight still visible in the distance.
Just having Derek on the other end of the line brought a calmness to her, and she wanted to stay in that moment, but there were far more pressing things.
Namely, a matter of life and death for others across the country if they didn’t find their killer. There was also the matter of justice for Alison’s sister after twenty-two years.
"So, where are we at with the case?" Alison asked after enjoying the silence.
"We’re working our way through the companies on our lists," Derek told her. "We go through them one at a time, and we don't move onto the next one until we’re sure we’ve exhausted all employees, both past and present. It’s almost like trying to manually force the code into a lock.
We have to start somewhere, and then we go through the numbers one by one, hoping that the code is close to where we began, knowing that it could be the last number we try. "
Darkness fell, not only outside, but also in Alison’s heart. There was nothing to distinguish this new lead from the previous ones.
"It might still be nothing," she told Derek.
"Yeah, it might be," he replied, not mirroring her misery. He was always the more optimistic of the two of them, but he hadn’t been looking for a killer for over twenty years. "We knew that might be the case going in, but either we find the killer who’s responsible for all of this, or we rule out the van from the investigation. Even if there’s another reason for the van being in the vicinity of two crime scenes, at least we can rest easily with that information.
That’s far better than constantly wondering if it was a lead worth following. "
Alison scratched her forehead and then rubbed it. "Let’s say it’s the same guy who killed all five women. He’s gotten away with it for twenty-two years. Who’s to say he makes a mistake now? What if he’s covered his tracks well?"
"I looked back at the reports for each case," Derek told her. "No one person was interviewed for multiple murders. In each case, there weren’t a lot of suspects once family and friends had been ruled out. To me, that suggests a killer who chose victims randomly. I went back and looked again after we got on the van, and no one from the companies we’re looking at was ever interviewed as a suspect. If this is the same guy in all five murders, he has gotten away with it, and he knows that. However, if this is someone who works for a security company, and we come sniffing around, there’s no telling what he’ll do. "
"Yeah," Alison sighed. When she listened to Derek talk, it gave her some hope, but she remained guarded against the possibility that it would be another dead end.
"Maybe there’s evidence to connect him to the crimes, but we’ve not discovered it because we’ve not looked in the right direction," Derek continued. "He’s not had to deal with someone questioning him."
"I know," Alison complained. "It’s a lot of what ifs."
"It is, but your father and I have a lot of time and motivation. He’s retired, and my boss has agreed to let me focus on Emma’s case.
This is not just personal anymore. If we bring in a killer for all five murders, that’s a big win for the department, and I’ve earned a lot of credit over the past two years working with you. "
"This is all…" Alison brought her hand up and pinched the bridge of her nose. Then, she wiped the tears as they came. Derek gave her time and silence to finish her thought. "It’s a lot," Alison added. "The fact that Dad’s on board after all these years, and I know you’re doing this for me."
"Guilty as charged," Derek replied.
Alison laughed. "I really hope this is something we can follow, but do you know what, even if it isn’t, I can help but feel proud of both of you and just…loved. It really is a lot to take in. I can't thank you enough for this."
"I’m in this with you now," Derek told her. "If we get this guy, it’s a win for me, too. I want to catch this guy as much as you do and let your sister rest after all these years. I don't want to see more of the pain you hold inside. It’s the not knowing that hurts the most, and it’s been far too long. So, we keep going."
"We keep going," Alison echoed.
"Tomorrow morning, we finally get working on the case and speak to the first company," Derek told her.
"We don't need to investigate the company itself, but if they won't cooperate, we can easily get a warrant. Then we move on to the employees. We obtain the employee records and begin reviewing them, looking for anyone who matches the profile we’ve built. That gives us a list of suspects, and we start going through them one by one. Your father wants us to surveil them first before we make contact, and I’m inclined to agree.
We watch, see what they do, and then talk with them. "
"If you find our guy, there’s no real chance of catching him in the act," Alison reminded him. "He spaces the killings out, five years or more. If the murderer from last month was him, then he won’t kill again for a long time."
"I know," Derek said. "We watch them and observe, then we talk with them. We don't know what we’ll get until we get it."
The sky outside had turned completely black; the city shrouded in darkness. streetlights and building lights had popped up one by one, covering the city with what looked like stars in the blackness, far more than could be seen in the night sky above.
"What do you think about the investigation there?" Derek asked. "One murder in Philadelphia and one in Boston. Are you sure they’re connected?"
"Yeah, we’re sure," Alison said. "I was worried to call you tonight and give you an update after looking at the photos from the crime scene here. I was worried that someone was coming after me, but after seeing the photos from the section crime scene, it’s not me, but the justice system, or the people within it.
The killer wants to show the failings. One criminal psychologist, now retired, and forensics from the other.
I don't believe the investigation into the Riverside Strangler was improper, but the Fenway Slasher case is different. We’re hoping to travel out there tomorrow to talk with the profiler from the case.
He either sabotaged the investigation or he was really bad at his job. "
"You’re thinking he might be the killer?" Derek asked.
"I don't know," Alison admitted. "Much like your investigation, I don't know if we know until we talk with him. It’s weird."
"What is?" Derek asked.
"I don't know for sure, but it just feels like weird timing.
" Alison was on the top floor of the hotel, and she looked down at the city, cars moving on the streets, and people walking around like small critters from her vantage point.
"That was my very first case, and the killer included my photo among the others as if it were partly my fault that the case failed. "
"Yeah, but you had nothing to do with the case in Boston, right?" Derek pointed out.
"No, I know, but my first case is popping back up now?" Alison asked. "The killer obviously thinks I had something to do with the killer not being caught."
"If you did, then it was because they didn't include you enough," Derek said. "If you were involved more, then who knows what might have happened. Looking back now, knowing your history, I’m sure they know they made a mistake."
"Maybe," Alison admitted. "I’ll reach out to Dr. Carver. She was the lead profiler on the case. Maybe she knows more about it. They never caught the killer, and that must haunt her, too. She’s still in the city, from what we know. She works for the DOJ now. She must think about that case."
"Just be careful," Derek warned. "You had nothing to do with the failures in the original case, but if the killer believes you did, then that puts you at risk. The killer is pointing out the failings, but what if they decide to take retribution on those who made the mistakes?"
"I didn’t—"
"I know," Derek interrupted. "I know that, and you know that, but we don't know what the killer believes. They’re killing people. We don't know what they might do next. So, please be careful."
"I will," Alison told him. "That goes for you, too. And Dad. If you do find this guy and he gets spooked when you confront him, he’s not going to turn himself over after killing five women. You don't know what he’s capable of. We know the killer I’m chasing has killed at least two people, and the one you’re chasing might have killed five. "
"I hope he tries something," Derek said. "Let’s see him try."
"Derek," Alison warned. "I don’t want anything to happen to you. Or Dad."
"I’m joking," Derek admitted. "A bad thing to joke about. I’ll stay safe if you will."
"It’s a deal," Alison said. "I should go. I don’t know if I’ll sleep tonight, but I should try."
"I’ll keep you updated on what your father and I find," Derek told him.
"I’ll keep you updated with the case here," Alison replied. "I love you."
"Love you, too."
Alison smiled as she ended the call. She spent some more time looking out the window, unable to get the thought out of her head that she was being targeted for some reason. Finally, she drew herself away from the window and the city beyond, and got ready for bed.
She undressed, showered, brushed her teeth, and applied her moisturizing cream, all while trying to figure out where the evidence from both cases was pointing her. Why did the killer choose two victims so far apart? Was that to throw them off, or was it because the cases were important to them?
Alison was about to get into bed when her phone chimed. She expected it to be Derek saying goodnight. She hoped it would be Special Agent Hartley or Detective Wolfe with updates on the case. It was neither. The message came from an unknown sender.
I need to speak to you.
Alison sent a reply: Who is this?
The speech bubble appeared immediately as the other person typed. A few seconds later, the reply popped up.
Dr. Carver. You’re at the Brixton, right? Tomorrow morning? 6 am? Coffee in the lobby? I need to talk.
Alison would have reached out soon anyway. She sent her reply: See you then.