Chapter Three #2
Well, they were definitely going to have to adjust on the fly or figure out why it was random things now like nipples, clits, and appendixes. Because that felt too weird to be random.
Instead of going there, she needed to know about the location they’d been left in.
“And trace in the gas station?” she asked.
He nodded.
“We ran the blood found on the license plate, and it belonged to a man by the name of Jeffery Von Gunter. The FBI had a hit in their system to make that match for you. They didn’t tell me how it related, but just that they had a connection.
They certainly did.
Well, again, no surprise.
Chris had made sure all the DNA of the previous victims had been put in the system.
Just.
In.
Case.
Since he’d been helping them, she clued him in.
“He was a victim we came across over a week ago. We found him with his head removed and buried. This killer likes souvenirs. Apparently, he’s also taking bodily fluids with him.”
The man stared at her on the screen as if he was connecting the dots.
Then, recognition dawned on him.
“Is this the same killer that the media is talking about?” he asked. “The one who got away?”
She nodded.
“Yep.”
He whistled.
“I’m sorry, Director. That sucks.”
Yes, yes, it did.
Only, this was her job, and she’d make sure she got it under control.
“Don’t worry. I’ll catch him. As for forensics, is there anything else in the way of trace evidence?” she asked. “That will help me?”
He flipped through the file, looking for something that would help her out.
Only, there wasn’t a lot to be found. Had this been run by the city team, the DNA and trace wouldn’t even have been done by now.
The FBI had handled all of this.
“The rest of the trace was what you’d find in a gas station. The FBI found that most of the prints were from when the business was open years ago. The most recent were found on the clock, but they were badly smudged. We can’t get a clean pull from them, unfortunately.”
Honestly, she knew who she was chasing. She was just trying to eliminate that he had a helper.
Devon had been the apprentice, and he might really have his own now. What she did know was he didn’t mind killing people he didn’t need.
Like his lawyer.
Like his secretary.
Humans were collateral damage in his world, and during his game. In the back of her mind was the fact that he was a rich and powerful man. That made him more likely to buy his way through this.
“One last thing,” she said. “Did the semen match the samples on record from my last case?” she asked.
He nodded.
“Yes, the FBI determined that what was found at the scene was a direct match.”
Well, that covered that.
Now, she had to take what the killer left her and run with it as best she could. There was no doubt it meant something.
Just what?
“Thank you, Doctor.”
He nodded.
“What would you like to happen with the remains?” he asked. “Should I release them to family if they come forward?”
Oh, she knew that he would have chosen the outliers in society. She’d bet her bottom dollar that they were orphans or estranged from their family.
So, she shared.
“A transport is on the way. I want them shipped to me in Damascus. Load them up and get them there ready to go in the next twenty minutes.”
He looked surprised.
“Oh, okay.”
She was to the point.
“They are evidence, and when this goes to court, I’m going to need the bodies.
The killer isn’t some average person. He’s wealthy and will likely buy a good attorney.
I need all my ducks close by, and I don’t want to exhume.
Plus, and no offense, Doctor, but I’m going to have an FBI ME go over the bodies again. My ME is familiar with the case.”
He got it.
When one of the city techs came into the room, she whispered something to the ME.
“Well, they’re early, Director. The transport is already here. I’ll get them loaded up. Good luck, Director. It appears you have your hands full.”
Yeah, she was aware.
“Thank you, Doctor,” she said, making the signal to MATE to kill the call.
When it was done, she leaned back in her seat.
“That was something,” Uriel stated. “This dude is unhinged. If the corpse fucking wasn’t enough, now the rest? What the hell?”
Oh, she was aware.
This was going to suck.
BIG.
TIME.
Elizabeth took a stab at it.
“Devon is trying to shock me, but I’ve seen it all. He did everything very intentionally. I need to talk to my team,” she said, glancing over at MATE. “Get my ME and profiler on the call. We need to have a conversation.”
MATE nodded.
“They are in your home office. The four of them have gotten the information you wanted sent to them, and they are just beginning to go over it.”
Well, that being at home would be temporary.
What she needed was Chris in the office, ready to go when the remains showed up.
When Ethan’s face came on the screen, he looked worried. Well, he should be. This was escalating. Devon mutilated bodies, but this scene was worse.
“Hey, Baby,” he said.
Elizabeth kept it short and sweet. She was annoyed with the man, simply because he went behind her back when she told him she had this.
Someone tended to forget that she’d earned her position just like he’d earned it when he’d become Director of the FBI.
“Hey. Are you all available? I just got the autopsies back from the ME in Corpus Christi, and I have information. I had it sent to you guys, but it’s easier if we all go over it.”
OOF.
There was no affection there.
Ethan heard the chilliness, and that made his belly roll in nausea. It was crystal clear that she was aware of what he’d done by going behind her back.
Well, shit.
For the last twenty-four hours, he’d been texting her and getting only one or two-word replies back.
She.
Was.
Pissed.
There was no doubt in his mind that she wanted to skin his ass for telling The Hunters what was wrong and asking them to help.
Well, in for a penny.
In for a pound.
“They are, but first, are you okay?” he asked. “Are we okay?”
She paused.
At first, she was going to not say shit, but he’d annoyed the fuck out of her. So, it was either carry it and let it fester, or get what was on her chest off of it.
Well, he wanted to know, so he could do with the information what he wanted.
“I’m tired, and I’m pissed at the people in my life who constantly go behind my back and blatantly disregard my wishes like I’m a child.”
And there it was.
Ethan said nothing.
Instead, he let her say her piece because it wasn’t like he could deny it, now could he?
The jig was up, and the cards were laid out on the table for everyone to see. This was exactly what he’d been afraid of happening, too.
When fear came in, sanity went out the window.
“I specifically didn’t want to let The Hunters in on this because I want to bring Devon in legally. There’s a fine line in my life, Ethan.”
He went there.
“And I crossed it by asking people we consider family to help you?” he asked.
She blinked.
Oh, she didn’t like that tone.
Not.
At.
All.
“Uh, bad news. You four always cross it. I’m talking about the line between legal and illegal. I don’t want to get comfortable with killing people for my own benefit.”
She focused on MATE.
“Are we on an encrypted line?” she asked.
MATE nodded.
“And the signal is being bounced from here to Timbuktu and back,” she admitted. “No one is hacking into the call, Mom.”
Great.
That worked for her. Now, she could share what was bothering her about all of this.
“Ethan, for me, it’s easy to kill indiscriminately. It’s supposed to be difficult. I’ve killed too many people in my world to be comfortable with it. I can’t become the monster. I have to stay the one who chases him. Crossing the line shouldn’t be easy. Period.”
He was honest.
“That you know there is a line and that it could make you a monster means you’re not a monster. The people we chase who are legitimate monsters don’t realize that.”
While she appreciated him telling her that, the truth was the truth.
“I don’t like the feeling I get when I do it.
I killed the Butcher for Gabe, and I’ve killed people who should have come before a judge.
I don’t want to kill him. This case is going to be HIGH profile.
I’m going to be judged by how I handle it, and he just can’t disappear.
You don’t yeet a millionaire off the planet without there being some blowback.
SOMEONE will notice, and if that someone is in power, that will bite our family in the ass. ”
He was aware.
Only, he didn’t think she realized how bad this really was. Now that she said her part, Ethan took a turn.
“I just need to say one thing. He’s going to hurt us in ways no other killer has done before. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill nutbag, Elizabeth. This is a cuckoo on steroids. I’ve profiled him, and his goal is to get you and take you apart. He’s not going to stop until he does that.”
She didn’t say a word since she knew what she was sitting on.
The autopsy report.
Elizabeth couldn’t be sure they’d gone over it yet.
Blackhawk continued, and he was getting riled up just talking about it.
This was his goddamn wife that was going to be on the front line for this.
She was his target.
All of the peace he’d tried to build back for the last day went out the window.
FAST.
“He’ll use one of us, or one of our family, to get to you.
He knows what buttons to push. He’s watched you for YEARS.
Two decades of studying you has given him the edge.
This isn’t going to be a shot in the dark at you.
This is a smart, well-prepared, and well-schooled lunatic.
He’s not only bought information, but he’s watched and studied as a collector. ”
She was point-blank.
“I see you have very little faith in me.”
That hung there.
Finally, he found the words.
“When it comes to this killer, I have to look past ‘faith’ and be objective. I don’t think you’re doing the same. Faith won’t save our asses, and even having it is useless at this point.”
And there it was.
That was the nice way of saying he didn’t think she’d be able to handle this, and there was, in fact, no faith in her.
And that hurt.