AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The desire to head home and get into bed, with Jonah curled securely around her, made it difficult to concentrate. But they had a job to do, a responsibility to the people they were trying to help, so she tried to shake off her fatigue. “What does she have to say?”
He released her so he could flip through the pages. “Not surprisingly, she says the killer is filled with rage.”
Francesca leaned against him. “What killer isn’t? Anything else?”
He began to read aloud. “‘As you know, rape is about anger, not lust. And beating someone to death is intensely personal. I believe the man you’re looking for has reason to hate his victims and feels justified in violence. That’s why he left April Bonner on the street. Maybe she caused him extra trouble or threatened him in some way. He responded by humiliating her, not necessarily to show off his deeds but to make a statement that those who cross him will get what they deserve. I draw this conclusion from the pictures you sent, in which the victim is nude and posed with her legs splayed and her arms akimbo. It’s almost as if he’s calling her a whore.’”
“That’s so unfair,” Francesca interjected. “April wasn’t even close to being a whore.”
“A killer’s perception is hardly ever the reality,” Jonah responded.
“So do you think it’s Butch, with his threats and cutting my telephone line and hiding a black garbage bag in the middle of the night? He could be punishing the women who threaten his marriage, even though he’s really the one who’s to blame. Or is it Dean, acting out because he hates the women who reject him?”
“Nothing I’ve seen so far rules out one or the other,” he said. “If you haven’t worked with forensic profiles before, I should warn you that they’re pretty general. If profilers get too ambitious, too specific, and they’re wrong, they can throw off an investigation, and I know Winona’s very careful not to do that.”
“I didn’t expect her to name the killer, but it would’ve been nice if she’d been able to recognize some detail or signature that would point to one rather than the other. Even if Finch and Hunsacker managed to dig up a body at the salvage yard, our two main suspects live in the same house. How will we know which one put it there?”
Jonah shifted so he could slip his arm around her again. “Trace evidence, I hope—a hair or a footprint. But…there’s something else troubling me about this case.”
“What’s that?”
“I don’t get the feeling any of the victims were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time, you know? I think Winona is right about the perpetrator seeking vengeance against specific individuals.”
“But for what? What could these women have done?”
“You mean, what could Butch or Dean have perceived them as doing? Anything.”
Francesca frowned. Maybe that was true, but it wasn’t very helpful. “Does Winona have anything else to say?”
“Just what I already know. That killers who pose their victims are almost always white and generally older.” He paused. “Here’s something you might like. She also feels the person we’re looking for is small in stature.”
“Small in stature?” Francesca echoed.
“There’s your differentiation between Butch and Dean, huh?”
Except that, even after her skirmish with Dean last night, in her heart she believed it was Butch and not his brother-in-law. “What makes her think so?”
“The killer used a weapon to bludgeon these women to death. She claims that a man who’s already raped a woman and who’s confident in his own strength would most likely resort to strangulation. It’s quieter, it’s not as messy and it takes about the same amount of time.”
“But the reason for the weapon could tie back to the rage she’s mentioned. Bludgeoning is far more violent.”
“True.”
The ring of Jonah’s cell phone interrupted them. “Finch,” he muttered. “Finally.” Setting the profile aside, he turned on the speaker phone and leaned against the desk, still keeping her close. “Hello?”
“We’ve got him,” Finch announced.
Suddenly all business, Jonah came to his feet. “What did you say?”
“We have him.”
“Who?”
“Dean. Who else? He’s in custody.”
Francesca and Jonah exchanged an uncertain look. “They’ve been busy, all right,” she murmured.
“So it’s over?” Jonah asked. “You’re sure he’s the one?”
