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She began to write down questions:
What was his trigger? Were there economic stressors in the area at the time? Was it personal? Did the offender harbor fantasies and finally act upon them?
Once she had inventoried the cases, she pulled up an electronic form for ViCAP and answered as many of the one-hundred-plus questions as she could. At four a.m., she hit “Send” and then followed up with a text to Special Agent Andy Jamison asking her to prioritize the case.
Macy’s phone chimed with a response almost immediately. Will do. As she packed away the boxes, her phone chimed with another text. This one was from Nevada. Where are you?
She wasn’t surprised he was awake. Insomnia was one of the traits they had discovered they shared in Kansas City. It was a prevalent condition in their line of work. What normal person could sleep after what they saw?
She typed back, Sheriff’s office. Evidence analysis.
Nevada responded, Treat you to breakfast. Walt’s Diner in fifteen minutes.
Deal. She packed up the boxes and replaced their tops. She shoved her legal pad in her backpack before clicking off the lights and walking out to the dispatcher’s desk. “I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“Sullivan will be on at six,” Deputy Morgan said.
“I’m sure I’ll be here several more nights,” Macy said.
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow evening.”
“Where’s Walt’s Diner?”
“Near the highway in the truck stop. Go out the main road and make a left at the railroad tracks. Follow the signs to the interstate.”
“Thanks.”
Fifteen minutes later when she pulled up in front of Walt’s, Nevada was standing outside the diner, his hands tucked into his coat for warmth. Out of the car with her pack on her shoulder, she locked the door and approached him. “How’d you know I wasn’t in my motel room fast asleep?”
“Really? You’re on a tight clock. You don’t have time to sleep.” He opened the diner door and gave her a slight smile. They passed a SEAT YOURSELF sign and found a booth in the back. A waitress delivered coffee and left them with menus.
She opened the menu, and her gaze went straight to the all-American breakfast, complete with eggs, bacon, and pancakes. Decision made, she dumped two sugar packets and cream in her coffee. “You think you know me that well?”
“I also drove by the sheriff’s office and saw your car.” He sipped his coffee, but didn’t bother to look at the menu. “What did you discover in the files?”
“Basically what we already know. He’s incredibly careful. He stalks and plans. Nothing was random. He left behind his shoe print three times, red nylon rope three times, and his DNA at each scene. He’s not worried about physical evidence.”
“He’s just a regular Joe.”
“He likes to think he is,” she said. “But guys like that have moments when they aren’t as slick as they think they are. If he’s still alive, I would bet he didn’t stop with the crimes here in Deep Run.” She sipped her coffee.
“Maybe the Turner case spooked him. Greene did a few things right.”
“He might have laid low for a while, but I would bet money he found new hunting grounds.” She shook her head. “I submitted the case details to ViCAP and asked a colleague to fast-track it.”
“If this guy has a pattern, then maybe a cop in another jurisdiction made note of it.”
“And filled out his ViCAP form.”
When the waitress returned, Macy ordered and Nevada followed with the number six. After she was out of earshot, Nevada said, “I spoke to Paul Decker.”
“Where?”
“I tracked him to a trailer outside of town.”
“And what did he have to say?” Macy asked.
“Said he remembers seeing Tobi with Cindy Shaw. He said Cindy was always scheming and using other people. Not a glowing referral.”
“Did you bring up Cindy?”
“No, he mentioned her without prompting.”
“Interesting. What else?”
“Not much really, but I encouraged him to give it some more thought. His parole officer would be so proud of him. If someone on that Dream Team was a part of this, Decker will rat him out to save his own ass.” Nevada sipped his coffee. “He’s getting called into the probation office tomorrow for a surprise drug test.”
Smiling, she folded one of the empty sugar packets in half, sharpening the crease between her thumb and index finger. “Well played, Nevada. Well played.”
“I do my best.”
She looked around the diner decorated with neon lights and black-and-white photos of the town from the last one hundred years. “Is this your favorite hangout spot?” Macy asked.
“Since I was a teenager. It’s open all night. A favorite for truckers, kids after football games, and hunters looking for a predawn hot breakfast.”
“I have a few places like that in Alexandria. Bev’s on Route 1 is one of my favorites.” She savored this easy familiarity between them. “Their number three is my go-to meal.”
“You have a thing for pancakes, Crow.”
“That’s no secret. I have a desperate addiction to sugar.” She traced the rim of her cup with her finger. “I actually lived in Alexandria a couple of months before my Texas vacation. I’m amazed we didn’t run into each other there.”
“I was on the road.”
“Not surprising.”
“And yet here we are.”
She stirred her coffee. “Which begs the question: Why me for this case?”
“You applied to Ramsey’s team.”
“You could have investigated this case.”
“It’s nice to have a second set of ears to bounce ideas off of.”
“You have Deputy Bennett.”
“She’s learning fast, but I needed someone who could hit the ground running.”
“Figuratively speaking.” Her sarcasm didn’t coax a smile.
He was silent for a moment and then said, “My last bureau investigation was in Arizona. It was a child abduction case. When we found the little girl, we were too late. You were the first person I called.”
“But I was hooked up to a ventilator.”
“Yeah.”
She tapped her finger on the side of her cup. “What we see can’t ever be unseen.”
“I forgot about the kid and could only think about you. I didn’t sleep until I knew you were out of the woods.”
The tender emotion in his voice caught her off guard, and it took her a second before she could speak. “I’m too mean to kill.”
He was silent for a moment. “When you reach your limit, and you will, give yourself a break. You don’t owe anybody anything.”
“I wish it were that simple. I can’t quit.”
The waitress arrived with their platters, setting down a western omelet with toast in front of him and pancakes, bacon, and eggs in front of her.
He stared at her over the rim of his cup but, instead of pressing, said, “Let’s get back to this case.”
She poured syrup on her pancakes. “Our offender chose vulnerable victims.”
“Including Ellis?” Nevada sounded surprised.
“She was then. Her parents were going through a nasty divorce, and she and her mother were living in a new rental home. Susan had a sick mother, and Rebecca Kennedy was struggling with substance abuse.”
“The game’s already rigged with this lineup,” he said.
Reflecting on him a moment, she poured more syrup on her pancakes and sliced into them. She took several large bites as Nevada also ate. “I’m guessing he’s also been moving from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. His plan is to stay just ahead of law enforcement. Maybe he knows not all law enforcement departments communicate with each other.”
“I saw it enough when I worked for the bureau,” he said. “Maybe your ViCAP application will come through.”
She drained the last of her coffee and motioned to the waitress for a refill. “I asked Deputy
Morgan to search missing persons and see if there’s a file for Cindy Shaw.”
“Everyone, including Decker, thinks she just took off. Decker’s version has her living happily ever after in Arizona.”
Macy picked up a slice of bacon, meeting his questioning gaze. “I don’t think Cindy landed in the world of rainbows and Skittles. I’ve seen too many young runaways get kicked in the head by the streets.” She snapped the piece of bacon in half. “I can’t even remember all their names and faces.”
