“What to do?” Agent Bradley offered.
“We the dead?” the imposter said.
“When they die?” the sheriff said.
“Yeah,” Grant said. “It could be anything. Have you called around to different florists to see if anyone has purchased a significant amount of rose petals or roses lately?”
The imposter nodded. “I checked in town and in the surrounding towns and didn’t find anything unusual.”
“What about rose gardens in the area?” Grant asked.
Melissa nodded. “I’ve asked around. There’s a garden club in Shadow Valley. The ladies are proud of their roses. No one reported missing roses or petals.” She stared at the woman lying among the rose petals. “All three victims, so far, have long black hair and appear to be around the same build and height and roughly the same age. Early to mid-thirties. The killer seems to have something against women who meet that criteria.”
A chill snaked down the back of Grant’s neck. “Agent Hart,” he started, hating calling this woman by that name, “how tall are you?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Five feet seven inches.”
Melissa Bradley’s attention turned to the imposter, her eyes narrowing. “And you’re how old?”
The woman lifted her chin. “Thirty-four.”
The same age as the real Agent Hart.
Sheriff Taylor frowned. “According to the killer’s M.O., you could be his next victim.”
Grant’s thoughts, exactly. Or the real Agent Hart could be the killer’s next target. He didn’t like that thought at all. Although he’d left her alone in the car with strict instructions to stay there, he knew Avery would break the promise if she saw anything suspicious or intriguing and thought it could be a clue.
His gut instinct was to sprint back to the car immediately to make sure she was still there.
Grant shifted his gaze from the dead woman to scan the area dotted with sheriff’s deputies, first responders and journalists. Was the killer among them? Was he watching?
“I have two of my deputies canvassing the area. Hopefully, someone saw something,” the sheriff said.
Grant glanced around, searching for nearby houses. There weren’t any close enough for a sleepless homeowner to casually glance out a window in the early hours of the morning. “Were the other victims found in similarly isolated areas?”
“Unfortunately, yes,” the sheriff responded. “No homes nearby, and they were left in the middle of the night, like this victim.”
“For now, we keep looking. Keep digging,” Agent Bradley said. “As careful as this guy has been not to leave a trace that will lead to him, he has to screw up sometime.”
The imposter Agent Hart squared her shoulders. “I’ll get with the state crime lab and see if they’ve analyzed all the trace evidence found on the first two victims. It’s obvious he didn’t kill them where he left them. There was no sign of struggle near the shallow graves. He transported them from where he kidnapped them. There has to be some trace evidence from his vehicle or from where he kept them until he killed them.”
“As a profiler,” Melissa turned to Grant, “what do you think his next move will be?”
Grant stared down at the dead woman. “I don’t think he’s done. He’s making a statement.”
“To whom?” Sheriff Taylor asked.
“Good question,” Grant said. “Someone who wronged him in the past…?”
“Someone who looks like the victims?” Imposter Agent Hart asked.
Grant looked at the woman who could be Avery’s twin. “Yes. In which case, he might not have gotten to that person yet.”
“Do you think he could be targeting Agent Hart?” Melissa asked. “Could he be one of the criminals she helped put away in her work with the FBI?”
Grant nodded. “It’s possible.” He stared at the imposter. “Can you think of anyone you sent to jail as part of your job as an FBI agent who is capable of murdering women?”
The imposter met his gaze and held it. “I can think of a few,” she said without blinking.
