"And it might help us understand the killer's psychology," Vic said. "Someone who sees themselves as delivering justice rather than just committing murder. That changes the profile significantly."
“Ah, but if heispart of a larger group, he may not even be acting of his own accord…but at the instruction of someone else.”
They both let this final comment settle in on them as they finished their meal. Miles felt the satisfaction of having his theory taken seriously by an experienced field agent, while Vic saw new investigative avenues opening up that might actually lead to actionable intelligence.
"So what's our next step?" Miles asked as Vic as they tossed their lunch trash away.
"We start looking deeper into the victims' business practices," Vic said. "Not just their wealth, but how they accumulated it and who they might have harmed along the way. If your theory is right, there should be specific patterns of behavior that made them targets."
"And we look for other potential victims who fit the same profile," Miles added. "People whose financial practices match the pattern established by the first three murders."
Vic nodded, her expression focused and determined. "Exactly. We're going to figure out what these people had in common beyond just being rich, and then we're going to find whoever's killing them before they can strike again."
Miles wanted to once again refer to whoever might be pulling the strings, but he didn’t want to push it. She had gone along with the theory—for now, anyway—so he didn’t want to press matters with talk of a cult.
As they headed for the airport exit, Miles felt the excitement of a case that was finally coming together. His periodic table theory had found practical application in an active investigation, and Agent Stone's field experience was providing the framework he needed to turn analytical insights into investigative strategy.
The breakthrough he'd been seeking for three years was within reach. And for the first time since he'd started tracking these cases, he felt like he had a real chance of stopping the killers before they could further extend their deadly mission.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Miles followed Vic Stone back to her sedan in the parking garage, expecting her to start the engine and head to whatever location they'd be using as their base of operations. He assumed it would be a field office or a state PD base of operations. Instead, she popped the trunk and pulled out a black laptop bag, and settled in behind the wheel.
"Are we going to get moving soon?" Miles asked, checking his watch. The afternoon was advancing, and he assumed they'd want to dive into the investigation as quickly as possible.
Vic unzipped the bag and extracted a government-issued laptop, along with what appeared to be a mobile internet hotspot device. "Actually, no. When I'm traveling, I hate bouncing around field offices. Avoid it whenever I can. It makes me feel…I don’t know…chaotic. Unsettled."
Miles watched with growing curiosity as she powered up the laptop and began connecting to a secure network. He assumed she was logging onto the FBI’s mobile database. "Where exactly are we going to work then?"
"Right here," Vic said, adjusting her seat backward a bit with the laptop balanced on her knees. "I feel that it saves time and frustration to just do the research portion of things in the car. Makes me feel more mobile, ready to hit the road at a moment's notice."
Miles looked around the parking garage, taking in the concrete pillars, the low ceiling, and the distant sound of planes taking off overhead. It wasn't exactly the professional environment he'd expected, but he had to admit there was a certain logic to Vic's approach. And given her stellar reputation, he supposed she knew what she was talking about.
"That's...unorthodox," he said, opening the passenger door. "But I suppose it makes sense."
"Trust me, I've spent too many hours sitting in borrowed office spaces trying to get access to systems that don't want to cooperate with visiting agents," Vic said, her fingers already moving across the keyboard. "This way, I've got everything I need and I'm not dependent on anyone else's infrastructure."
Miles retrieved his own laptop from his bag and settled into the passenger seat. The sedan's interior was spacious enough to accommodate their impromptu mobile office, though he had to adjust his position to find a comfortable angle for typing. Through the windshield, he could see other travelers loading luggage and departing for the city, oblivious to the federal investigation being conducted just a few spaces away.
"What are you accessing?" Miles asked as Vic's screen filled with what looked like FBI database interfaces.
"Bureau records, financial databases, public filing systems," she replied without looking up. "I want to cross-reference our three victims and see what connections we can find beyond the obvious wealth factor."
Miles opened up his own bag and removed his laptop. Vic provided him with the password for her hotspot device and he connected to the internet. While Vic had access to sophisticated federal databases, he could contribute by searching through publicly available information that might reveal patterns the official records missed. He’d always been a firm believer in the idea that pretty much anything buried in a federal database could be found online if you knew where to look and dug deep enough.
"I'm going to do some basic research on wealthy San Franciscans," he said. "Look for online articles, social media accounts, anything that might give us insight into potential targets or connections between our victims."
"Good thinking," Vic said, her attention focused on the screen. "Sometimes the most useful information comes from sources people don't think to protect."
Miles began his search methodically, starting with news articles about San Francisco's financial elite and working his way through various business publications and society pages. The city's wealth was concentrated among a relatively small group of people, many of whom appeared regularly in local media coverage of charity events, business deals, and political activities. He opened multiple browser tabs, creating a web of information that connected real estate developers, investment bankers, tech executives, and political figures. Social media profiles provided additional insights into their lifestyles, business relationships, and public statements that might reveal the kind of controversial activities that could make them targets.
"Finding anything interesting?" Vic asked after several minutes of concentrated typing and scanning.
"Lots of connections," Miles replied, scrolling through a LinkedIn profile. "San Francisco's wealthy community is smaller and more interconnected than I expected. The same names keep appearing in different business deals and social events."
"That's what I'm seeing, too," Vic said. "These people all move in the same circles, invest in each other's projects, sit on the same boards. If our killer is targeting them for specific business practices, there's probably significant overlap in their activities."
Miles continued his research, diving deeper into the social media presence of individuals who seemed to have connections to their victims. Instagram accounts revealed expensive lifestyles and business relationships, while Facebook feeds provided insights into their public statements and political positions.
