"Bad enough that you're not going to work today," I tell her, using the remote to increase the volume as Channel 7's morning anchor discusses the murder of a young crime scene technician.
The coverage is sensationalized but accurate, describing Casey Holbrook as a "rising star in forensic analysis" whose death bears "disturbing similarities to a series of recent murders that have police baffled." They mention the connection to previous cases, the methodical positioning, the surgical precision that suggests either medical training or extensive study of forensic pathology.
What they don't mention is the recording device found in Casey's chest cavity, or the fact that Dr. Lila North has become the primary focus of the investigation.
But that changes when Dr. Shaw appears on screen, positioned outside the medical complex where Lila maintains her practice. She's wearing a charcoal suit that suggestsprofessional authority, her hair pulled back in the kind of severe chignon that makes her look like someone who never doubts her own intellectual superiority.
"Dr. Shaw," the reporter begins, "as someone who's consulted extensively on this case, what can you tell us about the psychological profile of the perpetrator?"
Shaw's smile is thin, cold. "We're dealing with someone extremely sophisticated. Someone with intimate knowledge of historical cases, access to detailed forensic documentation, and the kind of psychological training that allows them to replicate methodology with perfect precision."
Every word is carefully chosen, each phrase designed to point suspicion in specific directions without making direct accusations that could constitute slander.
"What about the targeting of Casey Holbrook specifically?" the reporter continues. "Is there significance to the killer choosing someone from within the investigation itself?"
"Absolutely. This represents a significant escalation, a message directed at law enforcement that no one involved in the investigation is safe." Shaw pauses, letting the implication settle. "But it also suggests someone with inside knowledge of the investigative process. Someone who knew which individuals had access to sensitive information."
Lila makes a sound like she's been punched in the stomach, because Shaw's implications are crystal clear to anyone following the case closely. The killer has inside knowledge because they are inside the investigation. They targeted Casey because she had access to classified information that she'd been sharing inappropriately.
They're building a case that Dr. Lila North killed Casey Holbrook to silence a potential witness to her own criminal behavior.
"That's not psychological profiling," Lila says, her voice tight with controlled fury. "That's character assassination disguised as expert analysis."
I mute the television again, noting how Shaw's presence on screen makes my skin crawl with recognition. Not of her face, but of her methodology. The careful manipulation of public opinion, the systematic destruction of someone's reputation, the use of professional authority to legitimize personal vendettas.
She's not just the copycat killer. She's someone who understands psychological warfare at the highest levels, someone capable of orchestrating months of careful planning to achieve whatever end goal she's pursuing.
Someone who's been several steps ahead of us since this game began.
"We need to talk about what comes next," I tell Lila, turning off the television entirely. "Because Shaw isn't just targeting you professionally. She's been documenting our relationship, providing evidence to Finch that suggests coordination rather than obstruction."
Lila goes very still, processing the implications with the same methodical precision she brings to analyzing crime scenes. "Photographic evidence?"
"Among other things. Nate says Finch has documentation of our meetings, our connection, possibly even conversations that weren't supposed to be recorded." I lean forward, meeting her eyes directly. "They're building a case that we've been working together from the beginning."
"Partners in murder rather than obstruction of justice."
"Exactly."
She's quiet for a long moment, and I can see her working through possibilities with the kind of analytical thinking that made her successful at understanding violent criminal behavior. But this time, she's not analyzing abstract case studies—she's calculating the mathematics of her own destruction.
"How long do we have?" she asks finally.
"Hours, maybe days. Finch is thorough, but he's also under pressure to solve three murders that have the media calling for answers." I study her face, noting the way she's rebuilding her composure even as her world collapses. "Shaw's accelerating the timeline by providing him with evidence that makes you look guilty."
"And you?"
"I can disappear. New identity, clean papers, untraceable resources. I've been preparing for this possibility since I started the furniture business."
"But I can't."
The words hang between us, carrying the weight of nine years spent building Dr. Lila North's professional reputation. Because she's right—I can vanish into anonymity because Kent Shepherd was always a temporary identity, carefully constructed to be disposable when necessary. But Dr. Lila North represents everything she's become, everything she's achieved, everything that proves she survived her father's violence and created something meaningful from the wreckage.
Asking her to abandon that identity would be like asking her to kill the person she fought so hard to become.
"There's another option," I say carefully. "We come forward first. Control the narrative before Shaw and Finch write it for us."
Lila's eyebrows rise slightly, the first sign of surprise I've seen from her this morning. "Come forward with what?"
