“How does it not make sense?”Marcus scoffed.“He admitted to being at both locations.His cover story of working a case is simultaneously believable and flimsy.He told me that he disapproved of the Carltons and Hammond.He was cagey with me and only talked when he was threatened with legal action, and now it comes to light that he lied to me about his alibi for Dr.Hammond’s murder.He didn’t even admit to knowing the Carltons.”
“Yes, but why would he murder people he can be directly tied to?”
“Kate,everykiller we’ve found can be tied to their victims.”
“Yes, but not so brazenly.Emily Warren and Quinn Marsh were the closest, and Emily was only a court stenographer while Quinn’s mother was tangentially related to my father.”She thought that over and said, “So not even tied to a victim.Just me.”An intended victim, but she didn’t add that part.
“Kate, he was there, he had motive, he had opportunity, and he had the ability.What more do you need?”
His brow was furrowed, his eyes narrowed, his jaw jutted.He was angry.He was jumping to this conclusion because he was angry and because he wanted someone to focus that anger on.That’s why he had a bee in his bonnet about Kyle Maxwell.
She didn’t say that to him, though.Things had been rocky enough between them lately.She kept her argument away from personal observations.“Only a few hours ago, you said it couldn’t possibly be him.What changed?”
“I found out he was lying to me.And you weren’t there, Kate.You didn’t talk to him.He’s a skeevy guy.Acted all cynical like he didn’t care, but there’s anger below the surface.And cunning.I don’t believe a word that came out of his mouth.I don’t even know if I believe him about his divorces.”
Kate blinked.“Divorces?”
“Those are real,” Rivera interjected.“I verified those.Even followed up with his most recent ex.Said he’s a lying, cheating son of a bitch but not a killer.Also says he was probably at the Carltons’ party to find someone else to screw, but since he didn’t show up on the records, I’m going to say his story about getting kicked out and threatened is more likely.”
“Divorces?”Kate repeated.“Marcus, that rules him out.This killer holds the seventh commandment sacred.”
“Maybe he changed his mind on that after the fact.Maybe he feels guilty.”
“He would have had to have been manipulated by Cox to feel that way.Do you honestly feel he’s the sort of person Cox could manipulate?”
Marcus shook his head.“I’m having second thoughts about Cox being involved.I don’t think we should dismiss Maxwell just because he doesn’t seem like disciple material.”
Kate frowned.“What second thoughts?”
"The genital things get me.This isn't retribution.I think you're right.I think this is personal.Cox isn't personal.He might personally enjoy killing, but it's not about revenge for him.It's about making a statement.Even if the statement is just window dressing so he can feel like he’s a good guy, he still makes it.Chopping off people’s genitals for the sins of other genitals just doesn’t fit with his behavior.”
“His disciples always have personal reasons for their actions.That’s how Cox gets to them.Look at Quinn Marsh.He hated me because my father chose to save someone else instead of his mother.”
“Okay, but did your father counsel people to cheat on their spouses?”
Kate rolled her eyes.“I’m just saying that we shouldn’t just decide that this isn’t Cox.”
“Nor should we decide that itisCox,” Marcus retorted.“Think about it.He’s in prison, Kate.Not just prison.Ultraprison.The kind they put terrorist bombers in.He can’t communicate with anyone.I just don’t know how he could recruit anyone from Northbridge.”
“Prison is a recent development,” Kate reminded him.“He’s been back inside for seven months.He could have recruited this killer before then.In fact, he most likely recruited all of his killers at the same time.”
“Maybe,” Marcus allowed.“Or, Maxwell, being the cunning guy, he is, knew that he could hide his murders behind Cox’s umbrella.So, he pretended to write that cipher and act like he was protecting the sanctity of marriage when really, he doesn’t give a shit about it and had other reasons to want the Carltons and Hammond dead.”
“What other reasons?”
“I don’t know!I just know we have actual evidence that he was actually there on the evenings of both crimes.That matters a little bit more than religious motive and the insistence that all bad things lead to Elijah-freaking-Cox.”
Kate flinched.“What the hell is that supposed to mean?Are you saying this is just me obsessing over him again?A few hours ago, you were gung-ho to believe this is a commandment killing.Now you’re saying it’s not?”
Marcus lifted his hands and let them fall.“I’m saying that maybe other people are using the commandments as motivation to kill.Maybe it’s not Cox this time.We already have one copycat killer.”
“That was different, and you know it.There was no cipher at that case, and there were witnesses who saw Rosalyn Pierce stab her husband and run out of the house covered in blood.”
“So, this killer is smarter and better than Pierce and knows how to copy an MO.”
“This isn’t a copycat, Marcus.”
“Maybe not.All I’m saying is we don’tknowthat, and we shouldn’t dismiss evidence because a suspect doesn’tfeellike one of Cox’s acolytes.”
“Let’s call it a night,” Rivera suggested, raising his voice to be heard over the two of them.He dropped it to a conversational tone and explained, “It’s late.We’ve had a frustrating day.We don’t have any strong leads at the moment.”When Marcus bristled at that, he added, “We’ll keep an eye on Maxwell.If he tries to leave town or does anything suspicious, we’ll be on him like flies on shit.But right now, we have nothing substantial.We can place him at the scenes but not during the commission of the murders.We definitely don’t have enough to bring him in.And I apologize for stepping out of line, but you two can’t be at each other’s throats like this.Get some rest and come back the next morning as partners.All right?”
Marcus’s lips were as thin as wire, but he nodded curtly.Kate nodded just as curtly.There was a lot more she wanted to say, but Marcus wasn’t ready to hear it.Maybe resting would soften the tension between them at least enough to work together.They needed a lot more work if they were going to deal with the other issues between them, but at least they could—
“I don’t give afuckif he’s working!I want to speak to my husband!”
Kate stiffened.The color drained from Marcus’s face, and she was sure it was gone from hers too.Oh God no.Please not now.
“Marcus!I know you’re here!”
Rivera cast Marcus a questioning glance.Marcus swallowed and opened his mouth, but before he could explain who had invaded the Miami Field Office, the door to the briefing room opened, and Cheryl burst inside, hands on her hips and anguish and rage in her eyes.
