In the months that Harper had been part of the team, she and Ava had become friends. Harper told her that she’d been named after novelist Harper Lee who pennedTo Kill A Mockingbird.
“Glad you’re here, Harper. And yes, that’s right. Victoria Dobson was found on the opposite side of the park from where Emily’s body was located. Can we bring up the details of Victoria’s case?”
“I’m on it.” Agent Ben Zamora, who had been dispatched from Denver, was their tech genius. He pulled up the file and projected it onto the screen set up in front of the room.
Victoria’s driver’s license image appeared first followed by her postmortem photo at the crime scene. It was hard to recognize her as the same woman.
Each time Ava saw one of Wax’s victims it turned her stomach. She’d seen firsthand the pain Wax put his victims through. “Victoria was located less than two hundred yards outside of the park in the woods between the park and West Glacier.”
In her peripheral vision, Ava caught Caleb slipping into one of the chairs at the table. She knew it would be difficult to see him again. But she hadn’t counted on working closely with him bringing up all the old feelings to the surface. Once this case was over, she’d go back to her life and so would Caleb. She loved working with Shadow at Redeemed, but her life was pretty empty beyond work. If she were honest, Ava wasn’t happy. Hadn’t been in a long time.
“But we’re not certain Victoria is the first victim,” Redeemed member Jace Maddox said. Jace was an ex-DEAagent who was wrongfully blamed for a failed raid. He was assigned to Diesel, an expert in explosives detection.
Ava refocused her attention on the case. “She is the first victim we located, but there might be other victims that only the killer knows about.” Ava had long believed there were other bodies out there. Given the practiced rituals Wax incorporated into his kills, she had no doubt there were others.
“There’s a religious connection somehow,” she told the group. “It’s possible he was raised in the church or was part of some type of cult that practiced these rituals.”
“What about Wax’s connection to you?” Caleb asked, drawing her attention back to him. The room shrank to just her and the man she’d once imagined spending her life with. The tenderness she saw in his eyes proved he hadn’t asked the question out of vengeance.
Ava drew in a deep breath. “I’m not sure, but there’s clearly a perceived connection.” When Wax took her captive, he made sure she never saw his face. He kept his head covered and wore gloves, so she had no idea what his hair or skin color was. Only his eyes. Dark as the night and cold.
“Victoria’s background was checked out thoroughly. There wasn’t anyone in it who held a grudge,” Redeemed member, Micah Kane said. Micah was an ex-Marine amputee who worked with Valkyrie.
“That’s correct.” Grateful for the interruption, Ava’s attention returned to the screen in front of them. “In fact, none of the victims were having trouble with anyone before being taken. We believe they were selected randomly. Possibly because of their appearance. Can you bring up the driver’s license photos for all the victims?” Ava asked Zamora.
He quickly complied. All the women had dark hair and were similar in build and age. “As you can see, their appearancesare strikingly similar. The difference is, of course, where they lived and what they did for a living.”
“Ava, any one of them could be your sister,” Rachel said unexpectedly as she stared at the screen. “And the photo in the locket looks a lot like you.”
Ava hadn’t thought about her resemblance to the victims until after Wax had taken her. That final victim bore a close resemblance to her. Why was Wax targeting women who looked a certain way, and why didn’t he kill Ava when he had her? Instead, he appeared to want her to join him in his sick rituals.
She pulled herself together. “It’s clear Wax believes there’s some relationship between us, but I have no idea what it might be.” After her escape and debriefing, the FBI had torn apart Ava’s life. There’s been no skeletons. She’d grown up in Montana and lived a normal life. Her dad had been a minister. They’d checked into that angle and came up empty.
“Let’s keep digging,” she told her team. “We’re missing something.”
Caleb rose and joined her near the board. “How are you holding up?” The concern on his face made her feel special. She hadn’t felt that way in a long time.
“I’m okay. But I’m worried. The second victim was found much sooner than before.” Her eyes held his. “I’m worried he’s escalating.”
Caleb touched her shoulder. “We’ll figure it out. You’ve got the best team possible. And escalating usually equates to spiraling. Which means he’ll slip up. Make a mistake. We’ll get him.”
She covered his hand with hers, leaning on his strength because inside she was falling apart.
“Ava, I have something.” Rachel motioned her over as she ended a call she was on. “That was Novak at the medical examiner’s office. Our latest victim has been dead for years.”
Nothing prepared Ava for this. “What are you talking about? How is that even possible?”
“The ME is still trying to figure it all out. He believes some embalming process was used, and then the body was coated in several layers of wax that helped preserve her.”
Ava’s stomach turned. “Any idea for how long?”
“Years, is all we have now.”
“That’s sick,” Caleb said in disgust. “Where’s he been keeping her?”
Ava’s thoughts swirled over what they’d learned. “I don’t know. Some place cold, obviously.”
“There’s more,” Rachel was saying. “We have an additional tox report on Emily. Same anesthetic compound with a ketamine base, but the ME found something new in the wax traces.”
