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Harrison cursed and rubbed the back of his neck this time. “It took several days for the lab to realize there was a problem. Handling deadly viruses, inactive or not, should be overseen a lot better than this. It would have helped if we’d had a heads-up sooner. I’m pretty sure this lab will be shut down—at least until they can make certain it’s being run the way it should be.”
“Do we know any more about Walker?” Logan asked, trying to redirect Harrison to the information they needed.
“Not a lot more. His qualifications are perfect. Graduated at the top of his class, no arrests, no problems. The lab in Kansas City hired him without reservations. Nothing in the information he gave them raised red flags. His boss says his work was top-notch. He was a bit of a loner. Didn’t really spend time with his colleagues after work. Used to talk to some of them about his wife and kids. Seemed like a dedicated husband and father. The people he worked with figured he was committed to his family and didn’t have a need for other friends.”
“He ... he’s married?” Alex said slowly. “I didn’t see that coming.”
“Me either,” Logan said.
“Well, he lived in that small apartment near the lab, but he told coworkers his wife and kids lived somewhere else and that he went home on weekends. He just never mentioned where that was. We haven’t been able to trace it. Can’t find any cell phone records with calls or purchases he made with his credit card anywhere except in town. No property in his name. He’s a master at hiding his tracks. Detectives have been trying to find his family. Nothing so far. I’ll send you the details, and we’ll go over them when you get here, but that’s the gist of it.”
He frowned. “One of his coworkers said he hated Christianity. Once a guy mentioned he and his family were going on a church retreat. He wasn’t even talking to Walker, but Walker overheard it and went ballistic. Ranted about how he was worshiping a false God and he’d been deceived. Guess his outburst was reported to their boss, who cautioned Walker. It never happened again.”
“That’s interesting,” Alex said.
Harrison paused for a moment. “You know, this guy may have passed the virus on to someone else. We have no proof he’s still got it.”
Logan glanced at Alex, who raised her eyebrows. They were both convinced Walker had the virus. He wouldn’t let anyone else fill the role of the Destroyer.
“He’s got it,” Alex said. “Remember, he thinks he’s fulfilling a prophecy. He won’t let someone else take the glory.”
“You’re probably right, but keep an open mind. We don’t want to miss something because we jumped to conclusions. As soon as we end this call, I’ll send you everything new we have on him.”
“Where is Walker’s dad?” Logan asked.
Harrison shrugged. “Dead about ten years.”
Harrison put something into the printer next to him and clicked a button. “I’m sending you a photo of Adam Walker now. The lab where he worked finally dug it up. It’s similar to his driver’s license photo. File to follow.”
Alex opened the file that came through. A few seconds later she and Logan were staring at a young man who wasn’t bad looking. Dark hair with blue eyes. His face was plain. Nothing in his expression would make anyone think he was capable of murder. She noticed a scar on his chin. That made it easier to identify him, unless he’d taken measures to hide it.
“How can this be our guy?” Logan asked. “We were told he’s thirty-two, but he looks a lot younger. Early twenties.”
“Walker is thirty-two,” Harrison said. “But he does look younger. That might actually work in his favor. If someone saw an older man tagging a train, it would seem strange. His youngish looks make him seem like any other tagger.” He blew out a quick breath. “The KCPD is doing everything possible to try to stop him from killing again, but they just don’t have enough information to get ahead of him. Neither do we.”
“We’ve been running behind finding these bodies,” Alex said. “Number five may be waiting somewhere.”
“I hope you’re wrong about that, but the truth is we need to move faster.”
“Alex and I still need a copy of The Book, especially the part about the six sacrifices and the Destroyer.”
“I’ll send you those pages as quickly as I can, then give you a complete copy later. I need you back here as soon as possible so you can share your assessment with our team. Looks like the snow will have moved out of our area by tomorrow morning.”
“Okay,” Alex said. “But I have to tell you, this guy’s a little different. He confuses me some.”
“Well, that concerns me.”
“I really didn’t think he’d be married. I have to rethink a few things. Most serial killers have compulsions that can be easily understood. They hate their mothers, or they just hate women in general. Some of them are sexual sadists. Each one has his reason for what he does. It’s his signature. But this guy... I don’t know if the prophecy is enough. I’m still wondering about his childhood.”
Alex stood and went to the desk, then pulled out the file they’d brought with them from Quantico. “I noticed some confusion in the way the Train Man left the bodies too.” She took out some of the photos and placed them on the table in front of Logan. “Look, he lays them out straight with their hands folded. Usually that would mean he has some kind of concern for them. Some remorse. But he stabs them. That’s up close and personal. Shows anger.”
“This guy is complicated,” Logan said. “Like I said, I’m not sure he’s going to be easy to understand.”
Harrison opened a folder in front of him and flipped through the pages. “The people at the lab said his wife’s name is Sally. The kids are Gabby and Trey. Not sure of their ages, but he acted as if they were young. Under ten. Problem is the police can’t find them either. Neither is enrolled in school in Kansas City—Missouri or Kansas—or in any surrounding school district. They had to comb through almost one hundred Gabby or Trey possibilities. Good thing their names aren’t John or Mary.”
Logan wasn’t sure many kids were named John or Mary these days, but he understood the point. “So none of these kids led back to Adam Walker?”
“Not even close. The police were careful to check out every single parent. Nothing.” Harrison sighed. “Look. Do what you can. I realize this isn’t an actual profile since we know who we’re looking for, but I still need everything you can give me about this guy. Work it up and send it to me. We need to get it out to law enforcement right away. Like you said, the fifth sacrifice may have already been made. We’ve been finding these bodies several days after they were killed. The first body wasn’t discovered for almost a week.”
