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29
He knew her name now. He’d followed her to the restaurant where she worked. She’d taken his breakfast order, so he’d seen her up close. Her name tag read Laura. No tattoos that he could see. Very little jewelry. Light makeup. Hair fashioned into a bun. She was perfect.
Of course, he had no idea how she’d lived her life before she was “washed in the blood.” He didn’t care. He was convinced she fulfilled the Master’s needs. Revulsion slithered through him anytime he thought about those self-righteous hypocrites who believed in some master other than the Master. What fools they all were.
He had to take a deep breath to push down the rage that almost choked him. He would have to wait on the last sacrifice. He couldn’t take her during the day. He only worked in the dark. He’d have to wait for nightfall.
Alex, Logan, Monty, and Mike all stayed at the table after Harrison left. Logan looked through the open doorway to the large room where even more people were working than yesterday. Harrison had told them an assistant U.S. attorney stood by, waiting for updates. A ViCAP analyst had come in to oversee other analysts working hard to find something—anything—that would help them find Adam Walker. Personnel from the FBI’s Crisis Management Unit and the Crisis Negotiations Unit also stood by to help.
Logan noticed several people around Dr. Greene. CDC staff, no doubt. They were still worried. No one could be sure how virulent the sample Adam Walker had was. If Martin Kirabo really had engineered this thing to be more deadly than Ebola, the consequences were unimaginable.
He was also more certain than ever that Walker hadn’t taken any chances. He was determined to carry out his assignment. He was an organized killer. That meant he’d probably planned this down to the smallest variable.
“So can we update our assessment?” Alex asked. She had a notebook in front of her, a pen poised to write.
“I don’t see that it changes much based on what’s happened,” Monty said.
“Maybe not,” Alex said. “If Adam Walker is responsible for Willow’s and Nettie’s deaths, he must have had help. Could one person have attacked Willow and Nettie and yet another killed Nettie in the hospital? Let’s work on that and see what we can come up with.”
“You’re talking about more than one person helping him?” Mike asked.
“We’ve seen that before,” Monty said. “Although not very often.”
“I think there’s at least one. I still don’t think Walker committed either murder in Wichita himself,” Alex said. “For one thing, he would have to have changed his MO, which rarely happens. Remember, these deaths are holy sacrifices to his god. They were carefully orchestrated even though his victims were random. He waited for the right opportunity. Knew exactly how he was going to kill them.”
She frowned. “It still bothers me that Willow’s killer used a weapon at hand rather than bringing one with him. That doesn’t sound planned. Wouldn’t someone from the Circle prepare better? I guess they could kill with the kind of anger we saw in Willow’s house. It’s possible they’re angry with me for taking her copy of The Book and bringing law enforcement down on their heads. Yet helping Walker would only bring more attention to them. They’re a very secretive society. It just doesn’t make sense.”
“So you’re both still convinced Walker didn’t kill Willow and Nettie,” Monty said.
“Yes. We also have to remember that Walker is driven by a book he believes mentions him,” Alex said. “It’s his identity. He is the Destroyer. Therefore, it makes sense to him that he has minions. People who will do his bidding. They might not know everything he’s planned. He may not have told them about the virus.”
“I wouldn’t give you a plug nickel for anyone who helps him once he’s completed his mission,” Logan said.
“What do you mean?” Mike asked.
“I believe Adam is incredibly narcissistic. The world is being shaped by him. He won’t hesitate to get rid of anyone he thinks is a threat to him.” Logan shrugged. “If he does have helpers, maybe he’s convinced them to take their own lives after they carry out the assignment he’s given them.”
Mike frowned. “Why would they do that?”
“If they believe their involvement might put the Destroyer at risk, they could kill themselves to protect him. He probably promised them some kind of wonderful afterlife. It’s been done before. Remember the Peoples Temple and Heaven’s Gate?”
“Christians believe in heaven and hell,” Alex said, “but The Book doesn’t teach that. Like with Heaven’s Gate, everyone goes to a planet where they spend eternity. Angels go to one planet, and the demons go to another one. I can’t remember the names of those planets, but at some point, the Master will end their war and bring them all together to rule the earth.”
Mike grunted. “That’s nuts.”
“No more nuts than what Christians believe. Look how many of them are out there.” Her gaze moved to Logan. “You believe this, right?”
“I believe in heaven and hell, but not that we will all end up on another planet or that demons and angels will rule the earth together. If you think I’m crazy, then so be it.” Logan felt a flash of irritation, but as soon as the feeling came, he pushed it back, remembering a Scripture that said the message of the cross is foolishness to people who don’t know God. It wasn’t their fault. Without God in their lives—changing them, teaching them truth—he realized he really did sound foolish to them.
“I’m sorry, Logan,” Alex said. “I didn’t mean it to come out quite like that.”
He smiled at her. “It’s okay. I’ve been challenged before. That’s where the nickname Preacher came from.”
“It’s said with respect ... and a little fear,” Monty said. “Logan’s pretty good with his gun. He got top scores in firearms training at the FBI Academy.”
Logan laughed. “Yeah, but I’ve heard not as high as Alex. I wouldn’t make her angry.”
“Think I’ll be extra nice to both of you,” Mike said with a grin.
