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“As you know, we won’t actually do a profile now since we know who our UNSUB is, but we can review all the victimology for common elements. We should also develop a questionnaire for use with his neighbors, coworkers, friends. Then we can review the info gleaned and develop some investigative strategies for the task force, including key witness interview strategies. And, of course, we should review The Book. It will give us insight into how Walker thinks.”
Alex stopped and thought for a few seconds. Was she forgetting anything? She looked at Logan, but he was quiet. She turned back to Jeff. “I believe we can determine what steps Walker will take next. Maybe if we get ahead of him, we can catch him.” She looked up at Moreen. “He’s a white male, late twenties, early thirties, right?”
“Yes, white. Thirty-two.”
“Most likely he’s been raised with parents or guardians who believed in The Book,” she said. “I’d look for them. Maybe he went to the place he felt the safest. Home.”
“You don’t think he’s married, do you?” Monty asked.
“No. We all know these kinds of killers are usually loners, unable to create or maintain close relationships. Of course, exceptions to the rule exist. Dennis Rader comes to mind. But this guy is traveling around to different towns in the area, killing. And if he has a deadly virus, would he take it home to his family? Maybe, but I tend to doubt it.”
“But he’d take it home to his parents?” Logan asked.
“Again, his place of safety. They understand him.” She sighed in frustration and looked at Jeff. “It’s just too early. Let’s wait and see what we find out about this Adam Walker. That will help us figure out what he might do next.”
“Some kids rebel against the values and beliefs of their parents or guardians because they want something different,” Monty said. “You did. How do you know this guy, Walker, didn’t get involved with the Circle after he left home?”
“It’s not impossible,” Alex said. “But remember, according to my aunt, few copies of The Book exist. Most of them are probably in the hands of older people who’ve been part of the Circle for years. That’s why I believe Walker was raised on it.” She hesitated for a moment. “You are right about one thing, though. He is rebelling—and maybe his parents had a hand in it.”
“What do you mean?” Logan asked.
“Only angels are allowed to read The Book. Demons aren’t allowed anywhere near it, let alone have a copy and read it to their children. The Circle believes The Book is a road map for the future. Demons aren’t supposed to have that kind of knowledge. If the Circle already knows what Walker is doing, that he and his parents have turned out to be demons, they might retaliate if they can find him. They sure won’t protect him.”
She paused, letting what she’d just said sink in. “The Circle won’t accept any demon’s role in the prophecy. It’s supposed to happen without demons even knowing about it. It’s a prophecy, not a plan. Also, Walker wrote those messages on the train cars. No one is allowed to share the sacred scriptures with the world. It’s ... well, it’s like the unpardonable sin. Isn’t there something like that in Christianity?”
“Yes,” Logan said when she turned to him.
She nodded. “This is looked upon in the same light. This guy can never go back to the Circle. Even if he weren’t a demon, he’s committed several big ... sins, for lack of a better word. Like I said, his parents may protect him, but the Circle won’t.”
“Those passages about a war with the angels and the demons? Who wins?” Logan asked. “I mean, if a third of the world is eliminated, that leaves two thirds remaining. Are they angels or demons?”
Alex searched her memory. “I do remember Willow telling me that after the war, some demons and some angels will survive and learn how to reign together. She believed they’d decide that they needed one another, that good can’t exist without evil.”
“Well, I don’t know about that,” Jeff said, “but without evil we wouldn’t have jobs.”
“That proves her point, I guess,” Alex said. “The FBI wouldn’t exist if there wasn’t evil for us to fight.”
“One thing I don’t understand,” Jeff said. “You say those in the Circle aren’t supposed to share The Book with anyone else, unless they’re an angel. Yet your aunt told you all this?”
Alex shrugged. “I guess if she believed she was an angel, then she also believed her sister—my mother—was one, making me an angel too. Angels are allowed to read The Book to their children until they reach ten years of age. After that, the children have to decide if they want to join the Circle. If they don’t, their parents must never mention The Book to them again. They’re treated as outcasts with the hope that they’ll repent and someday decide to become members.”
“But you said you were twelve when you went to live with your aunt,” Jeff said. “You were already too old.”
Alex didn’t want to say much more about her mother, but she had to answer Jeff’s question.
“My aunt said she thought my mother died so I would end up with her. That she was called to ‘bring me into the fold.’ Even though I was too old, she believed it was okay to share The Book with me since I’d never had a chance to listen to the ‘truth’ before. I hated her for saying that about my mother, and when I was fourteen I told her I didn’t want to hear anything more about The Book. That if she didn’t shut up about it, I’d tell someone in the Circle she was breaking the rules. After that, she left me alone. But she did make me promise to never tell anyone what she’d shared with me. I agreed since I had no plans to ever talk about this again.”
“Did she treat you like an outcast after that?” Monty asked.
“Actually, no. Things stayed pretty much the same.” Alex sighed. “In her own twisted way, she tried to take care of me. Unfortunately, her mental illness made that difficult for her. And for me.”
“Thanks for sharing this with us, Alex,” Jeff said. “I’m sure it’s not easy.”
She met his gaze. “My job is to do everything I can to protect the public. This certainly fits.” Jeff’s words hit her hard. His concern touched some raw emotions trying to force their way to the surface, but she was determined to hold on to her professional persona, no matter what it cost her. Willow had taken enough from her. She wasn’t going to ruin this too.
“Well, I’ll be more confident we’re on the right track if the lab confirms that virus sample is really missing and it’s active,” Monty said with a sigh. “I feel like we’re still in the dark. Looking for a serial killer is one thing. Trying to find someone who plans to start a pandemic is quite another. It hasn’t been that long since COVID-19 ground this country to a halt. We just can’t go through that again.”
Alex stood. “I truly believe Walker’s got it. He’s not playing. He’s killed four people. We’ll see two more murders before he releases the virus. I expect the next one will happen quickly. We need to move.”
