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When they reached the elevator, Carter turned to Valerie and asked, "Do you think there's more to this than meets the eye?"
Valerie nodded slowly as she considered his question. "I do," she said quietly. "But I'm not sure what it is yet."
Charlie pressed the button, and the elevator doors pinged open. They got in, and he pressed the button for the ground floor.
"I wouldn't be surprised if we plummet to our death," he joked.
Valerie let out a little laugh, but it was forced. She still couldn't shake the feeling that they were missing something. David had been helpful, but she got the sense he didn't know much more than he'd already told them. There had to be a connection betweenPost Tenebrus Luxand these two victims—but what?
Valerie turned to Charlie and Sheriff Carter. "I think we need to talk it over with Will," she said. "See if he knows anything else about the phrase. It could be a clue."
Charlie nodded in agreement. "It couldn't hurt," he said. "Maybe Sheriff Carter can ask his office to search the database for local criminals with a violent history too. That might help us narrow down our list of suspects."
"Gladly," he answered. "But Kerry County isn't exactly the crime capital of the world. It might be slim pickings."
"If you could look to see if anyone has tied up people as well," Valerie suggested. "Anyone with previous history of that sort of thing. Maybe they haven't killed before, but they started out with the binding of wrists first. Some sort of kink, perhaps."
"Ah. That's a good point," Charlie said. "We should also look into anyone who passed through the county for a short amount of time and then left. Maybe they were visiting someone and decided to stay longer than expected." He looked at Valerie with a serious expression on his face. "I've thought about that, too, but I don't know if it would lead us anywhere."
Valerie smiled reassuringly at him. "It's worth looking into," she said confidently. "If the killer has already left Kerry County, then we can at least narrow down our search radius."
Sheriff Carter nodded in agreement as the elevator doors opened onto the ground floor of the building. "It's worth checking out," he said gruffly before heading out of the elevator and striding off down the hallway.
Valerie and Charlie followed him, both lost in their own thoughts about who could have killed Mark and Maggie, and whyPost Tenebrus Luxseemed so important to them finding out the truth. As much as Valerie wanted to crack this case wide open, she was beginning to feel like it might be impossible without more clues or leads from other sources.
It frightened Valerie that the killer could have moved on. That would mean the people of Kerry County were safe, but others were not. And it would make it much more difficult to stop the killer from committing a heinous murder spree in various areas, staying one step ahead of the FBI at all times.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The killer wanted to fight the urge to kill but duty called. He knew it. He had important business to take care of, and he couldn't let any vestige of empathy stop him from his ultimate goal.
He walked slowly through Greensville Shopping Mall. It wasn't any more or less busy than any other day, but he'd only been there once or twice before. That was to buy things, but this day had a different purpose.
He had to find another victim.
The mall was filled with people going about their day: shopping, visiting, and eating lunch. Everywhere he looked there were people. It made him anxious and slightly uncomfortable, but he kept his emotions in check as much as possible. He had to be careful not to draw attention to himself.
He noticed a few people glancing at him suspiciously, but he acted like he hadn't seen them and kept walking. His eyes scanned the crowds for his perfect victim, his target.
It was difficult to identify anyone with that many people, but then he finally saw her. She was standing in blue jeans and a white, winter coat. Her brown hair was long and flowing over her shoulders; she was in her forties, and she held the hand of a young girl, no more than five years old.
Maybe they were trying to get ideas for Christmas, but the killer pushed that thought out of his mind. He had to ensure that mercy was nowhere to be found. He was not the one to give it.
The killer shadowed the woman and her daughter as they wandered aimlessly through the silent mall. He caught the stare of a security guard and was sure that he was tracking his every movement, so he kept his distance and hid in the shadows. He was an expert at this game. It had become second nature to him after all the times he had done it before.
Looking around, he noticed that the guard was wandering off in the opposite direction. The paranoia was getting worse. He had to finish the job before he was incapacitated by it again.
He watched the woman's every move, tracking her progress from store to store until he finally took a turn down a corridor towards the exit. He felt bad that the little girl was with her, but the woman sickened him, and her end had to come one way or another.
He hastened his pace and trailed her down the hallway, staying several arm's lengths away so she wouldn't be alerted to his presence. His heart pounded with fear at the thought of being caught before he could complete his task. But at the same time, he felt secure in the knowledge that his powerful political connections would save him from any consequences that may follow.
And then, he was scuppered. The woman embraced a man and got into a car with him and the child. Frustration flowed through him. She would have to wait.
He would have to move onto the next person on his list. In some ways, it was poetic that she would be his last victim. For now, the seminary would have to be his next target. It was risky, but he was certain he would not be held back in his work.
Yes, even if he was caught, the authorities would never be able to find him guilty. His friends would not allow it.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
