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“Do you need some time?” Nelson offered, but Nox shook his head.
“I’m ready, but I…” His voice cracked and he swiped at his eyes. “I don’t have a good feeling about this. I’m scared for her! I know we’ll find her but I don’t think we’ll make it in time,” he whispered shakily.
Nelson sniffed hard and looked away, nodding. “Me too,” he said quietly. They were scared for all the missing girls. But the closer they got to Elsa, the worse Nelson’s gut burned. He pulled antacids out of his pocket, offering one to Nox.
He snorted and shook his head. “Those aren’t good for you. You need to eat a decent meal.”
“I haven’t seen you eat anything decent since we met,” Nelson replied before popping a lozenge into his mouth and chewing.
“But I’ve eaten and when I get home, I’ll eat a bunch of healthy things and do a light cleanse and I’ll be right as rain,” Nox said with a shrug. “She usually drove. Why are we walking?” He asked, checking the sky.
Nelson noted that aside from a delivery van, all the cars on the curbs were two-door hatchbacks or smaller sedans. No higher occupancy/family vehicles suggested the demographic of the neighborhood was mostly younger, single people. “I want to get an idea of who she saw and who saw her every day,” he said as he started out and led the way, checking the route on his phone.
“Context,” Nox said, earning a hum of agreement from Nelson.
“It’s easier to see the anomaly once you’ve figured out what’s routine.”
“She means more, doesn’t she?” Nox asked.
“I think we’ll find that she means the most to whoever is behind this,” Nelson predicted. “There are developmental stages to crimes like this and the period from ideation to enactment is extremely significant because it’s pure vision,” he explained. “He’s distilled his desires into an organized plan and it’s very focused on that first target. She’s the one he chose to practice with in his head until he was ready because she was the one he felt safest with. And she’ll be the prototype or the blueprint. She fit his ideal and the rest will have been picked because he wants the same look and feel of his first. His favorite.”
“So he’ll be around here somewhere,” Nox whispered as he looked around them.
“In a perfect world without the internet and social media,” Nelson warned and Nox made a thoughtful sound.
“Heidi did say Elsa lived on her phone so that does widen the circle considerably.”
“It does, but he took her from here. That means he was in this physical vicinity at least once and someone around here or at the bookstore would have noticed if he was an anomaly.”
“I see!” Nox said, sounding impressed. It was easy to impress him, Nelson had noticed. Nelson thought that was a good quality in a person. So few of the people in Nelson’s world could be impressed and they rarely wanted to be unless it benefited them. They preferred the status quo and what was easiest.
“It’s just psychology and profiling,” he said, gesturing at a shop across the street when they came around a corner.
Nox rolled his eyes, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans as the wind gusted. “If you say so. Let’s talk to the Sherwoods and look around and then head to my place. I didn’t bring a change of clothes and I’d like a decent shower. And I’d really like to see you eat something good, Nelson,” he said, then took off across the street at a light jog.
“Damn it,” Nelson spat as he went after him. Why hadn’t he thought about taking Nox home to freshen up first? “I’m sorry, Nox,” he said as he got the door. “I didn’t think—”
Nox shushed softly and rested a hand on Nelson’s lapel, stopping his mortification and slowing his heartbeat until he felt calm and ready to focus again. “It’s alright. I was in a hurry to get here, too, Nelson,” he said under his breath while his eyes searched the store around them. “And you’re not used to playing babysitter,” he added with an encouraging smile.
“Thank you…” Nelson pulled his eyes away and was surprised at how familiar so many of the signs and book covers around the store were to him after less than twenty-four hours with Nox. He spotted several pentagrams and pentacles, skulls with horns, skulls without horns, spiders, birds, numerous geometric designs… There was a display of tarot decks and books about spells and sigils, but none of it struck Nelson as all that strange now because he’d been given a wealth of context thanks to Nox.
He spotted a few pairs of antlers that had been used to display crystal ornaments and a case of wands made from antlers and felt oddly comforted. Nox was right, they were more ubiquitous than Nelson had realized.
“Can I help you, gentlemen?” A short, elderly man said as he came from around the tall front counter.
Nelson stepped aside so Nox could make the introductions since he had the obvious advantage. “What a lovely shop!” Nox said as he offered a hand. “I’m Nox MacIlwraith, professor of anthropology at Georgetown, and this is Agent Nelson, from the FBI.”
“Oh, wonderful! What can I do for you, professor?”
“Just Nox is fine. We’re here about Elsa. You must be Howard Sherwood,” he said while supporting Howard’s hand.
“Oh, yes! Our Elsa! Do you have any news?” His eyes had clouded and his bushy white brows knitted together as he looked at Nox and Nelson.
“I’m afraid not. That’s why we’re here,” Nox said. “We’ve been over your statement, but we wanted to come here in person and speak to you and take a look around. If that’s alright,” he added. “We won’t disturb your customers or get in the way.”
“Please. Look anywhere you need to,” Howard insisted as he waved for them to follow him through the center of the store, past a cozy purple velvet sitting area and rows of bookshelves. He opened a door marked Private and peeked inside. “Julian, these gentlemen are here about Elsa!”
“Finally!” A slender young man in his mid-thirties said from behind a desk piled high with boxes and books. Nox and Nelson both flinched when he popped to his feet and swung a long, lustrous mane of wavy brown hair around his shoulders.
