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She'd always believed his mere essence redefined evil, and she'd accepted long ago that their fates would forever be entwined until one of them was wiped from this existence. She wasn't overly religious, but she had to believe that God was offended by Jacob's presence, that she was being implicated and punished by association, and that it was her mission to absolve her family of the very sin that her brother had stained them with so long ago.
"You haven't let Jacob win yet, so I don't know why you'd start letting him win now."
Brook wasn't sure that she'd heard Graham correctly until he began to stroll casually to the couch. He took a seat on the left side as if he planned to stay awhile. They had this unspoken battle for control between them, and she didn't appreciate that he believed he had already won the war.
"I brought Theo, Sylvie, and Bit here under false pretenses. You can't argue with the facts, but that's on me. I owe it to them to give them the opportunity for one free pass. I'm not allowing Jacob to win in this situation. I'm simply limiting the damage that could be done to their lives as a result of my oversight." Brook met Graham's gaze directly as she pointed out the obvious. "You knew everything about me when you sought out my skills to find the individual who murdered your daughter. You also knew what you were getting into when you set up this firm, so you don't get a pass, Graham. They should be able to make an informed choice."
Something in his demeanor changed the second that she said his name aloud, and she chided herself for falling into such familiarity. It was what he seemed to be striving for, and she had all but handed it to him on a silver platter.
"Fine. And as I keep reminding you, this firm is yours to do with as you please. Offer them anything you want, though I doubt that any of them will take you up on it." Graham glanced down at the files in her hand, and she caught the immediate tension in his jawline. "Before we go into the conference room, I wanted to run something by you."
"Your tone suggests that I'm not going to like whatever it is that you have to propose."
"I think you should release a brief statement to the press." Graham held up a hand when she would have immediately shut down his train of thought. "Hear me out. You believe that Jacob is still in the city. It's the reason that you've kept the same schedule for the past month while the office was being renovated, and the basic outing of your identity throws off any chance of contact that he might have been willing to make with you. Counter it. By speaking to the press, you're speaking directly to him. Keep him in the city, Brook. It's the only chance that you're going to have to apprehend him anytime soon."
Brook had already checked her phone, and there were at least ten missed calls and messages from her old colleagues at the Bureau, a crime vlogger who had her personal number from a previous case, and one call that just so happened to come from her building. She assumed it had been from Charlie to either warn her about the press coverage or to let her know that the owner of the building was terminating her lease.
After all, those in the building now knew that she was to blame for Lorraine Upton's death. They wouldn't know how to comprehend let alone digest such news.
Brook had somehow managed to keep her identity under wraps for the last eight years, and the anonymity had been rather freeing. She no longer had that obscurity, and her hand had now been forced to change the trajectory of her goal.
"I'll think about it." Brook had always worked on two cases at once—her personal endeavor and the one assigned to her at the Bureau. She was no longer employed with them, but nothing had really changed, and she found some comfort in that. "Shall we go solve your daughter's murder?"
Chapter Five
Brooklyn Sloane
January 2022
Monday — 8:00am
"GrahamElliott,thisisTheo Neville, Sylvie Deering, and Bobby Nowacki. Bobby prefers Bit, though," Brook said in introduction, getting right down to business as she made her way to the back of the room. Graham had never personally met the team. She would be interested to get his take on her selections, not that his opinion would get her to change her mind on any of her choices. "Mr. Elliott established this firm as a silent partner. As it so happens, he is also our first client."
Brook set down the files, her cell phone, and her pen onto the glass table. She remained standing as she finished her opening statement, noting that Graham had walked over to the window. He didn't particularly care to hear this next part.
As for the other three, they all sat at the table digesting the news.
Theo was regarding Graham with interest, while Sylvie was already jotting notes down on a notepad. She had apparently found the supply closet that Brook had made sure was well stocked. Whatever Theo had said to her regarding Jacob had mollified her for the time being. As for Bit, he was leaning forward in interest with his hands wrapped around an energy drink with bright green lettering.
Theo and Sylvie must have figured out how the new coffee machine worked, and Brook had never been more grateful. They not only had the new porcelain mugs in front of them that she'd purchased for the office, but they'd also filled an insulated carafe that was sitting in the middle of the large table.
"Kelsey Marie Elliott was killed near MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina. A man by the name of Austin Ridley was convicted of her murder three years ago. It was a speedy trial that focused on domestic abuse within their relationship that was never technically established by a preponderance of evidence during the investigation. Mr. Ridley still claims his innocence of the crime. He is currently serving twenty-five years to life in a North Carolina state prison."
Brook picked up one of the files that she'd carried into the conference room. She held it up for all of them to see, repeating the process each time that she called out a victim's name.
"Jenna Spencer—a mugging gone wrong in which a man by the name of Kyle Henry was found guilty and sentenced to twenty years in prison. Lori Snyder was allegedly killed by a stalker, who just so happened to be someone who she served with in the military at the same base. He currently resides in a military prison. April Chartier's death supposedly resulted from a drive by shooting committed by a gang member who was sentenced to fifteen years in prison. Tanya Russell was another death linked to domestic assault. Christen Brooks' murder stemmed from what was believed to be a carjacking in which she allegedly struggled with her assailant before being shot to death in the parking lot of dimly lit grocery store one night. As for Melanie Harlock, she was the first victim on record in what seemed like a random attack, but eventually led the police to arrest Rhett Nelson for her murder. He was merely a jogger who just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, and the prosecution jumped on his proximity to the crime scene. He was convicted, mainly because his fingerprints were on the bloody knife."
Brook took a couple steps back to one of the white boards that she'd had set up, not bothering with the one fastened to the wall that contained the names and pictures of the victims. The two mobile white boards on either side would serve them better for what she had in mind. She flipped over the one to the right in order to display the pictures of the seven men currently serving time behind bars for murder on individual counts and various degrees.
"Seven cases. Seven convictions."
Brook then pointed to the only blank white board on the other side of the room.
"Zero other suspects, but there is an unsub out there who is very good at committing murder and having others take the fall for his crimes. He thrives on killing women and framing others. I'm still working on the profile, but I should have something detailed for the three of you by the end of the week, if not sooner."
Bit was the only one of the three who seemed to be riveted by her words. Theo was busy reading the pertinent information that Brook had jotted below each photo. Sylvie was scribbling on her notepad.
"What is the common denominator between the victims?" Theo asked with interest as he continued to skim the two boards full of information. "Besides the fact that they were all serving in the military, of course."
