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“And the last line of the note? It was in the form of a question,” Theo said, pointing out the problem. “If the killer believes that the two of you are alike, we can use that to our advantage. What you are suggesting is the other way around, and I’m not so sure that wouldn’t be putting a target on your back.”
“Wait,” Bit said as he understood the message behind Theo’s words. “Boss, are you going to call out the unsub? In front of the town’s most prominent residents?”
“There’s always a target on our backs, Theo,” Brook pointed out, purposefully not replying to Bit’s question. She began to munch on the popcorn as she continued to stare at the screen. She finally took a step back. “I’m going to go and grab some more salt.”
Theo stood and followed Brook out of the living room, down the small hallway, and into the kitchen. The dark waters of the bay could be seen churning in anger beyond the window above the sink. The wind rattled the panes, almost as a reminder of the turmoil both outside and within. He hadn’t wanted to bring up Jacob for a very specific reason, but he wasn’t about to sit back without pointing out the obvious.
“You and I both know that you called in a favor to make this a federal investigation.” Theo leaned against the counter while Brook added more salt to her popcorn. He’d been surprised when Sylvie and Bit hadn’t mentioned their own concerns about taking over the case, but Bit had been too impressed with the way Brook had sprung the news on Detective Hartley. As for Sylvie, she was too preoccupied with her father to make the connection. “Two victims more than a year apart. Different brands of plastic bags, different colored makeup, different professions, and no physical similarities. You pulled strings so that the Bureau would give us both cases.”
Brook’s movements never faltered as she returned the saltshaker next to the peppershaker. She casually pushed the bowl back and turned to face him. The question that she asked wouldn’t deter him from getting to the heart of the problem.
“Do you disagree with my profile?”
“No.”
“Then I don’t see the problem.”
“The problem is you’re taking your frustration with Jacob and purposefully pitting your wits against a psychopathic woman who clearly obtains enjoyment in witnessing her victims suffocate,” Theo pointed out all the while holding up a hand so that she wouldn’t interrupt him. “It’s like you need something to occupy your every waking moment. Brook, whether you like it or not, I consider you my best friend. And it’s my responsibility to point out that you’re taking chances that could result in consequences…not just for you. But the team. When I brought up the holiday party at the country club, I did so believing that I would attend with the Jamesons so that I could speak with Sophia. If I catch her in a social atmosphere, she’s more likely to talk openly than one-on-one. I sure as hell didn’t mean that the team should attend in an attempt to antagonize the unsub into making a move.”
Bit could be heard calling for them to return to the living room. Most likely, he’d been able to pull up the guest list for tonight’s event. One thing that Harbor didn’t lack was social functions. It was as if the residents didn’t know how to enjoy their downtime.
“You’re right. I did push for the Bureau to take on this investigation. But I don’t regret doing so, because you and I both know that we’re dealing with a serial murderer,” Brook admitted with no regret whatsoever. “I believe the timing of the murders is merely coincidental. The unsub isn’t concerned with timelines. She’s territorial. Even if Maxwell Vanderbilt isn’t the sole trigger that sets off the killer, there is an individual out there who has become an obsession to her. We find him, we find her.”
Theo finally understood why Brook wanted to attend the country club’s holiday party, but her reasoning was somehow even more dangerous. She didn’t just want to call out the unsub. She was willing to play the killer’s game.
“Theo, I know that look.” Brook glanced at the buttered popcorn that now had enough salt on it to ward off a demon in one of Bit’s online games. She lifted one corner of her mouth. “I’m not offering myself up for bait. The unsub reached out to me, and it would be foolish of us not to capitalize on that. By challenging her in public, we can shake her confidence. Doing so could have her making a mistake.”
Theo couldn’t argue with her point, but he didn’t like how she’d cut corners with the Bureau. Such a move on her part had been purely selfish, but the end result would have been the same.
“Sitting around and waiting for Jonah Cary to have this surgery is…” Brook let her voice trail off as she took a deep breath. “I didn’t realize how much I needed this case until last night. Bit has been looking into my extended family for any connection with the Cary family. He’s found nothing so far.”
Theo had overheard Bit mention that he was searching through Wren Farro’s family members, as well. As the senator’s wife, there was a chance that she had a family member connected to the Walsh ancestry tree. Either that, or the deep dive into all the families had simply been a waste of time.
“Have you heard how the boy is doing?”
“Jonah is making a slow recovery from the appendectomy.” Brook gave a slight shrug. “I guess he’s into coloring books right now, because every picture that the Cary family releases on social media has his head buried in a book with a crayon in his hand. He—”
Brook brought herself up short, and it never ceased to amaze Theo how her brain worked when it came to their investigations. It was as if he could visualize the wheels clicking into place.
“Theo, that’s how the unsub talked Bella Kadel and Piper Zimmer into putting those bags over their heads. It’s why their makeup was so perfect. The unsub convinced them that they were subjects for a photograph or a painting. They voluntarily put themselves in her hands, believing that they were safe. Once they realized that she truly meant to kill them…it was too late. The unsub was then able to prevent them from taking the bag off without too much force.”
Bit was still attempting to call Theo and Brook back into the living room. She quickly grabbed her bowl of excessively salted popcorn and began to walk that way in earnest. Theo followed behind, going over the possibilities in his mind. It seemed as if Adeline Murphy had moved up to number one on the suspect list.
“…told you that you’re the best, Gumshoe?” Bit was waving toward the monitor, and what was displayed on the screen had both Theo and Brook pulling up short. “I’ll let them know. Big T will probably head out in a few minutes.”
“Is that Bella Kadel?” Theo asked warily as he finally shook off the shock of seeing a painting that was almost identical to Bella Kadel’s last moments in life. The artwork was also exactly what Brook had described a few moments ago. “There’s no background, and the image is painted without any defining edges.”
The graphic image that had been painted by hand seemed to capture the very essence of fear and vulnerability in the subject’s face. The model’s eyes were wide with terror, there was a hint of desperation in her gaze, and the translucent bag drawn over her head had been portrayed with haunting accuracy. There had been no need for Brook to respond to his question, because he had obtained the answer himself upon a closer inspection.
“That’s neither victim,” Theo murmured as he waited for Bit to end his conversation with Arden. Once Bit lowered his cell phone, Theo didn’t waste a second. “Bit, was this painting created by Adeline Murphy?”
“No.” Bit leaned down from his standing position and began to type instructions into his laptop. By this time, Brook had also moved close to the portable monitor to get a better look at the image. “One of my software programs has been combing through social media groups that Bella Kadel was a part of through her profiles. I was initially looking for comments or replies that were threatening, which was why this particular post was flagged. The artist’s name is Rachel Lee.”
The name was familiar, and Theo recalled that he’d heard it during his first conversation with Sophia Delacroix and Maxwell Vanderbilt. Rachel had been an old high school friend who Maxwell had described as suffocating, while Sophia had brushed off the woman’s behavior as if it had been normal.
“Rachel Lee was Bella’s friend from high school,” Theo explained, though the two of them had read his interview notes. “The background check that I initiated made no mention of Rachel being an artist, though.”
“That’s because she isn’t,” Bit replied as he pulled up one of the woman’s social media sites. “Rachel Lee went to school for cosmetology. She’s bounced between jobs for years, usually in retail. She was fired from a department store three months ago, and she is currently couch-surfing with friends.”
