“Yeah, killers often return to the scene of the crime or want to look at the bodies of the people they murdered.” Jo stirred sugar into her cup. “Some return over and over. We should get IDs on everyone watching.”
Jenna nodded. “I’ll ask Rowley to look into that for us.”
“If he doesn’t get hits in a few hours, hand it over to Bobby Kalo, he has face recognition software and way more databases to search.” Jo looked at her. “Some of the people could be tourists.”
“Sure.” Jenna smiled. “I keep forgetting about Kalo. I’ll send him a copy of the footage to do his magic.” She added it to her list. “Okay what do you have on Cleaves?”
“Our interview with him was interesting.” Carter placed one cowboy boot on the knee of his other leg. “We found C-4 in his broom closet and he had mud on his shoes. The samples are with Wolfe. He was on scene and took footage of the explosion, was also in DC around the time of the previous bombings.”
Jenna rested one hip on the corner of the desk. “Motive?”
“Well, he didn’t like Mrs. Wood. Apparently, she objected to him speaking to Sophie. Now we have a clearer understanding of the way of things in Louan, the Woods being outsiders would have upset many of the members of the same sect or whatever.” Carter snorted. “With C-4 in his possession, an attraction to Sophie, and being on scene, he is a possible as well.”
“Okay.” Jenna looked at Kane. “What about Simon Dexter out of Prairie View. Your notes mentioned he was the driver of the gray car captured on scene by Cleaves’ dashcam and a known firebug?”
“He has a motive as well, much the same as Cleaves.” Kane sipped his coffee and regarded her over the rim of the cup. “If fifteen is the age the girls are let’s say ‘trialed’ by potential husbands, we’re dealing with statutory rape. I’m guessing they marry at sixteen. Here that’s legal although we don’t see it happen very often in Black Rock Falls. Sophie would have become a contender in the eyes of many single men from the same congregation. From what we’re hearing, the Woods were getting angry at the local men for pestering them about Sophie. Who knows how many Isaac Wood threatened to shoot? This is a motive and from where I’m sitting, removing Sophie from her family meant she was available.” He sighed. “I figure, she escaped her kidnapper and her death was an accident. From what I’m seeing, there’s a shortage of fifteen-year-old girls in Louan.” He shot a glance at Carter. “I know the FBI can look into this practice. You’ll have to do something.”
“We’ve one case.” Carter cleared his throat. “No matter how distasteful we believe this practice, we’re going to have one hell of a time proving it. How many girls raised to accept this as normal will be willing to come forward?”
Jenna pushed a hand through her hair. “I doubt we’ll find one, willing to go against their family and church. It is their first amendment right to practice their beliefs. We’ll do what we can to help Dawn and make noise about anyone else needing assistance to come forward. We have the Her Broken Wings hotline and I’ll make sure the flyers are worded to let anyone in a similar situation aware we can help them. I’ll have them posted in the local schools as well.”
“I figure we’re getting way off track.” Kane straightened in his chair. “We’re looking at the Woods’ murder as an excuse to kidnap Sophie. Has it slipped your minds this lunatic has the same MO as the one in the DC bombings?” He waved one hand toward the board. “Raping the wife and then kidnapping the girl was the icing on the cake, his reward and an escalation.” He looked at Jo. “I’m right, don’t you agree?”
“Yeah.” Jo rested her chin in her palm and looked at the whiteboard. “Or he’s smarter than we think and he’s using the girl as a distraction?”
Jenna snorted. “I don’t call rape a distraction.”
“No, I didn’t mean that, Jenna.” Jo frowned at her. “It shows a vicious brutality but on top of all the other traits we’re seeing in this killer, now we can add narcissist. He thinks only of himself. He has no empathy for anyone or he wouldn’t have killed the child, or raped the mother and Sophie. Both these are acts of extreme violence. This man is angry and whatever triggered him in DC has set him off again but this time, it’s tenfold.”
Jenna nodded and scanned the faces of her team. “I have my own conclusions. Yes, he’s been triggered again but this time he’s not killing people by remote. In DC, the bombs were set and he walked away nice and clean. It wasn’t up close and personal. It was more like revenge for something they did to him. He’s nothing like the psychopaths we’ve dealt with in the past. This time, it’s personal, so he needed the connection with his victims. He wanted to see the fear in their eyes and listen to them plead for their lives. He tied them up so they know what is going to happen, he no doubt taunts them before they die and makes it a slow death. The problem is, the explosion and fire just weren’t enough, he needed more
control. He wants to hurt them as much as someone hurt him, so to twist the knife, he rapes the wife in front of her family and kidnaps their daughter. He kept Sophie alive to torment for as long as possible. This is revenge in spades and I don’t believe it’s anywhere near over.” She took a deep breath. “I think he’s just begun and the Woods were only the first on his list.”
Twenty-Nine
He’d taken Pamela Stuart to a cabin in Stanton Forest, Black Rock Falls. It was convenient and not too far to walk from a firebreak road. Although it was coming into summer, this part of the forest wasn’t a popular hiking trail and wasn’t in a hunting area. The old man who owned the cabin had lived off the grid until he’d died. The cabin remained just as he’d left it. Canned goods on the shelves and the bed neatly made. No one had claimed it and when he came across it, last fall, he’d found the key to the door under a bucket of kindling on the front porch. He’d spent some time nailing the shutters closed, added a Keep out, trespassers will be shot on sight, sign to the front porch and taken the key. He didn’t intend to leave Pamela in the cabin, he wanted her in the Whispering Caves where he could set up his trail cam again and watch her.
He’d spent some time with her last night before attaching her ankle to a long chain. He couldn’t allow Pamela to escape, she’d seen his face and could identify him. He’d set up his trail cam and told her he’d be watching her. She’d become passive and pliable. Having a girl cooperate was surprising because he could see the fear in her eyes. He wanted to frighten her, it put him in control and he liked that.
He walked through the trees and joined a small track that led to the cabin. It was well hidden by the forest and bushes grew right up to the porch. He unlocked the door and stared at her. The room smelled of sweat and the pee in the bucket stunk. She stood up dragging a blanket around her. He glared at her. “Are you trying to make me mad, Pamela?”
She shook her head and the fear came back into her eyes. He’d been generous to her and made a hole in the tape covering her mouth to push a straw through so she could drink water. It thrilled him to see she hadn’t attempted to remove the tape. She could have, her hands were free. He walked toward her and ripped off the tape and stared into her eyes. “Sit down. I’ll give you something to eat and when you’re finished, put this on.” He opened his backpack, pulled out a dress he’d taken from the collection bin outside the shelter and tossed it on the bed. He handed her a takeout bag of sandwiches. “We’re going for another ride and then a hike.” He pulled his Glock out from the holster behind his back and pressed it hard against her temple. “One word, and you die. Understand?”
“Okay.” Pamela’s fingers trembled as she pulled the dress over her head. “Why are you doing this to me?”
He sat in a chair and studied her for a long while. All the time, he could see the terror building in her eyes. She didn’t take her gaze off him but her bottom lip had started to tremble. He didn’t care if they cried, Sophie had wailed, sobbed, and fought back but this one was different. Perhaps her grandpa had taught her cooperation was her best chance of survival with a man like him. He smiled and caught the shock in her eyes. “Maybe I wanted to spend some time with a pretty girl.”
“You could’ve asked me. You didn’t have to hit me.” Pamela tossed the takeout bag of sandwiches from hand to hand. “Now you’ve had your fun, let me go. I won’t tell anyone.”
“Uh-huh.” He rubbed his chin. “How did I know you’d say that? But I’m not done with you yet.” He stood, walked over to her, and cupped her chin lifting her head to face him. “Did your grandpa tell you to cooperate if a man grabbed you off the street?”
When she nodded slowly, he smiled. “That was nice of him but he forgot to mention that trying to reason with a man like me is a waste of time. You see I don’t care about you. I’m only feeding you because if I don’t, you’ll probably faint and I don’t plan on carrying you through the forest. If you don’t cooperate, I’ll kill you. You see, to me you are just a means to an end, like the wrapper on a burger. It keeps my fingers clean but when I’ve eaten my fill, I toss the wrapper away.”
“My grandpa will have people looking for me.” Pamela lifted her chin. “He’ll find me.”
He snorted. “Really? You didn’t even make the news, sweetheart. Nobody is out looking for you and you’re in a different county. No one will look for you here.” He looked into her unblinking wide eyes. “Now eat, my time is valuable.”
He gathered up her clothes, tossed them into the grate and set them on fire. He watched the flames dance and the smoke curl up the chimney. He added some kindling to make sure not one trace of material remained. He heard her move behind him, a little sob, and a clink of chains. Turning to look at her he narrowed his gaze. “What?”