Fallen Angel (Detectives Kane and Alton)

“Cold. I hope you don’t need us. We can’t use the chopper to get to you. I hear there’s been a line of blizzards across your part of the state all week, although I’ve heard no news of any crime. If it’s urgent, we could maybe fly to the closest town and drive if the roads are passable.”

Kane shook his head. “No, don’t risk traveling in this weather. We can discuss cases over the phone. Good news first, Jake and Sandy’s twins arrived safely. One of each, born last night at the morgue, would you believe? Thank goodness, Shane was there to step in and deliver them. The road to the hospital was blocked.”

“Oh, that’s wonderful news. Give Sandy and Jake our congratulations. But I’m sure that’s not why you called.”

“No, it’s not. We’ve had three homicides at the ski lodge. At the moment, we’re isolated here at a crime writers’ convention. I can get to town by a service road if it’s urgent, but it’s dangerous. We went close to sliding off the road last night.” Kane went on to explain everything in detail. “We’re still waiting for Wolfe to confirm ID and notify next of kin before we give it to the press.”

“Three different MOs, how interesting.” Jo paused as if thinking. “What’s your take on the crime scenes?”

Having given the subject a lot of thought, he just needed Jo to validate his conclusions. “The killer is an organized psychopath and he’s using the ski lodge as his comfort zone. He’s been here before, knows the layout, and is aware of all the security features. I believe he has a passkey and was in Julie’s room and mine last night. I say ‘he,’ but I’m not discounting this could be a woman.”

“Yes, the evidence suggests the killer knows the victims, although something changed with Julie. A peeping Tom is far removed from attempted murder. It sounds like vengeance kills and, as they are all so different, something specific links the cause of death to the killer or victim.”

Thinking over the crime scenes, Kane scratched his cheek. “Hmm, well the last one was electrocuted and her last novel was titled Frizzled. The character died by electrocution. The previous one died the same way as in his novel too. So, we have a link with two of the murders.”

“There you go. Check out the correlation between the victims’ books and mode of death. Are they all authors?”

“No.” Kane leaned back against the wall, allowing the crime scenes to filter through his mind. “The first one, in the pond, was an agent but I’ll see what I can find. Perhaps, she made another book deal recently and the story was about a peeping Tom? But why target Julie? All the victims have been associated with the publishing industry.”

“Check out the agent’s webpage. If you find any similar coincidences this could be the same person that entered Julie’s room. If so, I believe she is a distraction from the vengeance kills.” Jo hummed as if thinking over what next to say. “I don’t want to alarm you, but it seems strange for an organized psychopath, who has obviously planned these homicides, to veer off into another path, unless Julie is a trigger for a previous series of murders.”

Suddenly uncomfortable, Kane rubbed the back of his neck. “In what way?”

“Well, from the cold, calculated murder of his victims, he’s killed before and likely often. As you know, a first kill is usually hurried and messy. At first, they lose control, but as they commit more murders, they take their t

ime and enjoy it.” Jo paused a beat. “As vengeance kills, these people have wronged him in some way, so there must be a connection. I’d say he’s kept control for a time, maybe years, until someone pushed his buttons and the need to commit murder rose again. The moment he started killing once more it unleashed the beast. When they feel the power over life and death again, it causes a domino effect. The original incident that made him a psychopath in the first place is highlighted in his mind and it doesn’t take much to trigger an episode. Perhaps Julie resembles the first girl he killed, for instance, or the person who abused him as a child.”

Concerned for Julie’s safety, Kane sucked in a breath. “So, Julie could be next on his list?”

“That depends.” Jo sounded serious. “He didn’t strike when he had the chance, so maybe he was testing his reaction to her, or the next kill is more important to him or he just gets off on looking at sleeping teenagers. Whatever, I’d watch her closely, or better still, send her home to Shane. She’s obviously not safe at the ski resort.”

Kane cleared his throat. Insisting Julie went home wouldn’t be easy and, as the blizzard had hit again with full force, neither would negotiating the back road down the mountain. “Okay, thanks, Jo. I appreciate your help.”

“Anytime. Send me the files when you can. I need something interesting to read.”

Kane chuckled. “Sure thing.” He disconnected and strolled back into the main room just as Jenna and Emily arrived.

“Okay, before Wolfe calls, I’d like an update on everything you have to date.” Jenna pulled out a chair and placed her laptop on the table. “Rio?”

“I figure we can remove September March and Ike Turnage from our suspects list. I have March on the CCTV footage leaving the lodge for her cabin at eight last night and she didn’t return until this morning. Ike Turnage was in his cabin on the phone talking to the manager during Dakota Storm’s murder and he headed for his cabin last night at nine. He called room service at ten to discuss his breakfast order. So both have alibis.” Rio leaned back in his chair, twirling a pen in his fingers. “August Bradford, Murphy Finnian, Bexley Grayson, and Parker Rain were all in the lodge last night. All claim to be in their rooms or in the lobby when the power went out, but none of them can offer the name of a witness, which is suspicious.”

“Okay, so we concentrate on those four.” Jenna made notes on her laptop. “Kane, what have you got for me?”

Kane explained the call to Jo. “I haven’t looked over the files from Kalo yet, but with Jo’s insight, it will be easier to match up possible links between our suspects and the victims.”

“I don’t recall asking you to involve the FBI in my case.” Jenna lifted her gaze to him. “Do you suddenly feel the need to question your profiling skills, because as sure as hell, I don’t need anyone working with me who doubts their ability.”

“I’ve never doubted my ability.” Kane stared at her uncompromising expression. “I didn’t think asking your permission to call my friends was part of my job description.”

“That’s the problem, Kane. You don’t care what anyone thinks, do you?” Jenna’s eyes blazed. “Maybe I’m sick of looking incompetent because you keep running to the FBI for help.”

Unaccustomed to dealing with Jenna’s anger, Kane ignored her question. “Validating a theory is hardly running to Jo for help. We haven’t dealt with an organized serial killer who does a complete three-sixty in his MO. I’m not a behavioral analyst in Jo’s class, and with Julie in possible danger, I wanted to ensure we’d be prepared for whatever was coming next.”

“Well then, when you get back to Kalo, ask him to find out if any murders of women fitting Julie’s description happened during our suspects’ lifetimes.” Jenna turned back to her laptop. “Rio, if Wolfe has formally identified the victims, contact their local law enforcement office to notify next of kin. Once you have confirmation of all three victims, write me a statement for the media. I’ll go and speak to them.”

The air in the room seemed to crackle with anger. Kane stood and went to the coffee machine the hotel had supplied. He pushed in a pod and waited for the aromatic brew to drip into the cup. Emily came up beside him and selected a pod. He glanced at her. “It’s not safe for Julie here. Do you think we can convince her to go home?”

“Not a chance.” Emily slid the fixings across the bench to him. She dropped her voice to a whisper and both her eyebrows rose in question. “First argument, huh?”