as interested in catching the UNSUB, so whatever assistance we can provide each other will be handled with professional courtesy.”
Detective Foxx studied Jordan’s face a few moments longer, weighing her words. Naturally wary, she was trying to put the common good ahead of her natural instincts to protect her turf. Finally, she decided she could take her at her word, but she left no doubt as to the consequences if the FBI pushed her too hard. “I hope I don’t regret this,
Jordan nodded. “Understood.” Jordan hated this political BS, but in this case, it was necessary. What she really wanted to do was flash her badge and tell Detective Foxx to go fuck herself, or at the very least, Jordan could take care of that. Without the glare, she would probably register on Jordan’s radar anyway.
Jordan hid a smirk. She’d had a weakness for redheads. There was a definite air about Detective Foxx. Maybe she would try a different tactic. She always got more Intel from someone when their badge was on her nightstand. She leaned forward and licked her lips, her blue eyes holding Detective Foxx’s emerald-green ones. “So now that we got that all straightened out, what do you have for us?”
Matt watched Jordan out of the corner of his eye and swallowed a laugh. Whatever she saw in the Detective, he didn’t share her opinion. Although she had ignored him completely, so maybe she was a lesbian. It surprised him to see her roll her eyes in reply to Jordan’s subtle advances.
“Let me guess Agent Gray, this is the part where I’m supposed to swoon because you are so handsome and give up my hand in this case?” Rebecca leveled her gaze at Jordan. “Let me let you in on a little secret. I didn’t get where I am today by getting weak in the knees every time some badge with a power trip batted their eyes at me. You can put your dick back in your pants.”
Matt snickered, and Jordan rewarded him with a glare. He suddenly realized that maybe he did have a shot with the lovely Detective Foxx. “Sorry.” He muttered under his breath, all the while trying to mask the smirk on his face.
Jordan felt the heat rise in her face. It had been a long time since someone put her in her place like that. Properly chastised, Jordan dropped her eyes playing the penitent role to appease Detective Foxx. She regretted her decision to throw sex into the mix and hoped for the sake of the case, she didn’t fuck up the Detective’s offer to share information. “Perhaps we got off on the wrong foot, Detective.”
“I don’t play games, Agent. I know this whole adorable bad-guy routine is something you’re used to getting your way with, but I can assure you, I am no more interested in you than you are in Agent Riley.”
Game, set and match to Detective Foxx, Jordan thought. Very quickly, the rules of the game had been established. Jordan was benched before she even had the chance to swing. “Very well, Detective. No games.”
Again, Rebecca’s emerald eyes studied Jordan, this time looking beyond the facade and into her soul. This time she was almost convinced she had the upper hand…
They both nodded. They did not need to be told that protocol dictated that the information they received here would definitely be shared in their own circles, but it would stop there.
Rebecca pulled a file out of her drawer and opened it up. She handed Jordan a thin file. “We don’t have much. So far, he’s been clean. No DNA left at the scene.'
“No sperm?” Matt asked incredulously. “Not even trace amounts? Nothing?”
“That’s what I said, Agent Riley. This guy’s good…or was.” Rebecca smiled mysteriously. “Until last night’s case.”
“How so?” Jordan asked quickly.
“Last night he got spooked and pulled out…so to speak. The condom came off inside the victim…” Rebecca saw Jordan wince. “I’m sorry, I mean Ms. Keppler. It’s the first break in the case we’ve gotten.”
“It usually happens that way, Detective.” Jordan opined. “The UNSUB thinks he’s the first smart criminal and bam, he does something stupid.”
“Did you get a hit in the Combined DNA Index System?” Matt interrupted. Jordan was emotionally involved already. He didn’t think that her relationship with their boss was any closer than his. Sure, they were both lesbians, but that hardly qualified them as best friends. However, he knew his partner, and she was already invested in this case more than she should have been. That’s when agents got sloppy, overlooked things, made mistakes when their brain stopped controlling the shots, and their heart took over.
“No, if our suspect has committed crimes before this, he’s never been arrested.” Rebecca thumbed through several more pages. “The only thing that kept Ms. Keppler alive was a homeless guy. It turns out they were in his alley. Spooked the perp before he could kill her.”
Jordan swallowed the lump in her throat. Here they were talking about Julie as if she were just another victim, a number in the CDD’s or FBI’s database, like she was just one more faceless person in a long line of faceless people. She was frustrated beyond belief. She had never had to put a face to the victim, never had to personalize the case. She felt a mixture of helplessness and fury swirling around inside her gut. Her next words were spoken through gritted teeth. “How many?”
Rebecca looked confused. “How many what?”
“Victims. How many victims were there before Julie?”
“Six.” Rebecca let the number sink in. She could tell it shocked them. “At least that we could tie to this case. That’s over a span of two years. If he changed his MO at any time, we wouldn’t have tied it back to this one.”
Matt leaned forward. He could see Jordan’s hands clenched on the arms of her chair, and he needed to give her a chance to cool down. “What’s his MO?”
“This is where it gets bad.” She looked at Jordan, concern on her features. “Are you sure you want to hear this?”
Jordan nodded her head. She forced herself to exhale, realizing that she had been holding her breath, only seconds from passing out. “I need to. If I’m going to be any help, I need to know what this monster is doing. I need to be able to get inside his head.”
Rebecca nodded. She didn’t know the exact nature of Special Agent Gray and Assistant Director Mitchell’s relationship, but she imagined it went beyond the normal working acquaintance. “From what we can piece together from time of death, he strikes at night. He carries a knife, most likely forces them into an alley with that. Forces them down on their stomach, slits their throat, and as a final, demeaning blow, rapes them and takes the baby.”
Jordan bit her lip. The more she found out, the angrier she got. She took several deep breaths and willed herself to calm down, stay impersonal and focused. “Any similarities?”
“They were all pregnant, other than that, nothing. Didn’t work together, didn’t travel in the same circles. Not much to go on.” Rebecca smiled ruefully. “You can see why I want to catch this guy. He’s a fucking monster.”
“Can we get a sample of the DNA?” Jordan asked quickly. “We can run it in the National DNA Index System and see if we get a hit.”
“Sure, as long as…”
Jordan put her hand up. “I know, as long as it stays in this office.”
“Most likely he will strike again soon.” Matt interrupted the latest push for power. “We have to figure he’s pissed off about Julie. He’s going to be out for blood, get his retribution for not getting the kill.”
Jordan had to give consideration to Matt’s idea. His major in college had been psych and had he not wanted to be in the field, could have had a perfectly decent career as an FBI profiler. Hopefully, they could put that to good use. She gave him a cautionary glance to keep him from divulging anymore. The FBI could have secrets just as easily as the CDD. “What’s the time frame between each victim?”
Rebecca checked her notes. “At first, he was sporadic. The first three averaged every six months. The latest three happened within the last six months.”
“So one every two months. He’s moving further away from reality, and it’s upping his need to kill.” Jordan rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Think you can provide us with a copy of the file? It’s for research.”
Rebecca covered her files protectively. “I’m sure you know I can’t do that, Agent Gray.”
Jordan leaned forward and put her elbows on the desk, bringing her closer to Rebecca’s face. Her green eyes were suspicious of Jordan’s move, as she expected they would be. She was entering her personal space. “We all
