his head, Phillip, who had fed on previous corpses for their brains for a long time. To cover himself, Kenyon had created the false autopsy protocol for Mrs. Georgia Bhrett in the event someone like Erdman should stumble onto Phillip's activities.
Unable to continue in his normal life, with no one to speak to about such matters, he turned once again to the computer website that encouraged his bizarre cravings. It was only there that he could feel at ease.
And now even that was cut off to Grant and Phillip. Had he been re-arrested? This time as the Skull-digger? If so, and the authorities believed him guilty-and that they'd put an end to the terror-there was no one now to contact. No one to send any more treasures to, as he had with the island of tissue dug out of his first victim in Richmond-a present to Cahil, one that would incriminate him. Apparently, it had worked. Grant knew now that he should end his career as the Skull-digger. Disappear and let Cahil take the rap for the four murders he himself had committed. At the same time, he wondered how Phillip would react to such a conclusion. He knew the answer: His other self-Phillip-would not allow it to end. Not for long. Not for anything.
Valdosta was closed up, silent. Nothing and no one about the darkened streets. He thought of going back to the hotel but then thought better of it. He needed to get out of the Georgia-Florida area and onto new ground. If Phillip were to strike again, it must be in another region.
He drove on, out of Valdosta, southwesterly for I-10.
One week later
A week had passed and in that time no new victims of the Digger had surfaced, leading many in the bureau to believe that Daryl Thomas Cahil had perpetrated the murders. Lorena Combs in Jacksonville had determined that Amanda Manning indeed had been in contact with Cahil's website, a significant hit. FBI field operatives continued to work with the families of the other victims to determine if there were similar connections among the other victims.
Eriq was elated over the news, believing it the final nail in Cahil's coffin, but Jessica's doubts had only grown larger in her mind.
She knew time was running out, that the mechanisms to put Cahil away for the rest of his natural life were in motion. The cases across the southeast wanted closing. Jessica had pleaded for Eriq to at least keep news of Cahil's being charged as the Skull-digger out of the press. Eriq did so, despite the pressure on him to bring the case to a close and to speak to the press. Meanwhile, a twenty-four-hour watch had been placed on Cahil's website. Those manning it were paying close attention to any new visits from the Seeker in particular, and getting none, which further solidified official thinking that Daryl Cahil was their killer.
In the meantime, Eriq and Jessica continued to interrogate Cahil, attempting to pry loose any additional information. J.T. did a little more digging at her insistence. He learned that the clock on Cahil's computer had not been tampered with, so the dates were indeed accurate, and they showed him at home and responding to E-mail at the time of the Winston-Salem and Florida murders. Not so with the Richmond killing or the Georgia one. It was frustrating as they all knew that Cahil could have responded to his own E-mail from any terminal.
“ We need more time, Eriq,” Jessica continued to plead.
“ All right. We'll hold him on the animal-cruelty charges and hold off announcing that he is the Digger,” agreed Eriq. “For now we make him out to be someone who surfaced as eating animal brains. But the clock is ticking on this, peo-pie.”
Jessica knew he was annoyed with her, but she imagined Cahil would be far more annoyed when he learned he was being booked for animal-cruelty charges for the time being, rather than as the now-infamous Skull- digger.
Jessica knew that if news of Daryl Cahil's arrest for the killings went public-making Cahil guilty by default- then the real killer could easily fade away, unless be could not control his urge to kill and eat. Meanwhile, Jessica learned that Cahil himself was trying to get the word out that he was the Skull-digger. Cahil was enjoying the idea of celebrity nowadays-standing in for the most-wanted man in America. She imagined he would plaster his cell at the asylum with news accounts of his horrid deeds once the story on him broke.
Eriq had phoned her about Daryl's latest episode. “Through his lawyer, Cahil is fighting to obtain one of his plaster-cast brains and a supply of noodles, claiming his need as a religious ritual that he should be allowed while incarcerated.”
“ Give him all of his goddamn toys. I'm done with him, Eriq.”
With Eriq holding back the will of the agency against her, with nowhere to turn, she had enlisted others to her cause, beginning with J.T. Together they poured over the computer history of log ons. They dismissed single hits and concentrated on repeated hits, isolating the larger numbers in hope that the computer server would soon be made to turn over records. Primary among their targets was the Seeker who was logged on near two of the crime scenes just before or after the kills were discovered. He communicated through public-access computers, all of which were within 150 to 160 miles of the kills.
From all the log-on names and E-mail addresses, they created their list of possible suspects. It numbered in the thousands and had to be refined down.
AOC, America On Cyberedge, was the Internet server, but getting such a fringe Internet server to cooperate by allowing the FBI access to so many files proved useless without a special search warrant that named the suspect or suspects in question. It was as Strand had predicted, a catch-22. Even the federal judges Jessica had spoken to and pleaded with wouldn't go near it-right to privacy-unless the FBI could prove a state of imminent danger to substantial numbers of people existed. And with word getting around law-enforcement circles that Cahil was in custody, it had proven impossible to find a judge who believed any danger still existed.
The search-warrant request had to be amended to make a case for the FBI's need of a watch list being created from Cahil's website for future possible crimes against humanity. One old federal judge went so far as to tell Jessica, “Sorry, but I can't justify opening private records of hundreds of thousands of citizens to FBI scrutiny on the basis of a single victim in Florida having logged on to this man's website. Nor on the supposition of future possible criminal suspects. Especially since, as I understand it, you have this man in custody for the murders anyway.”
“ But, Your Honor-” Jessica began to protest.
“ Not on the basis of one person using this site, can I open everyone's lives to your agency. We have trampled on enough civil liberties for a decade in allowing you people access to combat terrorism. Now you want the same latitude for murder cases?”
Finally, news of her failed attempts had gotten back to Eriq who marched into Jessica's ready room, where a row of computer experts worked on Daryl's website, while others worked phones and files. The walls were plastered with photos of the victims, names, dates, times and places. Maps with pins in them spoke of the geography of the crimes.
“ I'm shutting you down, Dr. Coran,” Eriq announced to her and all the assembled people. “It's time you cease and desist from any further investigation of this case. We're going with Cahil as the Digger. He'll be indicted this afternoon.”
Jessica shook her head. “You've got to give us more time.”
“ It's over, Jess. I've taken hell from everyone above because it's taken this long to indict Cahil on more than dog-and-pony crimes.” Then the phone rang. It was from the FBI field office in Mobile, Alabama, an agent named Ben Lowery. There authorities had found a floater in the water with her head cut open and her brain removed.
As she listened to the words, Jessica's insides fell. She had known this call was coming; she had braced for it. She knew it would prove her right, but she felt horrible in the bargain.
She turned on the speakerphone here in the task-force ready room, and she asked, “Agent Lowery, would you mind repeating what you just said to my team?”
Lowery did so to a solemn audience.
“ Keep the scene intact until my team arrives. Don't disturb a thing. We'll be there as soon as possible.” She then hung up and stared at the small group that had been left to pursue the case.
“ Well, so much for Cahil as the Digger,” said J.T., summing up everyone's initial reaction.
“ A hollow victory.” Jessica's gaze immediately met Eriq Santiva's.
Eriq looked as stricken as anyone. “Be out of here to Mobile within the hour. I'll make arrangements.”
Shortly after, Jessica and John Thorpe were on their way to an FBI jet bound for Mobile, where Jessica recalled Santiva's words to her, “If it does indeed prove the work of the same killer, with Cahil behind bars, I promise you one thing. I will personally go back to the federal court system for the warrant to get AOC to open its
