“That’s what I was thinking. There are some on her wrist as well,” Jenna said.
“If she fought back, how the hell did no one hear?” he mumbled.
“The couple in the tent next door heard something. They don’t know what woke them up. They said they heard a thud, like something falling.”
“Or a body hitting the ground.”
“Yeah. But, Chief, I don’t think she was killed here.”
“Why do you say that?”
“They heard that at about two and went back to sleep. The husband then heard a rustling noise and the sound of a zipper. He said he saw a shadow race out of the tent. A few minutes later he heard the sound of an engine down the road. He decided to check things out, and he found Barbara on the floor. That was at four twelve.”
“So, you think the killer came into the tent, they left, fought, and then the killer murdered our victim somewhere else and dragged the body back here.”
“I do. Look at the back of the tent,” Jenna said.
Jag lifted his gaze. The flaps were pulled down, and the screen wasn’t zipped all the way up.
“It’s freezing at night out here. You don’t leave those suckers down and turn the space heaters too low. You won’t stay warm. I know this from experience. My husband and I stay here every time he’s back from a deployment. I was too lazy one night after using the outhouse, and my husband cussed me out something good when I made him get his sorry naked ass out of bed to both zip it up and turn the heaters on full blast.”
Jag chuckled. Knowing her husband, he could only imagine what came out of that sailor’s mouth. Of course, Jenna gave as good as she got. “Any blood?”
“There is some on the floor and on the bed,” Jenna said. “But if you look under her body, there is very little. Another reason why I don’t think she was killed here.”
“She could have gotten up to use the bathroom and was taken out there,” Jag said. “It didn’t have to originate here, and I don’t see signs of a struggle inside the tent.”
“Good point.”
Jag turned his attention to the left hand and the trinket.
A raven.
Rose gold.
Placed in the palm.
“Oh fuck,” he mumbled.
“What is it?” Jenna asked, standing behind him.
“It’s a mood ring on her left finger.”
Jag took a step back while the medical examiner zipped up the body bag and placed it on the gurney. He followed Matt out of the tent and toward the kitchen area.
Jenna and Hanson had finished up with the rest of the guests, taking their information, and were currently helping to escort them off the property. The glamping site would be shut down for at least the next couple of days.
“Let’s take a walk around the grounds again,” Matt said, slipping off his gloves and tossing them in the trash. “Thank you for letting me help.”
Jag laughed. “I had a choice?”
“Not really,” Matt said. “But you do realize that’s the first time the Trinket Killer has left the city of Seattle.”
“That we know of,” Jag added. “But that brings up something I was thinking about this morning.”
“Don’t hurt yourself with all that brain power.”
Jag stepped behind one of the tents and onto a trail that looped around the property and through a couple of hiking trails. “I had originally thought that when we released Adam it gave our killer permission to finish her cycle.”
“You’re really sold the killer is a woman?”
“I am,” Jag said. “I really believe she would have killed Stephanie anyway. There was no pause when we caught Adam, and I think we should take a look at his murder a little more closely. The Trinket Killer could have murdered him for a plethora of different reasons.”
“I’ve already pulled the case.”
“Thanks.” Jag walked slowly down the path, scanning a few feet left and right, looking for clues of any kind. “So, I was thinking that if victims with the mood rings is the Trinket Killer, she didn’t stop when we caught the janitor. But since he wasn’t released, and the world thought he’d done it, she might have switched up her game.”
“That’s a solid reason for a serial killer to change their MO.”
“Which means, we’re looking for three dead young women with blond hair, killed sometime between the last mood ring murder and the first dolphin one.”
“Have you noticed the victims haven’t aged that much over the course of fifteen years when all this started?” Matt asked.
“I have. The mood ring victims were all younger than twenty. The dolphin victims were under the age of twenty-five, except Stephanie. She was just a year older.”
“But you know what’s weird?” Matt asked.
“What?”
“Normally, when we see this, we think our unsub is killing the same person over and over. But this feels like there is a shift with each trinket or color.”
“I have to agree with you,” Jag said. “And the change of right or left hand. And I believe even more now that Renee and Stephanie knew their killer.” Jag paused just as they came to the clearing on the other side of the property. He turned and faced his long-time friend. “I want to pull Callie into the conversation.”
“You’re joking, right?” Matt asked as he folded his arms across his chest. “She’s writing a fucking tell-all book.”
“Not even close. And let me tell you, I’ve read what she’s written so far, and some of my conclusions that we’ve just discussed have come from her research. She’s smart, and she’d be a huge asset. Besides, she’s not working for the station anymore. As a civilian, she can do things we can’t.”
Matt wiggled his index finger in his ear. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t
