“Another sex worker?”
Matt nodded. “They use an adult chat room sometimes to meet clients. According to their friend, they were both to meet someone on that app the night they went missing.”
“That’s a bit of a coincidence.” Jag eased down a slight incline, careful not to slip on the muddy hillside. The sound of a camera shutter echoed in his ears. The CSI team milled about, logging in evidence. The medical examiner knelt over the bodies.
“Hey, is that a wig?” Jag made his way to the head of one of the victims. A blond wig had been tossed to the side, exposing short red hair.
“I wonder if our killer knew or even cared.”
“This doesn’t feel right,” Jag said with his hands on his hips. He glanced around the wooded area. “The bodies aren’t presented in the same way the others were.”
“But we have rose gold raven trinkets in their hands, and we have this.” Matt waved to one of the other detectives who strolled over and handed Matt a plastic bag with a note inside. “This is really why I wanted you out here now.”
Jag took the bag into his hands and held it up high. It was a white piece of computer paper with bold words written in dark ink matching the last note that Callie had gotten. He drew it a little closer to his face and squinted.
Bringing me back has forced my hand. It’s all your fault. Had you just let it go and let me stay away from Seattle, this would have never happened.
“What do you make of it?”
“I don’t know,” Jag said, scratching his head. “Mind if I take a picture of this?”
“I’m not showing this to the press, so I don’t want it getting out.”
“I’ll just write the message versus the image,” Jag said. “I have a feeling this is meant either for me or Callie, but I’m not understanding the concept of bringing me back. It makes it sound like the Trinket Killer left the area and came back. Which makes sense in a weird way since we had that fourteen-year gap between the mood rings and the dolphins. But other than Stephanie and Callie’s ruthless coverage of the killer, I don’t get the connection.”
“I’m glad you said ruthless, because that’s exactly what she was doing back then,” Matt said. “She played a fine line between sensationalizing the killer and being a bitch to the cops all in the name of telling the public the truth, but she wasn’t half as bad as Bailey. She’s already going down the Trinket Killer road.”
“With me here, she’ll take that angle, I’m sure. I mean, why bring the Langley chief of police into the city of Seattle, unless it had to do with his one unsolved case.”
Matt took the note and handed it back to his detective. “We can certainly connect the two bodies on Whidbey with these two, which officially gives us a serial killer. What I can’t decide is if I want to acknowledge we believe the Trinket Killer is back or not.”
“What happened with your other case?”
“Oh, we caught the guy, so that’s closed,” Matt said.
“All right. Do you want my opinion?”
“I do,” Matt said. “Because if we announce the Trinket Killer is back, that’s going to create a shitstorm for both of us.”
“Bring on the shitstorm,” Jag said. “But I’ve got one more suggestion for you.”
“Yeah, what’s that?”
Jag glanced over his shoulder and stared at all the news crews setting up for a live feed for the evening news.
“Let me do it.”
“Excuse me?”
“Let me make the announcement, and let me talk directly to the killer, calling her a she, and let’s see what happens.”
Matt pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long breath. “Calling the killer a she is a big deal. The public will react to that, and so will the killer.”
“I’m banking on that,” Jag said. “I want the Trinket Killer to talk back to me, though it will probably be to Callie, so I was hoping she could at least be in the picture frame.”
“That’s dangerous,” Matt said. “I doubt the commissioner will go for that.”
“Ask him and then set up a press conference. I don’t want her to say anything. I don’t even want her front and center. I just want her present and visible.”
“Why is this so important to you?” Matt asked.
“I don’t think the killer has any faith in me to solve the case, but I think she believes Callie can. And I think the escalation in murders and that note are ways to scare Callie into leaving again.”
Matt’s eyebrows curved. “That’s a bold theory.”
“You don’t buy it?”
“Actually, it sounds spot on,” Matt said. “I’ll set it up.”
“Let me know. I’ve got an errand to run, and I’ll make sure Callie is on the next ferry to the mainland.”
“Don’t talk to the reporters on your way out.”
Jag turned on his heels and headed toward the parking lot, waving his hand over his head. “No worries. Be safe, man.”
No sooner did his feet land on pavement than Bailey and Jackie raced to his side, shoving a microphone in his face.
“Why were you called in?” Jackie asked.
“Is it because the Trinket Killer is back?” Bailey asked with a smug grin.
“No comment.” Jag opened the patrol car door.
“We heard there were two murders on the island. Are they related?” Jackie asked.
“You ladies have a great evening.” He turned the key and slammed the gearshift into reverse. He was going to hate having to face Bailey in a press conference. Once this was over, he was so going to enjoy going back to living his quiet life on the island.
Hopefully, with Callie.
Callie stood next to Jag, squeezing his hand as if she were falling off a ledge and he was her lifeline.
“Since when are you this nervous interviewing
