“Well, look who we have here,” Shaun muttered.
Aidan scanned the crowd and when a tall officer moved to the end of the police tape, he saw Jordan Blake among them.
30
Jordan wore a gray raincoat, its hood slipped over his ball cap. He spotted Aidan and Shaun, then motioned for his cameraman to point in their direction. Kent did as he was told until the coroner began to load the body, then the focus went back to the murder.
Aidan began walking toward the crowd.
“Don’t,” Shaun warned, following close behind.
“Don’t what?” Aidan asked. “I only want to have a chat with our friend.”
Shaun said nothing more as they approached. Police officers were telling the reporters they were not authorized to say anything at this time, and the reporters needed to stay behind the police tape.
“Agent O’Reilly,” Jordan stated. Kent pointed his camera in their direction.
“Mr. Blake,” Aidan replied matter-of-factly. “Here you are again.” He glanced to where Jane Ridgeway's body rested. “At my crime scene.”
“Here I am,” Jordan echoed, a smile playing on his lips. “Every good reporter knows when a high-profile crime has taken place.”
“Really?” Aidan scoffed, “This was an actual human being, Blake. How can you make light of this?”
Instead of answering, the reporter turned to face the camera. “This is Jordan Blake reporting live at the Lady Antebellum Pavilion. The Carnations Killer has struck our city yet again, and I’m standing here at the scene of the crime with Agents O’Reilly and Henderson.” He turned to face them. “Agent O’Reilly, can we get a statement from you?”
Aidan considered telling Jordan exactly what he could do with himself, but he thought better of it—not only because Shaun had his bear-like hand on his shoulder in a silent warning. Instead, Aidan replied that he didn’t have a comment at this time, and once the team finished piling together what they'd found, they would be happy to share.
“So, you did find something?” Jordan pressed.
Man, this guy is irritating, Aidan thought with silent infuriation.
Aidan tried ignoring the reporter as he walked away, but not before he heard Jordan speak to the camera: “Well, viewers of WJFX, you saw it for yourselves—the Federal Bureau of Investigations is yet again keeping us citizens in the dark.”
“Shaun, I’m about three seconds away from using him as a punching bag,” Aidan hissed, jabbing an index finger in the direction of the reporter.
“I hear you,” was the reply. They stopped at their cars. Shaun looked toward where the reporters were trying to get answers from the nearby agents and police officers.
“A part of me wishes we’d find something to implicate him so I’d have the pleasure of locking him up.” Aidan crossed his arms. “Actually, you know something? I don’t think prison would do well for him. A padded room and a straight jacket might do the trick.”
Shaun snickered. “Just let it go. I’ll see you back at the office.”
With a frown, Aidan nodded and climbed into the car.
As he sat behind the wheel, he noticed something on the floor on the passenger side. Aidan leaned over and retrieved the object.
His heart began to drum along with the pouring rain against his ribcage.
It was a taser.
Aidan stared at the device and then looked out his window, scanning his surroundings. No one was around. Shaun had already pulled out of the parking lot, and the reporters were still standing with the officers, trying to get their statements.
Jordan glanced at Aidan, but he couldn’t read what was written on his face.
Aidan began to wonder whether he really did know something about the killings.
He’d lied before, he seemed to know where the victims were before it was announced, and he knew about The Carnations Killer connection.
He was also acting irritatingly smug—something Aidan imagined the offender would do if he were in Jordan’s shoes.
And now someone left a taser on the floorboard of his car.
Whoever The Carnations Killer was—whether it was Jordan Blake or not—he was here.
And he was watching.
31
Using a newspaper Aidan found in the backseat of the car, he carefully wrapped the taser and carried it in the building.
He found Shaun at his desk gnawing on a blueberry muffin.
Aidan set the folded paper in front of him.
Shaun stared at it and arched an eyebrow. “If you’re going to give me a paper to read, I’d rather have the current edition.”
“Open it,” Aidan urged. He grabbed a nearby chair and rolled it over.
Shaun did, and when he revealed the taser, he sat back in his seat. “Where’d you get this?”
“Someone put that in my car. On the floorboard.”
“And I’m assuming you didn’t see who?”
Shaking his head, Aidan said, “Whoever it was, was there. At the scene. I would assume he watched as we checked out the body, questioned the witnesses. There’s no telling how long he was there. He could have been there for a few minutes, or even long after I left.”
Shaun frowned at Aidan. “Why would he want to leave you the taser?”
“I don’t know.”
“You’re the profiler,” he pointed out.
“Well,” Aidan began as he leaned close to the desk to gingerly inspect the device. “Maybe he’s trying to frame me. Maybe that’s the ‘surprise’ he has in store.” He shook his head. “But I don’t think that’s it. He’s proud of what he’s done. He wants to take the credit.” Aidan considered what he knew about the offender. “He was there while we were.”
I can kill, and you can't catch me.
The final words the offender said to him ten
