“What does it say?” he asked.
“What does yours say first?” she countered. There was a moment of silence and then he answered,
“There will.”
“Mine says, ‘be another’,” Sarah told him.
“Another what?” Tyler asked softly though it wasn’t really directed at Sarah, “We need to read the end of the message at the most recent murder scene. Have you got those photos too?”
“Got them right here,” Sarah said. “I’ll call you with the results in a few minutes,” she added and then hung up before he could reply.
It was with a growling level of frustration that Sarah saw neither previous ways were working this time; there were no words coming back from her efforts. The phone was sitting there like a brick around her neck as she waded through the words and photographs and the pressure was back and her head throbbed with it. Nothing she was trying was coming up trumps and she was running out of ideas.
Twenty minutes passed before Sarah picked up the phone again.
“Well?” Tyler’s expectant voice answered.
“Where are you now?” Sarah asked him.
“I’m at home.”
“I’ll be there within the hour,” she said.
“It’s in a different code again, isn’t it?”
“Yep, and nothing I’ve been able to figure out on my own.” Though he head was telling her she was handing over some kind of victory to Tyler in this, her heart didn’t feel it. Sarah felt like they were an old team reforming and how easy it would be to slip back into the old pattern.
What didn’t go away, however, was the idea of how dangerous this could be to her career.
Chapter 13
TYLER LOOKED AROUND the room when Sarah hung up. It was tidy, as ever, apart from his desk which was covered in his writings and drawings from breaking the cipher. Now that he had done so, it didn’t seem like it had been much of a task in the end. If he were to come up with a secret message, it would be much more complicated than the ones in the first two photos. Perhaps this last one would be the saving grace and would be harder to crack.
This led Tyler to think of the killer and his mind-set. Had he made this code easier so that those following him would be able to understand it? Did that mark him out as intelligent or was this the best he could do? Tyler thought it more likely the man was smart. The ‘Agrarian’ certainly believed he was, or else he would never have left a message in the first place.
There will be another- That was the message so far. Tyler sincerely hoped the end was not simply going to be a number. The idea crossed his mind that perhaps the number of objects at the last scene was what they were looking for to complete the sentence. It was possible.
While he waited, he looked over the other photos of the first murder scene. Gruesome stuff indeed and Tyler couldn’t help but wonder was there a message in there as well. Why else go to so much trouble? It would take a long time to cut a body and splay the skin like this—and that was even if you were rushing. It was clear though that the killer in this first case at least had taken his time, made sure he did the job right. Did he have an image of it in his head that he was trying to recreate? What did it mean to the killer, or for that matter to the victim? Tyler’s own feeling was that the ‘Agrarian’ was trying to show the ‘real’ person he killed, show what they were like on the inside. Was he exposing them? If so, exposing what? Perhaps he would ask Sarah what she thought when she arrived.
This made him look at his watch; she should be here any minute. Tyler got up and put on a pot of coffee. He had a feeling this was going to be a long night. As if on cue, the sound of an engine being worked hard rose in the quiet rural night. He walked to the door and stepped out onto the porch as Sarah’s car dropped gears and turned into his long driveway. He wondered for a moment if it was possible his own countryside residence made him a possible target for the ‘Agrarian’. It seemed he could have no thought this evening that didn’t lead back to the killer.
Sarah’s car jerked to a halt and the lights and engine died instantly. The door swung open and she was out on her feet like this was an FBI raid.
“Hey,” he waved and she smiled and said hi back. Tyler was shocked by what he thought was a look of lust in her eyes. It was fleeting and the smiling reply took it away; but he felt there was no mistaking it. Was what why she was here? Tyler was attracted to Sarah physically- after all who wouldn't be, she was a knockout brunette, but if she had her eyes set on anything other than sex, she was barking up the wrong tree. Sarah breezed past him as he held the door open and her perfume wafted under his nose. The desire to take her followed but he stayed himself. It would be up to her to make the first move; he wasn’t willing to give up his power that easily.
Any notions of sex, however, were quickly crushed as he closed the door and she dropped down a file on his kitchen island and said,
“No copies, and they come back with me tonight.” Sarah was all business once again- so much so Tyler began to doubt he’d seen what he thought he had. No, his inner voice assured him. You saw it and it was real.
“Anything you say boss,” he said straightening up and saluting her comically.
“Do I smell coffee?” she said smiling.
While Tyler poured the two cups, Sarah sat on his
