Brandon’s posture stiffened, but he leaned slightly forward, showing an interest. “I wouldn’t say all day.”
Amanda cleared her throat. “What is a serial killer anyway… by definition?”
“Not a textbook definition,” Brandon started, “but serial killers usually kill over a span of time. They often have a signature—something that makes them unique, though not always. They typically adhere to a murder method—then again, not always.”
Amanda caught Becky’s eye, and they smirked at each other.
“There’s obviously a little flexibility with the definition.” Becky attributed finger quotes to the last word and chuckled.
“Yeah,” Brandon admitted, “but normally more than three victims. Many of them have a type too, so you’ll notice similarities in victimology. Do you think you have a serial killer?”
Becky’s eyes widened at Amanda. “Do you?”
“I don’t know,” Amanda admitted, feeling defeated yet again. “What I do know is I’ve had two murders fall into my lap within twenty-four hours, and there is a connection between the victims.”
“Oh,” Brandon said.
She took in his facial expression. His mouth had tightened, and the corners angled down. Not quite a frown but smacking of one. “What?” she asked.
“Tell me some details.”
She had a bad feeling, given his grim countenance, that he was already thinking serial killer. “The first victim was a teenage girl pulled from a house fire. We still don’t know her identity.”
“Really?” This from Becky as she curled her legs beneath her and leaned against the arm of the couch.
Amanda shook her head. “And I’m still waiting on a photo I can use.”
“Were her remains badly affected?” Brandon asked.
“No. The fire was stopped before it could damage the body. She’d been strangled before the fire was started.”
“And the other murder you feel is connected?”
“A woman in her forties, killed in her home on the same street. Cause of death is not confirmed yet, but it seems she was drugged and stabbed. The second victim was the person who called nine-one-one about the fire. Her tongue had been cut out and left in her palm. We’re waiting on toxicology results, but it’s possible both victims were drugged.”
“Oh.” Brandon glanced at Becky, back to Amanda.
A second oh in about as many minutes didn’t bode well. She pressed on. “We’ve looked into the second woman’s life, but no one is standing out with motive to kill her. My partner and I—”
“Hey, do you remember Trent Stenson?” Becky interjected, posing the question to Brandon.
“Do I remember Trent? Ah, yeah. Kind of hard to forget that guy.”
Amanda wasn’t sure how to read Brandon’s reaction. Was it in favor of Trent or against?
“Tell me, is he still gung-ho?” he asked. “When he helped us with a case, he had lots of fire and zeal but lacked control. Got himself shot. Twice. Interesting how he wound up with the Prince William County PD and landed in Homicide.”
Amanda shouldn’t be surprised that Brandon knew exactly where she worked and for what department. “Interesting in what way?”
“I got the feeling he wanted to advance rank and work for a bigger police department. Looks like that’s exactly what he accomplished.”
“Yep. Living the dream.” She chuckled. “He came on as my partner back in January.”
“Huh.” Brandon took another drink of his wine, then turned serious again. “As you were saying, you have considered a serial killer?”
“We discussed the possibility, but we figured to qualify as such there would be more victims involved.”
“Could be ones you don’t know about.”
“That’s a chilling thought.”
“He could also just be getting started. I must admit I’m concerned by how fast he moved on to his next victim.”
“Yeah. I was also thinking it was disturbing that—assuming it’s the same killer for both victims—he’s demonstrated versatility.”
“He’s also shown that he’s not going to let anyone get in his way and stop him,” Brandon added. “By cutting out that woman’s tongue, it sounds to me like he’s definitely sending a message. Same with putting the house on fire with the girl inside.”
“Trent and I thought that too. Why burn her rather publicly? And does the location factor in?”
“Good questions. As for the fire, it’s often associated with cleansing and purification. The location… Well, it could be that your killer is making a statement with that too. It could also be that he’s recreating something from his own life. Besides the nine-one-one call, is there anything else that connects the victims?”
“Not that we’ve discovered. The young girl was tattooed with the mark of a sex-trafficking ring.”
Brandon’s eyes darkened. “Can you connect the second victim to that world?”
She shook her head. “Not from anything we’ve found out so far.”
Brandon pursed his lips, in obvious thought. “I don’t have a lot of information to go on here, but often killers who take out prostitutes and the like—”
“We’re talking about a sixteen-year-old girl,” Amanda snapped. She might be a little touchy, given the girl’s age—and how dare the killer proclaim himself on the same team as her? She amended her outburst with a calmer summary. “It’s not like it was her choice. She would have been manipulated and coerced into that lifestyle.”
“You and I know that, but the killer may see it differently.” Brandon’s cool demeanor in the face of the victim’s stated age surprised Amanda, but then again, he probably faced the worst murders imaginable. He went on. “There are four different types of serial killers: thrill seekers, visionaries, power or control seekers, and mission-oriented killers. It’s very early yet to determine which category your killer falls into. Given the girl’s history, though, perhaps he sees it as his duty to clean up society. He may see the world as a better place without certain types in it.”
“She was just a child.” Her heart was aching with rage and grief.
“He may have still held her accountable. Remember I’m going on the little I’m being given here, and it usually takes a lot more to build a profile. But one thing with mission-oriented serial killers is they can be easier to track down because they
