guide for all of the other vehicles and cops, who circled the area now like moths to a flame.
Mac sat back against the tire, breathing hard, his head pounding, seeing some stars. Perhaps not stars, but little flickering bright lights, like used to happen when he got checked hard into the boards when he played hockey.
Riles approached. He squatted down in front of Mac. “You all right?”
“Yeah, just got my bell rung, I think,” Mac replied, trying to focus his eyes. “Help me up.”
Riles reached his right arm around Mac’s left side and helped him up. Mac set his feet underneath him, and while he was a little lightheaded, he felt okay. “How’s Linda?”
“She’s fine. Brace did the trick,” Riles responded, smiling, relieved.
Having steadied Mac, Riles walked over to a face-down and handcuffed Knapp. Squatting down again, Riles pushed Knapp onto his right side and looked him in the eye.
“Have a nice day.”
Chapter Twenty-Five
The press conference ended at 10:30 a.m. Mac, Riley, Rockford, and Lich retreated to an empty interview room, found some coffee and relaxed, a few hours of sleep having temporarily refreshed them all. Riles was particularly chipper, the long investigation over, his efforts vindicated.
“What time you taking him to court?” Lich asked Riley.
“Noon. Rock and I get to walk him in the front door.”
“Better you than me,” Mac replied.
“You should be there as well. Lich too. You guys broke this thing open.”
“Thanks just the same. I’d as soon avoid the media. I had enough of it on the Daniels case,” Mac replied.
“Agreed. Besides, I’m not the most photogenic guy,” Lich replied, in a huge understatement.
Just then Dan Patrick stuck his head in the room. “Thought I might find you guys here. We’re heading out to Knapp’s place in Hudson. Guess there’s some interesting stuff out there. Anyone care to join?”
“I’d love to,” Riles replied, “but I have orders to hang around for the walk over to the courthouse.”
“Me too,” Rock added.
“I’ll go,” Mac said. “Dick?”
“Yeah, why not.”
“See you boys later?” Mac said to Rock and Riles.
“Yeah, party tonight over at the Pub,” Riley replied, “And you all will be there.” It wasn’t a question. “Anyone who doesn’t show will be summarily shot. We deserve a little celebration.”
Bouchard slid the card into the reader, saw the light turn green and pushed his way into the tenth-floor hotel room. Hennessey, Hagen, and Skogman were with him and carried in their equipment.
Skogman opened the shades, and Bouchard looked out the window.
Hennessey came up behind and looked out as well. “This should work.”
“Agreed,” Bouchard replied. “Let’s get set up.”
Mac had driven by Knapp’s driveway many times over the last ten days. It felt odd to finally turn in and go up to the house. The Hudson cops were already there, with the crime scene tape up and lights flashing everywhere. A few curious onlookers were hanging out down on the county road, gawking.
Knapp’s farmhouse was maintained to military cleanliness on the main level and upstairs. The furniture was plain, vintage seventies in color and style, but well kept. The personal effects were sparse, except for a few family photos. There was nothing unusual, at least until they went down to the basement.
As they went down the stairs to the basement, it looked and smelled just like a farmhouse cellar. Dark, dusty, filled with crates, boxes, assorted junk with a musty smell, like old potatoes. However, under the steps was an old oak plank door that opened into the back foundation wall. Behind the door was a room underneath the four- season porch. Mac estimated it at fifteen by fifteen. Knapp had kept the room sealed with a combination lock, which now sat on the floor in two pieces, victimized by a bolt cutter.
The room was partially furnished with a television, desk, and computer. Above the desk was a shelf, which contained half a used box of Trojan condoms, the kind used in each killing. There was also a box with the balloons. Knapp had one of each in the van the night before. However, that wasn’t what really caught his attention.
On the left wall was a bulletin board, a monument to Knapp’s work. The bulletin board was filled with news clippings, pictures, maps, and diagrams. It wasn’t too different from the bulletin board they had in the detail conference room. In a disjointed way, it told the story of what Knapp had been doing for the last couple of months. It was altogether creepy and fascinating at the same time.
Mac started from the left, was a third of the way down, passively looking at the clippings, when Lich came up to him. “Weird, huh?”
“Yeah. Creepy. It’s as if in his own warped mind, he was creating his masterpiece or something.”
“FBI profile said the guy might keep some sort of journal,” Patrick added. “This qualifies.”
“I’d say so,” Lich replied.
They stood in silence for a few moments, gazing at the wall.
“There’s a piece missing here,” Patrick said.
“Missing?” Mac asked.
“Yeah, nothing about Jamie Jones.”
Mac checked his memory, that was one of the victim’s names wasn’t it? “Jones… yeah… which… one was she?”
Patrick gave Mac a stern look.
“Hey, Dan, the day Dick and I got on the case, we had the seventh one. I didn’t even have a chance to go through all the files. Never really did because we got on Knapp so quick.”
Patrick nodded, remembering the sequence of events.
“Tell me about Jones,” Mac asked.
“She was the fifth victim. Killed on Halloween.”
“Oh, I remember,” Mac replied. “That was the day we picked up the Daniels case. So, what was her story?”
“She was the CFO at some local company.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. We found her by the Capitol. Just like all the others, though. Vacant lot behind O’Neill’s Bar. Balloon tied to her. Sexually assaulted. There was Trojan rubber residue. The whole nine yards.”
“Copycat?” Mac asked.
“We kind of wondered about that, but the killing was identical. You can look at the file on it. It had all the characteristics of Knapp’s work. It’s the same in all the details.”
“Everything?” Lich asked.
“Everything,” Patrick replied.
“Then why nothing on Jones?” Mac asked.
“I guess we’ll have to ask Knapp.” Patrick replied.
Riles pushed Knapp’s head down and eased him into the back of a Crown Victoria and then joined him in back. Rock was in the front passenger seat, sitting next to Frank Franklin, another member of the detail along for a
