Cutting Edge

Duke watched her closely. She was thinking about what Vigo and Hooper were saying, but she didn’t want to believe that somehow this case was becoming about her. Nora didn’t want to be the focal point. She didn’t want to think of herself as a victim.

Hooper said, “I’m having an analyst pull all Nora’s cases and see if anyone she’s arrested is out of prison.”

“Have them look into relatives of prisoners as well,” said Vigo. “Someone who lives on the West Coast. Originally, I thought the killer was older, but this letter seems to be singsong, taunting-a younger, immature voice. Under thirty, with no college degree, though, who likely spent some time in college and is comfortable around students.”

“Leif Cole,” Nora mumbled. “He doesn’t seem the type. And he’s older. Also, I don’t think he’s a killer.”

“He didn’t write this letter,” Vigo agreed, “but he may be familiar with the unique writing style. Remember that it was Ted Kaczynski’s brother who recognized his distinctive phrases in the published manifesto.”

“Cole hasn’t been willing to help on any level,” Nora said, “and he wouldn’t even look at the other letters, but I’ll try again. Now that the group has escalated to murder, maybe he will help.” She didn’t sound optimistic, but Duke had complete confidence that she would push Cole hard.

“What’s our next step?” Hooper asked.

Nora rose from her seat, agitated. “To keep the investigation moving forward,” she said. “I have a great team working on this case, covering all the bases. The answers are out there, and we’ll find them.”

“Yes,” Vigo agreed, “but I think the fastest way to find the answers is to find out who is so angry with you, Agent English, that they created an elaborate and drawn-out plan to draw you into their game.”

“Maybe I should put Pete in charge and have Nora take some time off,” Hooper said. “I’ve only been here six weeks, Nora, but I’ve looked at your personnel records and you haven’t taken a vacation in years.”

“That’s not true,” Nora said, but Duke could see her thinking about it. Of course it was true, he thought. He knew her better than she knew herself. “I’m not giving up this case. Call Nolan, my SSA. Dr. Vigo, find him and he’ll tell you that I am the best suited to getting to the bottom of this. I know these people. I know how they think.”

“Your safety is more important,” Hooper began, “and there are other trained agents who may work this case without a personal connection.”

Dr. Vigo said, “I don’t know that pulling Nora is the right thing.”

“Of course it’s not!” Nora said. “If it was Pete, would you pull him?”

Duke heard the tremble in Nora’s voice, the fear. Not of the killer, but of losing her identity. She was her job. And Duke wondered if he could ever claim enough of her to where he was as important to her as her work. And was it even fair of him to ask?

He didn’t care about being fair, not about this.

“I’ll take responsibility for Agent English’s personal safety,” Duke said.

She faced him with shock and something like distrust. He didn’t want to read too much into it, she was on an emotional roller coaster, and one he realized she’d never ridden before. But he was irritated that she didn’t try to understand.

He needed her to trust him. Without trust, there could be no relationship.

“I can accept that,” Hooper said. “Hans?”

“Great. We need to go over the cases, and it wouldn’t hurt if you reviewed them as well, Nora, when you have a chance.”

She quickly calmed herself, and said in a measured tone, “I understand your point, Dr. Vigo, but I can’t imagine anyone who would have a personal vendetta against me, to such an extent that they would kill to … to do what?”

“Nora, you understand terrorism. I understand psychopaths. This is a case where the two have collided, and I think we have a wholly new, and dangerous, monster on our hands. Be careful.”

Duke’s phone vibrated and he looked at the message. It was his partner, J. T. Caruso.

He stared at the message with a heavy heart, but not surprise. Maybe he’d already sensed the truth, because he couldn’t imagine that Russ Larkin had any part in killing Jonah. But it didn’t make the news any easier to swallow.

He told the three FBI agents, “Russ Larkin’s car was found in Reno. He’s dead.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

By the time Duke and Nora arrived in Reno, nearly two hours later, Russ Larkin’s corpse had been taken to the morgue. Nora contacted the Reno FBI office after Duke had been notified by Reno PD about the latest murder, and Agent Sara Ralston met them at the crime scene: a squalid parking lot behind an abandoned warehouse.

Duke felt damn guilty that he’d harbored ill thoughts about Russ being a villain in this mess. When both Russ and his computer had gone missing, Duke’s first thought was that he was guilty. Only later did it occur to Duke that Russ might be in trouble.

“Did you see the victim?” Nora asked Agent Ralston.

“Just. When I got here, they had already removed him from the vehicle, had him bagged and tagged. The deputy coroner on scene is an acquaintance, gave me the basic. Dead more than twenty-four, how much more he won’t know until the M.E. does his job. Dressed in jeans and T-shirt, sneakers, no visible damage aside from the slit throat. Cut deep, likely from behind.”

“Passenger seat or driver’s seat?” Duke asked.

“Driver’s,” she said. “Seat belt still on, and there was a clean strip of shirt where it hit him, so I’d say the belt was on when his throat was slit.”

Why the hell did Russ drive all the way to Reno and park behind an abandoned building? Twenty-four hours would have put him there at two p.m. on Monday, well after the arson fire. “Could he have been dead longer?” Nora asked.

“Could be, I really don’t know my decomp well. I’m white-collar crimes, but we have a small satellite office here, and my violent-crimes squad is out in the middle of nowhere handling a murder-suicide on federal land. Nasty stuff. Don’t know how you do this every day.”

“I’m domestic terrorism, not VCMO,” Nora said. “But I get my fair share of the dead.”

“The M.E. is fairly friendly. We might be able to get an answer before the official report.”

“I heard there was a note with the body,” Duke said. “Do you have it?”

“Saw it, don’t have it. Reno PD has it.”

“We’d like a copy,” Nora said.

“Go ahead and ask. They’re territorial here.”

“Whatever it takes,” said Nora. “We need that note-it’ll help with the profile.”

Duke crossed over to where the CSI team was processing Russ’s car and getting it ready to transport to their garage for further evidence collection. He picked out who was in charge easily enough, and crossed over to the twenty-something kid. They were all young, which surprised him.

“Duke Rogan, I spoke with Lieutenant Rob Prentiss two hours ago about the victim.”

“Prentiss? He’s at the station.”

“He asked me to come because the victim was in my employment and has classified information in his possession.”

The kid said, “Take it up with Prentiss. This is my crime scene, and you’re in it.”

Duke pushed. “He said I could get a copy of the note that was attached to the body.”

“I don’t know anything about that. He didn’t talk to me.”

“Call him.”

“I’m busy. You’re not from our jurisdiction, are you?”

“Sacramento.”

“Sacramento what? You’re not a cop, so I don’t know what you think you’re going to get from me.”

Nora was suddenly at Duke’s side, and the kid gave her the once over. “Hello,” he said.