Silenced

Hawthorne Street were in the house when the fire was set-which is still ruled as inconclusive and a possible arson. We know this because of the clothes found in the hotel room. Ivy calls Jocelyn and asks for help. The girls split up for some reason-”

Kate interrupted. “That has me perplexed. Wouldn’t there be safety in numbers?”

“Maybe not everyone was home during the fire,” Lucy said. “Or they felt hiding individually was safer. Or maybe they had a falling-out.”

“And we won’t know until we talk to Hannah Edmonds, but,” Noah said with rare sarcasm, “she ran from the authorities.”

Everyone turned to Noah, equally surprised by his tone.

He didn’t notice, and said, “Just get to the point, Lucy.”

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Sean tense and lean forward, just a bit. Couldn’t he tell Noah was on edge? Did he want to push him even more?

“My point,” she said crisply, hoping to defuse the tension for everyone, “is that when we know why these girls were targets, we’ll know who the killer is.”

“That’s a big revelation?”

Again, Lucy tried not to take the slight personally, because Noah was under strain, but it hurt. Was she stating the obvious? Except everyone was focused on finding Ivy Harris, and no one was looking now at why she was on the run.

“I think the focus has changed from finding the killer to finding Ivy. We need to do both,” Lucy said.

“We are.”

“Okay, then we have no problem.”

She swallowed her frustration and embarrassment. Her voice cracked just a bit when she said, “I’ve been thinking about the killer’s strategy. He started by trying to cover up his motive. First the attempted rape, then a fire that he tried to make look like an accident. But when that fire didn’t give him the results he wanted, he grew bolder. Killing Nicole and leaving the rat. Jamming security at a hotel, killing three people and then showering in the same room. He’s arrogant, thinks he’s smarter than most everyone and definitely smarter than the police. He will not hesitate to kill again. While he has above-average intelligence, he’s not wholly focused on self-preservation. Coming after Ivy in daylight was dangerous for him.”

“Especially,” Kate said, “because she jumped into a cop car.”

Lucy shook her head. “He might not have known. Genie’s car is unmarked-not even a government plate. But if you get closer-like he did-he might have been able to see the radio panel, or maybe he knew what Detective Reid looked like.”

“You think he went back to his crime scenes?” Noah made a note. “We photographed bystanders.”

“No, he’s not the type of killer who would go back. He’s not killing because of a thrill. I can’t say whether he gets any personal rush from murder, but that’s not the reason he kills. He does like to play games, however. That’s why the messages are important. He’s taunting his victims, but there’s no guarantee his targets will even see the messages. He is the type who would monitor the investigation. Listen to the media. Read the newspapers. Follow online media for any rumors or theories. He doesn’t want to be caught, but he definitely wants to finish his mission. And his mission is to kill the six girls who lived at the Hawthorne Street house.

“And the only thing that makes sense,” Lucy continued, “knowing what we know about Ivy Harris and Wendy James’s secret room, is that together they knew something that was dangerous to one of their clients. That maybe they worked together to record men like Alan Crowley to blackmail or threaten them.”

“So far, finances on Crowley and the other men we know Wendy was involved with are clean. No unusual payments. But,” Noah added, “Stein’s team is going through them again at different angles, as well as those zindividuals who rented apartment seven-ten. Maybe there’s something there, but it’s buried. And Stein’s team is going through all the public filings of DSA, to see if something matches up to the other records.”

“DSA?” Kate asked.

“Devon Sullivan and Associates, James’s former employer. They’re lobbyists.”

“They fired Wendy after the affair with Crowley was exposed,” Lucy said.

Kate rolled her eyes. “So a single female secretary gets fired for having an affair with a married guy, but the said married guy is still a sitting congressman pulling in over a hundred thou annually, with perks? That sucks.”

“Things haven’t changed much over the centuries,” Sean interjected. “Look at Hester Prynne.”

Noah cleared his throat. “Psychologically speaking, do you think we can bluff the killer into making a move?”

“Yes,” Lucy said. “Without a doubt. But it can’t be heavy-handed. He has sharp instincts.”

“I’ll talk to Stockton and Hans and see what they want to do with that. In the meantime, Kate-I’m pulling you in for the next day or two. Slater said I can use anyone I need, and considering that you’re the top cyber crimes guru that the FBI has…” He shot a glance at Sean with a hint of a smile, almost daring him to contradict him. Lucy was relieved. The tension began to dissipate.

“You’ve got me,” Kate said.

Noah asked, “Where’s Dillon? I’d like him to run a forensic psych profile.” Dillon often served as a civilian consultant to the FBI and other law enforcement agencies. His specialty, forensic psychiatry, was in great demand.

Sean said, “Lucy just gave you one.”

“I can dig deeper, write up an official report, get validation from Behavioral Sciences,” Lucy said. She wanted to do it-and she was good at it. Her background in criminal psychology was enhanced by her experience-the good and the bad.

“I’m not talking about the killer,” Noah said. “You’re not unbiased, Lucy, and I need someone I can trust to give me an honest assessment on Hannah Edmonds.”

The tension skyrocketed as fast as Sean jumped up. “Is that a requirement to be a cop? That you have to be unbiased? Because none of you guys fit the bill.”

“And I know a lot more about this case than you do, Rogan, so back off.”

“What haven’t you told me?” Lucy asked.

“It’s all here,” Noah said. “Get yourself up to speed because Rick Stockton wants you in the office first thing in the morning.”

“I have an appointment,” Sean said. He kissed Lucy, hard and fast, and said, “I’ll stop by on my way home.”

He walked out, slamming the door.

Noah pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s been a long day. I apologize if you think I don’t trust your judgment. But this is my case, and I have to live with every decision I make. And right now, I need experience over eagerness.”

Kate said, “Dillon is out of town at least until Monday night. He was called up to Philadelphia today to assess a guy who went on a two-day killing spree and says he can’t remember anything.”

“I’ll talk to Hans,” Noah said. He looked at his phone. “DC police found Jocelyn Taylor’s car parked in a Metro station lot. I have to go.”

“I’ll walk you out,” Kate said.

Lucy didn’t relax until she heard the door shut. Then she leaned back and closed her eyes.

She was so embarrassed. Maybe she had hit her head harder than she thought, because she didn’t know why that conversation had gotten so out of hand, or what she’d said to make Noah think she was so biased that she couldn’t work up an accurate psychological assessment of Ivy Harris. She didn’t know that anyone could, based solely on what they knew.

Kate walked back into the room. “Don’t let it get to you.”

“I’m not.”

“Yes you are. Here.”

Lucy opened her eyes. “The rental agreement?”

“I found it on the fax. Anything interesting?”

Lucy scanned the document. “It’s all standard-but she does have a Social Security number here; we should find out if that’s false as well as her name. There’s also a reference.” She frowned.