walk from the house to the car, it must sit on a large amount of private land.” Why wouldn’t he park closer to the stash house? Why take an unnecessary risk when it could easily be avoided?
“Unless he made her cut through other people’s lawns. Streetlights might not have hit her from there, and he’s not going to drag a dead girl down the middle of the road and then double back for a blindfolded one. She says he took them separately.”
“I’ll make sure to look into work orders in the area matching the description Brooke gave. If it was constructed recently we may get lucky.”
“And if it was built a while ago we’ll get fuck all.” Her gaze wandered to the image onscreen. “That was a hard one. Her mother had to be sedated, she was so hysterical. I didn’t want to show up in her memories telling her some sick fuck raped Brianna after she was dead, so I never told her.”
“I wouldn’t either.” He rubbed the crease that had etched between his eyebrows in the time he’d been examining the photographs. “What was your first thought when you saw Brianna’s body?”
“That I’d like to rip the guy’s balls off and roast them on a skewer over an open flame. She was naked when he dumped her. Like she was garbage.”
He circled his hand around the entry wound. “He doesn’t seem to be even average height. Bullet entered at an upward trajectory. Like the shooter was either crouching or very short.”
He chewed the inside of his cheek for a few moments. There were no rules when it came to murder—apart from it being illegal—and of course there was never a polite way to go about the deed, but these murders seemed apologetic almost, since they weren’t committed with bare hands. Paradoxically, the torture lacked remorse; even the disposals, apart from the fact the dead girls were wrapped.
She blew out a sigh, ruffling the hair falling about her face. “I know what you’re getting at—and it’s nice to know you agree with my theory—but the man kidnapping them can’t be physically imposing either, otherwise he wouldn’t bother blitzing them and using Tasers. He’d put them in a chokehold, or beat them into submission.”
There would be only one way to confirm Lisette’s scribbled theory. “I need to talk to Brooke tomorrow.”
Lisette’s voice could have curdled milk. “That’s a bad idea.”
“Yes, you’ve made your position clear. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think it was necessary. I’ll certainly take no pleasure in forcing her to relive this.”
“Why is it necessary ? A man interrogating her would never work. She could barely look her boyfriend in the eye. She won’t respond to you if she’s nervous to be around the man she’s lived with for over a year.”
While he found it refreshing she was so concerned about Brooke, it was irritating she found him incapable of conducting a simple interview. “I’m not going to interrogate a trauma victim. It’s only a few questions, and it’s important.”
“You don’t think I’m capable of asking questions?”
He gave her a tight smile as he yanked the projector screen’s cord and rolled it back into place. “I have no doubt you’re capable. But I don’t think kid gloves will confirm that theory you have.”
TWENTY-THREE
Lisette returns on the hour hand’s second lap around the clock since I’ve been staring at it, armed with rustling cellophane bags.
“Hi.”
She jumps a mile when she hears my voice. “I thought you’d be sleeping .” She drops the bags on the counter. “I got a mozzarella sub for when you woke up.” She fixes it on a tray on the counter, unrolling it from the wrapper. “Jack said this is your favorite.”
When she puts the tray on my lap, we stare at my restrained wrists.
“Are you going to feed me?”
Her face scrunches, and she rips off the Velcro. “You’re a big girl. I trust you to eat on your
“Unless he made her cut through other people’s lawns. Streetlights might not have hit her from there, and he’s not going to drag a dead girl down the middle of the road and then double back for a blindfolded one. She says he took them separately.”
“I’ll make sure to look into work orders in the area matching the description Brooke gave. If it was constructed recently we may get lucky.”
“And if it was built a while ago we’ll get fuck all.” Her gaze wandered to the image onscreen. “That was a hard one. Her mother had to be sedated, she was so hysterical. I didn’t want to show up in her memories telling her some sick fuck raped Brianna after she was dead, so I never told her.”
“I wouldn’t either.” He rubbed the crease that had etched between his eyebrows in the time he’d been examining the photographs. “What was your first thought when you saw Brianna’s body?”
“That I’d like to rip the guy’s balls off and roast them on a skewer over an open flame. She was naked when he dumped her. Like she was garbage.”
He circled his hand around the entry wound. “He doesn’t seem to be even average height. Bullet entered at an upward trajectory. Like the shooter was either crouching or very short.”
He chewed the inside of his cheek for a few moments. There were no rules when it came to murder—apart from it being illegal—and of course there was never a polite way to go about the deed, but these murders seemed apologetic almost, since they weren’t committed with bare hands. Paradoxically, the torture lacked remorse; even the disposals, apart from the fact the dead girls were wrapped.
She blew out a sigh, ruffling the hair falling about her face. “I know what you’re getting at—and it’s nice to know you agree with my theory—but the man kidnapping them can’t be physically imposing either, otherwise he wouldn’t bother blitzing them and using Tasers. He’d put them in a chokehold, or beat them into submission.”
There would be only one way to confirm Lisette’s scribbled theory. “I need to talk to Brooke tomorrow.”
Lisette’s voice could have curdled milk. “That’s a bad idea.”
“Yes, you’ve made your position clear. I wouldn’t ask if I didn’t think it was necessary. I’ll certainly take no pleasure in forcing her to relive this.”
“Why is it necessary ? A man interrogating her would never work. She could barely look her boyfriend in the eye. She won’t respond to you if she’s nervous to be around the man she’s lived with for over a year.”
While he found it refreshing she was so concerned about Brooke, it was irritating she found him incapable of conducting a simple interview. “I’m not going to interrogate a trauma victim. It’s only a few questions, and it’s important.”
“You don’t think I’m capable of asking questions?”
He gave her a tight smile as he yanked the projector screen’s cord and rolled it back into place. “I have no doubt you’re capable. But I don’t think kid gloves will confirm that theory you have.”
TWENTY-THREE
Lisette returns on the hour hand’s second lap around the clock since I’ve been staring at it, armed with rustling cellophane bags.
“Hi.”
She jumps a mile when she hears my voice. “I thought you’d be sleeping .” She drops the bags on the counter. “I got a mozzarella sub for when you woke up.” She fixes it on a tray on the counter, unrolling it from the wrapper. “Jack said this is your favorite.”
When she puts the tray on my lap, we stare at my restrained wrists.
“Are you going to feed me?”
Her face scrunches, and she rips off the Velcro. “You’re a big girl. I trust you to eat on your
Similar Books
