Double Cross

Chapter 24

AS I STOOD AT THE FRONT, I actually recognized about half the people in the room. I’m not sure how many of the rest of them knew me by reputation, but probably most of them did. I’d worked the high-profile cases in DC for years, and now here I was again. Doing pro bono work? Helping out Detective Bree Stone? What was this, actually?

“One thing’s pretty clear,” I began. “He’s going to want to kill again, whether or not he actually does it. His signature aspect is terrorist, but there are also serial tendencies here. There’s already a recognizable pattern that I see.”

“Can you clarify that, Alex?” someone asked. I looked over at Bree, but she raised her chin at me in a go-ahead signal.

“His opening bid, so to speak, was an individual homicide. It’s possible he’s warming up to something bigger, but I don’t think so. He just might stick to one victim at a time.”

“Why?”

“Good question, and I think I might even have the answer to that one. My guess is that he doesn’t want to be eclipsed by his own work. This is about him, not the victims. Despite what he says on the tape, he’s a narcissist at heart. He badly wants to be a star. Maybe that’s why he ‘invited’ me onto the case. He may have even left some greeting cards at the crime scene-a couple of unsigned Hallmark cards. We’re still checking into that one and what it might mean if he did. And we’re checking on the books Mrs. Olsen had written.”

“What about his motive?” Richter asked. “Are we still thinking this could be political?”

“Yes and no. Right now, our working theory is that he’s Iraqi-born, or descended, with some kind of law-enforcement or military background, or both. The FBI thinks he’s lived in the U.S. for at least a few years, if not his entire life. Above-average intelligence, highly disciplined, and yes, probably anti-American. But we also think the political agenda could be more a means of expression than an end in itself.”

“Expression of what?” Richter pressed, even though he had to know we didn’t have a lot of answers yet.

“A need to kill, maybe. He seems to like what he’s doing. But, more important, he likes being in the spotlight.”

Just like you do, Thor.

And maybe just like me.