Inmate 1577

39

As the door clicked shut behind them, Dixon looked at her partner. “What the hell’s gotten into you?”

A serial killer with a secret from my past, that’s what.

“Nothing. It was just unnerving to see that key. In our room.”

“Give me a break. Karen Vail doesn’t get unnerved by that shit. She gets angry. And then she gets even.”

That’d be about right. Except for this other little detail I haven’t told you about.

“Yeah, well…” Vail turned away, put her hands on the wood banister and looked down to the floor of the lobby, at the suspended sheets of lights, at the metal globe sculpture, at the conical glass elevator cars that were rising and falling on their tracks. An architecturally stunning view. But she wasn’t seeing it.

Vail turned and saw Dixon staring at her. No, studying her. Hands on her hips. “What?”

Dixon shook her head, then took up a position beside Vail. “So what do you think the key is all about?”

“He’s sending me a message. That he can violate my space and there’s nothing I can do about it. No place is safe.”

“Why not just kill you? If he can find out where you’re staying, if he can get into your room, why not lie in wait and then do to you what he’s done to all his other victims?”

“Because it’s not about me. And if he kills me, he’s losing his playmate. He doesn’t want to do that. He’s having too much fun fucking with us. With me. Allman did us a good goddamn favor by printing my name in that story. He made it all about me.”

“Any way we can use this to our advantage?”

Vail snorted. “If I can clear my head and think straight, yeah, maybe I can come up with something.”

“In the Crush Killer case, you established a line of communication with him. It was important.”

“But this offender isn’t like the Crush Killer. He is in some ways, but he’s also very different. What worked for him won’t work for this guy. We need to think this through. Let’s start with figuring out what the connection is to my former partner. And where did Stephen Scheer get the information-who’s the leak?

Ten minutes later, Vail saw Rex Jackson come up the escalator into the lobby. “He’s here.”

The sight of the criminalist trudging along, toting his kit, was one she had seen too often of late. For all involved, the Bay Killer was wearing out his welcome.

BURDEN AND FRIEDBERG WERE NEXT to arrive, and they spent fifteen minutes speaking with the concierge, hotel management, security, and the bartender and waitresses in the lobby restaurants. Vail figured it would yield nothing of value, but realized it was standard procedure and good police work to proceed according to accepted case management.

Dixon worked the phone. And Vail, after waiting for Jackson’s cue, returned to the room. “May I?” she asked, picking up his latent print kit.

Jackson was on his knees with a small vacuum, hoping to find errant fibers. “Knock yourself out. I’ve already lifted a few dozen.”

“No doubt mine and the prior week’s guests.” She took it over to the desk, removed the notepad from her suitcase, and quickly twirled black powder across it with the brush. Seconds later, she sighed and curled her lips. Nothing. Not even a partial. But not surprising, either. This offender had been far too careful to leave a meaningful forensic at numerous crime scenes; it wasn’t likely that he would slip up on a simple note that he knew would rattle her.

She brushed off the powder, then rewrapped the note and slipped it into her pocket.

“Anything?” Dixon asked.

Vail spun, guilt sprouting from her pores. “Me?”

“No, Jackson. Anything?”

The forensic scientist swiveled on his knees. “Just about done. I’ve collected lots of stuff, but I won’t know if I’ve got anything till we process it all. With all the budget cuts and the vics and crime scenes this guy’s left us, we’re already so backed up I’ve got no idea when I’m gonna come up for air.”

Burden appeared in the doorway. “No one saw anything. They’ve got security cameras and Robert’s getting the digital tapes for us, they’re burning a DVD. But a guy like this-”

“He’s too careful,” Vail said. “He knew about the camera at that palace place and he made it impossible for us to see his face. He’s gonna know about the ones they have here, too. I’m not optimistic.”

“Me either,” Burden said. “But it’s what we do.” He stepped into the room and said, quietly, to Vail, “You feel more comfortable if we moved you? Another hotel?”

“Honestly? He found me here. He’ll find me wherever you move me. But as I was telling Roxx, I’m not at risk. He wants me alive.”

“How so?”

“If he wanted to, he could’ve killed me just like he killed the others. But he’s playing with me. I’m more important to him alive than I am dead. And whatever the reason he’s killing those men and women, I don’t fit his fantasy.”

“Excuse me for not being so confident, but I think it’s safer to move you.”

“We’ll be fine. Roxx’s here with me. He won’t be able to disable both of us at once. And Roxx is no pushover in case you haven’t noticed.”

“I noticed,” Burden said.

Vail tilted her head. “You have?”

“I’m a guy. We notice those things.”

Friedberg poked his head in the room. “Anything?”

“Don’t know yet,” Jackson said.

“You wanna stay here,” Burden said, “fine. But my recommendation is that you move.”

“Roxx,” Vail called to Dixon, who was standing in the bathroom. Dixon poked her head out, the phone still against her ear. “You wanna switch hotels?”

“Shit no. I’m not running from this bastard. What about you?”

Vail turned to Burden. “We’re staying.”

Burden gave a disapproving shake of his head, then tapped Jackson on the shoulder. “Get me something as soon as you can.”

Jackson closed a couple of latches, buttoning up his kit. “Add it to the freaking list. Wish you guys would find this guy. You’re giving me a shitload of work. If I was making overtime, that’d be one thing…”

Burden took a final glance around the room. “See you both in the morning. Don’t forget. Clay’s gonna walk us through those other cases.”

Vail sat down on the edge of the bed. “Let’s hope there’s something there.”