She turned and saw that Jake Crivaro had stopped her from falling.
He was looking straight into her eyes. Riley knew that he understood exactly what shed just experienced.
In a hoarse, horrified voice she told him
He frightened her to death. She died of fear.
Riley heard Dahl let out a yelp of surprise.
Who told you that? Dahl said, walking toward Riley.
Crivaro said to him, Nobody told her. Is it true?
Dahl shrugged a little.
Maybe. Or something like it, anyway, if shes like the other victim. Margo Birchs bloodstream was pumped full of amphetamines, a fatal dose that made her heart stop beating. That poor woman must have felt scared out of her mind right until the moment she died. Well have to do toxicology on this new victim, but
His voice trailed off, and then he asked Riley, How did you know?
Riley had no idea what to say.
Crivaro said, Its what she does. Its why shes here.
Riley shivered deeply at those words.
Is this something I really want to be good at? she asked herself.
She wondered if maybe she should have submitted that resignation letter after all.
Maybe she shouldnt be here.
Maybe she should have no part in this.
She was sure of one thingRyan would be horrified if he knew where she was right now and what she was doing.
Crivaro asked Dahl, How hard would it be for the killer to get hold of this particular amphetamine?
Unfortunately, the medical examiner replied, it would be easy to buy on the street.
Crivaros phone buzzed. He looked at it. Its Agent McCune. Ive got to take this.
Crivaro stepped away and talked on his cell phone. Dahl continued to stare at Riley as if she were some kind of freak.
Maybe hes right, she thought.
Meanwhile, she could hear some of the questions the reporters were asking.
Is it true Margo Birchs murder was just like this?
Was Margo Birch dressed and made up the same way?
Why is this killer dressing his victims up like clowns?
Is this the work of a serial killer?
Are there going to be more clown murders?
Riley remembered what one of the cops had just said
Wed managed to keep the clown angle about the other murder quiet until now.
Obviously, rumors had already been circulating even so. And now there was no keeping the truth quiet.
The cops were trying to say as little as possible in reply to the questions. But Riley remembered how aggressive reporters had been back in Lanton. She understood all too well why Jake and the cops werent happy that these reporters had shown up. The publicity wasnt going to make their work any easier.
Crivaro walked back toward Riley and Dahl, tucking his phone in his pocket.
McCune just talked to the missing womans husband. The poor guys worried sick, but he told McCune something that might be helpful. He said she has a mole just behind her right ear.
Dahl stooped down and peeked behind the victims ear.
Its her, he said. What did you say her name was again?
Janet Davis, Crivaro said.
Dahl shook his head. Well, at least weve IDd the victim. We might as well get her out of here. I wish we didnt have to deal with rigor mortis, though.
Riley watched as Dahls team loaded the corpse onto a gurney. It was a clumsy effort. The body was stiff like a statue, and the puffily clad limbs extended in all directions, protruding from underneath the white sheet that covered it.
Finally dumbstruck themselves, the reporters gawked and stared as the gurney rattled across the field toward the MEs van carrying its grotesque burden.
As the body vanished into the van, Riley and Crivaro pushed past the reporters and headed back to their own vehicle.
As Crivaro drove them away, Riley asked where they were going next.
To headquarters, Crivaro said. McCune told me that some cops have been searching around Lady Bird Johnson Park where Janet Davis went missing. They found her camera. She must have dropped it when she was abducted. The camera is now at FBI headquarters. Lets go see what the tech people can find out about it. Maybe well get lucky and itll give us some evidence.
That word jarred Riley
Lucky.
It seemed like a strange word to use when talking about something so singularly unlucky as a womans murder.
But Crivaro had obviously meant what he said. She wondered at how hardened he must have become, doing this work for as many years as he had.
Was he completely immune to horror?
She couldnt tell from his tone of voice as he continued
Also, Janet Daviss husband let McCune look through photos shed taken during the last few months. McCune found a few photos that she had taken in a costume store.
Riley felt a tingle of interest.
She asked, You mean the kind of store that might sell clown costumes?
Crivaro nodded. Sounds interesting, doesnt it?
But what does it mean? Riley said.
Crivaro said, Its hard to say just yetexcept Janet Davis was interested enough in costumes to want to take pictures of them. Her husband remembers her talking about doing that, but she didnt happen to tell him where. McCune is now trying to figure out what store the pictures were taken in. Hell call me then. It shouldnt take him very long.
Crivaro fell silent for a moment.
Then he glanced over at Riley and asked, How are you holding up?
Fine, Riley said.
Are you sure? Crivaro asked. You look kind of pale, like youre not feeling well.
It was true, of course. A combination of morning sickness and the shock of what shed just seen had definitely gotten to her. But the last thing in the world she wanted to tell Crivaro was that she was pregnant.
Im fine, Riley insisted.
Crivaro said, I take it you got some gut feelings about the killer back there.
Riley nodded silently.
Anything more I should knowaside from the possibility that hed scared the victim to death?
Not much, Riley said. Except that hes
She hesitated, then found the word she was looking for. Sadistic.
As they drove on in silence, Riley found herself remembering the spectacle of the body splayed atop the gurney. She felt a resurgence of horror that the victim had to suffer such humiliation and indignity even in death.
She wondered what kind of monster would wish this on anybody.
As close as shed momentarily felt to the killer, she knew that she couldnt begin to understand the sick workings of his mind.
And she was sure she didnt want to.
But was that what was in store for her before this case was over?
And what about afterward?
Is this what my life is going to be like?
CHAPTER EIGHT
As Riley and Crivaro walked into the clean, air-conditioned J. Edgar Hoover Building, she still felt the ugliness of the murder scene clinging to her. It was as if the horror had gotten into her very pores. How was she ever going to shake it offespecially the smell?
During the drive here, Crivaro had assured Riley that the smell shed noticed in the field hadnt been from the body. As Riley had guessed, it was just from the trash left scattered from the carnival. Janet Daviss body hadnt been dead long enough to produce much of a smelland neither had the bodies of Rileys murdered friends when shed found them back in Lanton.