But for the past several months, the perpetrator had eluded detection, slipped through their grasp and killed again.
Ten oclock at night, and having sat at his desk for the past three hours, Andrei tapped a pencil to the file before him. The file hed compiled and studied over the past couple months until he could recite every word, describe every picture. In it were the happy, unmarred faces of the women whod died and the pictures taken after their bodies were discovered. A morbid before and after testimony to the killers impact.
After interviewing family, friends and acquaintances, Andrei had determined that none of the victims had enemies sufficiently angry with them. At least not enough to warrant killing them.
So far, the killer preyed on young women, yet none of the women had shown signs of rape. All of them had been dressed in white wedding gowns, strangled and thrown into the sea. What was the connection to the young women, the white wedding dresses and the sea? The whole situation reeked of sacrifices. Some sick ritual dreamed up by a demented mind.
A chill slithered down the back of Andreis neck.
Who would he target next?
His thoughts drifted to the woman hed found by the cliffs. The image of Jocelyne Baker, pregnant, standing straight, facing the ocean, the wind whipping her dress against her thighs swam through his mind. God, he hated to think of finding her facedown in the water, her fiery-red hair floating around her pale face. Andrei clenched his fist, the pencil between his fingers snapping in two.
So far, the maniac had preyed on unmarried, young women, but that didnt mean he wouldnt take a pregnant one. He needed to stop by the inn and stress the importance of personal safety to Ms. Baker. Not that shed listen to him. But maybe for the sake of her unborn child shed hear what he had to say. He glanced at his watch.
Go home. Captain Swanson stepped up to Andreis desk. Get some rest. You look all done in.
I have to figure this out. He slammed the broken pencil into the trash bin beside his desk.
Youve been on it for months. Hell, the entire force has been on it for months and weve found nothing.
Andrei pounded the middle of the file with his fist. Another girl died on our watch, damn it.
Take it easy, Lagios. The captain laid a hand on Andreis shoulder. You didnt kill her. Its not your fault.
Its my fault I didnt catch him before he struck again. Its my fault I didnt catch him before he took my sister and her friend.
We dont have anything to go on. This guy isnt leaving us a bone to gnaw on.
Then we have to interview every last person in this town, knock on every door, search every closet, basement and attic until we find something.
We cant do that. People have rights.
Andrei pushed to his feet so fast, his chair fell over backward. What about Sofias rights? Or Angelas or Coras? They had the right to live and he took that right away from them.
You know the law. We cant search houses without probable cause and a search warrant.
To hell with search warrants. We have a killer to catch before he does it again. Andreis lips pressed together and he breathed fast, exhaling through his nose. He wouldnt let the bastard kill againhe couldnt. We have to be missing something. Some small trace of evidence that will lead us to the suspect.
This is his fourth victim, he has to slip up sometime.
As the last statement left the captains mouth, the phone on Andreis desk rang. Could he dare to hope it was a sign?
Andrei lifted the phone. Lagios.
Andrei, this is Gordon Fennell, I think I might have found something.
Are you done with the autopsy, already? Andrei glanced up at Swanson. Wait. I have the captain here. Let me put you on speakerphone. He punched the button and laid the receiver on its rest. Go ahead.
First of all, the victim has the same markings as the others. The same seashell necklace strung together on generic fishing line. Shes wearing a wedding dress that could have been bought in a resale shop anywhere in Maine.
Tension built behind Andreis temples as the medical examiner listed what Andrei already knew. He resisted the urge to tell the man to cut to the chase.
Everything points to the same attacker.
What is it you found? the captain asked.
Andrei held his breath, hoping this would be the big break they were looking for.
A trace of a chemical found in her bloodstream. I retested blood from the other three victims and found it in their blood as well.
What is it?
From what I could tell, its a chemical that comes from the henbane plant, not something you find around these parts on a regular basis. In some places its illegal to grow.
Andrei leaned toward the speakerphone. What does it do?
In smaller doses, its considered a painkiller or hallucinogen. In larger doses, itll kill. Although there wasnt enough concentration in their blood to kill them, it would certainly have made them very high, docile and malleable.
Andrei sat back, his mind wrapping around this new information. Where would someone get this drug?
The medical examiner paused before answering. They dont sell it in the drugstore, thats for sure. And you cant just order it online. Someone would have to grow the plant itself. Someone with an herb garden, possibly in a greenhouse.
Silence stretched over a full minute before Gordon broke the tension. Thats all the new information I have. I still have a few more things to check. Hope it helps.
Thanks, Gordon. It helps. The captain hit the off button and stared down at the phone for several long moments. Who has a greenhouse or herb garden in this area?
Andreis mind wrapped around the knowledge that an herb was used in drugging the young women. The only person he knew who might understand the use of herbs was the woman hed met this morning beside the cliff. How long has Jocelyne Baker been back in town?
Captain Swanson shook his head. Not long enough to have committed the first three murders. Besides, shes in good shape, but shes not strong enough to strangle a full grown young woman, drugged or not.
Yeah, besides, shes pregnant. He glanced up at the captain. Wheres the husband?
She told me that she came back alone. The father of her child isnt part of her picture. Whatever that means.
So she wasnt married. A swell of relief filled Andreis conscience, and he quickly downplayed it. Not that he was interested in the strong-willed Jocelyne Baker. Although it was sad to think shed be faced with raising her child alone.
Swanson tapped a finger to his chin. Miss Baker might be a good source to consult over the use of this herb, henbane. Being a holistic healer, shed have a good understanding of the chemical properties of natural substances.
Andrei stood and stretched the kinks out of his back. Ill drop by the inn tomorrow and see if she knows anything. Maybe she can point to the nearest greenhouse or herb garden. After all, shell be looking for a new source of the herbs she uses in her business.
Jocelyne Baker might be strong-willed, but Andrei couldnt see her as a murderer. With nothing else to go on, he needed a straw to grasp and she was his straw. He had to find the murderer for his sister. If getting close to Jocelyne helped him in his search, then hed stick to her like duct tape.