Killer Moves (20 page)

“Maybe. I know it’s a long shot but it’s all we’ve got. I’ll have a photo of Harrison sent over along with all the information we have on the instructor in question.”

It was a long time before Rocky answered. “You know, something about the way Ed rushed to close that case always bothered me. I mean, why not be certain? After all, this was the biggest case in the unit’s history and you aren’t going to wait for the killer’s body to show up before closing it?”

Davis couldn’t help but agree with Rocky. After the third victim’s death, someone leaked detailed pieces of the crime scene—pieces that could have helped solve the murders sooner—to every paper around town as well as the national media. Before long, the Bureau drew fire from all around, and pressure to solve the murders became overwhelming to those in charge.

DC was a community paralyzed by fear. After Frankie’s death, an outcry from various government leaders forced an investigation of the unit. At the time, Davis had agreed to go along when Ed ordered him to stop seeing Kara for a while. He’d been foolish to listen to Ed and it had almost cost him everything.

Unfortunately, even after a thorough investigation, the name of the person responsible for leaking the information went unknown. Davis had to wonder if it were the same person responsible for the breach now. Perhaps the person working with the Angel was one of their own.

At the time, the Bureau assumed it had been a subordinate looking for publicity or possibly a plush book deal. There certainly were enough of those to follow. Now, in light of the new information security breach, it seemed like too much of a coincidence.

“Rocky, if there is anything you can come up with that might help us, even if it doesn’t seem important, I’d appreciate it.”

“Can you give me a little time?” he said thoughtfully. “I’d like to ask some questions but obviously, I’ll need to do it quietly. I don’t want to draw attention to myself and you certainly don’t need any more.”

“Sure, but I don’t have much time to give you, pal. Any idea how long it will take?”

“I still have friends there. People I can trust. Let me check it out today—in the morning, that is,” he said when he spotted the time. “I’ll give you a call as soon as I know anything.”

“Thank you. I hate getting you involved in this, but right now, I’m desperate and I don’t know where else to turn.”

“Davis, you were the best cadet I ever had. You turned out to be a great leader. You deserve better. It pisses me off to think Ed and the Bureau aren’t backing you up on this. I want to help.” He patted Davis on the back before adding, “Why don’t you try to get some sleep. You and your lady friend here look exhausted.”

Chapter Ten

They left Rocky with the assurance he would call before noon no matter what. It was something to hold on to at least.

“So what do you want to do now?” Kara asked Davis as they drove along the congested streets of DC.

“I don’t know. I’m all out of ideas.”

“Maybe you should try and get some sleep.”

“No. God no. There’s no time.” He glanced at his watch. “He will have taken his next victim by now. We have got to figure this thing out before he kills her.”

She placed her hand over his. He looked so lost. She wished she could think of something else they might have missed.

“We’re getting closer, Davis. I can feel it.”

He smiled but he didn’t believe her. “I feel as if the noose is closing in on me. The Angel has outsmarted us at just about every turn.”

“Davis, don’t give up. I need you to not give up.”

“I’m trying. But I have to be honest with you—I don’t know what else to do.” He pulled into an all-night Denny’s and turned to her. “I wish this son of a bitch would just come after me straight-out. I could handle that. What I can’t handle is feeling this helpless.”

“I know. Look, let’s take a minute. Get something to eat and clear our heads. It’s not going to do either of us any good if we keep going nonstop like this.”

They found a vacant booth and sat staring at food neither had any appetite for.

“At least we know the Angel won’t hurt Ava. She’s safe now. As bad as it sounds, at least we know the threat to her has passed.”

Another fitting victim would have been selected by now. Someone with the initials AM. Kara closed her eyes for a moment and tried reaching out to her, but without any physical connection to the victim, it was impossible.

“Maybe we should drive around to some of the areas that match up to the first crime scene,” Davis said, wearily grasping at straws. “Are you getting any feel from him, Kara?”

She hadn’t sensed him reaching out to her since his taunting with Ava. He was getting good at determining when to reveal himself to her. “Nothing. Not since Ava. Let’s try revisiting some of the crime scenes. It’s worth a try.”

“It’s a long shot, I know, but you’re right, it’s worth a try and we have to do something.”

They’d found the last victim before Kim Billings in a shed in West Potomac Park. That left a lot of waterfront to be searched where the Angel could be holding the next victim.

“Davis, why do you think Jessica was moved? I mean, that wasn’t part of the usual pattern.”

“Isn’t it obvious? The Angel wanted us—me—to find her so that more suspicion would fall on me. He’s stepped it up a notch with Jessica—intensified the game. With Rachel, it was too obvious. My coworkers would think it highly unlikely I would be so obvious. He slipped up. Jessica was a more subtle victim.”

Their first stop was to Lady Bird Johnson Memorial Park.

Kara glanced around at the eerie darkness surrounding them. “The good news is the Angel isn’t infallible. He made one mistake, which means he’s capable of making more.”

“Let’s hope you’re right, Kara. You still have the gun I gave you?” Davis asked. Kara held it up for him to see before tucking it back behind her jacket. He popped the glove box and retrieved a couple of flashlights.

“Good, keep it close.” He led the way down to the water’s edge. “Stay close to me. You’re still a target. Don’t ever forget that.”

While Davis searched, Kara tried to reach out to the latest victim once more. She felt many conflicting stories here. There had been other deaths close by. She could feel them all reaching out to her, but the Angel killer would not have chosen this place for the next victim.

“She’s not here, Davis. This place is too popular. He wouldn’t want that.”

“You’re right. But we have to check them all out.”

“There’s still some gardeners’ sheds out near Edgewater Beach, right?” Kara remembered that she and Davis had once gone there to get away from the gruesome details of the case toward the end. They’d rented a boat and spent the afternoon drifting along the peaceful water, making love.

“Yes.”

She could tell that he too remembered that day. The last they’d spent together so intimately.

“You know, those days and that one in particular was the best time for me. Not the case,” he added unnecessarily, “but the time you and I spent together. You have no idea how many times I’ve relived those moments with you. When Rachel died, it brought it all back. If I hadn’t become a suspect already, I would have turned in my badge and found you. Just thinking about you made those days bearable.”

“I wish you had. I wish things had turned out different for us back then. But maybe we wouldn’t have truly appreciated what we have now, if those times hadn’t been so difficult.” Kara had to believe things happened in life for a reason. The good. The bad. Even the Death Angel.

Edgewater Beach never looked more uninviting than it did that night. At three a.m. the waters were restless.

Even before they reached the beach, Davis knew Kara sensed something.

She stopped a few feet behind him and closed her eyes.

“Davis, she’s here. She’s still alive.”

He glanced around, confronted by pitch darkness. The clouds had returned, obscuring the moon. There weren’t any street lights out there.

“There’s at least a dozen sheds, Kara. Can you make out one in particular?”

“No, we’ll have to split up.” For a moment, Davis hesitated. He didn’t want to let her out of his sight.

“It’s okay, I can take care of myself. Davis, we don’t have a choice.” When he still didn’t say anything, she added, “We’re running out of time. She’s hurt.”

“All right, but for God’s sake, Kara, please be careful.”

The first three sheds proved to be a dead end. They held nothing out of the ordinary, just a few gardening tools. Of course, he wouldn’t have chosen them. They were close to the road. Too obvious.

Davis and Kara split up, fanning out in different directions, but he made sure he could see her flashlight at all times. The last shed appeared to be the largest of all. His light caught the glint of something metal attached to the door.

A padlock.

“Kara, over here! I think I have something,” Davis called out as he stepped closer. The lock looked similar to the one used on the barn door at Jessica’s murder scene.

“She’s in there. She’s still alive. I can feel her.”

“We’ll need something to open the lock. I have some bolt cutters in my truck. Stay here. I’ll be right back.”

Davis ran to his truck, found the cutters, and went back to Kara. The bolt cutters made easy work of the lock. With the lock opened, he shoved the door open. Inside, they could hear a faint whimpering sound. Behind a small table set up in the middle of the room, Davis’s flashlight beam found her. She was gagged, naked, blindfolded and bloody. At a glance, it looked as if she’d suffered the same treatment as all the others, but she was alive.

Kara knelt next to the girl as Davis loosened her restraints. For a moment, she fought him. She was scared to death.

“It’s okay. It’s okay. We’re here to help you. You’re going to be okay. We’re going to get you out of here. Just hold on,” Kara whispered soothingly to the girl.

Davis took off his jacket and placed it over her. “I’m going to call for an ambulance and backup. Stay with her, Kara. I’ll be right outside.” His attention focused on the girl again.

“You’re going to be okay, Miss. He won’t hurt you anymore.”

Her body was literally broken and covered with blood, but she would live.

“Kara, be careful not to disturb the crime scene,” Davis reminded her before he stepped out into the night and dialed Ryan’s cell number first followed by Ed’s.

Within minutes, the place filled with emergency workers and agents. This was the biggest break they’d had so far. A live victim of the Angel. Someone who could hopefully identify her attackers.

While the paramedics worked on the girl, who couldn’t even remember her name, Davis and Kara were questioned separately.

Ryan pulled Davis aside. It took only a matter of seconds before his questions turned to the inevitable.

“So, how did you happen upon the exact location of the victim?”

“Just blind luck and good detective work.”

“You said that you and Kara split up. How long were you out of her line of sight? How long were you alone with the girl?”

“What are you getting at, Ryan? You think I’m part of this?”

“No, of course not. But I have to ask and frankly I’m in the minority here. Everyone else at the taskforce has already convicted you.”

“Those people are supposed to be my friends. God knows I’ve stood by them through some rough times.”

“Davis, they are your friends, but you have to admit, the evidence is starting to mount against you.”

“Don’t you think that in itself is a little too convenient?”

“Dammit, Davis, I’m your friend, remember? I’m just trying to do my job here.” Ryan lowered his voice when their exchange caught the attention of several agents standing close by. “Look, I know these questions are unpleasant but I have to ask them and you know it. Now, how long were you alone with the victim?”

Davis closed his eyes and shook his head. It was hard to concentrate. It felt as if everything he’d counted on for so long was slowly crumbling at his feet.

“I wasn’t alone with her, Ryan. The shed was locked. When Kara appeared, I broke the lock and we entered the building together.”

Ryan watched him closely for another minute before adding, “Don’t worry, I’m sure this will all be cleared up once the girl is able to talk. Hopefully she can tell us something about her attacker.”

After Ryan walked away, Davis knew that wouldn’t be the case. The Angel was too good. He would never give himself away so easily. Eluding the Bureau was part of the game. Revealing something as easy as physical appearance to a victim and allowing her to live would be a show of weakness. The Angel was anything but weak. No, this was just part of the plan.

Once the agent interrogating Kara finished, Davis joined her. He could see how difficult it had been for her to answer those questions.

“I feel like I’m at a witch hunt,” he told her quietly. “The girl won’t be able to shed any light on things. She didn’t see her attacker.”

“Davis, you don’t know that. Maybe he did something or said something to her that she will remember. Don’t give up. This is good news. At least we saved her life.”