once was just what the doctor ordered. Anyway, as I matured, I developed methods, systems, if you will. Hell, my business was created to allow me to do this. It surprised the shit out of me that it made me rich. Which only helps my system work better, by the way. Yup. I travel all over. I vary my methods every now and again but usually come back to the needles and tubes—it’s clean.”
Brett took the two remaining needles and tubes from the washbasin and slipped them into the carotid arteries on each side of her neck.
Monica’s body remained motionless.
Brett stood over her and watched. He followed the blood running from the tubes with his eyes for minutes. He dipped his head and placed his ear next to her nose and mouth. Her breathing was rapid. He swiped his hand down her arm—it was cool and clammy to the touch.
“Not long now,” he said. “What you’re experiencing is called hypovolemic shock. Do you know what that is?”
Monica, again, didn’t respond.
“I didn’t know what it was called at first either—I had to look it up when I started doing it this way years ago. Basically, it’s your body shutting down when the blood drains from it. I’d say you’re at about forty-percent blood loss right now.” He shook his head and bit his lip. “No coming back after a forty-percent blood loss.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
I took a seat at the desk in my room and set down the file box Beth had picked up from the local FBI office. Beth followed me in, and the door closed at her back. I caught the time. We had an hour and fifteen minutes before we had to leave for our next family interview.
“Why didn’t you tell the husband we already had the bank records?” I asked.
She shrugged. “They were offering. When someone offers up something, just take it. It allows the family to feel like they are helping.”
“Makes sense,” I said.
“Lunch, while you let me know what you got out in Englewood?” Beth asked.
I let out a breath. “I guess I probably have to eat since I missed breakfast.”
“Do you want to just hit the same place we did yesterday?” Beth asked. “It looks like we only have an hour or so.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. The food and prices were decent,” I said.
“Ready now?” she asked.
“Yeah.” I nodded toward the door and followed Beth out.
We walked the hall, and she thumbed the button for the elevator. The doors opened and we stepped inside.
“When I called back Hilary Wormack, the mother of Angela, and asked about Angela’s computer, she said she had it and will turn it over to us when we meet with her,” I said. “If we can get one from Kennedy Taylor’s family, it looks like we’ll have three for the tech guys to look into.”
“Perfect,” Beth said.
“Is that something that we send back to Manassas or have the local branch check out?”
“Local,” Beth said. “You said Agent Andrews was going to have a case file for us on the most recent by the end of the day?”
“Yeah.”
“We’ll drop the computer or computers off then if we get one from Kennedy Taylor’s family.”
I nodded.
The elevator doors let us out into the lobby. We headed down the two flights of blue-carpeted stairs and outside. After leaving the hotel, we walked around the block to the restaurant. The hostess sat us in the exact same booth as the day prior. Beth and I quickly browsed the menus and put in our order. I ordered the same thing as the last time—the Philly cheesesteak sandwich had been pretty good.
“What did Ball say when you called him and told him we had another?” Beth asked.
“He said, ‘Your killer is there, and you two are there. Find him.’”
“That sounds about right. What was the scene like?”
“News vans and local PD everywhere. Agent Andrews had another guy and the FBI’s forensics team there with him. The body was gone, but I saw the photos that were taken of her while she was still inside the Dumpster.”
“And?” Beth asked.
“Woman in a
Brett took the two remaining needles and tubes from the washbasin and slipped them into the carotid arteries on each side of her neck.
Monica’s body remained motionless.
Brett stood over her and watched. He followed the blood running from the tubes with his eyes for minutes. He dipped his head and placed his ear next to her nose and mouth. Her breathing was rapid. He swiped his hand down her arm—it was cool and clammy to the touch.
“Not long now,” he said. “What you’re experiencing is called hypovolemic shock. Do you know what that is?”
Monica, again, didn’t respond.
“I didn’t know what it was called at first either—I had to look it up when I started doing it this way years ago. Basically, it’s your body shutting down when the blood drains from it. I’d say you’re at about forty-percent blood loss right now.” He shook his head and bit his lip. “No coming back after a forty-percent blood loss.”
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
I took a seat at the desk in my room and set down the file box Beth had picked up from the local FBI office. Beth followed me in, and the door closed at her back. I caught the time. We had an hour and fifteen minutes before we had to leave for our next family interview.
“Why didn’t you tell the husband we already had the bank records?” I asked.
She shrugged. “They were offering. When someone offers up something, just take it. It allows the family to feel like they are helping.”
“Makes sense,” I said.
“Lunch, while you let me know what you got out in Englewood?” Beth asked.
I let out a breath. “I guess I probably have to eat since I missed breakfast.”
“Do you want to just hit the same place we did yesterday?” Beth asked. “It looks like we only have an hour or so.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. The food and prices were decent,” I said.
“Ready now?” she asked.
“Yeah.” I nodded toward the door and followed Beth out.
We walked the hall, and she thumbed the button for the elevator. The doors opened and we stepped inside.
“When I called back Hilary Wormack, the mother of Angela, and asked about Angela’s computer, she said she had it and will turn it over to us when we meet with her,” I said. “If we can get one from Kennedy Taylor’s family, it looks like we’ll have three for the tech guys to look into.”
“Perfect,” Beth said.
“Is that something that we send back to Manassas or have the local branch check out?”
“Local,” Beth said. “You said Agent Andrews was going to have a case file for us on the most recent by the end of the day?”
“Yeah.”
“We’ll drop the computer or computers off then if we get one from Kennedy Taylor’s family.”
I nodded.
The elevator doors let us out into the lobby. We headed down the two flights of blue-carpeted stairs and outside. After leaving the hotel, we walked around the block to the restaurant. The hostess sat us in the exact same booth as the day prior. Beth and I quickly browsed the menus and put in our order. I ordered the same thing as the last time—the Philly cheesesteak sandwich had been pretty good.
“What did Ball say when you called him and told him we had another?” Beth asked.
“He said, ‘Your killer is there, and you two are there. Find him.’”
“That sounds about right. What was the scene like?”
“News vans and local PD everywhere. Agent Andrews had another guy and the FBI’s forensics team there with him. The body was gone, but I saw the photos that were taken of her while she was still inside the Dumpster.”
“And?” Beth asked.
“Woman in a
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