picture. âThis one looks different. In her picture, the petals are all open.â
âDoes that happen at a certain time of year?â Pepe asked.
I scrolled down the Web page. âFlowers appear in June, July, and September.â
âShe couldnât have just taken that picture, then,â Colin said. âToo early in the year.â
âSo where was she last summer?â Pepe asked.
âWe need to talk to her mom again,â I said, adding this question to my notepad.
âAnd why did she take a picture of it?â Luke wondered.
âGuess we need to find that out, too.â I scanned the article that accompanied the picture now on-screen. â Atropa belladonna plant. Absorbed through skin and ingested ⦠very poisonous ⦠difficulty swallowing ⦠paralysis ⦠death . â I looked up from the laptop. âShit.â
Colin and Lieutenant Rodriguez both stared at the image of the deadly flower. Pepe wrote in his notepad as Luke studied Chanitaâs shot.
I wiped my greasy fingers on a napkin. âSo what do we know about him?â I stepped to the whiteboard, grabbed a red marker, and wrote âMONSTERâ at the top of the board.
âHeâs male,â Luke offered.
âHeâs a sexual predator,â Pepe added.
I wrote those two things, made an arrow, then scribbled an action item: âCheck sex offenders near vic.â
âWhy would he leave semen behind?â Colin wondered. âEither he wants to get caught or he knows heâll be difficult to trace.â
All of that went on the board.
âHe has some knowledge about poisons,â Pepe said.
âCuz you just donât drive to Walgreens and buy atropine,â I said, writing.
âHe breaks shit,â Colin said. âHer left foot, maybe.â
I put a question mark by the word, then added, âHer tooth, possibly.â
â Her, â Pepe added.
âHow poetic,â Luke snarked.
My face warmed, and I shot Luke a âyouâre an assholeâ glare.
âHeâs strong,â Pepe said, ignoring his partner. âHe carried her to that spot.â
âHe knows the park,â Lieutenant Rodriguez offered. âNot just the hours, but the terrain.â
âHeâs possessive,â I added.
The men gave me quizzical looks.
âHe injected her with repellent to keep the bugs away, interrupting the naturalâ¦â I narrowed my eyes. âInterrupting the natural orderâhe thinks heâs God. Bugs, yes, but also her life, her toothâ he took all of that. None of it happened naturally. Her footâ he broke it to keep her from running. And, finally, he killed herâthe ultimate act of a god.â
âThe Lord giveth,â Luke said, nodding.
âAnd the Lord taketh away,â Lieutenant Rodriguez completed.
We shuffled through the pictures Luke had taken of the crowds at Bonner Park. Every shade in the genetic pool was represented. More men than women. Olderâwho could jog and walk in a park at midday on a Wednesday? Each face presented the same levels of interest and fear. No oneâno man âappeared to be too invested in what we had found on trail 5.
âI donât think I see him,â I said, pushing away my stack of pictures. âAnd the witness statements are boring as hell. Everyone saw something and saw nothing.â
âWhat about Chanita?â Colin asked. âWhat do we know about her ?â
âA thirteen-year-old in a relationship with an older man,â I said. âOntrel or maybe even the monster. She has a special talentâphotography. Poor, gifted, and black.â
Lieutenant Rodriguez rubbed his face, then pulled down his cheeks.
I caught his eye, then cocked an eyebrow. See? Just like I said: this wonât be easy.
Luke reached for another slice of pizza. âShe got any amigas ?â
âProbably.â I wrote
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