too.”
Liz used her hand as a sun shield as she pivoted to look downstream. “There’s an old dirt road that leads to a campground on the west side of the river. He could have put a boat in from there.”
Rafe gestured toward the teens. “What are you going to do about them?”
“They already called their parents,” Jake answered. “They should be here soon.”
Dr. Bullock examined the ends of the woman’s fingernails, then took scrapings. “Nails are jagged, indicating she put up a fight. Maybe we’ll get some DNA.”
“Any ID on her?” Liz asked.
“I didn’t find any,” Jake said. “No wallet or purse anywhere nearby.”
“How about her eyes?”
Jake winced. “Found one of them. Other one is missing.”
Liz released a weary breath. “Another trophy.”
When Lieutenant Maddison arrived, he hurried over to Rafe. “We found something interesting on the Banning woman.”
“What?” Rafe asked.
“A drop of blood that didn’t belong to the victim.”
Liz stepped closer. “It was from the killer?”
“That’s the logical explanation.”
“So you have DNA?” Jake asked.
“That’s the strange part,” Lieutenant Maddison said.
Liz cleared her throat. “What do you mean? It is human blood, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but there’s an odd marker that indicates that the person may have had genetic altering. If you find a suspect, this could make identification easier.”
Rafe curled his hands into fists. “Damn. It also suggests that our unsub could have been part of the Commander’s experiment.”
“What if Banning worked with him? She called the prison to see if he could have visitors,” Liz said.
“That’s a possibility,” Rafe said. “I still think Truitt is connected. He might even be working with an accomplice.”
Dr. Bullock pushed his glasses up on his nose. “I detect a faint scent of some kind of strong soap on her hands.”
“Like hospital soap?” Liz suggested.
Dr. Bullock nodded. “Yes. And maybe bleach. Which would fit if she worked in the medical field.”
“Or the killer could have tried to wash away evidence,” Rafe said.
“If the unsub knew both women, there’s our connection,” Liz said. “Let’s check the HomeBound office and see if Samson recognizes this victim.”
“Good thinking,” Rafe said.
Liz frowned. “Considering that our unsub likes to collect body parts, what if he actually has some medical training himself?”
“I suppose that’s possible.” Rafe folded his arms. “But look at the crude way he extracted the woman’s eyes. If he was trained in the medical field and had any skill, his cutting would have been more meticulous, wouldn’t it? Smoother, not jagged.”
“In theory, yes.” Liz pointed to the torn skin and cartilage. “But our killer is not rational. These cuts are full of emotion. Rage.”
“He’s trying to throw us off?” Rafe suggested.
“That’s also possible,” Liz said. “Either way, I have a bad feeling he’s not done yet.”
He strolled the halls of Slaughter Creek Sanitarium, noting how little the mental facility had changed. The chipped paint and dank rancid odors reminded him of his childhood.
Painful memories had embedded themselves so deeply into his psyche that they’d become part of him. A familiar part that he didn’t know how to live without.
Pain. Pleasure.
A fine line between the two.
The sound of a crying patient down the hall made him think of CHIMES. The others he’d been locked away with had been his friends, his brothers and sisters.
Yet most of them were dead now. Dead because the Commander was covering his tracks.
At least two others had turned into killers. Giogardi. Seven.
Ah, Seven. So beautiful.
But she was also the Commander’s daughter.
Yet none of them had known it at the time. And the ruthless bastard had not spared her because of it.
He’d wanted to make them strong. Fearless.
Putty in his hands.
And then there was Amelia. Vulnerable, confused
Liz used her hand as a sun shield as she pivoted to look downstream. “There’s an old dirt road that leads to a campground on the west side of the river. He could have put a boat in from there.”
Rafe gestured toward the teens. “What are you going to do about them?”
“They already called their parents,” Jake answered. “They should be here soon.”
Dr. Bullock examined the ends of the woman’s fingernails, then took scrapings. “Nails are jagged, indicating she put up a fight. Maybe we’ll get some DNA.”
“Any ID on her?” Liz asked.
“I didn’t find any,” Jake said. “No wallet or purse anywhere nearby.”
“How about her eyes?”
Jake winced. “Found one of them. Other one is missing.”
Liz released a weary breath. “Another trophy.”
When Lieutenant Maddison arrived, he hurried over to Rafe. “We found something interesting on the Banning woman.”
“What?” Rafe asked.
“A drop of blood that didn’t belong to the victim.”
Liz stepped closer. “It was from the killer?”
“That’s the logical explanation.”
“So you have DNA?” Jake asked.
“That’s the strange part,” Lieutenant Maddison said.
Liz cleared her throat. “What do you mean? It is human blood, isn’t it?”
“Yes, but there’s an odd marker that indicates that the person may have had genetic altering. If you find a suspect, this could make identification easier.”
Rafe curled his hands into fists. “Damn. It also suggests that our unsub could have been part of the Commander’s experiment.”
“What if Banning worked with him? She called the prison to see if he could have visitors,” Liz said.
“That’s a possibility,” Rafe said. “I still think Truitt is connected. He might even be working with an accomplice.”
Dr. Bullock pushed his glasses up on his nose. “I detect a faint scent of some kind of strong soap on her hands.”
“Like hospital soap?” Liz suggested.
Dr. Bullock nodded. “Yes. And maybe bleach. Which would fit if she worked in the medical field.”
“Or the killer could have tried to wash away evidence,” Rafe said.
“If the unsub knew both women, there’s our connection,” Liz said. “Let’s check the HomeBound office and see if Samson recognizes this victim.”
“Good thinking,” Rafe said.
Liz frowned. “Considering that our unsub likes to collect body parts, what if he actually has some medical training himself?”
“I suppose that’s possible.” Rafe folded his arms. “But look at the crude way he extracted the woman’s eyes. If he was trained in the medical field and had any skill, his cutting would have been more meticulous, wouldn’t it? Smoother, not jagged.”
“In theory, yes.” Liz pointed to the torn skin and cartilage. “But our killer is not rational. These cuts are full of emotion. Rage.”
“He’s trying to throw us off?” Rafe suggested.
“That’s also possible,” Liz said. “Either way, I have a bad feeling he’s not done yet.”
He strolled the halls of Slaughter Creek Sanitarium, noting how little the mental facility had changed. The chipped paint and dank rancid odors reminded him of his childhood.
Painful memories had embedded themselves so deeply into his psyche that they’d become part of him. A familiar part that he didn’t know how to live without.
Pain. Pleasure.
A fine line between the two.
The sound of a crying patient down the hall made him think of CHIMES. The others he’d been locked away with had been his friends, his brothers and sisters.
Yet most of them were dead now. Dead because the Commander was covering his tracks.
At least two others had turned into killers. Giogardi. Seven.
Ah, Seven. So beautiful.
But she was also the Commander’s daughter.
Yet none of them had known it at the time. And the ruthless bastard had not spared her because of it.
He’d wanted to make them strong. Fearless.
Putty in his hands.
And then there was Amelia. Vulnerable, confused
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