by Paris Morgan
He held out a hand to Karen. “It was a pleasure working with you, Detective. Hopefully you’ll be able to return to your regular duties after Detective Boxe is able to return to hers. Thank you.”
Karen nodded. “I do care about her, so it wasn’t a problem. I was happy to do it, but I’m ready to get back to my own job. This case is a lot to process. If you need to bring me back on, you know how to reach me.”
“That, I do.” He turned to Kevin and Adam. “I’ll be with both of you shortly.”
I waited until they were all out of sight. “Are you going to be okay sitting on the sidelines for another night?”
“Well, about that…” Leslie glanced sheepishly at Karen. “I was able to get a hold of the doctor, and they’re going to wait for us to come and check me out tonight. I knew that he wasn’t going to let me work without seeing the doctor, and I really didn’t want to be left behind again.”
“Why, aren’t you just the sneakiest little thing?” I wagged my finger in her face. “I’m going to remember this, because I have the feeling I’m going to have to be on my toes with you in the future.”
“You always have to watch your back with this one because I never knew when she was going to come up with a plan to get us in so much trouble growing up.” Karen grinned, holding out her hand.
I ignored it and reached out to give her a hug. “Don’t be a stranger.”
“If we can keep this one from getting hurt, I’ll come visit just for fun.” She returned my hug, whispering, “Be safe, and take care of her.”
“Deal. Now, go get the doctor’s okay, and I’m going to help Kevin stay out of trouble.” I waved, heading out the door.
I wasn’t worried about Leslie. Somehow, someway, she would find a way to get the doctor to sign off on her paperwork. What I was worried about was how easily this killer was able to evade us.
***
I shouldn’t have underestimated Leslie, because less than two hours after we’d gotten to the FBI building, she showed up waving a piece of paper.
“Wow! You did it. Did you just throw your sister out on the side of the road?” Agent Watson greeted her with a smile.
“No, but she did try to keep the paper for the night so I’d have to wait until the morning. It didn’t work. I have things she doesn’t want Mom to know about that could just slip out during my next phone call with her.”
“The oldest form of blackmail in the book. Well played,” Kevin chimed in from the other side of the computer screen.
Agent Watson clapped me on the back. “Better get her up to speed while I go check on stuff.”
“Well, we’ve been told what to do, so guess I should if I don’t want to get fired.”
She ignored me and walked around the desks to where Kevin was working. “Is there a BOLO out on her yet?”
“Yes. We’ve alerted all the major airlines and law enforcement agencies. We’re in the process of sending out a fax, email, or an automated message. I just hope that the right people read it and can inform us if they see her.”
“We’ve narrowed down the places that make absolutely no sense as far as hard to get to, no real tourist vibe, and only visited by hardcore rafters, which even first-timers would realize immediately that wouldn’t be safe,” I explained.
“How much did that help us? Is there a way to put the word out for groups of men not to go water rafting? What did Agent Watson discover about the companies that sent these men on these trips?” Leslie questioned, without taking a breath.
“He found that each group, the real estate and restaurant groups, both had small ties to the larger corporation, Urban Energy. They were investments that had been purchased in the last two years.” I knew that this would hit home with her.
“Hmm. Is there a way that we can convince a judge to subpoena the Urban Energy Corporation for properties or businesses that they are involved in? I know there’s a huge connection here, but I don’t get why the Zodiac Master and his recruits are focused on it. Each set of people that they target have a special meaning, but it’s not like they’re exposing corruption in the company. Just because someone didn’t talk to you or made you mad, aren’t reasons to plan this kind of massive killing spree.” Leslie’s hands were moving to emphasize her feelings.
We’d been out of the South for only a few days, but I’d already forgotten that people tended to use their hands when describing or explaining things. Leslie hadn’t been able to do that since her shoulder was wounded, but she was making up for lost time.
“No judge is going to grant that kind of extensive probe into a company’s records unless we have proof that they’re involved. We could go over there and see if we can speak to the head of this branch and appeal to their better nature to help us instead,” I suggested.
“Really? Nobody’s going to cooperate with the police like that,” she protested.
“That’s not true. They were really helpful up in Wisconsin, and if they hadn’t helped us, we wouldn’t have caught our killer.”
“I disagree. They were only doing that to cover their tails. When the CEO of that branch was threatened, he still didn’t want to help.”
“You can both disagree all you want, but I think I might’ve found something we can follow. It would also convince the higher-up to cooperate,” Kevin offered.
We both turned on him with waiting expressions.
“What?” He looked confused.
“Hello, spill. What’s this thing you found?” Leslie prodded.
“Oh, yeah. When you mentioned it back in Minnesota, I started looking into the company’s public records.”
“And?” I couldn’t wait for Kevin to dangle just a few words out at a time. I needed to know what he’d found, now.
“The Urban Energy Company was founded by a group of twelve men who wanted to make a difference in the mid-eighties. That was about the time that everyone started to become energy conscious and wanted to save the planet. Simon, who you met back in Wisconsin, his grandfather was one of the founders up in that area. Each of the twelve men built his portion of the company to work with a different part of conservation in his state.”
“Well, that makes sense, and doesn’t seem to have any nefarious reasons for committing mass murder,” I mused.
“We have to consider that each of these twelve men had children, and now, lots of great grandchildren. There could be other children that weren’t acknowledged and might be the Zodiac Master.” She’d just opened a whole new train of thought.
“It’s going to take me days, or even weeks to do the family trees of the original twelve owners. The company changed hands and split even further as it grew over the years, and the twelve added to their groups others who shared their goals.”
I truly believed that Kevin could work magic, but there was no way that one person could do all of this by themselves. Agent Watson could let a few more people help, but it was just going to take time. While we wanted to find the Taurus killer, it certainly couldn’t hurt to keep trying to find out who the person was pulling the strings of the puppets.
“Kevin, I want you to pick out three people who can help you do this, and see what the four of you on your own team can find out for us. Now, that Leslie is allowed to work again, I’ll take her with me tomorrow to question anyone who will take the time to help us at Urban Energy.” I took charge because we had to get a move on and find Dana soon.
“Yes, sir.” Kevin’s eyes widened as he realized that he would be in charge of other people. “Are you sure I’m ready for that?”
Leslie stepped in to reassure him. “Kevin, why do you think they let you go with us and work alongside us for the past few weeks?”
When he didn’t answer, I jumped in. “You’re amazing at what you do. You take what we’ve just been throwing around and pull up information just like we pictured it in our heads only moments later. You work magic.”
“Guys, I don’t know what to say.” He stared at us, unbelieving.
“Say t
hat you’ll have them in place and briefed in the morning so we can get started,” Leslie eagerly insisted.
“And that you’ll go home as soon as you ask them to come in to work tomorrow. We need to get some rest and see what we can discover so that we can follow wherever the trail leads.” I was ready to see my fiancée and shed this weight of impending doom.
“I can work with that idea, but I’m not really sure how to stop working. I mean, I go to bed only when I can’t drink any more caffeine.” He closed out the programs he’d been working on.
“What do you do for fun?”
“When we’re in between cases and I have nothing to work on, I play video games.”
“Why didn’t I guess that?” I chuckled. “It’s one way to relax, but it’s not the first thing I would choose.”
“He would choose to be an old man and sit outside, growling at children that walk by to stay off the grass,” Leslie teased.
“I’ll show you old. Bet I can beat you to the parking garage,” I challenged her.
“Deal.” She took off running from the front doors before I could say anything. I hadn’t said go, but I raced after her, barely catching up as we both reached the garage, out of breath.
“Tie?” I panted.
“Sure. For a woman recovering from an injury, I would say I won, but I’ll compromise.” She rested her hands on her knees.
“Are you good to drive home?”
“You’re kidding, right? I can’t wait. Two and a half, almost three weeks of being chauffeured around and I’m ready to exert my independence again.” She waved the keys to her car in the air.
Kevin finally caught up to us. “You guys are fast.”
“You should see us on a good day.” Leslie winked at him. “I’m off. See you tomorrow.”
“I don’t know what to do with myself, but I’ll follow her example. Later, Ryan.”
My car didn’t feel any different than when I’d driven it only a few hours earlier, but I took Leslie’s words to heart. I wasn’t looking forward to an hour drive home, but I was really thankful that I was still able to do it.
When I walked in the door to my house and pushed my suitcase inside the door, I did one last thing before going to find Shea. I turned off the phone’s volume and placed it on the counter, because no matter what, I wasn’t going to be disturbed tonight.
It’s a good thing I didn’t hear the vibration from the other room because the Zodiac Master left me a personal message.
Chapter 8
Leslie
When we arrived back at the office the next morning, Ryan came in late and really agitated, just as Agent Watson was getting started. I hoped that something didn’t happen between him and Shea, because I couldn’t think of anything else that would ruffle his feathers enough to affect his job. Even when Jesse had almost died the first time, he hadn’t looked so unnerved when he’d received the news.
“Are you okay?” I mouthed to him.
“I’m fine,” he assured me.
I had to take his word for it, but I would be asking questions later.
“We’re back here in Dallas, but we aren’t back to square one. We know who our suspect is now. What we don’t know is where she’s going to strike next. Data from the previous crime scenes are being sent here, but until we know what’s in the mind of this woman, we can’t begin to locate her.
“I’ve set up teams to do some leg work with Detectives Fox and Boxe, who are meeting with the Urban Energy executives later this morning. Detective Fox had an extra team formed to work on the backgrounds of the founders of this company to see why it has so many connections to these cases. The photo with a description has gone out everywhere, and we’ve setup a phone bank to handle the calls that will be coming in from possible sightings.
“We will not be chasing these across the country. Only if a credible lead comes in will we go check it out. The profiler and I agree that if she sticks to the pattern, there will be a break so that she can lay low before trying to finish what she’s started. We’ve got sixteen, well, fifteen people since one survived, but it’s only been ten days. She can’t keep up the pace that she’s been on or she’ll kill more than she’s supposed to.”
He droned on for a while with some of the same things Ryan and I had discussed the night before, but I hoped that with everyone working together, we could make a dent in finding her location.
“Dismissed, but don’t forget to check in and let me know what progress has been made.”
I grabbed Ryan’s arm and drug him from the room before anyone could stop us. The closest room just happened to be the women’s restroom.
“Leslie, what…” He started to protest.
“Shh…” I held up a hand to stop him and looked under the doors of each stall.
Empty.
Determined, I walked over to the door and clicked the lock. “There, now spill. What’s going on? And don’t tell me nothing, because I’m not going to believe it.” I crossed my arms and tapped my foot impatiently.
He sighed. “Look, I got a text this morning, or rather last night from the time stamp. I’d turned my phone off because I honestly didn’t care if the world was on fire. I wanted one night without being called away.”
“Understandable. Continue.”
“When I got ready to leave this morning, I didn’t think to turn my phone on until I was in the car. That’s when I saw the message.”
“It was from him, wasn’t it?”
He nodded and handed me the phone. “Yeah.”
“It’s nice to be home, isn’t it? Enjoy it while you can because you might not get the chance later. Wait, you already know that life is precious, and that you could lose yours at any moment, don’t you? Shea is a gorgeous woman. You shouldn’t leave her alone when you’re gone. Someone could snatch her up fairly easy. Don’t lose any sleep over it. I’m not going to kidnap her in the near future, but I did want to check in with you. Happy hunting.”
“That’s not a text message, it’s more like a novel to taunt you. Did you check on Shea?”
“I called her, but Leslie, he knows who she is.”
“Not that I want to make light of his threatening tone, but anyone could find out who she is on social media. I’m going to bet that there’s a picture of the two of you on the internet somewhere. He may just be calling your bluff to see what you do with the information.”
“You mean, he wanted me to panic and not go into work or something?”
“Maybe. What’s the one thing that’s been the theme throughout this? You and I working together. If he cripples you by keeping you at home, then we’re not working together, and we won’t find him or his recruits.”
“When this all started, I turned the tracking for our phones on so that I can see where Shea is at all times of the day. I’m going to talk to her when I get home tonight about taking a few extra protective measures for my peace of mind.” He relaxed just a little.
“Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but that makes her easier to track. He can hack in and have all of her real-time information the same way you do. Shea’s a smart girl, don’t tell her what she’s going to do. We don’t like to be told how things are going to be. Just ask her what she can do that will help.”
A knock sounded at the door, but I ignored it. They would go away or wait patiently.
“He’s not going to do anything right after sending you something like that. He’s just testing us. Still, it doesn’t hurt to make sure that she’s okay. Are you still up for going to Urban Energy?”
“Yeah. I’ll call her before we leave, and I’m turning off the phone tracker. I’ll just tell her to stay in populated places until I get home tonight, and it will be early,” Ryan declared, walking over to the door and unlocking it.
A surprised lady stood on the other side, doing a double take when I came out right behind him. I’m sure that she wasn’t expecting such a sight in FBI headquarters, but it might be worth a few stories around the water cooler later. B
ut, we were going to get a reputation if things like this continued to happen.
***
I drove to Urban Energy’s main building while Ryan tried to call Shea.
“Hey, babe. No, nothing has happened to me,” he told her. “I got a threat today and wanted to make sure that you were okay. It’s wasn’t against me, they threatened you, babe. I just want you to take a few extra precautions and make sure that you watch your surroundings. I plan to come home early and I’ll tell you about it then, but I just didn’t want anything to happen to you before then. Babe, I’m not trying to tell you what to do.”
I didn’t even try to hide my grin as he had to fend off her anger. I’d warned him.
“Honey, he threatened to hurt you. I just wanted to hear your voice and make sure that you were all right. Yes, I know that you can take care of yourself. I apologize for thinking otherwise. I’ll pick up dinner. Love you.” He hung up with a relieved look on his face.
“She’s safe. Even though she protested, she’ll pay extra attention to her surroundings because she has to prove that she’s more than capable of taking care of herself.”
“Oooh, you’re good. Very good at manipulating her and using reverse psychology.” I was impressed.
“Don’t tell me you haven’t done that to a suspect before, because I know that you have.”
“Maybe,” I conceded. “You have special skills, though.”
“Nah. We’ve just been together long enough that I know how she’ll react.”
We parked and walked into the main Urban Energy headquarters for the Southern region.
“We have an appointment with the CEO.” I held out my badge to the man at the reception desk.
“Yes, if you’ll have a seat. Someone will be out to escort you up to the conference room shortly.” He motioned to the rows of seats in the lobby.