Angling my body, I mirrored his pose. His attention was captivating. I had a hunch Dominique would listen to my wild theories without judgment, unlike my partner, who continuously shamed me for having an opinion. Who thought I was unfocused and chasing ridiculous ideas.
I told Dominique about Yates, about the unnamed girls and the nervous boy who had come into the station years ago to make a report. How the name Jesse had surfaced as one of the men who had raped her. I explained my theory that Navid Kordestani and Ford Carrigan might have been the other two involved in the assault, despite Navid’s significant age difference.
“It’s far-fetched, I know, but I want to talk to Navid’s ex-wife again. She might know if her ex-husband was overly friendly with students or hung out with them outside of class. I want to ask about his porn habits. Maybe he had an affinity for barely legal teens, and these girls caught his eye.
“Fatemeh didn’t seem to suspect Navid of cheating, but if he harbored disgusting secrets that bordered on pedophilia, he would have been extra careful, right? Maybe she remembers theJesse Vargas incident and how her husband voted since he was on the committee.”
I shifted, rubbing my hand over my stubbled jaw as I thought. “What if these girls, three years older now, are hunting down the men involved in the rape? I know it sounds ridiculous, but I can’t stop thinking it’s possible, right? Am I fishing for connections? Is this stupid?”
“Do you think you’re fishing?”
“No. I’m looking for answers, turning over every rock. I’m not afraid to think outside the box. Rape would be a solid motive for murder. If these girls tried to get help and the police brushed them off, I could see them taking matters into their own hands. Dammit. I wish I knew why Ford Carrigan was on campus the night he was killed. He had no reason to be there. What do you think, Doc?”
Dominique’s brows lifted. “This is beyond my realm of study. I’m not an investigator.”
“I know, but I’d love your opinion. I strongly suspect these men sexually assaulted someone who is now fighting back. Maybe it has nothing to do with those girls from three years ago. Maybe they were the first, and Jesse and his cohorts got a taste of something they liked. They got away with it once, so why not again? It’s disgusting. It makes me utterly sick to my stomach, but this world is full of fucking psychos, and I know for a fact that people get away with far too much.”
“Are you retracting your claim that your unsub is a man?”
I huffed a humorless laugh. “I think I have to. Like you said before. A determined woman—”
“Orwomen,” Dominique cut in.
“That too. A determined woman or women with a plan could pull this off. Plus, the perfume seems to be a calling card. A signature. The fragrance is definitely feminine.”
“And someone who’s been sexually assaulted—”
“Would be pretty fucking determined to seek revenge.”
“I say follow your instincts.”
“I’m trying. Rue doesn’t appreciate my mind.”
We sipped our drinks in silence, the haunting truth of my theory lingering between us. Dominique’s accordant expression urged me to say what was on my mind. Rue would crucify me for my uncouth thoughts. My boss would fire my ass in a heartbeat.
But Dominique?
“You know. If I’m right.” I traced a finger around the lip of my glass, unable to look him in the eye. “If we’re looking at a woman or multiple women who’ve been… brutalized like that…” I paused, tasting the words before they crossed my lips, ensuring I wanted to say them because once they were out, I couldn’t take them back.
Dominique waited, intently staring.
I met his gaze and took a risk. “If I’m right, Dominique, then I don’t want to find her. Fuck that. She deserves her revenge. They deserve to be dead.”
At first, Dominique didn’t react, and my stomach squeezed so tightly I thought I might vomit.
Then, slowly, he brought the glass to his lips and nodded.
18
Dominique
All I could seewas the future. Cosette on the cusp of puberty. As a teen. As a young, vulnerable, impressionable woman setting off to college with dreams of making a life for herself. I saw entitled boys tracking her every move with impure thoughts and raging hormones. Taunting, touching, taking something she would never get back.
I saw red and closed my eyes, doing what I could to chase away the vile images. The horrors. The last mouthful of my drink caught in my throat, and I nearly vomited. I wanted to race into Cosette’s room and scoop her into my arms, crush her to my chest, and never let her go.
The world and people in it were cruel. Ugly. Evils lurked around every corner, and what if I didn’t see them coming? What if I couldn’t keep her safe? What if she needed me and I wasn’t there to protect her? How would I ever be able to send her off to school someday and trust she wouldn’t be harmed? Men like Jesse and Ford were everywhere.
Kobe’s confession resonated in the quiet room. The profundity of it hit like an anvil. A normal person might have run or shown disgust, but I knew all too well the sick nature of human beings. I saw their destruction on my table at the lab far too often. With me, Kobe’s blunt statement had the opposite effect. I viewed his comment as a father and burned with helpless rage.
