“Okay,” she said, feeling slightly guilty about her level of excitement as she and Hannah moved to her interior office, “what criteria?”
“The fingertips were cut off and the teeth removed,” he answered.“They know the victim was female but her face isn’t recognizable.Some kind of disintegrating agent—investigators believe it’s lye—was sprinkled over her.”
Those were exactly the hallmarks of Ash Pierce’s past murderous handiwork that she’d asked him to be on the lookout for.
“How was she found?”she asked.
“Between a service road and a lightly traveled hiking trail,” he said.“A couple was hiking with their dog and he apparently took off, leaving the trail.They chased him for nearly a quarter mile before they caught up.He was digging at a mound under a pile of leaves and twigs.They were pulling him away when the guy noticed a toe jutting up through the dirt.They uncovered it enough to make sure that they had really found what they thought.When they saw the rest of the leg, they called 911.”
“Hey Jamil, it’s Hannah.I’m here with Kat.Do the authorities up there have any idea when she was killed?”
“The medical examiner is checking on that now,” he said.“All they’re confident about so far is that it was pretty recent, but prior to yesterday.There was a late summer snowstorm on Monday night and the investigators didn’t find any snow in the grave or signs of footsteps or other nearby activity.They said that if she’d been buried after the snowfall, there would have been at least some sign of it.They also noted that the dirt the killer used to dig the grave was still pretty freshly excavated.They estimated four or five days at most.”
“Okay, so today’s Wednesday,” Kat said, doing the math aloud.“If she was buried before Monday night, we’re talking at least 48 hours ago.And five days ago, was Saturday.So, our window for the burial, if not the actual murder, is from last Saturday until Monday night?”
“Right,” Jamil agreed.“And there’s a little more.They don’t know how she died yet, but they believe the injuries she sustained were post-mortem.Something about coagulation.Other than the fingertips, teeth, and melted skin, there are no other obvious injuries.”
“Oh, just those then?”Hannah said, unable to control the sarcasm.
Kat winced slightly.Hannah was a funny girl, but Jamil Winslow wasn’t big on snarky humor.
“That’s correct,” he replied, either not picking up on her tone or just not caring.“As a result, they think she was suffocated or poisoned.They’re testing for both.”
“That’s awesome work, Jamil,” Kat said.“Are you willing to do some more?”
“Of course,” he said.“I’m already doing everything I can on HSS’s current cases so you won’t be pulling me away from my normal duties.”
“Glad to hear it,” Kat said.“I’m sure the police up in Tahoe are already all over this.But just in case, can you check to see if there were any cameras on that service road or the main road accessing it?Check that window of time we discussed: Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.”
“I believe they are on that, but I’ll confirm with them,” he promised.
“Thanks, and I realize this next request is more involved,” she warned before diving in.“While you’re at it, can you do a sweep of all the security cameras at gas stations, convenience and grocery stores, and motels all the way along the route from Tahoe back down here to L.A., ideally using facial recognition?”
“That’s a huge swath of territory,” Jamil noted, though he didn’t sound bothered.“It’s almost 450 miles, mostly along US-395.”
“I get that,” Kat said, amazed that he had those details at his disposal without checking, “but Pierce’s options to get back here are limited.There’s no way she could get on a flight without being grabbed up.And she wouldn’t risk taking a bus or renting a car.Too many cameras.Too many people.Too many chances to be identified.She’s likely driving a junker that can’t be traced to her.Or maybe even the vehicle of the victim if she was confident the woman couldn’t be ID’d before she got back here.”
“What makes you so sure that she’s coming back to L.A.?”Hannah asked.
Kat could see the slightest hint of apprehension in her expression, which was a rarity for Hannah.
“She’s been off the grid for over a month,” she explained.“We had no idea where she was.She could have just gone on her merry way if she wanted.The fact that she was willing to risk all this—a murder using her signature technique, in a location pretty far from here—tells me she’s planning something big.And what’s more important to her than coming after us?”
Neither Hannah nor Jamil responded.They both knew the answer to that one: nothing was. Kat wasn’t done though.
“Plus, the last time she did this to someone, in Ensenada, Mexico, it was to assume the woman’s identity so she could sneak back into the U.S.She chose a woman who matched her physical characteristics and wouldn’t be missed for a while.My guess is that she’s doing the same thing here.This murder wasn’t random.That’s why it’s so important that we find out who this new victim is.Once we do, we’ll have a better sense of how Pierce wants to implement her endgame.”
“I’ll do my best to get you what you need as soon as possible,” Jamil said.
“I appreciate it,” Kat said, and then before she could stop herself, added, “because she’s coming for us.”
CHAPTER TEN
When Jessie looked out the window, she was surprised.
The sky had darkened quite a bit since she’d last glanced up.She checked her watch.It was 6:40.The sun would be setting in less than an hour.
She looked across her desk in the Central Station bullpen at Karen Bray, who was hunched over her monitor.
