“Oh.Damn, Sterling.Why not?”
“She’s in meetings all morning.And this whole thing with the elementary school… it happened so fast.”
“She doesn't like you in the field, does she?”
“It’s not so much that as… I don’t know.She worries.I think part of her is happy for me and maybe even excited.Maybe.But ever since San Francisco, she’s noticed some changes.I’ve been distant, sort of obsessed, I guess.And that doesnotpair well with planning a wedding.”
“Does she know how good you are at finding connections most people would miss?”Vic asked as they came to a stop light.
“In a lab setting, yes.But in a—
Miles’s phone rang, interrupting him.He found himself fearing that it might be Elena, and then, of course, feeling guilty about that.Having the conversation in front of Vic would be even harder.But it wasn’t Elena’s name on the caller display.It read: AD HAYES.
Miles felt his pulse quicken.Calls from the assistant director rarely brought good news.
“This is Sterling,” he answered.
“Sterling, is Agent Stone with you?”Hayes asked, getting immediately to the point.His voice was tense and urgent.
“Yes, sir.We're heading into the field office to research a potential lead on the—”
“Put me on speaker,” he interrupted.“Both of you need to hear this.”
Miles activated the speaker function and held the phone between them.“Okay, sir.Go ahead,” Miles said.
“We have another body,” Hayes responded, stating it without much emotion, just his usual matter-of-fact tone.“Looks to be the same methodology as the school attack.The gas hasn’t been identified yet but the first responders on the scene said it could very well be fluorine.”
Miles felt ice water flood his veins.Another victim meant the killer was moving faster than anyone had anticipated.There had been less than twenty-four hours between victims.
“Where’s the location?”Vic asked.
“Georgetown, in a flower shop called Petals & Stems.The owner was found dead about an hour ago by a customer who came in to pick up an arrangement.Full federal involvement has been authorized.This is officially a Bureau case now.”“
Vic was already turning back toward the parking garage.“Are hazmat teams on scene?”
“The fire department cleared the building thirty minutes ago.We were the first they called, given what they knew about the elementary school.Sterling, you’d be the first forensics-related body on the scene.Are you comfortable with that?”
“Yes, sir.If itisfluorine, I’d just need an oxygen mask, and if the fire department is still on the scene, they’ll have what I need.”
“Get to it, then.And keep me updated.”
“Georgetown,” Vic muttered to herself, already, looking for a way to redirect their route.
As she did her best to navigate a sudden change in direction, Miles tried to make sense of what he knew.A flower shop owner had no obvious connection to chemical contamination or molecular corruption.The killer's selection criteria were becoming more random and unpredictable.
And that made them especially dangerous.
“Two attacks in one day,” Vic said, weaving through traffic.“Either this killer is accelerating their timeline or they're trying to stay ahead of our investigation.”
Miles considered both possibilities.Serial killers sometimes escalated when they felt pressured by law enforcement attention.But the sophistication of the fluorine dispersal systems suggested months of preparation.These weren't simply spontaneous attacks triggered by media coverage of the school murder.
“I think they planned multiple targets from the beginning,” he said.“Sarah Morrison and this flower shop owner were probably selected weeks or months ago.He thought, but did not say:Diana Hartwell researched her people… financials, social media, everything.Why would this one be any different?
“A flower shop owner doesn't match the profile of a kindergarten teacher using recalled art supplies,” Vic said.
“Unless there's something about her business practices that we don't know yet,” Miles pointed out.“Chemical fertilizers, synthetic flower preservatives, something that fits the killer's obsession with molecular purity.”
And as he said it, he realized that maybe their two victims had more in common that he thought.He hoped that meant there might be a clear lead waiting for them.But at the speed this killer was moving, he wasn’t sure it would matter.
