“None that I can find.”Miles pushed back from the table in frustration.“I've been looking for a specific substance that might connect them, but their chemical exposures are completely unrelated.”
Hayes made notes on his legal pad.“What about the art supply recall?Any additional details that might explain the selection criteria?”
Miles arched his back, stretching not just his spine but his mind.He’d spent an hour on the phone with the manufacturer that morning.“The recall was issued because of contamination during production.Small amounts of lead and formaldehyde found their way into certain batches of finger paints and modeling clay.Nothing immediately dangerous, but enough to trigger precautionary measures.”
“And Sarah Morrison continued using them after the recall notice?”
“The school board reviewed the situation and determined the remaining supplies posed minimal risk for the rest of the academic year,” Vic explained, reading from notes she’d typed out on her phone.“They planned to replace everything for next semester.”
Hayes leaned back in his chair.“So, we have a kindergarten teacher using recalled art supplies with trace heavy metals, and a florist experimenting with synthetic pesticides.The killer's manifesto claims both were spreading molecular corruption, but the actual chemicals involved are completely different.”
Miles felt the familiar frustration that came with cases defying logical analysis.“It's not about specific substances.The killer isn't targeting people based on exposure to particular chemicals.They're targeting anyone they perceive as contributing to chemical contamination of society.”
“That's a pretty broad category,” Vic said grimly.
“It means almost anyone could be a potential victim,” Hayes added.“Anyone who uses synthetic products in their work or daily life.”
Miles nodded, though the realization made his stomach clench.“Dry cleaners using chemical solvents.Restaurant workers handling cleaning products.Hell, anyone who uses commercial shampoo or household cleaners could fit this killer's definition of molecular corruption.”
They sat in silence for a moment, processing the implications.If Miles was right, the fluorine killer wasn't following a very large field of people.They were selecting victims based on a twisted philosophy that could apply to nearly everyone in modern society.
“The letters implied that others would follow,” Vic said, pulling out the evidence bag containing the letter from Janet's flower shop.“That suggests they have multiple targets already identified.”
Hayes stood up and walked to the whiteboard where crime scene photos were displayed.“Two attacks in less than twenty-four hours indicates a high level of preparation.The dispersal devices, the timing, the selection of locations where the victims would be alone.This person has been planning these murders for weeks or months.”
Miles nodded.It was the exact conclusion he and Vic had come to earlier.He looked at the scattered evidence spread across the conference table.Financial records that revealed normal business practices.Shipping invoices for common commercial products.There was nothing that suggested either victim had attracted attention through unusual or controversial activities.
“We're missing something,” he said.“There has to be a connection we haven't found yet.Some way the killer identified these specific targets among all the potential victims in Washington.”
“Or maybe the connection is exactly what we think it is,” Vic suggested.“Both victims used synthetic chemicals in their work.Both were accessible targets who worked alone during predictable hours.Maybe that's enough for someone operating under this particular delusion.”
Hayes gathered his materials and closed his laptop.“I need to check on other cases.We've got three active investigations running simultaneously right now.”He looked at Miles and Vic.“Keep digging, but don't lose sight of the bigger picture.This killer is moving fast, and we need to get ahead of them before they strike again.”
After Hayes left, Miles and Vic continued sorting through evidence in the now-quiet conference room.The pizza had grown cold, but neither of them seemed interested in eating anyway.Miles found himself staring at the crime scene photos, trying to understand the logic that had turned Sarah Morrison and Janet Reilly into targets for molecular purification.
“You know what bothers me most?”Vic said, breaking the silence.
“What?”
“The sophistication of the delivery systems compared to the randomness of the target selection.These fluorine dispersal devices required at least a small bit of engineering expertise.But the victims seem almost arbitrary.I can’t help but wonder if these were just people he had come into contact with and somehow learned through passing conversation that they were offenders.”
Miles considered this observation.It had merit, but he didn’t like the implications.“Unless the arbitrariness is the point,” he finally said.“Diana Hartwell targeted specific individuals based on their wealth and business practices.This killer might be operating under a completely different philosophy.”
“What do you mean?”
“What if they're not trying to punish specific people for specific crimes?What if they're trying to demonstrate that chemical contamination is everywhere?That ordinary people doing ordinary jobs are unknowingly participating in molecular corruption?”
Vic leaned back in her chair, nervously cracking her knuckles.“So, by that theory, Sarah Morrison and Janet Reilly weren't selected because of their particular chemical usage.They were selected because they represent the sort of everyday contamination the killer wants to expose.Everyday suspects who are contributing to that corruption in a passive manner.”
“Exactly.The art supplies and pesticides are just examples of how synthetic chemicals have infiltrated every aspect of modern life.The killer is making a statement about the entire system, not punishing individual transgressions.”
The theory felt right to Miles, but it also made their investigation exponentially more difficult.If the killer was targeting examples of chemical contamination rather than specific individuals, then predicting their next move became nearly impossible.There could be hundreds of ventilation systems all around the city, primed to kill.It was a horrifying concept.
He looked at his watch, more out of habit than anything else.Somehow, it had come to be 6:05.If he was going to get home in time for dinner and wedding conversations with Elena, he should have left at least ten minutes ago.The guilt that had been simmering in his stomach all afternoon flared into full intensity.He'd promised Elena he'd be home for dinner, but the investigation was consuming every available moment.Two people were dead, and more attacks seemed inevitable.How could he focus on wedding planning and romantic dinners when a killer was loose in Washington?
“Go home,” Vic said, noticing his distraction.“Clear the air with your fiancée so you can focus properly tomorrow.”
“We should keep working.If this killer is planning more attacks—”
