“She realized her computer was being fed viruses as well as being tracked. It was in her best interests to confess,” Raine said. “You don’t get to attempt to break into classified documents without repercussions. Felicity knew as soon as she triggered the alarm that she would have to do something to get herself out of trouble.”
“So you think they’re that methodical?” Stella asked. “That these murders were premeditated, and they chose each of their victims ahead of time?”
“I think it’s a possibility,” Shabina said. “No one would suspect them. They could have met Deacon on the trail, one in front of him, holding his attention, pretending to be lost, while the other one bashed him in the head with a rock. It wouldn’t have been difficult to lure Lucca off trail when he was searching for bodies. Like I said, they’re personable. They seem to know everyone and make it their business to do just that. If one of them came off of a trail and told Lucca they were lost, he would believe them. They presented themselves to the community as newcomers to the hiking and climbing world. Lucca had a reputation fortaking care of others. He was conducting a search and rescue mission. He would listen to the tale of woe and not hear the other one coming up behind him swinging the rock at his head.”
“What about the ritual?” Zahra asked. “The strange altar with feathers and rocks and sticks on it? Flowers from here and Saudi Arabia. What would that represent to them?”
“That’s the question, isn’t it?” Raine asked. “I’ve acquired several photographs of the altar. The FBI asked if I would help analyze the data, so no, I didn’t hack my way into the case. We want the chain of evidence to be as pure as it can be.”
“What is your take on the items on the altar, Shabina? You’ve seen quite a few rituals. Does this feel like a familiar one?”
Shabina shook her head as she studied the photographs. “No two altars are exactly the same. The murderer chose items they found nearby, or in the case of the things from Saudi Arabia, I doubt they even knew they were from a different country. They found a box and used the items discovered inside.”
“The two men from Algeria said they thought Shabina was coming up the trail,” Raine reminded them. “That would mean they heard a female voice.”
“If it is Felicity and Eve, what’s with this ritual and the altar?” Harlow asked. “Is it real? Did you look up rituals to see if they match anything, Raine?”
“I did. I put the various items on the altar into a search engine with as many details as possible. There are a few similar but no exact matches. I searched religions, cults, countries. The computer is still searching, but I believe the murderer or murderers came up with their own ritual.”
Shabina had been studying the photographs of the crime scenes, the ones Raine had on her computer. “What would be the point of a fake ritual?”
There was a short silence while they all tried to come up with ideas that might answer the question.
“To throw everyone off? Make the investigators believe there is a cult or religious reason. It isn’t voodoo. It isn’t witchcraft. Or satanic.” Shabina frowned as she drummed her fingers on her thigh. “They literally used random items they found. They didn’t bring them to the murder scene. The petals were from flowers in the meadows, easily gotten. They used sticks and rocks they found close to the murder scene. They used items they found in an abandoned box.”
Raine nodded in agreement. “The murders were carefully planned out, yet this ritual wasn’t.”
“So,” Harlow ventured, “you’re saying you don’t believe the ritual is real.”
“I don’t,” Raine said. “I’m with Shabina on this one. I think they studied various serial killers and wanted to have a signature. They just didn’t want whatever they used to point to them.”
“They would have done better to copy a voodoo ritual,” Vienna said. “Any kind of real ritual.”
“Maybe,” Raine said, “but in any case, there is no proof of guilt. Not one single piece of evidence. If it is Felicity and Eve doing these murders, they planned them out carefully. I’m going to do my best to put them in the vicinity of each murder scene before I turn the evidence over to the two agents.”
Chapter Nineteen
Shabina loved having Rainier home. Even the dogs seemed happier. Her protection detail wasn’t quite as happy. They claimed they weren’t getting as much good food as they had before. Rainier told them to go running and work off the weight they’d gained in his absence. Since not a single one of the men looked as if they carried an ounce of fat on them, Shabina just laughed and told them to come to the café every morning and at lunch and she’d make them whatever they wanted.
Everything seemed different without the heavy weight of guilt hanging over her. She ran with Rainier twice a day. Practiced with a gun every day. Did hand-to-hand combat with him. He was so fast that he forced her to increase her speed just to stay on her feet.
She filled him in on the speculation that Felicity and Eve Garner were the number one suspects in the murders, although they hadn’t been confronted.
Rainier nodded toward the two women seated at the smaller table near a window. “They’re coming to the café every day.”
“Practically every day,” Shabina admitted. “If not for breakfast, they come in the afternoon for lunch. We take turns inviting themplaces or going with them to anything they’re doing, so if our theory is correct, the two won’t have an opportunity to find another victim. Since we’re trading off, it doesn’t appear as if we’re watching them, just that we’re extending the hand of friendship.” She sighed. “I’m going to feel awful if we’re wrong about them.”
Rainier stood behind the counter watching the two women as they waved to other customers and engaged in a lively conversation. “If they’re the killers, Shabina, they’re very good at what they do.”
“I think they’re brilliant,” she admitted. “We’re particularly worried about Miguel. He had a juvenile record, and he frequently goes climbing with them. We all made him promise to call anytime the women want to go to the boulders or anywhere else for that matter. He didn’t ask questions, but he’s been our friend for so long, he’ll do it.”
“I take it Raine turned over any evidence to the FBI.”
“Sadly, there is no evidence, only a trail, and it’s a thin one. I told you how we came to the conclusions we did.”
“Too big of a coincidence,” Rainier agreed. He glanced at his watch. “Babe, I’ve got to sort out the supplies. I’m heading into the shed. Vaughn mentioned he’s worried there’s a glitch in the refrigerator. I’ll take a look at it when I’ve inventoried the supplies. If you get overwhelmed and need a dishwasher, send someone for me.”
Shabina nodded and blew him a kiss as he turned back to the kitchen. He preferred using the back door so he didn’t run into customers. Rainier was never going to be the friendliest of men, but she didn’t care. She could handle the customers, and he could run his business. She just hoped he’d be home most of the time.
