‘Which one?’ Emma asks, her expression confused.
‘I saw it when I was going through the media reports,’ Kristin says. ‘It’s a grainy shot of you in a hospital bed. I believe it was taken with a long-distance lens, probably through a window.’
Travis swears under his breath, can’t help it. ‘That’s disgusting.’
‘That’s journalists,’ Kristin says cheerfully. ‘Horrible little carrion feeders. You’re lucky we’re not dealing with them directly in Pittsburgh.’
They’re driving under an overpass, and the sign forLORTON – I MILEwhips by as they make their way back to Quantico. Travis is thinking about the impact of this latest news. Mainly, he’s concerned about the impact of all this on Emma.
Right now, she’s sitting in the passenger seat, looking out the windshield. She seems entirely normal, which he thinks is unnerving. He glances at her profile from his position in the rear seat, behind McCreedy.
‘We need to know why he’s got this focus on me, and on Huxton,’ Emma says. ‘And if he’s so focused on me, why isn’t he seeking me out more directly?’
‘He must know you’re still alive. That’s why Carter put you in protective custody in the first place.’ The idea of Emma being in immediate danger, of the killer seeking her out, gives Travis a sensation like heartburn. He tries to remind himself it’s just anger.
‘Maybe … Emma’s too special.’ Kristin’s head tilts as she considers. ‘The killer has transferred his attentions to other girls because to him, Emma’s not really real. She’s a girl in a newspaper report, well out of reach.’
‘A girl from a fantasy.’ Emma’s still looking at the windshield as if she’s talking to herself. ‘We need to know what triggered the fantasy. And we need to know how he’s replicating these murder details. The thing with the rings is too exact. He never got that from the media, sohow did he know?’
‘Uh, excuse me.’ McCreedy clears his throat. ‘You folks still want me to pull over if I see a diner?’
Although Emma is closest to McCreedy, she has not responded, still lost in thought. ‘Yeah, please, that would be good,’ Travis says.
They stop for lunch at a place called Tastee Diner. Kristin peers around at the black plastic chairs and the ’50s-style nostalgic decor, seems delighted to be eating at a place frequented by the general public. Travis is reminded that she’s spent two years in Chesterfield, and before that, she grew up rich, and that privilege gives you everything but an understanding of the real world. Emma gets pop and a sandwich, sits beside them and chews automatically while her eyes look miles away.
They’re back in the car in under thirty minutes, and arrive at Quantico by 1300 hours. When they get to the Cool Room, Travis finds the phone calls he made from Washington have borne fruit; Mike Martino is in the room, laying an armful of files on the desktop.
‘Hey.’ Martino settles the last folder, straightens and dusts off his hands. ‘Kirby said you’d need these.’
‘Yeah, that’s great,’ Travis acknowledges, the girls behind him. ‘Thanks for the help.’
‘No problem,’ Martino says. ‘You’re lucky to get copies – Jack won’t let the originals out of Behavioral Science.’
Travis thumps his satchel of paperwork onto the desk in the Cool Room. Kristin immediately goes to turn on the lamps. Emma slides in through the doorway like she’s trying to avoid notice.
‘So what are we doing now?’ Kristin pivots on the spot, and her white skirts whip at the hems.
‘Full literature review,’ Travis says, taking off his jacket and hanging it across the top of a chair. ‘Behavioral Science is running the nightclub angle, so that’s covered.’
Martino nods. ‘Yep – and I’ve gotta get back to it. Let us know what you find.’
He exits, and with his burly presence gone, the Cool Room seems very much their own space. There’s a united sense of wanting to translate awareness of these new leads into action. Emma is at the desk, separating file folders and laying them in piles.
Kristin selects a pen from a cup and examines the nib. ‘What does a literature review mean?’
Travis finds a short stack of legal pads in a drawer. ‘It means it’s our job to figure out if what you suggested at the lab and what we discussed in the car has any likely basis. If he’s really focused on Emma, then … why? How does he know her, what’s the connection.’
‘And what might his next move be,’ Kristin muses.
‘We’ve got a little time, nobody needs us for anything,’ Travis notes. ‘Carter said he wants everything we’ve got. I think we should just dig into the information and take notes along the way, see if anything lines up.’
The understandings about the killer’s use of posing, the new information from Scientific Analysis, and the spin Kristin put on it have changed the ball game. Travis feels like a big pitch is coming up. Until now, he’s been unsure of the pitcher’s action – all he could do was study the movements and hope they’d positioned themselves right – but this new insight gives them a chance to play offense.
Travis checks Emma as she collects a pen and a yellow legal pad. He thinks she looks pale but together.
‘You okay?’
‘Sure.’ Her face is expressionless, and he can’t get a read on her.
