He didn’t disagree.
In fact, he trusted her gut.
“He picked the victims, and it won’t be the brothers who run the mortuary either. I’m willing to bet it won’t be the security guy who called it in either. I’d bet my fancy belt buckle that he watched that building, and knew security did a drive around at night, and it became one more way to fuck with the investigators. A normal cop would get bogged down, and drop the ball, much like they did with the original three grave robberies, but I’m not the normal cop. I play games for a living, and Chess is one of my favorites. He’s wasting my time to ensure he has time to escape.”
That sounded about right.
“How much danger is she in?” Ivan asked, interrupting. “You know, since she tends to be the focus a lot with cases, and I need to know how to play chess too by moving security around.”
Ethan considered it.
Then, he shared.
“It won’t be her in danger. He’s going to be fascinated with women. He’s going to covet them, and she’s the prize. He wants a one-on-one game with the best, because he considers himself the best. Right now, he’ll be impressed that she found Steph’s body before he could bury it again. He won’t come for her. He’s going to watch her, and then slowly take out other pieces in the game.”
Raphael didn’t like that.
“Like whom?”
Ethan was to the point.
“Techs, doctors, husbands…then, he’ll come for her.”
That hung there.
Neither Ivan nor Raphael liked that—at all.
“How will you catch him then?” Ivan asked her, worried for the woman he protected, and loved like a sister.
She just laughed.
“Yeah, I have no idea yet. We’re so fucked, I’m going to be walking funny for a month. I’m winging this shit, Ivan, and if the past has taught me one thing, when I wing it, I tend to drop the ball.”
Well, Christ.
That terrified all of them.
And honestly, it should.
Chapter Twenty
The Morgue
Same Time
Tuesday Nine A.M.
The Clock Is Ticking…
As they approached the morgue, ready to get updated and dig into the interviews for the day, Elizabeth was thinking about one thing, and one thing alone. Oh, and it caught her off guard when she realized someone was missing.
Someone important.
Her.
Son.
“Uh, EJ, did you forget someone this morning?” she asked, curiously.
