“I agree with you both that Dominique Sharp seems to have been the intended target. It’s tragic that an innocent woman is dead because of this.”
Neither Amanda nor Trent said anything in response. There was nothing to say.
Malone rubbed his jaw. “If this is a hired gun, it’s reasonable to think this person has a history of kills. Only thing is, she’s messed up this time. She’ll be getting more desperate. We can’t afford to underestimate her.”
“Speaking of not underestimating her, I believe she brought a signal jammer with her.” She told Malone about the loss of bars for a brief time at the Blackburn residence.
“Huh, as if I weren’t convinced already. Incorporating technology like that also suggests a professional.”
Somehow hearing he agreed with them made the situation more stressful.History of kills…How many had she gotten away with? Meaning no one had stopped her before now. Amanda pushed both thoughts aside. It wasn’t conducive to a productive mindset. Her focus needed to be homed in on being the one who would bring her down. “Once CSI Stuart is finished doing her thing, I’m sure she’ll enter her findings into the system. It will kick back if the casings are a match to any previous crime scenes. But since we’re thinking this is a professional, goingabout this from the gun standpoint isn’t likely to lead us anywhere. I suggest we rope in the FBI and have them check ViCAP to see if our investigation shares any similarities with any unsolved cases.” The Violent Criminal Apprehension Program housed records of major unsolved crimes in the US.
Trent was nodding. “Great idea. Since it’s most likely this woman has killed before, her crimes are likely to show up there.”
Malone shrugged. “You have my blessing.”
“I’ll reach out to my contact then.” She could go to Brandon Fisher, who was with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit and was also her best friend’s boyfriend, but Amanda believed she had a number for Nadia Webber, an analyst who worked with him. She’d try her first.
TWENTY-SIX
Amanda invited Trent to join her in her cubicle for the call to Nadia Webber at the FBI. She made the call on speaker.
The line was answered after two rings. “Nadia Webber, speaking.”
“Nadia, it’s Detective Amanda Steele from the Prince William County PD.”
“I remember you, but if you’re calling me, it’s not with good news.”
“It’s not, but I’ll get to that. I have my partner on the line with us, Detective Trent Stenson.”
“Trent.” The analyst’s voice softened. “It’s been a long time.”
“Hi, Nadia,” Trent said, and his cheeks flushed.
Amanda raised her eyebrows. Was there ever something between the two or was he red because talking to Nadia reminded him of the time he helped the FBI with a serial rape and murder case? It hadn’t been Trent’s finest hour. He’d been an eager uniformed officer with the Dumfries PD, a much smaller department than the PWCPD, and inserted himself into theinvestigation. Hearing it from his side, he put the connections together before the FBI. Amanda was in no position to dispute his claim. What she knew was Trent’s instincts had him running ahead of backup and paying the price. He almost became a victim himself and was left with bullet scars to remember the occasion.
“Whatever it is you need. Hit me,” Nadia told them.
“We need you to look into ViCAP for us.” Amanda ran through the details of the investigation, noting the tarp and rope and how pristine the murder scene was, including the strong cleaner. She also detailed the kill shots, two to the chest and one to the head, and the circumstances surrounding the failed attempt on Dominique Sharp’s life. How Blackburn was shot with a nine-mil slug. Also that the perp had used a silencer and fled the scene, but not before they were able to confirm it was a woman dressed in spandex shorts and a baggy tee, wearing a backpack.
“None of this sounds like an amateur killer to us,” Trent put in.
“Agreed. I would say from what you told me this woman sounds like a standard serial killer, aside from the brazen attempt on Sharp’s life. She must also love killing. I mean, to wrap up the victim even when she must have known Christine Lane wasn’t her intended target. She could have just left upon noticing her error, but she didn’t.”
“We boiled that down to a compulsion,” Amanda said.
“I’d say. Makes sense too because it seems the tarp and rope are her signature. All of this is good news for us because it should make it easier to find similar cases if they exist.”
If…Amanda realized the possibility was there, but found it harder to accept this woman hadn’t left a body count in her wake. In that vein, Nadia’s summary was bittersweet. While the method might help them track her down, it had taken more loss of life to get to this point. Hopefully, no one else would becomea statistic before they shut this killer down. “All right. Let us know what you find out.”
“You know I will.”
“Thank you.”
“No problem. Good luck in the meantime.” With that, Nadia ended the call, and Amanda was left facing Trent.
“Anything you want to share with me about Nadia? Your cheeks got a little color to them when she said your name.”
“It’s nothing.”
