“Sheriff’s Office found a trench coat a mile up the creek,” Meyers informed them.“They’re going to examine it for DNA and fingerprints.”
“No weapon?”Faith asked.
Meyers shook his head.“He won’t dump that close.He knows we’re looking for a gun that fires ceramic bullets.Now that we have his description, I don’t think he’ll dump it at all.”
Faith nodded.Jessica noticed her expression and frowned questioningly.Faith shook her head slightly.She didn’t want to air her doubts out in front of Brandon.She still couldn’t be sure there was any basis to her doubts.“Brandon, will you accompany Sergeant Meyers to the Quantico Police Department and provide a description of the attacker to a sketch artist?”
“Sure.Yeah, of course.”
“Thank you.”She managed a smile.“You did good.”
Brandon looked like a kid who had just been given a medal.“Thank you.”
The group headed back to their cars.Turk caught up after a few seconds.He wore a pensive expression, indicating that whatever he’d smelled at the scene, it didn’t match with what he’d picked up from the previous scenes.That wasn’t a foolproof indicator that they were on the wrong track, but it was another cloud in their sky.
Uncertainty was everywhere in Faith’s life right now.This case, and whatever was going on with David.She hoped for clarity, but as she started back toward Quantico, she feared she was wading into thicker and thicker fog.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
“You don’t think this is the guy?”Jessica asked.
Faith sighed and crossed her arms.“I don’t know.”
They were back at the station, watching the news bulletin with the sketch based on Brandon’s description airing to the residents of Stafford County and Prince William County.Their lunch sat untouched on the table and would likely join their uneaten breakfast in the garbage can before too long.Already, the burgers and fries were stone cold.
“I mean, he attacked a woman alone in a park with a gun,” Jessica said.
"He strangled her with a purse strap and then threatened her with what looked like a gun but might have just been his finger," Faith said."He tried to rob her, and when Brandon showed up, he ran off almost immediately despite supposedly being armed."
“Maybe his gun only fires one bullet.”
“Yeah.Maybe.”
Jessica frowned, a little petulantly, and turned back to the TV.Faith understood her irritation.Only a few hours ago, they were sure they were closing in on the real killer, and now that was being called into question.She didn't want to admit that they might have the wrong guy once again.Heaven knew Faith didn't want to admit it.
But it just didn’t feel right.Why would the killer transition from being brutally efficient to being clumsy?Why would he rob Fatima but leave Iris’s much fatter wallet andjewelryalone?Why would he strangle her instead of shooting her point-blank through the head?
She sighed and reached for her burger.She wasn’t hungry, but eating would give her something to do other than think about everything that could go wrong.
“I mean, we don’t know what happened with the other killings,” Jessica said.“He might have wanted to rob them and been forced to kill them because of the dogs.”
“Rebecca Hartley didn’t have a dog.”
“And he kicked her into a ditch and then fled.Maybe he heard someone coming.”
“Yeah,” Faith said.“Maybe.”
Jessica folded her arms over her chest and jutted her lower lip out.“Well, shit.”
“I could be overthinking it,” Faith said.“Honestly, I…” She hesitated, trying to think about how much she should share.Well, she had started, so she might as well finish.“I had an unusual phone call with David right before the call came in about the attack in Stafford.”
Jessica looked at Faith.“Oh yeah?Everything okay?”
“I don’t know.He called out sick from work today.”
“Uh oh.”
Faith shook her head.“No, it’s not that.He said it was just a cold, and he didn’t sound sick on the phone.”
