“Different guy?” Jesse asks, not even sounding surprised.
“Definitely a different guy. Fuck. Let’s talk to Liam,” I say as I pull him back. By the time we return, Michaels is there and Matthew is over with Liam, but I notice he gives Jesse a concerned look.
“Do we have any PPE?” Jesse asks. “I just want a better look, but I promise I won’t move the victim.”
“We’re working on it,” Michaels says. “How’d you end up here?”
“I was on the phone with him when you called,” I respond.
“I knew you’d need all the manpower you could get if someone had kidnapped her… I didn’t expect this is how it would end up,” Jesse says, looking upset. I don’t blame him. I’m sure he feels like she died because of him. I know that feeling. I know how terrifying it is when someone is after you but is targeting others to prove to you that they are in control of the situation.
But we have Liam.
I step up beside Liam and whisper, “It’s not the brother.”
“Oh?” Liam asks, interest piqued. “Did anyone get the image of the man who met us in her room? Have you found that yet?”
“I’ll check, I’ll be right back,” Breanna says. She makes a call, and a few minutes later, she shows us a picture of the “brother” we’d met.
“I want to check whether this person really is someone close to her. The brother I see on her socials is someone different,” I say. “Sgt. Michaels, can you find someone who can do that? And also have security on the lookout for him, just in case. We don’t know whether he really is an innocent bystander or involved in some way.”
Michaels nods and quickly sets to it. “Send the photograph to all security here, and send it to me so I can pass it on to the officers on scene. He has to have checked in or given some name somewhere. I’ll also check with the nurses to see if this is the same brother the medical personnel interacted with?—”
“Lacey!” I say, realizing that we have someone who could help. “Lacey was really close friends with Nadine. She said that Nadine’s brother kept her up to date. I’ll contact her.”
The techs move in to document the crime scene while I find Lacey’s number and give her a call.
“Hello?”
“Lacey, this is Detective Hyde,” I say.
There is obvious hesitation. “H-How can I help you?”
“Detective Paige told me that you said that Nadine’s brother was in contact with you. Did you ever meet him?”
“I did, at the hospital.”
“I just sent you a picture. Is that her brother?”
“Yes. Why? What’s going on?”
“Can you send me the number he gave you?”
“Of course,” she says.
“Thank you,” I reply before ending the call. I’m sure she very much wanted to hear if I had anything more to say, but I have to deal with things here first. If the killer is still in the building, we are working against the clock.
“So they had all of this prepared before collecting Nadine,” Liam mutters out loud. “They likely wore something to cover their clothes so that when they cut her open, they remained clean. Of course they used gloves; they wouldn’t dare to chance leaving a fingerprint anywhere.” He scrutinizes the scalpel that looks spotless, likely never touched by bare fingers. “Then they pulled their covering off and disposed of it in this trash here.”
Liam borrows the keycard from Breanna and rushes off before she can ask where he’s going, but when Liam’s focused, he seems to do whatever he thinks is best, even if it’s slightly rude. She stays behind, dealing with something in the OR while Jesse and I hurry after Liam.
“They passed through this door,” he says as he walks into the next room and looks around.
“This wasn’t quick, though,” I say, waving back at the operating room. “Like… for all of this to have been done in such a short period of time…”
Jesse nods. “I agree. Maybe they’ve done this time and time again, but I have my doubts because they made a fewmistakes. It’s not quite sloppy, but… there are parts that show inexperience.”
“Understandable, since she was only missing for thirty-seven minutes before we arrived here,” Liam says. “This whole scene isn’t for them. This wasn’t them enjoying themselves. This was them leaving a message.”
