Sean hung up the phone and looked across the conference room at Lynch. “That was my profiler. She’ll be here in about ten minutes.”
The detective nodded, his expression grim as he swept a hand toward the whiteboards crowded with photographs, timelines, and notes. “Great. Maybe she can make some sense out of this mess.”
Sean understood the feeling. Hours of digging had given them more victims, more reports, and more questions, but no closer glimpse of the man responsible.
A few minutes later, Brian and Rafe walked into the room, and almost on cue, one of the landline phones on the table rang. Sean picked it up and listened as the deputy at the front desk informed him that Dr. Suki Ralston had arrived. He replaced the receiver and headed for the lobby. The moment he spotted her near the front entrance, he had to suppress a groan. Suki looked exactly as polished and striking as ever. And all he could think about was Brian’s reaction.
His brother had always treated women like a revolving door—step through, enjoy the scenery, and move on before anyone expected permanence. Sean had never approached relationships that way, but the outcome had often been the same. Long hours, sudden call-outs, and the relentless demands of the Bureau had a way of wearing down even the strongest connections.
His mind drifted to Grace. The memory of her soft lips against his surfaced without warning, bringing with it the same restless pull that had distracted him half the day. He pushed the thought aside—now was not the time.
Suki wore a dark blue suit, the skirt falling just above her knees. A crisp white blouse with the top two buttons undone and navy heels completed the look. Since most of her time was spent behind a desk building profiles rather than chasing suspects through alleys, she could get away with footwear that would cripple most field agents after an hour. Even so, he knew the tailored jacket concealed a shoulder holster. She was still an agent.
A thin gold chain rested against her throat, and a simple watch circled her wrist. She wore almost no makeup, but she didn’t need it. Her black hair was pinned into a sleek professional knot, though Sean knew that when she let it down, it would fall to the middle of her back.
As he pushed open the secured door leading to the back hallway, her face brightened.“Hey, stud muffin, how’s that rhythm thing going?”
He winced. “Do me a favor, will you? My brother’s working with us, so if you could cool it with the ‘stud muffin’ remarks, I’d really appreciate it.”
Her smile widened. “No problem. I know what it’s like to be teased by older brothers.”
As they fell into step down the hallway, her playful expression faded, replaced by the focused professionalism he expected from her. “Has anything changed in the case since yesterday?”
He nodded. “Yeah. We found three more victims in Philadelphia from last summer. The lead agent emailed me the report and is sending the rest of the file down tonight. She said she knows you. Karen Winslow?”
Recognition flickered across her face. “Oh, yes. I know her well. She can be a little gruff at times, but she’s an excellent agent.”
“Well, now we’ve got six victims, and we’re still spinning our wheels. I’m hoping between you and Winslow, you can point us in some kind of direction.”
“I’ll do my best.”
He opened the conference room door and let her walk in first, her well-worn brown leather briefcase tucked against her side. The four detectives, who had been in the middle of a conversation only seconds earlier, fell silent and gaped the moment she entered. Sean fought the urge to sigh. Predictable.
Suki strode to the head of the table with calm confidence, completely at ease beneath the sudden attention. “Good afternoon, gentlemen.”
The men rose almost as one and returned the greeting, as Sean stepped forward to make the introductions, indicating each man with a flick of his hand. “Suki, this is our lead detective, Brad Lynch, Rafe Montoya of the SBI, and my brother, Brian, also with the state police. Guys, this is Dr. Suki Ralston, FBI agent and profiler extraordinaire.”
She shook hands with each of them, poised and professional, seemingly oblivious to the reaction her appearance always sparked. Sean had worked enough cases with her to know she was used to it. Off duty, she was quick-witted, sharp, and fun to be around. The moment work entered the equation, though, every ounce of that easygoing charm gave way to laser-sharp focus.
She reached for the nearest chair, but Rafe—standing closest—beat her to it, pulling it out for her with enough eagerness to make Sean suppress a smirk.
Suki offered him a gracious smile as she sat. “Thank you.”
Setting her briefcase on the floor, she pulled out a pen and a fresh yellow legal pad before glancing around the room, all business. “Okay, gentlemen, please have a seat and tell me about this case from the beginning. Sean gave me the basics yesterday, but I want to hear everything from the top, including any theories you’ve developed.”
Sean dropped into his chair and watched her for a moment. This was where Suki always impressed him. She had a way of absorbing details that bordered on unnerving, picking through facts and patterns most people overlooked. If anyone could spot the thread they’d all been missing, it was her.
Over the next hour, each member of the task force walked her through the investigation from the beginning. The discovery of the first victim. The timeline of the murders. The similarities between the North Carolina and Philadelphia cases. The interviews, dead ends, and theories that had led nowhere.
Suki filled page after page with notes, her pen moving across the paper with astonishing speed. She’d once told Sean she’d taken shorthand as an easy elective in high school and discovered she had a knack for it. Over the years, that skill had become one of her greatest professional assets. Watching her work now, he had no trouble believing it.
She rarely interrupted, speaking only to ask for clarification or pin down a precise detail. Otherwise, she listened with complete focus, her expression unreadable as she built the framework of the case in her mind.
By the time the final summary ended, she had filled nearly fifteen pages. And Sean could only hope that somewhere in all those notes, Suki had already begun to see what the rest of them had missed.
When the briefing finally wound down, Sean reached for the thick folder he’d set aside earlier and slid it across the table. “I also made you a copy of everything we have. I figured you’d be up late going through it all.”
She set it beside her legal pad and flipped the cover open. The rustle of paper filled the room as her eyes moved over the first few pages, scanning with the same sharp focus Sean remembered from every case they’d worked together. Even after all this time, the speed with which she processed information still impressed him.
