"We can send the officers in first," Moore told her.
"No, not dangerous for us.Of course, the message is for me, and it’s part of his game, but it’s a dangerous move forhim.I’ve been up against killers before, and the more they give, the better it is for us.I think we’re close, and I don't know if he realizes that.He’s playing a game with us, with me, and he thinks himself untouchable.A lot of them do.He’s killed three people without being caught, so why shouldn’t he feel untouchable?We’re almost there, and I think we'll get to him without this message for me.He thinks he has the upper hand, but we do."
"At the very least, we let him play his game as long as he isn’t killing people," Moore pointed out.
"Exactly," Alison agreed as they drove into the night."If he were out there killing one person after another, it would create chaos.It would hurt us and make us more frantic.He creates the rules, but the structure works against him.He can send me a dozen messages if he wants, and I’ll take them.Even if they are traps."
"Promise me one thing," Moore said.
"I can try," Alison admitted.
"I know you by your work and reputation," Moore said."This could be a trap, but I don't think so.He made the call to the police station, knowing we wouldn’t come alone.This is about the system we are all a part of, but it’s also about you.I’m worried that he’s going to try to draw you out alone.This ends with him getting his message across, but if he’s doing that through you, it might also mean killing you."
"Yeah," Alison admitted.She had gone through the same thing in Reno with Nathan Cross.He wanted to dine with her, but there was no scenario in which he would walk away without killing her after that.The killer was focused on her, and she had to consider that he would try to kill her as his finale.
It was one of the burdens of being known for catching serial killers.She became the grand prize.
"If he tries to lure you into a trap, I don't want you playing the hero or trying to use yourself as bait.I called you because I had to, but we’ve been in this together since the start.We end this together, okay?"
"Okay," Alison said with a smile, still looking out of the window."I can get on board with that."
"Good," Moore said in a businesslike tone."Okay.The building we’re heading for is an abandoned correctional facility, which fits very well with the killer’s motif.We don't know what we'll find when we go in, so we let the officers search the place first, and when they deem it safe, we go in.I’m guessing there’s another report for you, and I'm hoping there's no fresh body."
Alison sighed through her nose as she looked out of the window.Nathan Cross had been someone she had worked with on and off, and he had targeted her because of rejection.This was different.It felt like jealousy.With the amount of effort the killer was going to put into his reports, it felt like he needed to prove her wrong because he was jealous of her work.
No, it wasn’t strictly jealousy.He was trying to prove her wrong—he didn't want to be like her in that regard.There were layers, though.Was he jealous that she had a prolific career with the Correctional system?Was he jealous that she had moved on and was working with the FBI?Was he jealous that she had caught so many killers?Was that the ultimate revenge?Prove her entire career wrong and evade capture in the process, proving he was better than her?
She had narrowed down the list of suspects in her head.There were only ten people she had worked with over the past decade who fit the profile they were looking for, both physically and mentally.That was more than she could ask for with any trial killer case.Everything they had so far pointed to the profile being correct.That meant that amongst the ten suspects, one of them was their killer.
They would visit them all and bring in all ten if needed.
"This is it," Moore announced when they pulled up to the imposing concrete building behind the wire fence.They could only see it in the darkness, as the two patrol cars and Moore’s car were pointed at it, illuminating one side of the dull gray facade.
Once the car came to a halt, Alison got out.She didn't walk toward the building, respecting what Detective Moore had said.Instead, she leaned against the vehicle with one arm and waited.
The detective ordered the four officers accompanying them to search the building while she remained outside with Alison.
While they waited, the office sent a list of suspects based on what they had gathered so far.The list almost matched Alison’s, except it was missing three people.Those three were confirmed to either be out of the country or the state.
It was more welcome news.A list of ten possible suspects had been narrowed down to seven.
"We still have time tonight once we are done here," Moore said."I don't know about you, but I’m happy to go door to door through the list of suspects to find our killer."
"Yeah, me too," Alison said.She was used to doing that with Derek, and she knew he would protect her come what may, but she felt safe with Detective Moore.There was something in the woman that put her at ease.
They waited outside together under the dark, cloudy sky, until one of the officers emerged alone fourteen minutes after the four had entered.He waved to them from close to the building to join him.
"It’s clear," he said when they got to him."The place hasn’t been touched in a long time.Maybe some squatters, but there’s no one in there now.Just the…looks like similar to what he left at the crime scenes before, but not a dead body."
They hadn’t been expecting a dead body, and it was a relief to hear there wasn’t one.Detective Moore and Alison followed the officer into the building.
"The others are still moving around the place just in case, but there’s no sign anyone is still here," the officer explained as they made their way through the dusty building.
"That was what we expected," Moore said."It’s good.We don't need to be dealing with our killer in a place like this.It gives me the creeps just walking through it."
Alison covered her mouth with her sleeve to protect herself from the dust.The building had once been operational, but before she worked for the correctional system.
Although she hadn’t been in the building before, she recognized the layout from other buildings.A lot was the same.They walked down dark corridors, the officer shining a bright flashlight, picking out the flaking paint on the walls that would have once been a sterile white.
