"Do we know how they entered?"Alison asked as they stood.
"No," Hanson admitted.He looked around the room they were in, which was mainly filled with artworks on the walls."It’s a beautiful place, but there’s not really anything that is worth stealing.The history is invaluable, but this sort of stuff doesn’t fetch much on the black market.That means there are only a few cameras."
"And I’m guessing the killer wasn’t caught on any of the cameras?"Alison asked.
Hartley and Wolfe walked through the scene separately, taking it in.
"No, they weren’t caught on camera," Hanson admitted."As for how they got in and out, we know none of the alarms were tripped, and I have someone checking if the alarms were turned off at all or if any of the keypads were used.Maybe it was an inside job.Still, there was a delivery late last night, and the driver was coming and going for a couple of hours.It’s possible the killer came and went while the back doors were open.I just don't understand the security guard.It was always one victim at a time for the Collector, so why kill two, and why put one in a chair?"
Alison stood back from the security guard."I've been thinking about that, and one obvious conclusion is that the killer wants an audience.Obviously, that's what they crave with all three murders.They want us to take note, as law enforcement, of our mistakes, but the bodies are placed where they will eventually be found, especially in this case.They want the world to see what they've done, so we have to take notice as law enforcement.So, we have to be accountable for our mistakes."
Detective Hanson took a deep breath."So, the killer planned on killing both of them?"
"What do the blood drops say?"Alison asked.
"We know from blood in one of the research rooms that it was where Maria Chen was killed," Hanson said."The killer then dragged her body from there to here, which is about a hundred yards or so.The security guard was killed there," Hanson pointed to a post on the floor a few yards from the chair—"and then moved into position here.
"Okay," Alison said."Then I would assume the killer was disturbed.They killed Maria, dragged her through here to leave her to be found, and were disturbed by the security guard.I don't think this was planned until it happened, and then the guard became part of the audience, taking a front-row seat."
"The wrong place at the wrong time," Hanson muttered.
"Yeah, it looks that way," Alison admitted.
Wolfe was crouched over Maria Chen, taking photos of the Polaroids left there by the killer.It was another detail that backed up the theory that the security guard was not meant to be killed.Maria had the photos around her, just like at the previous two crime scenes, but the security guard did not.
"More people blamed by the killer," Wolfe said to Alison as he stood back up."Philly, Boston, and now, here.Where does the killer go next?"
"We have to hope nowhere," Alison said."We have to hope we catch them before they have the chance.They’re mobile, we know that.They’ve gone to three different cities to kill innocent people.
"That also makes it harder," Wolfe said."We need to ensure three separate departments in three cities are working together."He held up his hand toward Hanson."No offense or anything; I’m sure you’ll be fine.I only wonder if the killer knows that.I mean, they have to go where they think the mistakes are made, right, but by spreading the murders out, it’s harder for us to follow the trail, especially when we’re slowed down by having to share information back and forth.Is that part of the thinking behind this?"
"It could be," Alison admitted."Either way, you’re right.It makes it harder for us to follow them."
"We know they have a sense of justice," Hartley said, joining the conversation."We thought initially that might come from them being affected by one of the cases, but the more cases that pile up, the more unlikely that is.They can't be personally connected to all their cases, can they?"
"No, but they could still be connected to one of them," Alison pointed out."One case could be the catalyst, and if they blame police incompetence for some form of trauma, it might have sent them looking for more.They have a personal connection to one of the cases that causes them pain, and they know others share that pain, so they go on a crusade to help everyone, to fix all the mistakes of the past."
"That’s great and all," Wolfe said, "but if we’re looking for one person connected to one case, then we’re looking for a needle in a haystack."
"Which I’ve done before."Alison placed her hands on her hips."Maybe there’s no connection to any case, or maybe there is a connection to one, but I think we start there.We know we’re looking for someone organized and who can do their research.If we’re looking for someone connected to one of the cases, it could be someone who was involved in it.Either they can gather a lot of information about each case, or they’re part of law enforcement and can obtain details of the cases without arousing suspicion.Of course, if the killer is smart and they were around for one of the cases, they wouldn’t go to that case first.They would save that one for the endgame so we wouldn’t know where to look for them."
Wolfe let out a chuckle."So, you’re telling us that we don't have a lot of information on the killer, and that information might not even be revealed to us yet?"
"It’s possible," Alison conceded."I wish I had some better news for you, but I don't.It almost feels like what Dr.Cowan was talking about.We really need the killer to make a mistake and lead them to us.At the moment, we don't have a direction to go in.I believe that we will find the killer, but I also know this takes time."
"I know what it takes," Wolfe complained."You don't need to treat me like a child.Besides, I thought you were the big expert who was coming in to tell us all what we’ve missed.That’s what you do, right?Solve the crimes that no one else can?"
"No, that’s not what I do," Alison corrected."I can only work with the evidence at hand, and at the moment, that’s lacking.I’ve told you all that the evidence is telling me.Except…"
"What?"Hartley asked.
"I don't know," Alison admitted."I’m sure we’re looking for someone intelligent, someone who knows what they’re doing and what they need to do to shed light on failures in investigation.Possibly someone in law enforcement who’s versed in what can and can't be done.This doesn’t feel like some wild accusations being thrown around.They all make sense in their own way.Except that my picture was included.I still don't understand why, but it feels like the killer is targeting me for my mistakes.It’s almost as if I can find the killer if I can discover what my mistakes were or what they were perceived to be."
"Yeah, well, hurry up with that," Wolfe said.
Hartley slapped Detective Wolfe on the arm, which earned her a shocked look in return.
"We’re supposed to be working together, remember?"she asked.
