But Alison cared.She knew she was right.She was sure she was right.Even though she knew her opinion might be skewed by the research she had done, she had an inherent need to prove herself right and make a name for herself.She needed to prove she could do the job, or she might be relegated to a lifetime of obscurity.
"That’s sometimes the way it goes," Dr.Hitchford told her."Your assessment was good, but that doesn’t mean it was right.Sometimes, we don't get that validation.Come on, let’s get back to it."
When Alison left the office with Dr.Hitchford, she expected Dr.Carver to be positioned outside, staring over at her with a smirk.It is naive to think that.Alison was only in the position for six months, and it was her first case.
Perhaps a knock to my ego is for the best.I’ll still prove to everyone that I’m the best.
She knew that it didn't matter who was right or wrong, as long as they made an arrest.She only hoped that they would.
CHAPTER ONE
Present day
Alison Payne stood in her kitchen as the coffee pot was slowly filled.The aroma coming from the dark liquid made her mouth water, and she smiled in anticipation.She opened the cupboard above the coffee machine and took out three cups, placing them to the right of the coffee pot.Then, from the cupboard to the left of that one, she took the bag of sugar and poured it into a small ceramic bowl.
She had never had need of a sugar bowl.The only time she brought out sugar for coffee was when her father visited.She placed the bag back in the cupboard and grabbed the small container of cream from the fridge.Just as she set it down, the panel by the front door buzzed.
Alison made her way through and tapped the screen to view the gate camera.Derek looked back at her when the camera activated, and beyond him, in the passenger seat of his car, was her father.
Alison pressed the button to unlock and open the electronic gate, then opened her front door, leaving it an inch open so they could enter when they parked.
She smiled as she walked back to the kitchen.There was a lot in her life not to smile about, but not this.She was in love with Derek and thinking of a future with him, and it was the closest she’d been to her father in some time.And the fact that Derek and her father were working together was the icing on the cake.
Alison went back to the kitchen to unwrap the pastries she’d brought.Derek had assured her that they were making progress, and her heart beat a little quicker each time she thought about that, but they had made progress on her sister’s case before, and it had resulted in a dead end.Hope could be dangerous, and it was adept at sapping her motivation.
She heard the door closing as she took the pastries to the breakfast bar.The kitchen table had more space, but there were multiple files spread over the surface.
"Hey," Derek said when he entered the kitchen.He went straight to her and kissed her on the cheek.
"Hey," Alison said, smiling.
Derek went straight to the coffee maker after and poured out three cups of coffee, while Alison went to greet her father and hug him.
"It’s good to see you again, Dad," she said."You’re making a habit of this."
"About time, right?"James suggested."A good habit to form.You’re never too old."
"How’s Rex?"Alison asked.
"He’s…yeah, doing okay," James replied.
Alison left it at that.Her father’s face had tightened, his jaw strained, his eyes narrowed.Rex had been her father’s faithful companion when he was an officer.They had retired together.James had recently turned seventy-two, and Rex was far older than that in dog years.Rex had begun to slow down of late, and multiple visits to the vet had not stopped it.
"I should get back to him by the afternoon," James commented.
Alison put her arm around her father’s shoulders."Come and get some coffee."
Derek was one step ahead of her and had moved the coffee, cream, sugar, and pastries to the breakfast bar.Alison and James joined him there.
"So?"Alison asked, saying the word slowly.
"We’re going through the suspects systematically," Derek said."We’ve had multiple profilers and pattern recognition experts look at the five murders, and they all agree they could be connected.That doesn’t mean they are, but we haven’t been able to prove they aren’t.We work under both assumptions.Your sister could be the first victim of a serial killer, or we could be looking at multiple killers."
Emma Payne had been killed twenty-two years ago, left in a park, and posed in her swimming gear.Emma had been jogging on her way home after swim practice, and she hadn’t made it home.
There were four additional murders over the last twenty years, all of them with a five-year gap, except for the last murder, where there had been a gap of seven years.That could be proof that it was not connected, or the killer had been unable to work to their timeline.
Alison often became frustrated with the inconsistencies.She also wanted it to be a serial killer.The most recent murder was only a month ago.If the killer was still active, that meant they could still be caught.
