Page 8 of Evidence of Us

“Tanya Brooks, age twenty-five. She was an investigative journalist and lived at 201 Mercer Street, Unit 7F. Physical description is five feet one inch, curvy build, dyed blonde hair, and spiral curls. She was dating a public defender named Gunner Brooks.”

“Claire Holloway was forty-one. She was a Cardiothoracic Surgeon for New Haven General. Her address was 17 Willow Crest Drive in the River Heights gated community. Physical description is five-foot four, again, is curvy with sandy blonde ringlets. She was married to Freddie Holloway with two children, Fisher and Sasha.”

“Naomi Patel was thirty-four and was a luxury Real Estate agent. She lived alone at 1021 Lexington Avenue in Penthouse 3. Her physical description is five feet even. She was petite with a curvy figure and had black shoulder-length curls.”

“Juliette Monroe was twenty-five and was an art gallery owner. Her address was 55 Briar Lane. Her physical description is five feet three inches with pronounced hips, pale skin, and jet-black curls. She had recently ended a high-profile relationship with Mayor Dan Holland, but it seems he was immediately cleared.”

“Monica Reeds was thirty-five and was the Assistant District Attorney in the city of Hawthorne. She lived at 300 Madison Commons, Apt 12A, here in New Haven. She is five feet two inches. She is curvy but has an overall athletic build, with tight shoulder-length brown curls. She was engaged to a homicide detective here in New Haven, Carter Reyes.

“Elena Kovak was thirty-nine and was a Finance Professor at New Haven University. She was living at 4 Briarwood Court in faculty housing. Her physical description is five feet four inches. She is full-figured with ash-blonde spirals. She had also been divorced for two years.”

“Now then… Notice anything?” I ask.

“They all have curly hair,” Zeke says. “And curvy.”

“Yes. The age and race doesn’t matter, as long as they’re under five foot five, curvy, and have curly hair,” I say. “Also, they had a job that put them in a position of power over someone, and they all had their heads shaved.”

“Meaning?” Levi asks.

“Meaning, it’s been a month. A body will show up soon, and it will be the same thing. They could be white, black, Asian, Latina, or anything. It literally doesn’t matter to this guy, as long as the other features fit,” I say.

“So why has no one connected this until we got it?” Parker asks. “Well. Until Mariska got it. I didn't do shit.”

“I knew. That’s why I pulled it over to us,” Kevin says. “But I don’t know.”

“No DNA was found with any of the women,” Caleb says, looking at his report. “The only thing we found was… Isabella Cruz had fibers from leather restraints, and so did Monica Reyes.”

“The autopsy shows they were very clean,” Levi explains. “This perp absolutely cleaned the victims very well after death and dismemberment.”

“So is he OCD?” Geno asks.

“Possibly,” I say. “Give me a little time to work on a profile, and I can build one. Someone might want to double-check behind me, though.”

“You are the only one qualified in profiling,” Kevin says. “What do you think should happen with the media and the public?”

“I would tell them. Don’t give them details,” I say. “Just say that there are eight connected at this time, but due to the sensitive nature of this, nothing further will be released. What was their ultimate cause of death?”

“Strangulation,” Levi says. “They had several marks on their necks, so it was repeated until they eventually didn’t stop.”

“Right, so don’t say anything,” I say. “They all disappeared in broad daylight but showed up reassembled in a park somewhere in the city. Never twice in the same area, but twice on opposite ends of the park. Why are you asking me all of this?”

“Because you have the freshest of eyes,” Kevin says. “You are also wildly talented and have spent more time studying serial killings than we have. This is a group effort, but I hired you for a reason. This department has only been around for a year, so we will be taking on more and more.”

“Were you all just in homicide before?” I ask.

“Geno was in homicide, but Zeke and Parker were hired on as detectives when this department was formed,” Kevin tells me. “Okay. Let’s comb through every word of this, and we can set up a press conference for tomorrow morning.”

“Who is speaking?” Geno asks.

“Can I?” Parker asks.

“NO!” Kevin, Geno, and Zeke say all at once, making Parker grin.

“Who do you think, Geno?” Kevin asks. I like that he doesn't just bark orders at everyone. He truly treats us like a team.

“I think Mariska should,” Geno says.

“Me? Why me?” I ask. “It’s my first day.”