Page 61 of Chasing Creed

She knew as soon as she told him, he’d drop everything and find a way to do something about it. And right now, they didn’t know if this list of names was connected to Iris Malone. Maggie had dealt with serial killers who copied others. Someone paying attention and obsessed with this case could be doing just that. Copycatting Elijah Dunn.

She and Pakula needed to figure out more, check and verify as much as possible before she threw that at Ryder. And especially before she threw that at Brodie.

Maggie had gone through this once before with Ryder. While working a case in DC, she’d stumbled upon a drug cartel’s hit list. Ryder’s name was on that list. As soon as he found out, he shut himself off from her and everyone he loved in order to protect them. His impulse was to take the cartel on all by himself.

She knew things were different now. Not just between the two of them, but also with others in his life. The man who had depended only on himself learned to trust those in his inner circle: Hannah, Jason, Dr. Avelyn, even Sheriff Norwich, and now herself and Brodie. Although that was still a select few. But she didn’t want to send him into that same warrior spiral if this was just some copycat messing with law enforcement.

She pulled off her boots and dug out the pink, fluffy-soft socks. A Christmas gift from Brodie, the socks were a mainstay since then. She made sure they were always packed no matter where she was headed. Socks had become a luxury item for Brodie. When Iris held her captive, she’d kept Brodie barefoot in the hopes it would discourage escape. Maggie remembered the first time she met her in the hospital. Cut, scraped, and bruised alongside scars, Brodie’s feet were a telling map that suggested the lack of socks had not discouraged her escape efforts.

Maggie spread out her files and photos on the desktop again, this time with the handwritten list in the center. She snapped a few photos then texted them to Antonio Alonzo, so he’d have them first thing in the morning.

Alonzo was a cyber whiz kid at Quantico with a knack for busting through firewalls and getting into internet-sealed backdoors. She didn’t ask any questions about how he was able to get the information. Now that he worked on her team, she still didn’t ask. Just told him to be careful.

She tapped out a message to follow the photo attachments.

Someone left this on Pakula’s windshield while we were at the courthouse in David City. Wrobel may be the unidentified body pulled from an Omaha lake (Chalco Rec Area) yesterday morning. Any info or thoughts are welcome.

Maggie stared at the note scratched out on the back of the flyer. She and Pakula had spent a few hours poring over it, accompanied by too many beers, chips and salsa and some amazing enchiladas.

They still hadn’t figured out all the PLSs, though they were certain the acronym stood for Place Last Seen. Chalco and Wanahoo verified that for them. The other three places—Cheyenne, Starkville, and DC—were possibly all cities.

The Chalco date almost certainly verified that DOE referred to the date of death. According to Pakula, the ME had since confirmed the woman’s body hadn’t been in the water long. He placed the time of her death within the early morning hours of the date matching the one on the flyer. Neither Maggie nor Pakula could be sure what the “E” stood for. Elimination? Exit? Extinguish? It was likely a moniker for death.

All the DOEs were within the last several weeks. All but one. Kristel Unger had been murdered by Elijah Dunn and her body dumped in Lake Wanahoo almost two years ago. Why was her name included? Was it simply to make a connection?

Maggie thought it was something a copycat would do. Pakula believed someone was trying to tip off law enforcement. Either way, it felt like there was an urgency in the hastily scribbled chart.

Maggie had hunted enough killers to know some of them loved playing games, especially with law enforcement. Her own personal experience included a few elaborate backs and forth matches. Even Elijah Dunn had taken them on a wild scavenger hunt.

What nagged at Maggie was those two back-to-back dates. How could he kill and dump one body in a Nebraska lake then the next day take another victim from a café in DC?

It wasn’t impossible. Ambitious, for sure. Like he was working under a deadline.

She ran her finger along the line that coincided with today’s date. The victim was listed as Charlotte #6. Name: Rachel Gibson. PLS: DC Village Café.

Her phone rang. Alonzo. She shouldn’t have been surprised. Despite his cool and colorful designer clothes being meticulously crisp and fresh, she suspected he ran on premium coffee and very little sleep.

“I thought you might be out sledding in all that beautiful snow,” he said in place of a greeting.

“You know I don’t expect you to work on this tonight.”

“I’m wrapping up a few other things. Besides, handwritten notes on the back of what looks like some random handout has me intrigued. And on the windshield? Like stuck under the wiper blades?”

“Yes.”

“It’s so old-fashioned. I like that. Very retro. Have you checked for surveillance cameras yet?

“Pakula’s working on it. So far, I think there’s only one at the gas station. Maybe another at the bank. Hard to say if our parked vehicle can be seen in either. It’s cold here. Everyone’s bundled up.”

“If you get a shot of the person, send it over. It won’t take me long to enhance it.”

“I appreciate that. Right now, I need to find out more about the women on this list. I need to know if there’s a possible connection. There’s one known sample on this list. Kristel Unger. It’s a case connected to the one I’m here working on?”

“Was that the scavenger hunt?”

“Yes, Elijah Dunn. He was arrested for human trafficking.”

“That’s the guy who kidnapped little girls with his sister. Is that right?”