Page 54 of So Lethal

Or maybe not. He wouldn’t have to know them. He’d just have to know that they existed and that they suffered from impaired hearing. Some killers picked specific victims, but Faith had captured several who made lists and picked names off of that list.

And this killer didn’t need to make his own list. He had lists readily available to him.

She leaped to her feet. “We need to talk to Dr. Hayes again.”

Michael frowned. “Why?”

“I think I know how to find our killer. Turk! Come!”

Turk looked at Faith. He seemed disappointed to have to leave, but he didn’t hesitate, barking goodbyes to his friends, then loping back to her.

Faith half-jogged back to the car, Michael right behind her. They made the drive to the medical center in four minutes and needed only one more to run up the stairs to the fourth floor.

They nearly collided with Dr. Hayes at the door to her office. The doctor gasped and dropped the file she was holding.

“Sorry about that,” Faith said. “I need to ask you one more question.”

Dr. Hayes blinked, still startled. “Okay.”

“You said that patients usually act like their hearing loss is a tragedy, right?”

“Um… Yes, more or less.”

“Have you ever had a patient who acted like it was a blessing somehow?”

“A blessing? I don’t think so. I did have one patient who thought he was called upon by God to minister to the deaf.”

“Minister? How so?”

“He didn’t say, but I assumed he meant through religion.”

Faith shared a look with Michael. That wasn’t exactly where her mind had gone, but it might be worth following up on. “Can you tell me about him?”

Dr. Hayes glanced around. The others in the suite were staring at them. “I would prefer to talk in my office since we’ll be discussing protected health information. I really should ask for a court order, but considering the urgency, I suppose I can make an exception.”

They entered the office but remained standing. Faith was too amped up to sit. Dr. Hayes walked behind the desk, her brow furrowed in confusion. “I really don’t understand what this could have to do with the killings,” she said. “I would think that a murderer would be more likely to hate deaf his victims.”

“Killers come in all flavors, I’m afraid,” Faith said, “and religiously motivated ones aren’t particularly uncommon.”

Dr. Hayes grimaced. “No, I suppose not. Let’s see. This was a recent patient of mine. I saw him… five weeks ago. Captain David Harrison.”

Michael raised an eyebrow. “Captain?”

“Yes. He was recently discharged from the U.S. Army as a result of his accident.”

“What accident?”

"He couldn't share many details, but I know he was testing equipment. There was an accident, and he suffered a traumatic brain injury. Several different areas were damaged, but the damage to the auditory cortex was most severe. I referred him to a neurologist."

“You said he felt called by God to minister to the deaf,” Faith said. “Can you expand on that?”

Dr. Hayes removed her glasses and cleaned them with her shirt. Her expression was vaguely disturbed. A lot of people not in Faith’s line of work had difficulty accepting the reality that they could know someone unhinged enough to murder others. These little delays helped give them time to process that possibility. Faith understood it, but it frustrated her to no end right now. She had to focus on her breathing to keep from shouting at Dr. Hayes.

“He… He said that God had chosen him. He said that God was punishing him, and the only way he could atone for that punishment was to liberate others with hearing loss.”

“He used that word? Liberate?”

“He did, but… I thought…”

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