Page 51 of Her Frozen Heart

“The name sounds familiar,” Liam said.

“He’s one of the few I can think of who’s anything like your offender, and that in itself is disturbing. Richard Ramirez is the only other one I can think of who did just about everything and went after all types, including raping kids. But he never sexually assaulted men. He killed them because they stood between him and whoever he wanted to rape and kill that night.” Roth shivered. “I’ll never forget sitting across from him with my mentor. He was one of the first murderers I met.”

Liam’s head shot up from his notes. Liam’s fascination with Ramirez stemmed from a friend in college, who claimed to have been among the crowd that chased Ramirez down in 1985, leading to his arrest. Liam would grill Roth for hours on the guy if he had the chance, so Nikki beat him to the punch. “Tell us about Isaac Monday.”

“Well, Monday was nothing short of a genius, choosing his victims in one state and burying them in another, often thousands of miles apart. He killed a couple and admitted to raping both the male and female. He also claimed to have raped and killed more men, but he never gave names. Do you have any idea why only the last victim was put into the lake?”

“The ground froze before he got her buried,” Nikki said. “But the fact that he improvised a solution speaks to experience and financial stability.”

“It does, but I asked because Monday also buried all of his victims, except for his final victim, whom he put into a lake.” Roth’s eyes clouded with worry. “He admitted that he’d dug the hole on the ice in broad daylight, while other people fished. Of course, this was Alaska, so the ice was much deeper, but the similarity is frighteningly interesting.”

“You seem very familiar with the case,” Liam said.

“That’s because an investigative journalist wrote a book about him about a year ago,” Roth said. “It’s superb, and the author insinuated Monday isn’t as well-known as some other serial murderers because there were major bungles by pretty much every law enforcement office involved, including the Anchorage FBI, and they worked hard to keep that out of the media. Monday didn’t want the attention, either, because he had a young child to protect. Given the relative newness of the book and the similarities between Monday and your killer, my curiosity is more than piqued.”

“How many people did Monday kill?” Nikki asked.

“They don’t know all of them,” Roth said. “I believe at least double digits. But he started when he was young—early teens. He raped and killed a neighbor girl. They never found her remains, but he admitted to it after they caught him decades later.”

Liam had been concentrating on his phone. “Monday grew up in a rural area, had survival skills. His family was religious, and his childhood definitely wasn’t normal.”

“No, it wasn’t,” Roth said. “His parents lived off the grid and homeschooled their children. Religious beliefs caused much of his self-hatred. Unfortunately, he killed himself while awaiting trial. We’ll never know what truly went on in his head, and it’s a shame. We could have learned a lot, not to mention the victims he didn’t admit to killing.”

“Antisocial behavior, shooting the neighbor’s house and pets with BB guns, torturing a feral cat.” Liam looked disgusted. “All of that by the time he was fourteen.”

“Antisocial behavior is one that we continue to see, even in criminals from decent homes with no record of abuse or trauma. It often starts at a young age, and I can think of at least three inmates whose parents intervened multiple times, got them help, the whole nine yards. None of it mattered.” Roth shuddered. “Those are the scary ones.”

“Well, our killer either cooled off or moved,” Nikki said. “Regardless of who the first victim turns out to be, the rest were buried much later, and possibly with months in between. So, he’s patient. He knows the kind of victim he’s looking for, and he can control the urge until he sees that right person.”

Roth nodded. “Think of this person as an alligator, hanging out in the depths of the pond, sunbathing on a log, whatever they do when they aren’t hungry. When they get hungry, they strike. But the rest of the time, they’re more docile. Doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of striking at that moment, but they aren’t driven by the primordial need of hunger. That’s how they hang out in plain sight without being noticed so often.”

“Or Nile crocs,” Nikki said.

“I’m sorry?” Roth asked.

“Fishing For Giants. It’s a show on the Smithsonian Channel,” she answered. “My boyfriend and my daughter love it. One of the first episodes is about trying to catch Nile perch, which can grow to be more than four hundred pounds.”

Roth looked more confused, and Nikki felt like she was back at the academy, taking the long way to answer an instructor’s question. “Anyway, he’s got to contend with Nile crocodiles, which are more aggressive than American alligators or crocs. There’s a scene where he’s thinking about getting off the boat and fishing from this shore area where the weeds are tall and brown, but then he sees these crocs watching him. Instead of being intimidated or cautious, they raced past him and the boat, and a couple of them looked like they might attack. They fear nothing and no one.”

“Just like the guy we’re looking for,” Liam said.

The four of them looked at each other in silence for a moment before the desk sergeant poked her head into the room. “Sheriff Miller, a Forest Lake detective is on line three about Parker Jameson. You want to take the call in your office?”

“No, patch them through.”

The phone rang moments later, and Miller put the call on speaker. “Sheriff Miller, here with the FBI and Doctor Alex Roth. You’re calling about Parker Jameson?”

“Detective Dover from Forest Lake,” the voice on the other end said. “We just got a photo of Parker Jameson. He looks like he’s alive, but there’s a body bag next to him. He also left a message with the photo,” Dover said. “Can your team get to the police station this morning?”

“We’re on our way.” Nikki was already on her feet. “Doctor Roth, your information has been helpful.”

He was already shrugging into his coat. “Of course. Please call if you have additional questions.” He worried his bottom lip, glancing around the room. “I don’t want to alarm you, but I believe Isaac Monday also sent a photo of his last victim, asking for ransom. She turned out to be dead in the photograph.”

“Forest Lake didn’t mention a ransom letter,” Liam said. “With all the media attention since Kesha’s body was found, he’s trying to show that he’s not afraid of us, that he’s still in control. That means he’s close to making a mistake, or that he has already. We just have to find out what it is.”

Roth nodded. “I’m sure you’re right.”

Nikki glanced at Liam, who looked more pale and tired than he had a couple of days ago. She knew he was going to be pissed off at her decision, but she wasn’t going to stand in the way of his recovery.

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