Page 11 of Beneath the Scars

Byron

It'sbeenthreedayssince the latest body dropped. I've spent most of that time following up with everyone in Aaron Butler's life, trying to make sense of the conflicting personalities. On the surface, everyone I speak to tells me what an upstanding person he was. He volunteered at soup kitchens, worked with the local Big Brother program, and even spent some time doing fundraisers for a no-kill animal shelter.

The people he worked with were devastated by his passing and even more shocked that he was the target of a deranged serial killer. The staff at the shelters and the Big Brother program were sad to hear of his passing and couldn't stop telling me how they would mourn his loss to the community.

However, the reaction we got from the man's girlfriend left us a smidge underwhelmed. If Aaron Butler was such a pillar and stand-up all-around good guy, why was the person he lived with, the person who claimed to love him, not affected by his sudden death?

In my line of work, I've seen many reactions to grief, and to an extent, some people would be in shock after learning of a loss, but that isn't what I'm getting from Jenny, Aaron's live-in girlfriend. I can't put my finger on it, and no matter how many carefully worded questions I aim her way, I can't get it figured out. It might be time to get Chief Hinds to send in a second set of eyes, but I hate admitting I need help.

Not even the report from Doctor Gale had any more information for me to work on. It's hard to adjust the profile on only one change in MO, and unless another victim falls with the same cause of death, we can't do much more than use the new change as an additional clue.

Perhaps this time, the victim fought harder, and the killer had to incapacitate him differently. Without any additional supporting information, the conclusions we can draw are endless.

No matter how I look at the report, though, it doesn't give me an excuse to phone up the sexy doctor and talk to her again, no matter how much I might wish it. At this point, I would only have a reasonable excuse for seeing her again if there is another body.

And I'mnotwishing for another body to drop. Definitely not.

My ringing phone pulls me from my musings, and my chest rises with a relieved sigh when I see Giz's name pop up.

"What have you got for me, Giz?"

The young genius laughs at my greeting. "Hello to you too, Agent Scott," they snark, but I know he isn't offended. This is just our thing. "I have your absolution, kind sir."

"What a coincidence. I happen to be in desperate need of absolution."

Giz laughs in response before clearing his throat. "I did another deep dive through the dearly departed Mr. Butler's laptop and found some gold. I missed it with the first sweep because it was cleverly hidden. But he had access to a server on the dark web. A server filled with sickos exactly like him where they enjoy sharing photos of their victims to get off to."

"Dammit." The expletive is much tamer than I'd like to use, but I'm keeping a handle on things before I lose my shit. "Any way you can track any of the other guys?"

"Already have cyberandchild crimes working on it. Not sure what they'll find, but hopefully, they can at least save a few kids." Their tone is much more sedate now that we're discussing a serious topic, and I appreciate that about Giz. They're quick to go with the flow. "You know what this means, right?"

"Yeah. The Cat did it again. Found a guy we didn't even know existed and took him out for us."

It eats at me. My feelings conflict, and I don't like it. Knowing The Cat is out there, stalking its next victim, getting ready to kill them, and brutally torture them sits in my stomach like a lead balloon. But the knowledge that they're helping us take out other scumbags is a relief. For every day I'm not catchingmyprey, at least I know there's a chance that the world might be one bad guy less.

Not that it means I'm giving it any less than my best.

On that thought. "You got the autopsy reports for the previous victims for me?"

"Yeah, it's already in your inbox. But it's not like you haven't read through the reports a million times before." Giz sounds confused, but I'm working on a hunch. I've run out of other leads to follow, plus it's the only chance I have of seeing Dr. Gale again, so I might as well capitalize on it.

"Thanks, Giz. And thanks for the info."

A quick look at the time tells me I have enough time to make it to the morgue and talk to the sensational doctor herself. I mean, I'm sure I could phone the hospital and ask to be put through to her, but where's the fun in that?

The trip to the hospital is quick, and the relatively quiet traffic is like a sign that I'm meant to be dropping by. But the look on the good doctor's face leaves a lot to be desired. It's clear she hasn't noticed that I've come in, which at least means the disgust and fear on her face isn't geared toward me.

"Doctor Gale?" I call out, announcing my presence. Her entire body jumps at the sound of my voice, and I hold up my hands in contrition, showing her that she has nothing to fear. "What's wrong?"

She blinks and stares down at the card she's holding before biting on her plump bottom lip.

"Agent Scott. Hi. Sorry. How can I help you," she asks, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear in a nervous gesture.

"You can tell me what has your face so pale and your pulse spiking," I respond, pushing aside all thoughts of The Cat. This isn't the snarky, annoyed medical examiner I'd met on my first day. The more I see, the more I'm convinced the woman is terrified.

She looks down at the card again before taking a deep breath, slightly nodding to herself. "What is the protocol on stalkers?" she asks, completely throwing me for a loop.

"Stalkers? Well, it's difficult. As long as the person in question hasn't made any direct threats, there's very little law enforcement can do other than file a report. Are you saying you have a stalker, Doctor Gale?"

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