Page 48 of Three Girls Gone
“Which is what I thought, but that’s Hank Dickson.”
“Who you cleared?” When she nodded, Buchanan added, “Malone briefed me on that.”
Katherine flipped her laptop around and closed the lid. “After the note in the hem of Hailey’s tutu, attention shifted to male costume designers.”
Buchanan raised a pointed finger. “Did you speak with these people in the fall?”
“I did.”
“All right. Go on.” Buchanan gestured for her to continue.
“After I was cleared last night, I reached out to the people who employed these male costume designers, viewing this as a workaround. Just in case. It could still give me an idea of what they were like. I had to leave some messages, but I’d like to pull their backgrounds.” Katherine looked at Malone.
“I’ll make sure you get the IT permissions right after we’re finished here,” Malone said. “Just tell me if anyone flags.”
“Will do,” Katherine told him.
Buchanan sat back in his chair, clasped his hands over his stomach. “I must admit that I have mixed opinions about your assisting with this case in any capacity.”
Her stomach dropped out.Is he going to take this away from me now?
Buchanan continued. “After all, the killer’s note makes it quite clear what they will do if you are involved. But with thatsaid, I believe the threat is misleading. This person is wired differently than the rest of us. They’ve done this at least twice that we know of, and there is very little chance of rehabilitation in this type of individual. That reality is why I consented to your help, but I can’t stress enough that you need to watch your back.” Buchanan glanced over at Malone. “Did you arrange a protective detail for her when she’s not at the station?”
“I have,” Malone confirmed.
Katherine shifted on her chair, uncomfortable being discussed as if she wasn’t in the room. But that wasn’t the only thing making her uneasy. Her next admission was going to rip at her pride. How she might have focused on the wrong avenue for the past twelve years. That was unforgiveable. But she had no choice but to set her ego aside. Not if speaking up meant justice for Julie. No one was speaking, so this was her opportunity. “As I mentioned at the onset, Julie was sexually assaulted, but no DNA was left behind.”
“The same is true for Hailey Tanner,” Amanda said.
This revelation had Katherine going cold. “Then we could be looking at a woman.”
Everyone’s head turned to her.
“I think with a crime like this one, it’s more likely a man,” Buchanan said.
“Well, that’s what I’d always thought, but there’s nothing pointing to a man directly, just probability. It might be time to open our minds. In that endeavor, I’ve flagged someone as a person of interest.” Now the words were out, she wished she’d held off until she’d gathered more to support her suspicion. But was there any time to waste? “I told you a moment ago that I called the employers of costume designers. Well, one of those mothers ended up letting something slip.” She told them about Anne Harrington’s alleged affair with Evan Gilbert, how it had been on and off again for years and how Harrington had been present backstage at Julie’s last pageant. She stressed again thatthis was when and where the photo of Dickson was taken. She disclosed the restraining orders against the woman and how she had Detective Ryan pull the background. She concluded with, “I have Detective Fitz with the NYPD stopping by her place, seeing if we can tie her to Woodbridge.”
“But surely there must be more than that,” Malone put in. “What would make this woman target and hurt children? With that said, you must have established a profile?”
Katherine nodded. “We worked with the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit. They put a profile together for us. They figured male, in his early to mid-thirties, likely someone who suffered abuse as a child or was from a broken home with exposure to domestic violence. This person may battle mental health issues and have low self-esteem. They may feel incompetent and harbor shame, and as a result are socially awkward. He will have little going for him in his personal and professional lives, so this reinforces his beliefs of worthlessness. He abuses children to feel a sense of control, as if that can somehow mend his own pain.”
“If that’s the case, we could be looking at more girls we don’t know about,” Amanda said, her face pale.
“We could be.” Katherine met her friend’s gaze. “But going back to Harrington, I’d like to dig into her past more.”
Buchanan tapped the edge of the table and got up. “Definitely keep on that, and keep me posted.” With that, the chief swept out of the room.
Malone followed soon after with Trent at his heels.
Amanda came over and put her hand on Katherine’s shoulder. “We’ll find this person. Man or woman.”
Katherine wished she felt that confidence, but twelve years of hard work hadn’t accomplished that.
TWENTY
Amanda was finding it hard forging ahead after what Katherine disclosed. But on the chance Anne Harrington didn’t pan out, she and Trent needed to keep following other leads. That’s why she had Trent take them to Tiptoe Studio.
At nine o’clock, they pushed through the door and a bell chimed over their heads. A counter was right inside, backed by a wall with another door. It must have separated the studio from the public eye.
