Page 16 of Say Nothing
"It’s through here," the officer said, guiding them into the house and down the hallway.
There was no sign of a struggle or forced entry.
The officer pointed into the living room.
They looked in to see the body sprawled out on the floor, much like the first victim.The bag, almost identical to the first, had been bagged and tagged and was set aside.Two forensic officers examined the body as it lay in place.
Alison and Derek didn't have to get close to the body this time.They could see the bluish tint from where they stood, and from one of the forensic techs scraping under the woman’s fingernails, it was obvious the evidence collected would be similar.
"Maybe we get something with this one," Derek said."All we need is a trace amount of DNA to link the killer to both crime scenes."
When one of the forensic technicians stood up, Alison asked, "Do we know the time of death?"
"Not precisely, but I’d say anywhere in the last twelve to eighteen hours," the tech said.
Alison looked at Derek."We’ll need to wait for confirmation from the medical examiner, but that means Franklin couldn’t have killed her.He was in custody at the time."
"Maybe the cousin?"Derek wondered."Margaret put him behind bars, but maybe Sarah was a part of that in some way?"
"Maybe," Alison said."Unless…"
"What?"Derek asked.
Alison stepped back into the hallway away from the dead body.
"I remember her," Alison told him."Before she became a victim advocate, I coached her, too, before a trial.I forget who the accused was, but it definitely wasn’t Calvin Reynolds.It was, however, another violent criminal.I’ll have his name somewhere.She must have become an advocate afterward, maybe wanting to help others go through what she had to go through."
"And maybe she got the extra security after testifying," Derek said.
"I don't even know if the man she testified against was imprisoned or not."
"So, we have a connection," Derek said."The killer is going after women who testified against violent criminals.It’s not a personal vendetta, but a… what is this?"
"It’s much worse than just targeting women who testified," Alison said."I hope I’m wrong, but if someone is upset with the system, which is where this leads me, then they go after the source.These two women testified, and that links them, but the stronger link here is me."
"You?"Derek asked.
"I gave them the best shot of getting a conviction from their testimonies.Someone is targeting the women I coached to testify," Alison said."They’re killing, and I think it has to do with me.I’m the strongest link between them."
"Why?"Derek asked.
"I don't know yet," Alison admitted."If someone believes I wronged them, then they’re using these murders to prove their point.There’s a reason in there somewhere.Still, that doesn’t matter right now.What matters is that I have coached hundreds of people over the years in their testimony.That means hundreds of potential victims, and I’m positive the killer doesn’t stop now.More death is coming, a lot more unless we can stop it.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Alison was back in her small office in the California Bureau of Investigations building.It was an office that served multiple purposes and accommodated various people when needed, but when Alison was consulting on a case, it became her own.When she’d first used the office, it was relatively sparse with only a desk and an office chair.Now, there was a bookshelf, a small filing cabinet, and a three-foot potted plant that suggested Derek had been the one to organize the additional furnishings, as it matched the one in his office.
It wasn’t much, and she didn't need the decoration, but the additions made it feel more like a workspace than an afterthought.
After visiting the second crime scene, Alison had gone home to get some rest and recharge, arriving back at the CBI building the next morning.She had case files for both victims out on her desk as she went through them with a fine-tooth comb, looking for any connections in their personal or professional lives.
The one detail she was waiting to hear back about who Sarah Livingstone testified against.She had the court records from the file, but some of the information had been redacted, which meant the crime or criminal had to be dealt with sensitively for some reason.Derek had put some pressure on the powers that be to release the name.
Alison picked up her coffee and took a large drink of it before going back to the files.Before she could begin reading, a shadow entered the room, and she caught movement out of the corner of her eye.She looked up to see Derek standing in the doorway.
"Do you have the name?"she asked.
"Not yet," he admitted."Forty-eight hours is almost up, and we’re still not sure what to do with Franklin Howard.He did try to assault a police officer, so we can keep him on that, but his lawyer will argue that he didn't know the two people chasing him were police officers."
