Page 21 of Say Now
Dale nodded.He was hiding his rage better that morning, but she could still see it bubbling behind his eyes."I assume you can show yourself out."
"Yeah," Alison said.She left the kitchen table and walked back through the house.She noticed the same picture on his hallway wall as the one in Rachel’s home, the one of the two of them.
She left his house, hoping that she could make everyone see what she saw, hoping that the investigation would be reopened.
She didn't have to wait long for some minds to be changed.
Alison was on her way to her car when she got the phone call from Claire.Another body had been found
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Alison drove straight to the crime scene on the edge of the city.The professional clinic was a standalone building neighbored by some two-story buildings on both sides.Two police cars and one forensic van sat outside, along with an unmarked vehicle with Special Agent Martinez leaning against it.Her face looked like thunder.
Alison parked on the street and got out.
"I don't like this," Claire called."And before you say, I told you so, I was reamed out for a good five minutes before my boss let me come out here."
"I’m not here to gloat," Alison said."I was right, but it was based on a hunch, and you were right not to trust me on that.All we know is he has killed again, and we need to figure out who he is before he can do this again.It is the same guy, right?"
"Yeah, it is," Claire grumbled."The same M.O.as the first two murders.Dr.Patricia Gates, a former state psychologist who consulted on numerous cases for the state before she opened her own private practice.She was discovered early this morning when the second staff member arrived.Dr.Gates was supposed to be the first person who arrived this morning, but she obviously didn't leave after working late last night."
"What was her case?"Alison looked up.The sky had darkened considerably since yesterday, the clouds ready to burst.
"She consulted on a case involving assault.William Harking assaulted his ex-girlfriend.She had broken up with him a month previously, and he invited her over to his house.She went over, and from her statement, he tried to convince her to get back together with him, and when she wouldn’t, he beat her black and blue.She blacked out, and when she came around, he was washing his hands in the sink.He must have thought she would be out longer, and she made a run for it, managing to get out of the house and to a couple talking to the dogs a couple of blocks from the house.William was arrested and sentenced to five years."
"But he got early release?"Alison asked.
"That’s the thing.He didn't.Dr.Gates was adamant that he should be considered for early release, but she was never able to get it for him.Some people around that time suggested that there was more than just a professional relationship between the two of them."
"Wait, so he wasn’t released early, and he didn't commit another crime?"
"Correct," Claire said.
"But our killer still killed her.He wanted to punish her for wanting early release?"
"He wanted to punish the mistake," Claire said."There was more.Around eighteen months before William was due to be released, the police received an anonymous tip that something was buried in his backyard.The house had changed hands by then, but the tip was taken seriously, and they gained the permission of the current owners and excavated the yard.They found six bodies down there, all young women they believed William was involved with at one time or another.It then stands to reason that he planned to kill the ex he assaulted and bury her, and it was pure luck that she was able to escape and alert someone."
"Okay, so he is punishing the same mistake the others made, but because of the retroactive crimes.If he had been released early, he might have escaped punishment for the six dead."
"Exactly," Claire said."Shall we take a look?"
"Lead the way."
Claire was about to walk toward the clinic, but hesitated."Hey, I wanted to thank you for sticking around.You had a hunch and no one believed you, and if it weren’t for this"—she waved her hand toward the clinic—"we would never have known we had the wrong guy.I wouldn’t have blamed you if you had jumped on a plane first thing this morning."
"I’m not one to run away from things, right or wrong.I’m here until we have the killer behind bars."
Claire nodded, took a second, then led Alison into the building.
"Wait," Alison said as they entered."Six women were buried in his backyard, and one ex-girlfriend was assaulted.How did he kill this one?"
"He…It might be better for you just to come and take a look," Claire said.
Alison was intrigued but not in a good way.She tried to imagine how the body was presented.He couldn’t have buried the body as they were inside, and he wouldn’t have wanted to if he wanted to get his message across.That left a possible assault that ended in death.
"How were the six women killed?"Alison asked.
"They were all beaten first, then buried alive."
