Page 22 of Say Now
Alison shuddered at the thought.They walked down a short hallway before taking a left, walking a little to an open office door with a couple of people in the doorway.
"Hey, give us some room," Claire said.
The officer and forensic tech backed out of the room.
There was a smell coming from the room that Alison couldn’t initially place.It wasn’t until she looked into the room and saw what he had done.
She froze at the door, as did Claire, even though the special agent had already been in the room.It wasn’t initially horrifying, but disconcerting.An unease filled Alison’s stomach as she looked at the excavated woman, and the only thing she could wonder was how far the killer was willing to go.
Dr.Patricia Gates had been killed and then covered in dirt.The killer had transported dirt into the office to completely cover her body, as evidenced by the dirt still on her.Most of the dirt atop the woman had been pushed aside to uncover her.The only silver lining in the entire thing was that Dr.Gates didn't look like she had been beaten before she had been killed.It was hard to determine the cause of death by looking at her.
"Do we know the cause of death?"Alison asked as she stepped into the room.
One forensic tech was crouched next to the body and currently looked more like an archeologist.She continued her work as she spoke.
"Asphyxiation, we think," she said."We will know more when we get her back to the lab, but I’m pretty sure.Looks like sometime in the last six to ten hours."
Alison turned to Claire."He wanted to mimic how the other women died.They were all buried alive and would have suffocated in their graves.He couldn’t do that to Dr.Gates, so he suffocated her first and then buried her in her office."
"How did he get all the dirt in here?"Claire asked.
"Time," Alison replied."Maybe he had it all bagged and carried it in here, or loaded it up on a wheelbarrow.He knew he would have time out here with no one around.Still, it shows confidence in his work.To do something like this, I wouldn’t be surprised if he believes it’s all a part of a higher purpose.If he were seen carrying bags of dirt or wheeling a wheelbarrow into a building, it would have been suspicious.It was an additional risk he added to his message.If he truly thinks he’s being guided by a higher power or the hands of fate, then he becomes more dangerous.When we finally catch up with him, I don't think he will come easily.This is not about him as much as it is about his mission and message.He will still enjoy the work in some way, but it will be work to him.Something he needs to do and is driven to do."
"And we know now that the killer is not Webb," Claire said."He was in custody when this happened."
"Don't be eager to release him," Alison warned."He might not be the killer, but he was planning something.He was a threat before he was arrested, and he could still be a threat after being released.If we’ve learned anything from this killer, it’s that every decision will now be scrutinized.If we release Webb and he goes on to do something, the press will have a field day, and we don't need the public siding with the killer.He needs to be feared, not revered."
"I’ll assign him to someone."
"Okay," Alison said."We have a killer who used a 3D printer to print the evidence markers at home and he was also able to get a lot of soil when most of the ground is still frozen.He must have gotten the soil from somewhere.I want to know about any 3D printers bought in the last year and any soil purchases.The 3D printer might have been bought a long time ago, but I think the soil will be more recent.It needs to be stored and transported.Maybe that’s the hit we get that leads us to this guy."
"I’ll make the call now," Claire said."I’ll have someone speak with Webb again and go through all the information from his cabin with a fine-tooth comb.And I’ll get some officers to call around and see if we can locate the printer and the soil."
Alison nodded.
The tech still faced away as she spoke."There are crime scene photos on the desk."
Alison looked toward the desk, then walked over to it.The photos spread on the desk hadn’t yet been touched.They were arranged impeccably, just like when the photos had been hung on the wall at the other crime scenes.They showed the original crime scene, the one the current tableau was modeled after.There were wide and close-up shots of the yard, with six holes dug up after surveillance gear was used.
The photos of the dead women were a lot harder to look at.Alison was thankful that Dr.Gates looked nothing like them.She was dead, but she hadn’t suffered before death like the women had.
You need to kill them to prove your point, but you still have some self-control.You could have beaten her before you killed her, but you chose not to.You find it easy to kill, but you still have a code.It’s more about the message than the death itself; you don't need to push it any further than needed.
Alison turned from the desk and looked down at the body with dirt all around it.It was a lot of trouble to go to, but the press would love it when the details were revealed.It was the sort of visceral story that captured the attention of the masses.
How long can we keep this one out of the press?With how quickly the details of the other two crime scenes were released, I don't think we can hold this for very long.
Claire appeared back in the doorway, and she had a face that looked like it had just been slapped.She glared at Alison.
"Outside.Now.We have a big problem!"
CHAPTER TWELVE
Alison didn't like her tone, and she got the distinct impression that Claire was annoyed at her for some reason.Still, she exited the room and followed Claire outside, not catching up with her until they were out of the clinic.
"What’s going on?"Alison asked, her back already up with the way Claire was acting.
"You tell me."Claire put her hands on her hips and stood restlessly, constantly shifting her weight from foot to foot.
