pretty. Mentally bracing herself, Marina went through the crime scene photos. Her stomach quivered.
Someone had stabbed Washington repeatedly and unmanned him with butcher-block precision. She hadn’t heard that part on the news. Had Washington still been alive when his killer had done that? Marina hoped not because it seemed that the killer’s need to punish and degrade had been strong. Her stomach threatened to heave.
Momentarily looking away, she found Reed watching her.
“Pretty graphic, huh?”
Marina nodded. “I’ve seen worse, but looking at this stuff never gets easier.”
Reed’s gaze dropped back to the screen. “No, it doesn’t.”
She pointed to the stack of pictures. “Just examining the way the bodies were maimed, it appears that we’re dealing with a serial killer who’s also a sexual predator. There are several famous serial killer cases where men and young boys were abducted, assaulted and brutalized, maimed and killed. Leaving the severed organs near the victim’s body appears to be our killer’s signature, as in actions he does above and beyond his mode of operation. If this is the case, then our killer will do this to all of the victims.”
Reed secured Edwards’ file and paged through to the selection of pictures. The wounds to his body and the gruesome removal and placement of the organs was similar to what had been done to Washington. His girlfriend, his mother and his fifth-grade class had been devastated. They’d written the heart-wrenching letters in the file to the detective handling the case.
Forcing herself to swallow against the dryness in her throat, Marina moved on.
In Washington’s file she noted that he’d gone to her and Reed’s alma mater, Merriwhether University of Chicago. He’d obtained a degree in business administration. On impulse she checked Edwards’ file. Same college, only his degree was in education. Typing the information onto the new spreadsheet, she wondered if she’d already found the most important link. If so, did that mean that Reed qualified as a potential victim? At twenty-nine, he was a few years older than both men. Only time would tell if he, too, was in danger.
Reed checked his watch and stood. “We’ve got to get going.”
Opting to leave her laptop locked in the task force office, because it could be intimidating to some witnesses and a chore to keep up with, Marina grabbed her purse and followed him out.
“Did you notice that both victims went to Merriwhether?” she asked as they got into an unmarked blue Crown Victoria.
“Yeah,” Reed answered grudgingly as he backed out of the parking space and took off. “What’s your point?”
“I know that you and a lot of people went to Merriwhether, but until we get more facts about this killer and how he’s picking his victims, you should be careful.”
“So you think I’m in danger?”
She didn’t like the trace of amusement that crept into his voice. “Reed, this could be serious,” she insisted, feeling like a teacher cautioning a child bent on ignoring reason. “You’re only a couple of years older than Washington and Edwards.”
“Fact, but what else do I have in common with them?”
Marina’s teeth kneaded her bottom lip. “That’s the ten-million-dollar question.”
With a slight shrug, he accelerated and entered the freeway. “I don’t remember seeing them on campus and I never met either of them.”
He appeared to be dismissing her arguments. Folding her arms in front of her, she threw him annoyed glance.
Those impossibly long lashes of his were still as he concentrated on the road.
Marina turned to stare out the window at the Chicago countryside. Were all men so arrogant or just the ones she knew?
“Of course I plan to watch myself and stay on guard,” he said, breaking the sudden silence.
Turning from the window, she met his amused glance.
“Don’t take yourself so seriously,” he said. “The work we do can be depressing enough.”
“Don’t you try to diminish the importance of what’s going on here,” she replied without a trace of amusement. “I’d hate to lose you as a member of this task force.”
“Is that all?” he asked softly.
Of course it wasn’t all. He was still her friend and she didn’t want to lose him. “Well, you’ve been my friend for how long?” she asked, making eye contact and letting her voice trail off. “I’d hate to lose you period.”
Something in his rapt gaze made her swallow reflexively. Was he trying to make her say that she still had feelings for him? She did, but they were tangled in a maze of emotions, thoughts and feelings resulting from the choice she’d made. Being alone with him for the first time in ages forced her to see him in a new light and it made her uncomfortable.
She was relieved when he turned his attention back to the road. Opening some of the files they’d brought along, she immersed herself in the notes the third shift detectives had made while interviewing the hotel staff.
At the mayor’s home, they flashed their badges and were shown to a library filled with couches and chairs, a large cherry desk and antique shelves of leather-bound books. Marina and Reed took seats in the flower-patterned armchairs in front of the bay window. Sunlight filtered in, warming the air-conditioned room.
The staff informed them that the mayor was away on business, but due back soon, and that Mrs. Dansinger and Jade would be in momentarily. Then they offered tea. Translating that to mean that Jade would be a while, Marina accepted a cup.
Ten minutes later, Jade Dansinger and her mother, Laura, entered the library. Poor Jade’s eyes were red and swollen, her aquiline nose pinched and flushed. She hadn’t bothered with makeup. The black silk pantsuit did nothing for her white complexion and slim frame. Her eyes were pale blue. A fall of baby-fine, platinum-blond hair covered her face when she took a seat on the couch next to her mother. Her collagen-filled lips quivered as she answered their questions.
Elliot Washington had taken a call on his cell phone and left the party on the North End at about midnight to meet a friend. He’d told Jade that it was part of the big surprise he was planning for her and had insisted on going alone. He’d driven himself in his Jag. Marina made a note to look at the cell phone records C.P.D. had undoubtedly subpoenaed.
“Did Elliot seem upset or worried?” Reed asked, scribbling in his notebook.
“No, he was happy,” Jade answered in a voice clogged with tears.
“Did he say or give you the name of the friend he was meeting?” Reed continued.
“No.”
Marina added a question of her own. “Do you know if he was meeting a male or female friend?”
The mayor’s wife shot Marina a warning glance. Laura Dansinger was fiercely protective of her family. She handled the police and press with an iron hand.
Jade’s
