“So it’ll be lucky number seven for us, is that what you’re saying?”
The truth of the matter was that a seventh victim would help them catch this guy, but that was too steep a price to pay. “No. I’m just saying there’s evidence out there that’ll lead us to him, and it’s his mistakes that’ll do it.”
Ogawa was silent for a moment. “I’ve been trying to get a handle on this prick. The numbering thing—whose benefit is that for?”
“Killers like this feel the need to signify their work some way—either by collecting or marking. Our boy is a marker.”
“I wish he was a collector. If he kept souvenirs from any of his kills, it would make nailing this guy a damn sight easier. But why number these people? It’s not like he’s leaving the bodies out for us to find.”
Ogawa is right about that, Greening thought. They’d plugged the numerical scarring into every national and local database and got nothing matching the Tally Man’s MO. “He’s obsessive-compulsive. He’s keeping score, even if he’s the only one who knows it.”
“We need something else.” Ogawa went to the murder board and pored over the information.
“There’s got to be something in his victims. Guys like this have a type. They kill the same person again and again.”
“So what’s his type?”
Female, as far as Greening had determined so far. At least with Zo? Sutton coming forward, they had a better grasp on the situation. Without that, they’d really be scrabbling for a thread. He pushed himself off Ogawa’s desk and went to the whiteboard.
“There isn’t much in the way of similarities between these three. All three can be considered attractive and are in their twenties, but that’s where the commonality ends. Laurie Hernandez didn’t graduate high school, while Zo? Sutton and Holli Buckner were in PhD programs. Zo? and Holli have no association with Laurie Hernandez. Zo? is blonde, while Holli and Laurie were brunettes. Zo? is on the short side, Holli was tall, Laurie was average height. Laurie and Zo? both have criminal records, albeit misdemeanors, while Holli had none.”
Ogawa tapped the dates of the charges against Zo?’s name. “And all Zo?’s convictions came after her abduction, so that doesn’t jive with anything.”
Greening nodded. If the Tally Man had a type, not having a type was his type. If only they had some information on Victims I, II, and V. It would either make or break that theory.
“The Tally Man is an equal-opportunity killer. He goes for good girls and bad ones.”
Then something clicked in Greening’s head. “That’s not strictly true. As far as he’s concerned, they’re not good girls. He grabbed Zo? and Holli after they’d been rowdy at some restaurant, and Laurie Hernandez seemed to be pissing someone off at all times.”
Greening shook his head at his own conclusion. It had seemed as if he had something when he’d thought of it, but the idea went stale as he said it. “Maybe that’s it. Maybe he goes after bad girls. Zo? remembers the Tally Man asking Holli if she was sorry.”
“It kicks up some interesting ideas,” said Ogawa. “If we use Zo? and Holli as models for all the victims, it would go a little something like this: he witnesses a woman behaving inappropriately—he dopes her, abducts her, and kills her at a prearranged kill site. If we apply this to Laurie Hernandez, what have we got? We know where he killed her. The coroner found a puncture mark, and the tox screen, when it comes back, will more than likely tell us she was doped. What we don’t know is where he witnessed her bad behavior.”
“She worked at that costume-jewelry-and-ear-piercing joint in the Westfield, which I can’t see being a regular Tally Man haunt. Although, considering no one saw her after she left work, he more than likely snatched her on her way home. That means he knew where she worked.”
“Which means he watched her long before he snatched her. That’s a change from Zo? and Holli. It seems like he was opportunistic there. Whatever unsavory thing he witnessed Laurie Hernandez doing, he probably saw it at some place they both frequented. See if you can establish a list of her regular haunts, and we’ll check them out for any incidents.” Ogawa put his hands together. “Let’s pray to the gods of CCTV for it to be caught on camera.”
“We’re focusing on his victims, but what about him? If this guy is so sensitive to improper behavior, there’s a chance he would have gotten into it with someone at some point, resulting in a police call.”
Ogawa smiled. “Yeah, I like that. I’ll check the FI reports. They brought down Son of Sam on a parking violation. I’d love to see an asshole as pious as this one brought down because he gave his information during a field interview.”
Greening looked at what they had again and shook his head. “I can’t believe this guy is on a crusade against girls going wild.”
“I’m guessing he’s no fan of Sex and the City either.” Ogawa shrugged. “Like you were expecting anything more from this guy?”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN