“I heard. Laycee Huber. Jarret’s agent told me over the phone.” I held my hand to my chest. I had to know. “How bad was it?”
“Are you sure you want me to tell you?” he said. At my nod, he continued, “Someone repeatedly knifed her in the back, presumably while she slept. The slashes appeared angry, brutal. From her positioning on the bed, I assume she never woke to see her attacker.”
“She would have fought if she did. I know Laycee. She would have fought with everything she had. What did he want you to see?”
“A symbol smeared into the blood on her back,” he said.
I flinched, horrified. “What kind of maniac signs his victim?”
“The first responders assumed the mark was gang related. But Eagleton, who was a gang expert before he took over West Valley, disagreed. He recognized part of the marking and thought the killing may be cult related. That’s why he called me to come over. He didn’t want to risk e-mailing a photo. He wants the symbol kept out of the press, away from the public. I met him at the address he gave me, ignorant of what I was heading into.”
“Was Jarret in the house when you got there?” I said.
“I didn’t see him. Eagleton met me at the gate, guided me inside to the bedroom, and waited while I studied the symbol.” Nick reached into his pocket and brought out a small sheet of paper with a sketch of a five-pointed star. The number 5, scrawled upside down in the center with three small crosses beneath.
“A star?” I said.
“A pentagram, defined by the connecting strokes. Wiccans use it to symbolize their beliefs. Christians, Mormons, and the Bahá’í Faith, among others, used the pentagram in artwork for centuries.” He turned the paper to show the 5, upright. “The killer marked Laycee with an inverted pentagram.”
I took the paper out of his hand and glanced down. “What’s the difference?”
“The inverted pentagram is common to witchcraft and devil worship. It represents black magic to some groups. Others, including a satanic group organized in the sixties, use the three downward points to signify rejection of the Holy Trinity. In occultism, a reversed pentagram indicates evil. In black magic, the sign of fatality,” he said.
“And the five?”
“In my opinion, the key to the killer’s message. Laycee could be a fifth victim. When you take the components together, the five, the reversed pentagram, and the Petrine crosses—”
“Petrine?”
Nick pointed at the three crosses underscoring the five. “Inverted Latin crosses. The Petrine cross has conflicting meanings, from symbolizing St. Peter to denoting anti-Christian beliefs. In this context, I assume they’re used to represent the devil. The inverted pentagram and crosses signal a killer tied to the occult, with the five completing the message.”
“Saying what?”
“I can’t tell yet. I have a vague sense I’ve seen this combination before, but I need to dig through some books and papers for the source,” Nick said. “Eagleton is requesting a search of the FBI files for a match, too. My sketch is rough. The killer drew each part of this symbol on Laycee’s body slowly and deliberately.”
“He brutally attacks her then takes his time leaving a message?” I shuddered, wondering how close I came to confronting a madman. “Could the killer be someone Laycee and/or Jarret knew? Or do you think Laycee happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time, like the Manson murder victims? A random killing by deranged zealots? Did you see any signs of a break-in?”
“All valid questions, and impossible for me to answer. I didn’t stray beyond the hall and the bedroom. There were no broken windows that I saw. I’m no cop, but if it wasn’t a break-in, I assume Jarret is the primary suspect.”
I stood and began to pace in front of Nick. “Nothing fits. What would Jarret gain by killing Laycee? Their connection was casual as far as I know.”
“As far as you know. But he left her asleep in his house, alone. Odd.”
“She wasn’t exactly a stranger, Nick. Jarret is addicted to his ritual morning run. If she was asleep, he probably left her alone to be considerate.”
“He might have killed her before he left.”
“In her sleep? Why?” I shook my head. “Jarret has his flaws, but he’s not brutal or heartless. He wouldn’t murder Laycee then go out for his morning run. He’d never leave a mark like that on her body.”
“Then what type of killer leaves a message?”
“Manipulative. Someone craving attention and demanding to be engaged or caught. A clue challenging the police to find him or her. Or, in a twisted way, the message could have been meant for the victim.”
“Laycee. An interesting thought,” Nick said.
“It’s more logical that the killer came after Jarret, found Laycee, and killed her instead.”
“Then why not wait for Jarret to come home and kill him, too?”