"Sounds like you should have canceled."
"I know. My mother talked me into going through with it. She had me convinced we could work it out, that Rick was just bluffing. I guess he wasn't bluffing. Just wish he hadn't picked such a sleazy way to keep us both from making a terrible mistake. And now I really wish I hadn't turned it into a circus."
"I'm sorry, Andie."
"Thanks. But don't be. I just want to get back to normal as soon as possible."
"I'm glad you see it that way. Because I've got an assignment for you."
"Isaac, how sweet. You arranged to have a bank robbed just to take my mind off my personal problems."
"Not exactly." He smiled, then was serious again. "Victoria Santos is coming over from Quantico tomorrow morning."
Andie didn't know Santos, but she certainly knew of her. Santos had taught the course on criminal psychology to Andie's class of cadets at the academy. More to her credit, she was a legend among criminal profilers in the FBI's elite Investigative Support Unit.
"What for?" asked Andie.
Isaac glanced at the crowd of customers hovering around them. "Let's talk about this outside, all right?"
They paid the bill, poured their coffee into paper go-cups, and stepped outside. The busy city street crackled with the sound of rush hour on wet pavement. A damp chill cut through their overcoats. The sun had set only minutes ago, but the temperature had dropped precipitously. Andie sipped her hot coffee. Isaac kept talking as they walked together down the wide, tree-lined sidewalk.
"Local police have asked the FBI for assistance:' he said. "They have some homicides that may be related. Possibly a serial killer at work."
"How many victims so far?"
"Two that they're pretty sure of. A third was found today."
"What makes them think they're related?"
"The first two took place in different parts of the town, about a week apart. But they were virtually identical."
"You mean the similarities are in the killer's m. O. or in the victims' characteristics?"
"Both. From the victimology standpoint, it's like one was a carbon copy of the other. Both white males. Both fifty-one years old. Same color hair and eyes. Both divorced. They even drove the same kind of vehicle. Ford pickups."
"How did they die?"
"Basically strangulation. But there was a lot of evidence of overkill. Multiple stab wounds, blunt trauma. Even some burns."
"So we've got a serial killer who hates middle-aged white men?"
"Not exclusively. The third victim is a white female in her mid-thirties. Some kids found her body this afternoon."
"Why do the police think her murder is connected to the men's?"
"She was strangled, for one thing. And like the others, her body showed significant signs of overkill. But the cops aren't sure there's a connection. That's why they called in the FBI. I'm not even sure the geniuses back at Quantico think it's a serial killer just yet. I presume that's why they're sending Santos from ISU as opposed to a profiler from CASKU."
Andie nodded, though she wasn't entirely familiar with the FBI's division of labor between the Investigative Support Unit, which had pioneered criminal profiling, and the Child Abduction and Serial Killer Unit, which was a more recent creation.
They stopped at the corner near Andie's car. "What do you want me to do?" she asked.
"I want you to be the local coordinator. Team up with Santos. Help get her whatever she needs while she's out here."
Andie hesitated, surprised. "You know there's nothing I'd rather do than work side by side with Victoria Santos. But there are at least fifteen other agents in the office who'd kill for this assignment."
"You're the only one with a degree in psychology. These days that's virtually a prerequisite for any agent who hopes to get a foothold with the ISU. Why waste this assignment on someone who has no chance of breaking in?"
"Isaac, I really do appreciate this. But let me be straight with you. I don't want it if your decision is based on sympathy for what happened to me on Saturday."
"This isn't charity. It's just good timing. You're qualified. This is what you've always wanted to do. And you're available. Frankly, now that you've canceled your honeymoon, you're the only agent in Seattle with a completely clear calendar for the next two weeks."
"I guess Rick did me a favor."
"Maybe he did both of us a favor."
For a split second she thought maybe he was talking on a personal rather than professional level. Before she could even sort out her thoughts, he had popped open his briefcase and was handing her a file.
"Here's a copy of the materials we sent to Santos. Police reports, autopsy protocols, crime-scene photos--everything she wanted from the first two homicides. Look it over tonight."
The traffic light changed, allowing pedestrians to cross. Isaac stepped off the curb. Andie tucked the file under her arm and remained at the corner by her car.