Maybe it was the unexpectedness of his action, or maybe it was because she’d become more and more aware with each passing hour of the physical attraction between them. But she was suddenly more afraid of his touch than even the bad news that might be coming. She couldn’t explain it to herself—other than to suspect that she feared losing control. Losing independence. And yet...she stayed in his arms for a moment, feeling the heat of his chest and breathing in his clean scent.
Then he stepped back and looked at her, searching her eyes. “You okay? Really?”
“Yes, I’m okay.”
“We’ve got to get to the office,” he said. “Then we’ll go see what our newest victim’s friends have to say.”
They returned to the car, where Killer was waiting for them; the windows were down far enough to allow him plenty of air. Meg had been afraid to leave him alone in the car on such a hot day, but Matt had taken care of it. He’d parked in a shady spot, and also made a purchase in a convenience store on the way here—a cloth water bowl that could be folded to fit into a pocket. They could fill it from a water bottle and empty it when they had to drive again.
Meg dumped the water, then slid into the passenger seat.
“Another murder. Here. And we might have been followed in Harpers Ferry. Maybe these murders and Lara’s disappearance aren’t related,” Meg said.
Matt glanced over at her. “But we’re both pretty sure that Lara wrote something about Walker having a connection with Garth Hubbard’s death.”
“That’s what I don’t understand. Hubbard wasn’t murdered. He died of a heart attack.”
“There was no autopsy. His private physician signed his death certificate. He had a heart condition, so there was no reason to suspect anything...untoward. Or anything in the way of a cover-up.”
“He was in his own home,” Meg said. “These women who are being murdered... The killer watches them and takes them off the street.”
“But now a prostitute. None of the other women were prostitutes. They were all new to the area from which they disappeared. Why change his choice of victim?”
“Because...he needed a kill last night or early this morning. He hadn’t chosen a new target yet. Could be that his desire to kill has escalated, that he’s not getting the same fix. And a prostitute is easily picked up on the street.”
“The timing would fit—if the killer is also our stalker. It’s only an hour and a half back to DC from Harpers Ferry,” Matt said.
They arrived at the Krewe headquarters and went directly into Jackson’s office where he was waiting with Will Chan, Angela and Kat Sokolov.
Kat had been to the OCME already; she’d gone in as soon as the body had been discovered. She told them she was as certain as Wong that the killer was the same man who’d perpetrated the previous crimes and she was equally certain that the time of death had been early morning.
Matt described their visit with Nancy Cooper in Richmond and how Meg believed that someone in a black sedan had watched them at a rest stop. He also mentioned the black sedan seen at her new town house, which Angela corroborated. Then he went on to tell them about Joey finding Meg—and their recovery of the note from the gravestone marker. He produced the note; Angela said she’d get it down to tech support right away.
“We believe that it’s all connected somehow—although we’re not sure why,” Matt said. “But Lara’s note seems to imply something about the death of Congressman Hubbard.” He paused, looking at Jackson. “Somehow, we have to get an autopsy done on Congressman Hubbard. I can’t help thinking that he was, shall we say, helped to die—and that it had to do with his political stand. Perhaps it was an assassination. If he’d lived to run for the presidency, there’s a good chance he would’ve been elected.”
“These women are being killed because of a government conspiracy?” Jackson asked incredulously.
“I know it’s far-fetched,” Matt said.
Jackson drummed his fingers on the wooden surface of his desk. “It sure is,” he agreed. “Unless...”
“Yeah, it’s far-fetched—unless Lara turns out to be one of his victims,” Matt said flatly, looking at Meg, sympathy in his eyes. “Here’s my theory. Lara is supposed to show up as a victim of this crazed serial killer. The thing is, if she was the only one dead, the investigation would fall on Congressman Walker and his team. But if a number of women die, then the suspicion falls on someone who’s a sociopathic killer.”
Meg knew that what they were saying was true. It was what she’d feared all along, even if she hadn’t actually voiced it aloud. Even if Lara’s body hadn’t been found. “Can Adam get Congressman Hubbard exhumed—and arrange for an autopsy?”
“We have no evidence against Ian Walker,” Jackson said. “We have no evidence at all, really. I don’t think there’s a judge in the world who’d allow Hubbard to be exhumed. But there’s one person who can do it—his widow. I’ll call Adam now, see what he can work out. Will, go down to tech and see if you can be of assistance. The rest of you—we have copies of Jane Everett’s sketch of the last victim. Get out on the streets and see if you can find someone who can identify her—and who she was with last night.”