Dead End

by Nancy Mehl

  Kaely frowned at him. “Do you know anything about their conversations?”

  “Sorry. Can’t help you there.”

  Kaely was pretty certain that would be his response, but she had to try. She wondered if Dr. Engle would be forthcoming. People were dying. Kaely didn’t want to hear about privileged communication. She just wanted to stop her father’s terrible legacy from destroying more lives.

  Seventeen

  Everything was going according to plan. He smiled to himself. Kaely Quinn was walking right into his trap. Frankly, he was a little disappointed at how easy this was. He thought she’d be a much tougher opponent. Of course, it was still early. There was plenty of time for him to test her. Push her. She would know who he was at some point. He couldn’t wait to see the look on her face.

  He was alone in the house, so he could look at his treasures. He kept them in a secret place. Not behind a wall like Ed Oliphant had kept his. Under the floor where no one would ever find them. He didn’t need expensive things like that one woman’s diamond engagement ring. He just wanted something that reminded him of his success.

  He fingered photos of Kaely Quinn and her brother, Jason. Then he picked up a red marker and laughed as he drew a circle with a line through it on their faces. They would pay the price. The ultimate price. And it would be soon.

  Kaely and Noah arrived at the medical examiner’s office around four fifteen. After announcing their arrival, the chief ME’s assistant asked them to wait, so they sat down in chairs lined up against one wall. An elderly woman sat near them, her face a mask of grief. Kaely assumed she was here to identify a body. Dealing with the families of victims was one of the toughest jobs an ME had.

  A young woman in scrubs opened a door and called the older woman’s name. She got up slowly and started toward the door but suddenly swayed. Noah jumped up and took her arm, steadying her. The woman looked up into his face and then patted his arm. He helped her over to where the ME assistant waited. She put her arm around the woman and nodded at Noah, who let her go. Kaely watched with tears in her eyes. Through the entire incident, no one had said a word. It wasn’t necessary. Nothing they could say would change anything.

  Noah stood looking at the closed door a few seconds before turning around. She knew he’d been attempting to compose himself. He was much more sensitive than he let on, which was one of the . . . Kaely almost gasped. If she hadn’t reined it in, her finished thought would have been reasons I love him so much.

  As Noah came back to sit down, Kaely looked away from him. Did she truly love him? It’s not possible. She didn’t want to love anyone. She wasn’t ready. God was still healing areas of her life. She knew she was getting better, but she had a long way to go. Sure, she wanted love, marriage—even children despite her qualms about what they might inherit from her father. But not yet. Perhaps she needed to quit working with Noah. He had already stepped back from her. Was that for the best?

  Maybe when they were finished here, she should go to Solomon and ask for a transfer. She was hoping to return to Quantico. It had been three years since she was asked to leave—the length of time that had to pass before an agent could be considered eligible to return. It would still take a small miracle, but she had to try. It was her dream. The one person who would fight to keep her out had been transferred to a different part of the BAU. That meant she had a better shot at being accepted now. She glanced at Noah. And it would solve other problems too. Even though it seemed like an acceptable way out, Kaely’s chest suddenly constricted, and she took several quick breaths.

  “Are you all right?” Noah asked.

  Kaely nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Thankfully, the door opened again, and they were called in to speak to the ME.

  Noah and Kaely followed a young man, also wearing scrubs, down a long hall to an office door. A sign on the door read Dr. Charles Redgrave, Chief Medical Examiner. The man knocked on the door and opened it when a deep voice called “Come in.”

  Kaely stepped inside and found Dr. Redgrave sitting at his desk, a stack of files in front of him. He was a heavyset, balding man with large black glasses balanced on a rather bulbous nose. His pockmarked face showed past evidence of acne. Kaely noticed that although he appeared to be busy, his body was relaxed. When he looked up, she was struck by what she saw in his eyes. They had seen too much. How could a human being face the dark shadows of death every day and not be changed? She immediately felt compassion for him.

  Noah and Kaely introduced themselves and showed the doctor their credentials. Dr. Redgrave waved his hand toward the utilitarian chairs in front of his desk. Kaely took the seat closest to her. It was hard and uncomfortable. She wondered if the doctor had chosen them so visitors wouldn’t stay too long. Noah sat down next to her.

  “I understand you’re here about the bodies found in the old train yard,” Redgrave said, staring over the top of his lenses.

  “Yes, sir,” Kaely said. “We’d like to see your files, if you don’t mind. We understand you have several of the older bodies as well as the most recent ones. Do you believe they’re all connected?”

  The doctor stared at them. He seemed to be sizing them up. Finally, he said, “I’ll have one of my assistants copy my autopsy notes for you. If you’d like to view the bodies, I can have someone take you back.”

  “Can you tell us cause of death?” Noah asked.

  “It’s my opinion that all of them were strangled. The hyoid bone is broken in every case. The older ones and the newer ones.”

  “Their hands and feet were bound with red ribbons?” Kaely asked.

  “It’s obvious in the newer cases. Some signs with the older bodies. Remnants that may have been red ribbons. As you can understand, there’s a lot of disintegration. They all had a metal object in their hands . . . or at least near the skeletons in the older cases.”

  Kaely took a deep breath. “But the recent kills. They had something in their mouths. A piece of paper?”

  The doctor nodded. “In a sandwich bag. Said ‘Deuteronomy 5:9: I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me.’” He paused a moment before saying, “Do you know what this means?” His razor-like focus locked on Kaely.

  This man had the ability to shake her façade of self-assurance. She’d never met anyone quite like him. “I’m not sure,” she said.

  Redgrave’s expression didn’t change. He wasn’t buying it.

  Kaely tried to match his piercing stare. Two could play this game. “Look, I’m not sure we need to know what it means. Even if we knew for certain, it wouldn’t change anything.”

  “You’re right,” he said finally. “But it might help me to understand why these people died. That’s my job.”

  “With respect,” Noah said, “your job is to tell us how they died. Not why.”

  “You’re wrong. Many times, motive gives us clues. Shows us where to look and what to look for. But let’s leave it there.” Redgrave reached over and picked up a phone. “Jerry will show you to the morgue.” He made a quick call and then put the phone down.

  “The most recent victim, Wendy Mayhew, will be released in the morning. You’ll find that her death was a little different from the others.”

  “What do you mean?” Kaely asked.

  “She fought pretty hard. It’s possible your killer was injured.”

  “Any skin under her fingernails?”

  “No, sorry. And no blood on the victim. But she has bruises that the other women didn’t have. And one leg is broken.”

  “Could she have been bruised prior to her abduction?” Kaely asked.

  “Possibly, but I don’t think so. They’re fresh, and their location makes me believe she got them from her attacker.” He leaned back in his chair. His eyes narrowed as he stared at Kaely. “You’re aware he uses a stun gun to subdue these women?”

  She nodded.

  “Well, my guess is either he didn’t make
contact the first time he tried it or for some reason she wasn’t knocked out completely. He may have even put her in his car thinking she was unconscious. She came to either in the car or when he tried to remove her.” He sighed. “Whatever happened, she resisted as hard as she could. This woman wanted to live.” He leaned forward and put his hands on his desk. “Your killer didn’t leave behind any evidence, I’m afraid.”

  “Every contact leaves a trace,” Kaely said softly.

  “I’m aware of Locard’s exchange principle,” the doctor said brusquely. “Of course, we found fibers, but we have nothing to match them to. Most are probably incidental. We’ll keep them, of course. When you have a suspect, we’ll see if we can give you the evidence you need to lock up this animal forever.”

  Every medical examiner knew about Dr. Edmond Locard. He was a pioneer in the field of forensic science. He was called the French Sherlock Holmes. Thanks to him, the field of forensics had grown and developed, helping law enforcement catch and convict thousands of criminals who might have otherwise gotten off scot-free. Locard was one of Kaely’s heroes.

  The door opened, and a young man stepped inside. Must be Jerry. He smiled at her and Noah. “Would you come with me, please?”

  Kaely stood. “Thank you, doctor,” she said. “I appreciate your time.”

  “I hope you find him,” Redgrave said. “I really do.”

  “We’re doing our best,” Noah said. “If you think of anything else that might help us, please give us a call.” He put one of his cards on the doctor’s desk, and Kaely added hers.

  Dr. Redgrave didn’t respond, just lowered his head and went back to work on the files in front of him.

  Kaely was impressed with him. Maybe he was a little gruff, but he obviously cared and wanted to stop this UNSUB as much as they did.

  Jerry led them to the morgue, where another ME took over. Unfortunately, their visit to the morgue’s cooler didn’t provide many clues. As Dr. Redgrave had said, Wendy Mayhew sported several suspicious bruises, as if she were held down with force. The bruises on her neck were expected, as were the burn marks under her chin from a stun gun. But the bruises on her arms didn’t line up with the killer’s MO. The medical examiner pointed out additional bruises on the victim’s legs.

  “Her leg is broken here,” he said, as he pointed out the black-and-blue areas on her knees. “I think the killer sat on her to hold her down.”

  “Did you find that on any of the other victims?” Noah asked.

  “No.”

  Kaely tried not to look at Wendy’s face. Sometimes it helped her to think of the victim as a body, not a person. But it was difficult not to stare at the other bodies lying on carts in the room. There were several, all covered in body bags.

  The ME, Alvin according to his ID badge, zipped up Wendy’s bag.

  “She’d been dead only a few hours before she was found, then?” Kaely asked.

  “Right. Less than twenty-four.”

  “Rebecca Jergens was found about three weeks ago, right?”

  Alvin nodded. “She’d been dead around four days.”

  When would he kill again? Had he already located his next victim?

  Alvin led them out of the refrigerated room. “We have the older remains in the back.”

  Noah and Kaely followed him to a large door in the rear of the building. Kaely had a weird image in her head of Alvin the Chipmunk. Their Alvin had a round face like the famous rodent. She realized she was trying to quell the increasing tightness in her gut. All she could think about was that she was getting ready to see firsthand the result of her father’s reign of terror. Kaely had never faced his victims in person. Even though these poor women were nothing more than bones, it was still unnerving. They were once people. Women with futures. Women with dreams.

  While Alvin unlocked the door, Kaely swallowed the bile that bubbled up from her stomach. She steeled herself to do this, trying to ignore the dread that seemed to wrap itself around her like the body bags wrapped around the dead. The dead like Wendy Mayhew. Kaely began to gulp air, feeling as if she couldn’t get enough.

  “You can do this,” a voice said. “This is a clinical analysis. Nothing more.”

  Kaely turned toward Noah, but to her dismay she saw Georgie standing next to him. Who had spoken to her? She couldn’t remember if the voice was male or female. She tried to say something, but she couldn’t get out any words. She couldn’t even breathe.

  Kaely tried to grab Noah’s arm as she slid to the floor.

  Eighteen

  When Kaely’s eyes fluttered open, she realized she was lying on an autopsy cart. Noah leaned over her, looking concerned.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Thankfully, I am.” She patted the sides of the cart. “Were you planning for a different outcome?”

  “Funny. This was all that was available. Alvin went to get Dr. Redgrave.”

  “No. Please. I’m fine.” Kaely sat up, but the quick motion caused a wave of dizziness. Noah let her lean into him.

  “I should have realized how hard this was going to be for you,” he said. “I’m an idiot.”

  “Don’t be silly. I haven’t been eating enough. You know how I get sometimes. We need to focus on the case. That’s why we’re here.”

  Noah scowled at her. “Don’t lie to me, Kaely, please. This had nothing to do with food. You were terrified to go in there and see those bodies, knowing they’re your father’s victims.”

  “I’m not terrified.”

  “Okay, how about a little discombobulated?”

  Even though she didn’t feel like it, Kaley laughed. “Discombobulated? Where did that word come from?”

  Noah sighed loudly. “I knew my mother’s phrases would come out someday. And here they are.”

  “You’ve never said a negative word about your mother.”

  “She’s a very nice woman and a great mother, but I don’t want to repeat everything she ever said. If I did, before long I’d be calling you a sweet little sugar pie.”

  “Wow,” Kaely said, sniggering. “Is she from the South?”

  “Yes, my mother was a Southern belle. Still is in many ways. What of it?”

  Kaely straightened up and slid her legs over the side of the table. “I thought you said your family was Italian.”

  “I did. And she is. By marriage. I tease her that she’s Southern Italian.”

  “When she speaks, then, she says, ‘Leave the gun, take the cannoli, y’all?’” Now she was grinning.

  “You’re hysterical.”

  “I know.”

  Teasing Noah helped Kaely dispel her embarrassment. She had to get herself together. She hated looking weak.

  When Noah helped her down to the floor, Kaely straightened, trying to ignore the pain in her neck and head. Although she usually avoided medicine, an aspirin might be welcome. Her headache was obviously stressed-induced, but it hurt like crazy. “Really, I’m okay. Please don’t make a big deal about this. You’ll embarrass me.”

  Noah grunted. “That’s the most important thing, isn’t it? Making sure the great Kaely Quinn never actually appears to be human like the rest of us.”

  Kaely put her hand on the side of the cart. “That’s not fair. I’ve been . . . human. I’ve opened up to you more than I have with anyone else.”

  “Okay, but even if that’s true, it took you forever to tell me about Georgie. And I know something happened in Darkwater. During one of your . . . procedures.”

  “My procedures? You mean my way of profiling?”

  “You know exactly what I mean. Something happened to upset you, but you won’t tell me what it was.”

  “This isn’t the time or place to talk about this, Noah.” The words of the UNSUB she’d tried to profile in Darkwater swept into her thoughts even though she didn’t want to think about it. “You’re going to die. It will not happen here, in Darkwater, but it will happen. And soon.”

  “All right, but you need to tell me, Kaely. And
soon.”

  When Noah repeated the same words as the UNSUB—and soon—Kaely’s stomach flip-flopped. She remembered Georgie’s admonition about fighting this battle with spiritual weapons. She had since prayed about that, but she still felt unprepared. Fainthearted. Why?

  The door to the room opened, and Dr. Redgrave walked in, Alvin trailing behind him. “I hear you fainted,” the doctor said.

  “I’m fine,” Kaely said, her tone firm. “Really.”

  Redgrave walked up next to her. He placed the ear tips of the stethoscope that hung around his neck into his ears and placed the diaphragm on her chest. Kaely started to pull back. She didn’t appreciate medical exams without her permission. Then a question popped into her mind that made her bite her lip to keep from laughing. Why would an ME have a stethoscope? If his patients had a heartbeat, something was terribly wrong.

  The doctor took her wrist and held it for a moment before letting go. “You seem fine now. You know, a lot of people are squeamish around bodies. Even FBI agents.”

  “That’s not it—” Noah got out before Kaely turned to glare at him, slightly shaking her head. Noah scowled at her.

  “You’re right, doctor,” Kaely said. “Sorry to cause you a problem.”

  “Do you still want to view the remains of the older victims?” Redgrave asked.

  Kaely nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

  He stared at her for a moment, then addressed Alvin. “You get back to work on those reports. I’ll take care of this.”

  A look of surprise flashed across Alvin’s face, but he turned and left. The doctor nodded at Noah and Kaely, and they followed him into the adjoining room. These bodies weren’t covered, since only bones were left. The remains were laid out on different carts.

  “Not a lot to learn from these bodies. They’re female, and like I said, they most likely died of strangulation.”

  “Most likely?” Noah asked.

  Kaely was glad he’d asked the question. She was trying hard to maintain a pretense of calm professionalism, but inside she was in shreds. These bones were once living, breathing people. Now they lay on a cold metal table, their dignity stripped away.