Dead End

by Nancy Mehl

  “What are you thinking?” Noah asked.

  “About how awful it would be to be incarcerated.”

  Noah nodded. “I forgot you’re claustrophobic.”

  “It’s not just that. What if you had no control over your life? You couldn’t jump into your car and drive wherever you wanted. You couldn’t go to lunch with a friend. Or take a walk. Go to the park. Watch a movie. Spend Christmas with your family. It . . . I don’t know. It frightens me.”

  “Because you don’t like being out of control, Kaely.”

  She considered his words. He was right. “Yeah, but still. What an awful way to live.”

  “Criminals shouldn’t be kept in luxurious surroundings.”

  “I know. I agree.” She sighed deeply and closed her eyes for a moment. “I guess I’m feeling grateful for freedom.”

  Noah laughed. “Well, let’s use our freedom for an unhealthy lunch, okay?”

  Kaely opened her eyes and chuckled. “Sounds great.”

  The food at the diner turned out to be pretty good. Still in a breakfast mood, Kaely asked for a Belgian waffle with pecans. Noah ordered chicken fried steak. Kaely got tickled when the waitress brought his meal. The steak was almost bigger than his plate and covered with gravy. She couldn’t figure out how he could eat the way he did and stay trim.

  “So have we learned anything today?” he asked as he eyed his food. He was probably trying to determine how to cut into the steak without dripping gravy on the vinyl tablecloth.

  “The most interesting thing is the note we got from Kenny. What should we do? If we try to talk to him about it, someone might see us. It could be dangerous for him.”

  Noah nodded. “I agree. Let’s hold off for now. Find out what Sawyer wants us to do. Hard to know if it’s a personal threat to Kenny or an attempt to hinder the investigation.”

  “Warden Galloway needs to be alerted. We’ll ask Sawyer if he wants to handle it, but maybe he’d like us to take a copy of the note to the warden after the police have examined it.”

  “Okay. Anything else from what we’ve looked at so far?”

  “That my father’s only visitor is my brother.” She gazed at Noah. “Jason wants to . . . save him. Did I tell you that?”

  “Yeah, you did.”

  “Oh, sorry.”

  “That’s okay.” Noah took another bite of his huge steak. After he swallowed it, he said, “I thought nothing is impossible with God.”

  Kaely stared at him for a moment. “For someone who’s not sure about God, you sure know how to throw Scripture in my face.”

  Noah just shrugged and took another bite. Probably a defensive move.

  “Look, to be honest, I don’t know. I do believe God can do anything, but how do you save someone who doesn’t think they’ve done anything wrong?” She sighed. “Look, I . . . I don’t want to talk about this right now. Sorry I keep bringing it up. It’s been on my mind a lot, I guess. Let’s stay focused on what we’re doing.”

  Noah’s eyes searched her face for several seconds, making her feel self-conscious. “Okay. What now?” he finally said.

  “If it’s okay with you, I’d like to visit with this therapist he’s been seeing. I also want to follow up on the guy who wrote saying he wanted to emulate my father. He’s probably just some nut, but we need to make sure we don’t miss anything. I hope Warden Galloway moves faster on those interviews with the guards.”

  “If we rush him—”

  “It might take even longer.”

  “Yeah. Sounds like your father hasn’t had any significant contact with other inmates, but I’ll be double-checking on that. We’ve been looking at the records of some of the men he might talk to, but we haven’t found anything so far. I think it’s a dead end, but I want to be sure.” Noah took a drink and then put down his glass. “Do you really think the therapist could be involved somehow?”

  Kaely shrugged. “If my father unburdened himself to anyone, it could be to this woman. Remember, psychopaths love to talk. To brag about what they’ve done. Maybe he didn’t talk to the police or the FBI because he’s using her to satisfy that urge.”

  “But you don’t think she could be the so-called Copycat Killer?”

  “Seriously, let’s quit calling him that.”

  “I know, I know,” Noah said, nodding. “You’ve only told me—”

  “Yeah, many times.” Kaely sighed. “Sorry. It’s a thing with me.”

  “I’ve noticed.”

  “I doubt Dr. Engle’s our UNSUB. Wrong profile. But maybe she’s working with him. It’s possible.”

  Noah leaned back in his chair and stared at her. “You doing okay?”

  “I guess so. Putting one foot in front of the other. Hanging on to God. Trying to concentrate on finding our UNSUB.” She shook her head and stabbed her waffle with force. “You know, I’ve spent years trying to push my father out of my life, but he just won’t go away. It makes me a little angry.”

  As she chewed on her food, she prayed silently. Ed Oliphant’s wickedness had pursued her to this time and place. She was determined to leave him behind forever when she left here. It was time to end his influence in her life for good.

  Twenty-Three

  Before Noah and Kaely left the restaurant, Noah called Chief Sawyer and told him about the note given to Kenny. Sawyer said he’d send someone out to the prison to pick it up but also suggested they show a photo of it to Warden Galloway.

  “While you’re on your way, I’ll let him know about the note and ask him to provide Kenny with some protection,” he said. “It’s probably nothing. I’ve seen situations like this before. Prisoners don’t like anyone talking to law enforcement—for any reason. This might not have anything to do with our investigation, but for Kenny’s sake, let’s err on the side of caution.”

  Once in the car, Kaely took out her phone and snapped a photo of the note.

  They had just checked back into the prison when they were called to Warden Galloway’s office. When they arrived at the entrance to that area, they found a large security door with a call button and a keypad on one side. Noah pressed the button, and a woman came to let them in. They followed her to the warden’s office, passing several other office doors before reaching his. She let them into a large, attractively decorated room.

  An oversized, dark wood desk faced the door, and Warden Galloway sat behind it, talking on his phone. Walnut bookshelves lined the walls. On one side of the room were a small couch and a coffee table, and a round table with four chairs sat in the corner. The warden motioned for them to take a seat in the high-back leather chairs in front of his desk.

  He finished his phone conversation, then hung up, focusing his attention on Kaely and Noah. “Thanks for coming,” he said when they sat down. “I’d like to know how things are going. Do you have everything you need?”

  “We do, thank you,” Noah said.

  “We need you to see this though,” Kaely said. She showed him the photo of the note on her phone. “Sawyer is sending someone to pick up the original I’ve bagged, but he thought you should read it.”

  Warden Galloway looked at it and sighed. “Yeah, he called me about it. Unfortunately, our staff receives messages like this all the time. They almost never amount to anything. They’re usually attempts to frighten or control us.”

  “You may be right,” Kaely said, “but can you please keep an eye on Kenny? I’d hate for something to happen to him because of us.”

  Galloway nodded. “Chief Sawyer requested the same thing. We’ll keep a close eye on Kenny. Don’t worry. Can I do anything else for you?”

  “We’d like to talk to the therapist who meets with Ed—Dr. Engle. Can you arrange that for today?”

  The warden didn’t answer her, just picked up the phone. After speaking to someone Noah assumed was the doctor’s assistant, he ended the call.

  “She has an opening at three. Her office is just down the hall from here. Anything else?”

  “We would like to wor
k here tomorrow and possibly Sunday,” Noah said. “Is that possible? We realize it’s the weekend, but we feel the need to move quickly before someone else dies.”

  Once again Galloway picked up his phone. This time he asked someone to come to his office. When he hung up, he said, “The deputy warden will be here over the weekend. His name is Parry Clark. Good man. He’ll do everything he can to help you. I’ll make sure the weekend guards at the front desk know you’re coming.”

  “Thank you,” Noah said. He frowned. “We may want to interview some of the prisoners. How do we do that?”

  “Tell me who you want to talk to. I’ll have guards bring them to the same room where you talked to Ed. They’ll stay this time, though,” he said with a stern tone. “Any further visits with Ed Oliphant will include guards as well. Seeing him alone was a mistake.” He frowned at Kaely. “You could have been badly hurt. Even killed.”

  Noah glanced at Kaely, but she didn’t seem offended.

  “I’m sorry for the trouble he caused,” Kaely said. “I wanted him to let down his guard. I think it would have worked, but when he learned he’d lost control over his protégé, things went sideways.”

  “Actually, I think the psychology behind it was spot on,” Galloway said, “but some of these prisoners are temperamental, violent. I shouldn’t have allowed it with Ed, but to be honest, it’s the first time in all these years I’ve seen him lose his temper. He’s usually very placid. Unemotional. Something about you, Agent Quinn, seems to affect him. I think you can use your family connection, but I’m not sure how. Maybe Dr. Engle can be of assistance.”

  Noah caught the quick look of disdain that crossed Kaely’s face. She believed she understood men like her father better than any therapist. He looked at the warden, who didn’t seem to notice her reaction.

  “You should know that Dr. Engle is a Christian therapist,” Galloway continued.

  “That surprises me,” Kaely said, her eyes widening.

  The man nodded. “She’s part of our Religion Center. We offer services, programs, and studies from quite a few faith groups. Christian, Buddhist, Muslim. Even Satanist and Wiccan groups. We try to cater to everyone.”

  “Did my father request her services?”

  “Yes. I wasn’t that surprised. He used to be involved in a Christian church before coming here, isn’t that right?”

  Kaely nodded. “Yes, but it was a sham. A way to mask his true identity. He didn’t care anything about church. I’m rather startled that he asked to see anyone, especially a Christian therapist.”

  Galloway shrugged. “Many of our prisoners gravitate toward things or people who feel familiar. Might be what happened with your father.”

  A knock on the door stopped their conversation. “Come in,” Galloway called out.

  A short man with graying hair and kind but intelligent eyes walked in and scanned the room quickly. His gaze settled on Kaely.

  “Special Agents Hunter and Quinn, this is our deputy warden, Parry Clark,” Galloway said.

  “Good to meet you, agents,” Clark said with a smile.

  The warden gestured toward the table. Clark grabbed one of the chairs and pulled it up next to Noah. He sat down and gazed at the warden expectantly.

  “Parry, you know they’re here to interview Ed Oliphant to see if they can find a connection between him and the . . . Copycat Killer?” Galloway said.

  “Yes, sir. I’m also aware of Special Agent Quinn’s reputation as an exceptional behavioral analyst.”

  “I’m not working as one now,” Kaely said.

  “I’m aware of that as well. An absolute shame. The BAU needs you.”

  “Thank you,” Kaely said. Noah sensed he was being honest with her. He wasn’t just trying to stroke her ego.

  “They need to work over the weekend,” Galloway said, “so they’ll be interacting with you. I’m sure you’ll help them any way you can. Right now, I think they have all the documents and information they need?”

  He’d formed this as a question, and Kaely nodded. “We’re still going through everything, looking for some kind of connection between my father and someone inside the prison. We’re trying to determine how my father’s getting messages to this . . . killer.”

  “And you’re convinced your father is behind this?” Clark asked with a frown. Noah could see the skepticism in his expression.

  “Yes. The killer has access to certain facts that only my father should know.”

  “Sounds pretty conclusive. I hear you’ve tried talking to Ed?”

  Kaely nodded. “I plan to confront him again. I still hope I can get him to open up to me.”

  “I understand. I’ll be available to help in any way I can.”

  “I knew you would,” Galloway said. “Thanks.” He turned his attention to Noah and Kaely. “I’m a little concerned about the information we’ve released to you. Rather than keeping it in our interview room, I think it would be more secure to move you into this wing. Down the hall is an empty office. Our activities consultant for the Recreation Department has left us, and we’re interviewing to fill his spot. Why don’t you use his office as your base while you’re here?”

  He reached for a packet on his desk and handed it to them. “Two keys. Please lock the office when you’re here. There’s a special code for the main entrance to this area inside this envelope. It changes frequently, but you’ll be notified when that happens. Inmates are never allowed back here, but neither are guards. Prisoners know the guards aren’t given the code, which means they have no reason to take a guard hostage to get to me or Clark or anyone else on staff.” He shrugged. “It’s not perfect, but we think it’s a positive step and helps to protect us as much as possible.”

  “Your system makes sense to me,” Kaely said. “I’d like to see other prisons adopt this concept.”

  “I would too. Anything we can do to keep prison workers safe is a step in the right direction.”

  Noah reached out for the packet. “Thanks for the office. We’ll get everything moved right away.”

  “Do you need anything else from me, sir?” Clark asked Galloway.

  “No, that will do for now. Would you mind showing them where their office is?”

  Clark stood. “Follow me. I’ll help you get set up.”

  Kaely and Noah thanked Warden Galloway and followed Clark into the hall. On the way they passed Dr. Engle’s office. The door was closed. At the end of the hallway, Clark stopped and gestured to the last door. The office was small, but it had a desk with a laptop and monitor and a landline phone. An office chair and a couple of metal folding chairs were propped up against the wall. A large filing cabinet stood on one side. No windows.

  Noah looked at Kaely. Her mouth was set in a thin line, and she was breathing more rapidly than normal. He wondered if they should ask for another place to work, but before he could say anything, she spoke up.

  “This will be fine,” she told Clark. “Thank you.”

  Clark walked over to the phone and picked up a notepad lying next to it. “This is my extension. I have an office in this section and another in an area closer to where the prisoners are housed. But if you need me, I can be with you in a couple of minutes. If I’m not in my office, your call will be forwarded to my cell phone. I’ll give you that number too. I carry my phone with me at all times. I’m also writing down the password for this computer. You won’t be able to access any prison files unless they’re sent to you. If you want something like that, let me know, and I’ll make sure you get what you need.”

  He handed Noah the sheet of paper with his contact information. “Glad you’re here, agents. Hope we can help you stop this killer.”

  Noah thanked him, and Clark left. After Noah closed the door, he said, “Nice guy,” then looked closely at Kaely. “Are you okay?”

  “Do you mean is my claustrophobia screaming at me?” She laughed. “Yeah, but I’ll be all right. I can deal with it.”

  “Okay. But if it gets bad, let me know.
I’ll see what I can do.” When she didn’t respond, he decided to move on. “Why don’t I fetch the boxes with the records? You stay here and make this . . . workable.”

  “Why? Because I’m the woman, I need to make our home livable?”

  Noah shrugged. “No, you can lug the boxes back here, if you want.”

  “Never mind,” Kaely said, smiling.

  Noah laughed as he walked out the door, pulling it closed behind him. But when he got into the hallway, the smile left his face. Was she telling him the truth? He was already concerned about her. Was confining her to that cramped, airless space too much?

  He couldn’t interfere. Kaely had to tell him if she needed help. She wouldn’t let him in unless it was her idea. He was convinced that what would break Kaely Quinn was her own stubbornness, her need for control. And he had no idea how to help her.

  Twenty-Four

  After Noah left, Kaely gazed around the room to see what she needed to do. She grabbed one of the folding chairs, opened it, and pulled it up to the other side of the desk. This way they could work together if they needed to. She unfolded the other chair but left it near the wall. Then she opened the drawers to the filing cabinet and found them empty. After sitting down at the desk, she opened the laptop computer and turned it on. As it came to life, words in red filled the screen. They looked like they were written in blood, the letters dripping in crimson. 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 prepared carefully for his next move. This time he would strike closer to home, and, again, everything was going according to plan—a plan that was perfect. He laughed quietly. Then he pulled on his clear latex gloves, powder free. He could wear them in public without drawing attention to himself.

  He was content with the way his plan had gone so far, but he hadn’t been prepared for how hard his last conquest fought. He’d have to make an adjustment, purchasing a stun gun with more power. From now on his victims wouldn’t be able to cause him trouble like that. He couldn’t allow them to scratch him or compromise him by leaving something behind that would reveal his identity. If he was careful, the authorities would never find him.