Cut to the Bone

by Ellison Cooper

  Instead, she went to the kitchen where she found a cryptic note on the counter from Tino that said, I have a big question that I need to talk to you about!

  Sayer thought about going down to see if Tino was awake, but decided that she was too brain-dead to think about anything else right now. She also pondered calling Nana to warn her that someone was keeping an eye on her, but it was late and Sayer wasn’t entirely convinced 037 had been telling the truth. Instead, she pulled a beer from the fridge and sat in front of her computer. She typed out a quick email to former Assistant Director Holt. Maybe Holt would have ideas about possible locations in D.C. that combine Egyptian symbolism, water, and something to do with the stars. If they could find the right place, maybe they could catch the killer in the act.

  Though that would mean one more dead girl.

  Email to Holt sent and beer drained, Sayer tried to stop her mind from tumbling over that thought again and again. Realizing that she needed some sleep, she stumbled to bed and fell into a dark oblivion.

  UNKNOWN LOCATION

  Kate watched the other girls going over their parts of the attack plan.

  They needed to lure Walter all the way to the back of the bus without alerting him, so they had to keep their eyes down and weapons hidden. Once he was as far back as they could get him, they would all attack, except for Kate who would be waiting in the very front seat, ready to run. If she could escape, she could bring the police back to help.

  As they had practiced their plan over the last few hours, the girls went from looking haggard and scared to moving with fierce determination.

  It had been Nell’s idea to use the wrench they found to dismantle the seats. The bolts and the wrench were both rusty, but with great effort they managed to pry free some of the metal legs.

  Now they had six heavy bars to use against Walter.

  As they’d gathered the weapons and practiced the plan, the girls had transformed into warriors in their own minds and Kate could see it reflected in their body language. They moved with purpose, eyes clear, faces grim but ready.

  Mouth dry, heart beating too fast, Kate wished Walter would just come now because she was tired and she knew this would be the end of all this one way or the other.

  SAYER’S APARTMENT, ALEXANDRIA, VA

  Sayer was already reaching for her gun when she bolted up in bed. Something triggered her inner alarm and her skin prickled with apprehension as she crawled silently from beneath the blanket, gun trained on the shadowy void of the wide-open bedroom door.

  A trash truck rumbled by outside. The steady hum of commuter traffic filtered through the thin windows. It was still dark, but Sayer recognized the predawn sounds of early morning.

  She lowered her gun to her side and padded on bare feet into the living room.

  “Adi?” Sayer whispered. Maybe she had decided to cut her college visit short?

  When no one answered, Sayer went room by room, clearing every possible hiding spot.

  The place was empty. Windows and doors secure.

  Sayer stood in the center of her living room, gun hanging by her side, trying to figure out what had woken her. She was never the best sleeper, but clearly something had set off an unconscious alarm.

  She jumped slightly at the sound of her phone buzzing back in her bedroom.

  Shaking her head at how jumpy she was, Sayer hurried to answer the call.

  Ezra’s name flashed on the screen. “What’s up, Ez?”

  “Sorry to call so early, but a woman called the hotline just now, says she saw the sketch of our unsub on the news and is sure it’s her brother-in-law. Name’s Luke Windsor. She sent over a photo of the guy. Looks a hell of a lot like our unsub. Wasn’t sure if you wanted me to send an agent to talk to her, or if you’d want to go yourself. She’s just over in Falls Church, maybe twenty minutes from your place.”

  Sayer put her gun on the bedside table and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. Four hours of sleep wasn’t even close to enough to make her feel human. “She’s credible?”

  “Yeah. I ran background on her and her brother-in-law. Everything she said checks out. Even better, I sent the photo to Al Valentine and Declan at the hospital. Declan’s still asleep, but Al confirmed that it looked like the unsub. I tried to locate Luke Windsor, but I can’t get anything on him. I did find his arrest record, which is a mile long. Maybe even a mile and a half.”

  “All right. You keep digging into his background, see if he could really be our unsub. I can be at her house in thirty.”

  “On it. Sending you the address now.”

  “Wait.” Sayer caught him before he hung up. “Did you get any sleep?”

  “I crashed here for an hour,” Ezra said.

  “Ezra…”

  “I know, I know. I’ll nap again before the task force meeting.”

  Sayer grunted and hung up.

  She quickly rinsed off and threw on clean clothes. Fortified with a cold bagel and a massive travel mug of coffee, she hurried out the front door.

  On the landing outside, she froze.

  In the first gray light of dawn, she could just see the large shoe prints in the thin layer of icy snow on the landing.

  She followed the path of the prints. Someone had walked up her stairs, looked in her window, and stood just outside her front door. Sayer’s hand landed on her gun as she scanned the garden below. There were no prints outside Tino’s place. Whoever this was knew which apartment was hers.

  Careful not to disturb the prints outside the window, she moved closer for a better look. A few smudges on the glass kicked her heart up a notch.

  “Dammit,” she muttered as she dialed Ezra.

  “You get the address I sent?”

  “Yeah. I need you to send an evidence team to my place.” Her face flushed with anger. Danger was something she expected at work, but coming to her home, invading the one place meant to feel safe for her and her family, was not okay.

  “Whoa, what happened?” Ezra’s voice rose with alarm.

  “I don’t know if it’s connected to our case, but I’ve been followed home from work at least twice since it started. I thought I lost him last night, but now I’ve got footprints outside my apartment. I’ll document everything with photos and send them to you now, but I’d like someone to come out and process everything.” Sayer looked at the pattern of prints outside the door. “I think there’s a chance whoever was here touched the front door and window.”

  “Oh man, that’s messed up. Sending someone now.”

  Sayer hung up and went downstairs to let Tino know what had happened.

  He came to the door in rumpled flannel pajamas. His nose was swollen, eyes ringed with purple. Vesper bounded out to greet Sayer, twining back and forth between her legs with his tail wagging madly.

  “Morning,” Sayer said. “You feeling okay?”

  “I’m fine. Nothing a little shot of whiskey with breakfast won’t cure.” Tino tried to wink, but winced instead. “To what do I owe the early morning visit? Did you run out of coffee again?”

  Sayer held up her mug. “I’m all set on caffeine. Just letting you know that someone was outside my place last night. It could be connected to the case.”

  “You think it’s the fake FBI agent that visited me at the hospital?” Tino’s blackened eyes scanned the garden warily.

  “Could be. Honestly I have no clue, which is why it might be a good idea for you to stay somewhere else for a few days. I’m just glad Adi is still out in California. Nana is still in Montana so you’re welcome to crash at her place.”

  Tino pressed his lips together. “I don’t think so. I’ve got the fearless hound…” He pointed at Vesper who was peeing gracelessly in the garden.

  “The fearless hound who also slept through someone climbing the stairs and checking my door and windows,” Sayer said.

  Tino paled. “Oh dear. Still, I’m not going to be run out of my home by that flapping meat block, or anyone else for that matter. Let Crenshaw try to catch
me off guard again.”

  Sayer sighed. “All right, tough guy. Keep an eye out. I’ll check in later. You have any word on the boy?”

  “Declan’s doing well. We’re planning to visit him again in a few hours.”

  Sayer nodded. “Okay, I’ve got double security detail on his door. Here’s hoping you aren’t assaulted this time.”

  “God willing,” Tino said with a wry smile. “So, about my surprise. It’s kind of a big thing…”

  “Can we discuss it later, Tino? I’m feeling worn pretty thin right now.”

  “Of course, calida. How about a drink date tonight whenever you get home? I’ll make something new. Maybe some avocado margaritas.”

  Sayer gave Tino’s arm a squeeze. “It’s a date.”

  She called out a goodbye to Vesper, and got on her Silver Hawk to go find the woman who could potentially ID their unsub.

  JACKIE WINDSOR’S HOUSE, FALLS CHURCH, VA

  Sayer rolled to a stop in front of the small gray-and-white house just as the sun peeked above the horizon. The area was a nice working-class neighborhood, compact mass-produced houses on small lots. Unlike the rest of the block, there were no children’s toys scattered out front.

  The snow was starting to melt in patches as the sun rose, bringing the temperature above freezing for the first time in a week.

  The front door cracked open as Sayer bounded up the slush-covered steps.

  “Agent Altair?” A pretty young woman with dishwater blond hair and bright hazel eyes greeted Sayer.

  “I am. You must be Ms. Windsor?”

  The woman seemed uncertain so Sayer pulled out her badge. It immediately put Jackie Windsor at ease.

  “Please, call me Jackie,” she said with a genteel Southern accent as she stepped aside and gestured for Sayer to enter.

  The house was well kept but claustrophobic, crammed full of thick carpets and overstuffed furniture. The heat was so high Sayer peeled off her heavy leather jacket. Without a word, Jackie took it and hung it in the front hall closet.

  “Sorry to call you so early. I work nights and just got home when I saw that picture on the news.” Jackie led Sayer into the kitchen. “Please, have a seat. Can I offer you coffee or anything?”

  “No, thank you,” Sayer said as they awkwardly sat across from each other. From her chair, Sayer could see into the formal living room where a large photo of a young soldier hung over the fireplace. A black banner covered the top right corner. A fancy burgundy-and-gold urn sat on the mantel.

  “Ms. Windsor … Jackie.” Sayer pulled out the sketch of the unsub. “I understand that you believe you can identify the man in this drawing?” She slid the image across the table.

  Jackie looked down, but didn’t touch it. Her face twisted into a look that was half disgust, half anger. Papery lines crinkled along her forehead and neck and Sayer realized that Jackie Windsor was quite a bit older than she initially appeared.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t expect this to be so hard.”

  “Take your time. I understand that you have reason to believe that this could be your brother-in-law?”

  Jackie nodded slowly, eyes still on the sketch. “I…” She paused to clear her throat. “Luke Windsor.”

  Sayer got out her phone to take notes. “Luke, that’s your brother-in-law?”

  “Yes, let me show you.” Jackie got up and gathered an old file box from the kitchen counter. “My mother-in-law left us this box. It’s mostly old school projects, but also medical records and some photos.” She lifted the dusty lid and pulled out a stack of photos that she handed to Sayer.

  The top one showed two young men in army uniforms standing at attention next to each other. Sayer could see the clear resemblance between them. “This is Luke and your husband?”

  “Miles.” Jackie’s practiced smile wasn’t enough to cover up her grief. “He died last year. Killed in action serving in Iraq.”

  Sayer nodded gently. She glanced back and forth between the sketch still sitting in front of Jackie and the photo of Luke. Both men had the same round chin and high cheeks, but it was the vaguely amused eyes that were unmistakable. “I can see why you think the sketch looks like Luke, but is there something specific that makes you think he’s the man we’re looking for?”

  Jackie reached over and pulled another photo from the stack in Sayer’s hands. It showed the brothers together again, but this time Luke’s hair was shaggy, his shoulders slumped.

  “They both shipped out at the same time … Miles after college, Luke straight out of high school. Miles moved up the ranks. Luke didn’t. After his deployment, Luke was … troubled. He got into drugs. He was eventually kicked out of the army. That photo was taken not long after Miles got back from his first tour.”

  Sayer remained silent, letting Jackie talk.

  “I honestly never liked Luke, he was always … off, if that makes sense? He made some terribly rude jokes at our wedding. I know he got in a lot of trouble as a kid. Fights and that kind of thing. And”—she hesitated—“Miles found a bunch of dead mice and a dead cat in their backyard when Miles was only ten.”

  That got Sayer’s attention. Though the myths about serial killers wetting beds and setting fires as children were inaccurate, there was a connection between childhood animal abuse and adult violence.

  “He disappeared for a few years and we thought he might be dead. But then,” Jackie continued, “about two years ago, he showed up really messed up. Hooked on speed. He was skinny as a rail, had sores all over his mouth. He … asked Miles for help.”

  “What happened?” Sayer gently prompted.

  “We’d just moved up here from Fort Bragg. We bought this house as our retirement plan and Miles told him he could stay with us for a few months, until he got his feet back under him…” She trailed off.

  Sayer waited out the silence. When interviewing people, silence was her most effective tool. Few people wanted to endure quiet for long and they would usually continue talking to fill the empty space.

  “Luke was respectful enough when he was here, but after a few weeks, I noticed that my cash was disappearing. And then my wedding ring went missing. And so I told Miles I wanted him gone. He was stealing from us to buy drugs or whatever. I wasn’t going to have that in my house.”

  “So Miles kicked him out?”

  “Not right away … we fought about it. He wanted to help his baby brother, but then Luke brought home a friend of his who got handsy with me.” Jackie looked up at Sayer almost apologetically. “That was it for Miles. He kicked Luke out that night.”

  “Was that the last time you saw Luke?” Sayer asked.

  “No. At Miles’s funeral. He showed up high, hadn’t showered in weeks. Looked like he was half dead. When he saw the casket, he started shouting, knocked over some flowers, then ran off. That was a year ago and I haven’t seen him since.” Jackie’s lips pulled into a grimace at the memory.

  Sayer flipped slowly through the rest of the photos. Some were paled with age, showing Luke and Miles as young boys. There was one of the boys astride the same horse. Another of them with skinned knees and sunburned cheeks. One at a pool party where the teenage boys both wore Hawaiian print shirts, smiling at someone off camera.

  “Luke’s the younger brother?” Sayer asked, trying to sort out which boy was which.

  “Yes, he’s four years younger,” Jackie said.

  Sayer slid out the last photo of Luke in his midtwenties alone on a porch swing, arms slung casually over the back. He wore cut-off jeans and a grungy white T-shirt. He gazed intensely into the camera.

  She felt a jolt of recognition. His eyes were dead, as though assessing the world from a distance—a look Sayer knew well after working with numerous psychopaths.

  “Is there anything else you can tell me about Luke?” she asked. “Where he lives or works? Any friends? Anything that might help us find him?”

  Jackie shook her head. “No, I’m so sorry. I honestly don’t know anything about him other than
that he used to live in Baltimore. But that was just before he moved in with us.”

  “Would Luke and Miles’s parents be able to help?” Sayer asked.

  “They’re both dead,” Jackie said flatly. “Their daddy died when Miles was fifteen and Luke was eleven. Their mama died last year, only two months after Miles…” She looked away, eyes watering.

  Sayer waited her out.

  “Sorry,” Jackie finally said, dabbing her eyes. “It’s been almost a year, but I still cry every time I talk about him.”

  “I understand,” Sayer said. “My fiancé died almost four years ago.”

  Jackie looked at her with a new expression. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

  “Thank you,” Sayer said, refusing to let herself feel anything. The river of grief that coursed just below the surface was easy to access, but Sayer avoided letting anything tap into that torrent lest it pull her under. She knew Jackie wanted some expression of shared sorrow, but Sayer could only muster a blank look back at her.

  Jackie looked away for a moment, but then continued, “Their mama was pretty open about Luke. She used to say that she gave birth to one devil and one angel. Miles always did right, excelled at school. Luke was almost expelled his senior year. While Miles was qualifying for Special Forces, Luke was being dishonorably discharged.”

  “You know why he was discharged?” Sayer made a note to follow up with the army.

  Jackie shook her head. “Maybe it’s there in the box somewhere. I’ve never really looked through it. You can take it with you.”

  “Last question. Do you have any idea if Luke was familiar with ancient Egypt?”

  “Well sure, of course I do. Their daddy was a famous Egyptologist. I never actually met him. But Dr. Windsor worked at the Smithsonian. Used to take the boys with him to Egypt on digs. He actually died on one of his expeditions.”

  Sayer felt the electric buzz of excitement as things fell into place. Luke Windsor had to be their man.

  UNKNOWN LOCATION