Page 49 of Speechless
The stand-off continued for several long seconds while Connor examined his conclusions about the agent. Running his tongue over his teeth, he stepped back and allowed the suit to walk into the house, then raised his eyebrow at Caleb when his brother tried to follow. “I asked for identification,sheriff.”
If looks could kill, Agent Hadley would have arrested Caleb for fratricide on the spot. Cain was right, Connor thought as he held his ground; their brother was not the man they’d grown up with. Connor wasn’t sure that man still existed inside the seething person in front of him.
Caleb snapped his jacket back, exposing the badge on his belt, and shoved past Connor into the house, acting every inch the spoiled child embarrassed by his sibling. Maybe it was cute in a five-year-old, but in a man approaching forty, it was rude.
As he led them through to the living room, Connor winced, recalling the state of the place. Maybe they’d wait while he picked up…he stepped into the room and mentally kissed Sarah. The duvet and pillows were folded neatly and stacked on the floor at the far end of the couch. The breakfast tray—surprisingly nearly empty of food—was tidy, the dishes stacked and waiting to go into the kitchen.
He waved a hand toward the couch. “Have a seat.”
Connor took his recliner so he could an eye on both men. Caleb’s eyes searched the room as though Jenna might be stashed somewhere, while Hadley’s were direct on Connor’s.
“How much has the sheriff told you about the investigation this far, Doctor?” he asked without niceties or preamble, a tactic Connor appreciated.
“Nothing. I don’t know if he’s made any headway in identifying Jenna’s real identity, whether any leads on this Sire have been found. I’ve been kept in the dark, but to be honest, my sole focus has been on Jenna. I’m not a detective, I’m a doctor.”
Hadley’s eyes closed for a brief moment. When they opened again, the blue glittered with simmering anger. Respect for the agent came quickly; Connor wasn’t sure he’d be capable of containing his emotions quite as efficiently. “The FBI created a task force eighteen years ago. It was assembled after the discovery of four female bodies in a twenty-mile radius of each other, within a short time span.”
“Eighteen years? That fucker had Jenna in his grasp since she was a child?”
“We don’t believe so. All four victims were only dead a day or so before they were found. There was no correlating pattern to indicate the killer had a physical preference in his victims, but his method of murdering them alerted the authorities to his presence. He had a signature, and the victims’ wounds seemed to be an integrated part of the pattern.” Hadley took a deep breath. “Over the last eighteen years, no less than fifty-three bodies have been discovered over the length and breadth of the country. Each one with similar physical abuse and a brand over the left breast.”
“Whore,” Connor murmured, thinking of the brand on Jenna’s breast.
“Yes. I’ve seen the photo of Jenna’s brand, and our experts are confident the same implement was used on all the victims. Including Jenna.”
Connor gripped the arms of the recliner. “How does he kill them?”
“I’m not sure I should—”
“I’m a medical professional, Agent. I’ve seen dead bodies, autopsied several. Graphic details aren’t going to phase me.”
“He beats, rapes and strangles them. Around a dozen over the years were sodomized. They appear to have been more rigorously beaten than the other victims.”
“They did something to piss him off.”
“I believe so. We’ve been able to identify forty-six of the fifty-three women from missing person’s reports. The other seven remain Jane Does. The fifty-third body was the day after Jenna came into your care, Doctor. Twenty minutes outside of Big Sky, in a farmer’s field. She wore the brand but hadn’t been raped or sodomized. He eradicated her face.”
“You’re sure she’s one of his?”
“Yes.”
Connor blew out a long breath. “The day after Jenna got here. Sire has a temper, and the means to hold more than one girl at a time. What else do you know about him?”
“Very little at this point. The psychologists have several theories, mostly conflicting but with a few points they’ve all confirmed unanimously. A sadist who takes pleasure in the torture of his victims. Kills them when they hold no more purpose. Jenna is the first real lead we’ve had in nearly two decades. Her revelation of the name Sire hasn’t helped yet, but it has opened up a few more avenues of investigation.”
“Eighteen years and that’s it? Fifty-three women dead and buried, and all you have is his alias?” Connor snorted and shook his head. “You’re what, early forties? Younger, maybe. Thirty-five? You haven’t been on this case from the start.”
“Thirty-seven, and no. My mentor in the Bureau was lead investigator from day one. He retired last year and recommended I take over as lead agent. I’m well-versed in the details, Doctor O’Malley, trust me.”
“Might as well call me Connor. Looks like you’re here to stay for the foreseeable future.”
“I’m basing myself in the Creek as of this week, yes. If more bodies turn up, I’ll attend the scene, but consider me one of your community from here.” Hadley leaned forward, hands hanging between his thighs. “My belief is Jenna is an anomaly for this perp, Connor. The only surviving victim of a serial killer with two decades of experience under his belt. That girl should consider herself one of the luckiest individuals to ever walk God’s green earth. It also means she has a tag on her head.”
Apparently, there was a greater emotion in the field of fear, one proficient enough to knock terror out of the park. “Oh fuck,” he breathed. “Oh, fuck me. How the hell would he even find her? There’s no paper trail, no hospital records, she hasn’t even got her real name for Christ’s sake.”
“She was on foot, Connor.” Caleb cleared his throat as Hadley gave him an arch look but continued. “Wherever she’s come from, she’s come barefoot and hardly dressed for the weather. Unless she struck a huge pot of fucking gold, she covered maybe, what, twenty miles if you want to be over-generous in a guess. That gives this Sire a small area to search, and gossip travels fast. Her arrival at the bar, the altercation, it makes for entertaining news. This guy isn’t an idiot, far from it. If he doesn’t already know where she is, he’s off his game.”
Connor resisted the urge to charge upstairs and make double damn sure his girl was exactly where she was supposed to be. He’d wondered whether the asshole would be looking for her, hadn’t taken all the details into account. His focus was Jenna, and he’d left her wide open from several angles.