What did he do before Talladega? How long has it gone on?"
She shook her head.
"You know, I’ve often wondered what killers become if they’re permitted to go on for a long time. Do they change? How often can you kill before you change from monster to super monster."
"Super monster? It sounds like something out of a comic book.”
“I don’t think you’ll find him funny if you ever have to confront him.”
“You mean a killer becomes smarter over the years."
"Smarter, more experienced, more arrogant, more determined, more calloused.”
“Have you ever dealt with one of these super monsters?"
"Not that I know about." He turned to look at her. "But then, wouldn’t a super monster take on the coloration of everything around him? You’d pass him on the street and never suspect him.
If he’d been allowed to go on long enough, Bundy might have become a super monster. He had the fundamentals but he was too reckless."
"How can you be this clinical?"
"If you let in emotion, you’re at an immediate disadvantage. The man who called you wouldn’t allow himself to become emotional if it got in his way. But he’d prey on your every emotion. It’s part of the power trip." He shook his head. "Don’t let him feel your fear. He’ll feed on it."
"I’m not afraid of him."
He studied her. "I believe you’re telling the truth. Why aren’t you afraid? You should be.
Everyone’s afraid to die." She didn’t answer.
"But maybe you’re not," he said slowly.
"I have the same sense of self-preservation everyone does."
"I hope you do." His lips tightened. "Listen to me, don’t underestimate this man. He knows too much. He could be anyone. He could be a clerk who works for the phone company or the cop who stops you for speeding or a lawyer with access to court records. Remember, he’s been at this a long time."
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"How could I forget?" Her gaze shifted to the skull. "I have to go back to work now."
"I guess that’s my exit cue." Spiro headed for the door. "Let me know when you finish."
"I will." She had already closed him out as she began to join the markers.
Joe Quinn was waiting beside Spiro’s car. "Come on, I want to show you something.”
“I didn’t think you’d go very far." Spiro followed him around the house. "You shouldn’t have left her alone."
"I didn’t leave her alone. I was never out of sight of the cottage." He left the driveway and moved into the shrubs. He knelt down. "See these marks? Someone was here."
"That’s not a foot imprint."
"No, he cleaned the area. But the grass is bent. He tried to comb it, but he was in a hurry."
"Very good." Spiro should have known Quinn would pick up on any anomaly. He was sharp, and his SEAL training made him particularly formidable. "You think it was our man?"
"I don’t know anyone else who would try to disguise his being here.”
“He’s watching her?"
Quinn raised his head, his gaze on the woods. "Not now. No one’s out there.”
“You’d sense it?" Spiro said mockingly. "ESP?"
"Something like that." He smiled crookedly. "Maybe it’s my Cherokee blood. My grandfather was a half-breed."
And maybe it was that SEAL training again. Search out and destroy. "You must have expected to find this or you wouldn’t have gone looking."
"He was ugly to her. He wanted to hurt her. I thought he might want to see her pain." He stood up and moved back a step. "Or maybe he wanted to make sure he knew where she was. Either way, he’d come." He gave Spiro a level glance. "Get a forensics team out here to see if they can collect any evidence.”
“Listen, we’ve got our hands full at Talladega. Get your own people to do it.”
“They won’t do anything until they’re sure they have to be involved, and they won’t know that until Eve finishes that reconstruction. They won’t dare not jump in at that point because of Eve’s reputation."
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instead of order."
"Please," Joe bit out.
He smiled. "You gave in too easily. I would have had a team out here anyway.”
“Bastard."
"You needed taking down a notch." He turned away. "Charlie will be here by dark. I understand you’ve been worried."
Joe’s gaze narrowed on his face. "You wanted me to worry. When I couldn’t reach Cather, I called you. When you didn’t answer your digital, I phoned the command site and Sheriff Bosworth said you were too busy to take the call.”
“He was right. It turned out that no aerial shots had been taken of the grave sites to determine if there’s a pattern. It kept me pretty busy coordinating the photography."
"Too busy for a two-minute phone call? You wanted to make me sweat.”
“Worry keeps a man sharp. You’re going to need to be sharp.”
“And I’m not sure Cather’s the agent to guard Eve. He doesn’t impress me.”
“He’s not standard FBI, if that’s what you mean. He’s not cynical and he’s eager instead of methodical. I had a hell of a time getting him approved for the unit, but that doesn’t mean he’s not fully qualified. And a fresh eye sees things a jaded one doesn’t. He’ll do a good job. Besides, I’ve given orders for three other agents to do sentry duty and patrol the woods around the cottage. They’ll report to Charlie. Satisfied?"
"Hell, no."
"No, you want a battalion."
"The fewer the guards, the more likely that maniac will come calling." Spiro looked him directly in the eye. "That’s right. I’ll supply enough men to keep her safe, but I don’t want to discourage him."
"You’d rather she run the risk?"
"Don’t be ridiculous. She’s valuable. She may be our only lead.”
“Answer me."
"I have to catch this one, Quinn. I can’t take a chance on him slipping away. You can laugh, but after these days at Talladega, staring at those graves, I sometimes feel—" He stopped and then shrugged. "He’s mine."
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"And Eve?"
"She’s only one woman. There’s no telling how many more people he’ll kill if we don’t get him now."
"You bastard."
"Yes, but if you want that killer, I’m your best bet. I’ll keep on going until I have him." He started to walk away but stopped. "You know, I don’t like Eve Duncan’s attitude."
"Too bad. She’s working her butt off to get an identification on that skull.”
“No, that’s not what I—" A frown creased Spire’s forehead. "She’s not afraid of him. He’s not going to like that. It will make him angry and more determined to break her. If he can’t reach her, he’ll try for someone close to her.”
“I twisted a few arms over the phone last night and got a twenty-four-hour guard on her mother."
"Good."
"But I didn’t tell Eve and I’m not going to tell her about anyone watching the cottage. So make sure your forensic guys don’t plod around here like elephants. She’s working so hard, I doubt she’d notice if they did, but she’s got enough to worry about."
"You’re very protective."
"You’d better believe it. You might think about that, Spiro. Because if that asshole gets to her and it’s your fault, she won’t be the only victim."
Cather arrived at the cottage four hours later. "Sorry to be late." He grimaced. "I meant to get here an hour ago, but I got a late start from Quantico. I hoped I’d get the analysis before I left, but they hadn’t finished."
Eve glanced up from the skull. "What analysis?"
"From VICAP. Violent Criminal Apprehension Program. It’s a nationwide database that allows us to type in all the facts of a violent crime and then does a search for similar modi operandi on reported crimes during a given period."