May and Owen turned and left, not wanting to take up any more of the busy administrator’s time. May felt frustrated that they could not speak to the victims directly. She hoped that some of them might reach out to her if he contacted them. Some would be better than none.
At that moment, her phone rang.
It was Kerry, and May realized with a stab of guilt that she hadn't yet called her sister to say that Nurse Keyes was cleared.
As she and Owen hurried along the hospital corridor, May quickly picked up the call.
"Hey, Kerry," she said.
"Hey, sis. I've had a look at these records." Kerry sounded brisk and organized, as if she'd had a full eight hours' sleep, even though May knew that was surely impossible. "And I don't think Nurse Keyes is your guy, based on the timing of the recent murders, which I've also looked up. He's been calling and texting a lot, contacting a number that I think is probably his lawyer, aswell as communicating with a lot of employment agencies. When I look at the timeframes, I don't think he would have had time yesterday to do what he's been doing, plus stalk a victim."
“I really appreciate that you've done the research," May said gratefully.
"No problem. It was fairly easy once I got into the databases." Kerry paused. "So you're still looking for your killer then?"
"Yes, we are. The nurse is a dead end, and that means we're all out of suspects. The hospital administrator won't give us ICU records. He says they're private. He'll reach out to the patients himself this morning and warn them, or so he says, anyway."
"Hmm. That's annoying you can't do more your side," Kerry said thoughtfully.
May turned right. Owen was indicating hopefully toward a coffee shop near the hospital entrance. Thinking this was an excellent idea, May made a beeline for it. They needed coffee and breakfast and might as well eat while they could.
"It is super-frustrating," May admitted. "I wish we could figure out a way to identify potential victims. Whoever the killer is targeting next is in serious danger, Kerry. This is a small, tight-knit town. People are trusting here. They don't think bad things will happen."
"And yet, even though you don't know who's been close to death, the killer has a way of knowing," Kerry said thoughtfully.
"Yes, and I don't know how."
"Shall I profile him for you?" Kerry said.
"That would be wonderful." May felt a flicker of hope. "Do you think you could do that based on what you know of the victims?"
"I think I can.”
“I’ll send you everything we have on the case so far,” May said, as she and Owen hurried into the coffee shop.
“That’ll be great. Let me research a little more, then I'll take a shot at it.I'll call you back in an hour or so, and give you my findings," Kerry promised her.
May felt grateful, as she and Owen sat down and she hurriedly took out her laptop bag, that having her sister's help and expertise might give them a new lead.
This killer must be lurking among the community. He must be well-connected with people in the area.
And perhaps, with Kerry's profiling skills, they could narrow down who he really was before he had the chance to kill again.
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
The Reaper was at work again. He knew his job was now urgent. It was a calling, a mission, an emergency that needed to be carried out. How could he sleep, when there were so many souls whose time on earth should have been over? Who needed to feel his scythe plunging into their hearts?
He knew that time was running out, that the police were on his trail, trying to stop him. This was a small community. Of course, he knew.
It meant he had to work faster. There was a lot to do. He needed to correct as many of the imbalances as he could. He had to do this at full speed and keep ahead of the people who sought to stop him.
This was now a crusade for justice. Fire filled his veins at the thought of what was possible, what he could do.
Today, he was going to bring the balance closer to where it should be. He was going to claim three souls in the next twenty-four hours if time allowed.
He had chosen his victims carefully, knowing that each one deserved to die. And now he was about to relish the moment of their deaths. But three in one day meant he had to work fast. He would have to move at lightning speed, while still being sure that he made no mistakes.
The Reaper turned on the radio in his car, and cranked the volume up, filling the car with the songs he loved. He needed to feel the music in his soul, to feel empowered. To light the fire of determination that would feed his need for revenge on the world, to make up for what the world had robbed from him.