“Or a wooden box or crate or something,” her partner added.
“Possibly,” she agreed. “Wherever it was, it was someplace where he was confident that her screams for help wouldn’t be heard.”
“Somewhere outside of town,” Jonathon concurred. “He wouldn’t want someone stumbling upon her, and he kept her for a couple of days.”
“No major injuries, so he didn’t incapacitate her by force,” Allina said. “Might have coerced her with the threat of violence by holding a gun or knife on her, or he drugged her with something that was already out of her system well before she died.”
“Both of those means he was able to get up close to her without her deeming him to be a threat,” Jonathon noted.
“Agreed. She didn’t know what he had planned for her until it was too late. He was able to either charm his way into her presence before he struck, or he snuck up on her and caught her unawares.”
“I found something else,” Tracey told them.
They both returned their gaze to the medical examiner. “What?” Allina asked.
“I found a hair. A short black hair. Zoe had light brown hair that reached to her shoulders.”
“So, it wasn't hers.” Jonathon’s eyes brightened.
“No, it wasn't,” Tracey agreed. “Bad news is I probably won’t be able to get DNA from the sample. There’s no root, and while that doesn’t mean it’s impossible for me to get DNA it does mean it’s not particularly likely. Good news is that at least you know that your killer most likely has short black hair.”
That was both disappointing and a little positive. Allina wished that Tracey would be able to get DNA to run through the database. If they got a hit, it would end things so much more quickly. They'd know who the killer was, all they'd have to do would be arrest him. But at least they knew a little about what the man they were looking for looked like. That was better than nothing and more than they’d had yesterday.
“Are we sure the hair is from the killer and not just picked up randomly along the way?” Jonathon asked.
“It’s definitely from wherever she was killed,” Tracey told them. “I found the hair stuck between two toes. I would guess it was already in the bath or whatever he put her in to kill her. I suppose that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s from the killer. Itcouldbe from another victim. But it doesn’t match either of the victims from the Jack and Jill case, and he killed them almost immediately upon abducting them anyway, and to the best of our knowledge there aren’t any other victims. Since we don’t know where he kept her, it could be from a random person unrelated to the case, but I think the most likely scenario is that it’s from the killer himself.”
Allina agreed and was about to say so when the door burst open, and Kane Curtis rushed into the room.
“You look in a good mood,” Jonathon said.
Kane grinned, kissed his wife’s cheek, then plonked into a seat at the table. “I'm in a great mood,” he said.
“Want to share with us the reason why you’re so chirpy?” she asked.
“Can't wait to tell you.” Kane’s grin grew wider.
Her hopes lifted. Maybe the crime scene tech had found something that would help them identify the killer.
“I found something on the blanket he had transported her on,” Kane said.
“What?” Jonathon prompted when the other man paused.
“Snakeskin.”
“Snakeskin?” Allina repeated.
“Snakeskin.” Kane nodded.
“The only reason I can think of for there to be snakeskin on the blanket is that the killer has a snake,” Jonathon said.
“Exactly.” Kane beamed. “And how many people own snakes?”
“Hardly any.” She shuddered. She wasnota fan of any reptiles, and snakes topped that list by a mile.
“Exactly,” Kane said again. “If he bought the snake legally, we can look into any places that sell them. And even if he bought it illegally, we can possibly still trace it. And if not, he still has to buy supplies to feed and tend to the snake so we might be able to find him that way.”
“That’s great, Kane.” Allina thought her smile was probably just as big as his. “Any idea what kind of snake?”