Chapter 10
NOT HUNGRY?”
Jamison stared across the table in the restaurant where she and Decker were eating dinner. They had each filled the other in on the respective crime scenes they had visited that day. And he had also told her that Lassiter was going to brief Green on Decker’s doubts about the ME’s time-of-death determination.
Decker, who had been picking at his meal, which had prompted Jamison’s query, set down his knife and fork and picked up his glass of beer.
“Six murders,” he said. “People with no clear connections. No obvious similarities, but maybe they’re still all part of the same jigsaw puzzle.”
“And we have to somehow make those pieces fit,” said Jamison, who had put down herfork and knife too. She had chosen a glass of merlot over beer. She picked it up and took a sip.
“And if they don’t?” he said.
She set her wine down and fiddled with her napkin. “But I told Green that I think these caseshaveto be connected. I mean, six weird murders in a place like this? What are the odds of them not being connected? Which means the two we found are tiedto the other four.”
“But we don’t seem to be making much progress.”
“Decker, we haven’t even been working the case for a full day. It takes time. You know that better than anyone.”
“We don’t have that much time, Alex. We only have a week of vacation.”
“Damn, I forgot about that.”
“And something tells me this sucker is going to take longer thanthat.”
“What do you want to do?”
“Work the case hard for now, but if we start bumping up against the end of our vacation we’ll need to talk to Bogart and have him extend it, or let us work the case on behalf of the FBI.”
Jamison frowned. “Somehow I don’t think it’s that simple, Decker.”
“Well, itshouldbe. Six people are dead who shouldn’t be.”
“I get that,” she said nervously, as Decker’s raised voice made several people at other tables look around at them. She added quickly, “So I told you what I learned at the house: the two victims, the Bible verse on the wall.”
“Right,” said Decker absently.
“What do you think about it?”
“I think it’s a little much.”
Jamison looked perplexed. “What does thatmean?”
“I asked Lassiter a question and now I’ll ask you. Why Baronville?”
“Why Baronville what?”
“Six unusual and inexplicable murders in this town. What’s so special about this place that it garners that much unusual homicidal activity?”
“Even towns like this have their share of bizarre crimes.”
“That’s true, but there’s something about thisone that just seems off.”
“But youdothink they’re connected?” she asked.
He nodded. “They’re not copycats, though, because most of the critical details are different. I think we’re looking at the same person or persons doing this.”
“So was your perfect recall any use today?”