Releasing her head, Tracey picked up one of Mila’s hands and examined it. “Looks like she tried to claw through something. Most of the damage is to her fingertips. It looks like someone tried to tend to the wounds, they’re clean and already starting to heal.”
“So, the killer tends to her injuries but then kills her, he makes no sense. He kept Mila a day longer than he kept Georgia, but he killed Georgia in a rage, I think he intended to keep her for longer. But there’s no signs he lost his temper with Mila, it’s like he just changed his mind and decided she wasn't what he’s looking for. He’s moved on, he has another target in mind.”
“Do you have any idea who she might be?” Tracey asked.
“No. There are too many women on the website for us to make contact with them all, and all we can warn them of anyway is to be careful and not agree to meet anyone they met on there alone. We set up two profiles hoping to lure him, but so far, we don’t have any hits from someone we think is the killer.”
“Is it …?” Jonathon asked as he and Allina came up behind him.
“It’s Rylla’s sister,” he answered.
Just like he had done, for a long moment Jonathon and Allina just stood and stared at the body as though trying to force their brains to comprehend what their eyes were seeing.
“Does she know yet?” Allina asked. Her face was pained, she knew what it was like to be in Rylla’s position, having someone you loved snatched away from you. Waiting every second for the phone to ring with the news you were dreading with every fiber of your being.
“Not yet,” he answered. “When we’re done here I’ll go and break the news.” He was dreading having to do it. Rylla was going to be both devastated and guilt ridden.
“We’ll come,” Jonathon said immediately.
“Thank you.” He appreciated the support even if it wouldn’t make having to say those words to his partner any easier.
“Who found the body?” Allina asked.
“A patrol unit,” Matthew told her. “They saw the body, and when they saw that she was dressed up like that they assumed she was the Fairytale Killer’s next victim.” Mila had been left in a beautiful pink dress, and with the red hair, and Tracey’s suspicions that she had potentially been drowned, he was assuming she was the killer’s version of The Little Mermaid.
“Did they see anyone?”
“No. They just saw the body and stopped to check it out.”
“Do we have a cause of death?” Jonathon asked.
“Possible drowning,” Tracey replied.
“So, he didn't kill her here,” Jonathon said.
“He probably killed her wherever he was keeping her then dumped her body here,” Matthew said.
“Different than the others,” Allina said. “Jeannie was killed where she was found, Tillie was killed where she was found, Georgia was killed and dumped but it seemed like her murder was more spur of the moment rather than planned out. But this time he decided to kill her, then came and dumped her.”
“He has another victim lined up, one he thinks is going to give him what he wants,” he said.
“Any women reported missing last night?”
“None so far but we should be on the lookout for one,” Matthew said. “He usually has his next victim lined up and ready. Even with Georgia, whose murder was committed in a rage, he was ready to go with Mila the next day. For him to decide Mila wasn't going to fulfill his wishes this quickly means he must be excited about his next prospect. Is he going after Joynelle or Whitney? Either of the decoy profiles we set up? Someone we don’t know about?” There were too many options, and that he had no direction to turn in left him feeling so helpless.
* * * * *
8:04 A.M.
“What do you want for breakfast?”
Rylla curled her nose up at the entire kitchen as though it were one great big disgusting pit of stomach-churning revulsion. She had no interest in eating whatsoever.
“Don’t even think about saying you're not hungry,” Sam warned. “We’re eating breakfast. All of us,” he added with a stern look that included both her and Naomi.
Naomi looked as unenthusiastic about the prospect of breakfast as Rylla knew she herself did, but since she knew Sam was going to insist, she said, “I’ll have cereal.”
Sam nodded approvingly. “Naomi?”