CHAPTER FIVE
Cami felt a stab of apprehension as she got up and walked out of the office, heading in the direction Fraser had indicated. This was all happening at the speed of light. Within the space of an hour, she’d been an ordinary student going about her day, and then she’d been an arrested felon, and now, she’d accepted a deal that would see her becoming a co-opted FBI assistant and catching a killer.
Catching a killer. It was never something she’d imagined herself doing. But now she looked back, she guessed she’d always wanted to see justice done. That was definitely a strong part of her character and mindset. She just wanted to do it her own way and not as part of this organization.
“On your right,” Connor’s iron-hard voice sounded from behind her. Cami veered right into the boardroom. Connor followed, holding the file.
Looking at his disapproving face, Cami felt riled all over again. This was what the FBI was. Men, like this, who only knew bureaucracy and who had a grudge against anyone who tried to be or look different.
This was not going to be easy, Cami knew.
Connor threw the folder on the desk.
“Read through it,” he snapped. “Get on board with the background of the case. You’re going to need to know the facts so well that you can recite them in your sleep.”
Cami opened the file, reading about the two women. Now they had faces and names. Liz Hughes. Adriana Knight. One of them, Adriana, lived only a couple of miles from Cami’s digs. In fact, she had resided in the row of fancy houses that was on one of Cami’s walking routes from downtown to the university. She liked walking that way, liked the tall trees and the openness of the park opposite. But never had she thought that a killer had walked the same route, broken in and committed murder.
As she was reading through, Connor started talking as if he didn’t trust Cami to be able to understand the file’s contents.
“Both these women were online at the time of their death, and the killer must have known how to locate them. We assume they were both wearing AR goggles at the time, which would have camouflaged the sound of the killer entering. Both the homes were broken into. Since both victims were in their gaming areas at the time they were attacked, he was able to get close without being seen or heard. There’s very little signs of a struggle in either scene. Only a few scuff marks. Filaments under the victims’ fingernails that indicate he was wearing gloves.”
Despite herself, Cami shivered. Thinking of the victims clawing at the killer’s hands was spine-chilling.
“Apart from both being gamers, the women have nothing in common that we have been able to ascertain so far. No contacts in common. From the routine questioning we’ve done of neighbors, friends, and relatives, there’s been no trouble or issues in either of their lives that could point to a motive for murder.”
Well, that was obvious wasn’t it, Cami thought impatiently. It was very clearly an online connection, given the circumstances, and she was surprised they hadn’t pursued it more aggressively.
But then she remembered that they hadn’t been able to because these recent resignations had left them short staffed in the tech department. The FBI hadn’t been able to, but she could.
At that moment, Fraser walked in with a sheaf of documents. Bizarrely, Cami realized the stack of paperwork she was having to sign here was bigger than the bundle of pages in the case file.
Fraser saw her surprise and raised an eyebrow.
“This contract,” Fraser said, “is a legally binding agreement that means if you step out of line, you’ll be a felon and you won’t be able to use your hacking expertise to do anything about it. Only if you complete your side of the deal, will we drop the charges. You’ll be legally bound to stay within the FBI’s stated directives. If you’re not willing to do that, we don’t have a deal.”
Fraser passed over the documents and a pen.
“Think about it,” he said, as if he was giving her a choice. “If you’re ready, we can sign right here.”
Cami thought he was prepared for her to argue but right then, she was done with arguing. It clearly wasn’t going to get her anywhere, so she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her try.
“Sign here.” Fraser pointed, and Cami obediently signed. “Sign here.” Fraser pointed again. “And here.”
Cami took the pen and scrawled her name.
She was committing herself, signing herself over to an organization that she had despised for years. Her name in her own handwriting on a contract she never would have chosen to enter into. Partnered with someone who hated her and who she sensed was going to try and make sure she failed.
Her heart sank. Maybe this wasn’t going to work out, and she’d find herself in jail soon.
“Thank you,” Fraser said. He shuffled the documents together and walked out.
Connor then checked his watch.
“We need to get to the pathologist’s offices,” he said.
“The pathologist’s offices?” Cami repeated, pushing back her hair in confusion.
“To view the bodies. Because going online is not the only way we can track this killer. There could be some clues for us in the bodies. Some trace evidence. Some indication of who he physically is. And that’s where we’re going to go now.”