Carnival of Secrets

Chapter 5

At ten-thirty on the dot Nathan walked into the conference room. Ben was writing details of each of the three Wise County cases on the whiteboard.

Nathan sat and steepled his fingers. "Lay it on me."

Ben took a breath and plunged into his summary.

"All three victims were Hispanic males in their early twenties, and all three died of a single gunshot wound to the left temple."

"Caliber?"

Ben flipped back through his notes. "Same size in all three cases. A twenty-two round."

"From how far away?"

"The coroner noted pronounced stippling around each of the wounds but nothing indicating direct contact like a muzzle imprint. His best estimate was that each shot was fired from a distance of no more than six to eight inches."

Ben paused only long enough to take a small sip of water.

"All three were found outside city limits, all three were nude, and investigators at each scene noted that they likely weren't killed where they were found," Ben revealed. "Site pictures and the coroner's reports back up those assertions."

"Interesting. Go on. What's the time lapse between the cases?"

"The first two were four weeks apart, and the third one was two weeks after that. First guy was found north of Chico on May fifteenth, second guy on June twelfth down by Lake Bridgeport, and the third one on July third just south of Boyd."

"Whoever's doing it is confining their activity to Wise County, it seems. Makes sense, since the victims are likely being lured - or forcibly taken - to the same location each time to be killed. My gut says the killer is a resident in the area. Still, it would be prudent to check the database for any like cases elsewhere."

"I agree, and that was my next step. How wide should I search, to start?" Ben asked.

"Neighboring counties, to begin with, and you can widen it further if needed. Now, did the coroner's reports indicate any similarities in length of time between death and the discovery of the bodies?"

"They did, actually. He estimated that each man had been dead roughly forty-eight hours prior to discovery."

"Friday night party, Sunday remorse, maybe?" Nathan murmured.

"What?"

"Nothing, just thinking out loud. Have the victims been identified?"

"All three listed as John Does so far."

Annie appeared in the conference room's open doorway.

"Ben," she said quietly, "Deputy Greisen's holding for you on line four."

Ben exchanged a knowing look with his boss as he reached for the phone in the center of the conference table. He picked up the call and listened, then asked three questions, scribbling on his notepad as he did so.

"Thanks. I'll be out there as soon as I can," Ben said, and hung up.

"Another one," Nathan guessed, and Ben nodded.

"They just found a fourth body seven miles west of Greenwood. Greisen's on scene now, and he says it definitely fits the pattern."

"Get going, and take Annie with you," Nathan directed. "You guys know the drill. Walk this latest scene first, then check out the first three. Take pictures and notes. And get a copy of whatever is available on the latest victim to bring back with you. Send Lizzie in here on your way out. I'll have her set up the database search, and I will start the profile on their suspect."

"Yes, sir," Ben said, and went to tell Annie about their assignment.

A few minutes later Lizzie entered the conference room.

"What's up, boss?"

Nathan pointed to the whiteboard, then the files spread out on the table.

"Build a search, one county each direction surrounding Wise County, to start," he told her. "We need to know as soon as possible if there's any open unsolved cases that match these."

"I'm on it."

***

* * * *

Lizzie stood in Nathan's doorway just before three p.m.

"I set the search for all counties whose borders are adjacent. Nothing turned up at all for Montague, Cooke, Denton, Tarrant, Parker or Jack counties."

"Good to know, thanks."

"You want me to expand the parameters?"

"Not at the moment, since my gut says the killer is keeping to Wise County for a reason."

"I'll be at my desk if you need me," Lizzie said before she left, and Nathan nodded, then turned back to his profile.

His desk phone rang.

"Thomas."

"Hey, boss," Ben said. "We're almost done with the Greenwood scene, and we're heading out to Chico next. It's the furthest westward, and we'll work our way back east."

"You may lose daylight before you're able to walk them all," Nathan reminded him.

"No worries, boss," Ben replied. "Deputy Greisen has a great big spotlight on his SUV that we can work with."

"Nice! Keep me posted."