Field of Graves(40)

He arrived at the station before she did, felt a vague sense of disappointment. He shook it off, got buzzed in through the back door, helped himself to a soda, and sat down at Taylor’s desk in the squad room. He caught the curious glances from the night shift as they bundled up and went to live their lives for the day, and was sure the word had gone out the lunatic ex-agent was on the grounds.

You’re being paranoid, Baldwin. Stop it.

Ringing chatter came down the hall as Taylor and Fitz shared insults to begin their day. They entered the room laughing hard, and Baldwin was surprised to realize he wanted in on the joke. But they stopped when they saw him, the mood sobered. Taylor greeted him warmly. Fitz stood to the side, still eyeing Baldwin as if he smelled like a piece of moldy Limburger cheese. He chose to ignore him.

“Morning, Taylor.” He saw her eyeing him, could see the thoughts running through her head. Yes, he was still in one piece. Yes, he had made it in to help them work the case. No, he didn’t look all that great, but at least he was still with them. He subconsciously touched the bandage on his cheek and gingerly gave her a smile.

“And to you, Baldwin. I trust you slept well?” He was taken aback. He’d assumed his actions of the night before had been duly reported, but it looked as though she hadn’t filled Fitz in at all.

“Like the dead.” He was rewarded with an earsplitting grin. He laughed, feeling the tension in the room melt away. A brief glance at Fitz brought it all back.

“So, Baldwin, Taylor told you about the poison?”

“Yes, she did. I’m anxious to hear more.”

“Ain’t we all, son. Taylor, where’s Sam?”

A voice rang out from the hallway. “Right behind you, old man.”

Fitz jumped, then turned and bear-hugged the ME. He drew her off the ground and swung her around, outwardly annoying her to no end, but Baldwin could tell it was just an act. Again the feeling of being an outsider crept in, and he looked away. This was more than just a team of cops, they were a close-knit family. He hadn’t felt as if he belonged to a family for a very long time.

“Damn it, Fitz, put me down. You’re gonna make me hurl my sausage biscuit all over you.”

He obliged and backed away, smiling. “Don’t you go doing that now, sugar! We can’t have the ME puking all over the squad room this early in the mornin’. Might start a few rumors, ya know what I mean?”

Sam guffawed. “Very funny, Fitz. Taylor, help me.”

“Oh no, Sam, looks like you’re the one who opened that door.”

“Gee, thanks. Some friend you are.” She turned to Baldwin. “Dr. Baldwin,” she sang out gaily, “you look like crap.”

“Thank you. I think.”

“Don’t mention it. Taylor, where’s Lincoln? I asked him to do some research on aconite for me.”

“I don’t know where he is. Probably up to his ears in ViCAP. I’ll go hunt him down.” She left the room, and Baldwin felt distinctly uncomfortable again. Taylor was his link into this group, however tenuous that might be. He only had his intellect to go on, and he suddenly wanted to prove himself to these people.

You’re insane, they don’t care, why are you bothering? But when Sam looked him up and down and said, “Baldwin, who looks like crap, care to give your thoughts on our little case?” he settled down and waded in. He couldn’t help himself; Sam’s enthusiasm was infectious.

“The aconite is one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen. It is a very uncommon poison in the criminal canon. Plus, poisoning homicides are usually perpetrated by women, which doesn’t fit, since obviously Jordan and Shelby were with a man before their deaths. Because of this, we can’t rule out a team, though I’m inclined to think we’re dealing with a sophisticated male suspect.”

“Go on,” Fitz said.

“Jordan’s murder seems like overkill to me. She’d already ingested the poison. The killer intended for her to die in the same fashion as Shelby. To stab her after the fact was violent, personal. I’d guess she pissed him off after he gave her the poison, mouthing off, perhaps, maybe even trying to escape. He needed to stop her, grabbed the knife and started swinging. It would explain the differences in the way the bodies were discovered as well. He was furious with Jordan, so he discarded her, tossed her in the river like a piece of trash.

“On the other hand, Shelby was treated with respect. She was loved, revered. Given an honorable burial in his mind. Scattered with herbs... I think we may be looking at some sort of ritual, maybe even an offbeat religious faction. The aconite itself strikes me as almost cultish.”

Sam and Fitz were paying total attention to him now. “What doesn’t fit is the herbs Sam found on Jordan,” Fitz said.

“Right. Even though he killed her in a rage, he took a moment to throw some herbs on her body before he cut her loose. Conscience got the better of him, maybe? The herbs are definitely important to him. It has to be part of his ritual. They aren’t a clue left for us—there was a good chance the wind or the water would wash the herbs away before we got to the body. They’re strictly a device for his own peace of mind. And then we have the aconite angle, which is also quite odd.”

“You can say that again.” Lincoln and Taylor came back into the room, arms loaded with a stack of papers half a foot high.