Catch Me (Detective D.D. Warren, #6)(118)

“I checked with her supervisor,” Phil spoke up. “Right now, looks like Detective O didn’t work January twenty-one last year, or the year before. She’s technically on duty today, but we can see how well that’s working…”

D.D. nodded, made another note for her presentation to Horgan.

Neil spoke up. “Why kill Randi Menke first? Why not just kill Charlie?”

“I think Abigail is looking for something more than a quick kill. If that were the case, you’re right, she could’ve driven up to New Hampshire and dispatched Charlene with a double tap to the forehead, just as she did with the pedophiles. I think she wants to torture Charlie first, make her feel just as alone and vulnerable in the world. As for why Randi versus Jackie…” D.D. shrugged. “Abigail had to start somewhere, and Randi probably seemed the easiest target. Lived only an hour outside of Boston, already traumatized by an abusive relationship. I imagine O drove down, maybe flashed her badge and said she was investigating Randi’s evil ex-husband. And just like that, Randi would’ve let her in.”

“But still didn’t fight back while she was being strangled,” Phil pressed.

“Details, details,” D.D. muttered, acknowledging his point. “As for Jackie Knowles…O would’ve had to fly to Atlanta, but no big whoop. She could’ve performed a routine background check in advance, determined Jackie’s occupation, place of residence, favorite restaurants from her Visa bill. Or just sat outside Jackie’s office, then followed her to the bar and set about introducing herself. She bought Jackie a drink or two, let one thing lead to another.”

“Got invited back to Jackie’s home,” Neil filled in. “Took out BFF number two, moving closer to final target.”

D.D. thought about it. “If you think about their mother’s psychosis, what these girls grew up with…Their mother didn’t just hurt them, she hurt them, in a highly ritualized manner. Maybe that’s what Abigail understands best. She’s not looking for death for her sister. She’s looking for suffering and acknowledgment. That’s something they both can relate to. Maybe, for Abigail, suffering even signifies love. Why does Mommy hurt you? Because she loves you so much.”

“But in both cases, Randi and Jackie didn’t suffer,” Phil said with a frown.

“Because it’s not their attention she wants. It’s Charlene’s. And the mysteriousness of those murders—no sign of forced entry, no sign of struggle—definitely added to Charlene’s mental anguish, while helping capture her attention.”

“I don’t think Charlie will be that lucky,” Phil said.

“No, I don’t think she will be either. At least she has some training on her side.”

“So does O,” Neil pointed out.

D.D. pursed her lips. “True. And O stole Charlie’s gun earlier. Though maybe that’s for the best. That will lower her expectations of resistance, which might help Charlie in the end.”

“So now it’s a race?” Phil asked. “Do we, or does O, find Charlie first?”

“You didn’t offer Charlene police protection?” Neil asked in surprise.

“Offer it to her? Please, she won’t even return my phone calls. She called me once, told me her side of the story. She’s not so interested in our side of things. I’m thinking she doesn’t trust us much. Which may or may not have something to do with the fact that it’s one of Boston’s own officers who’s trying to kill her.”

“That’s why you didn’t pull the arrest warrant for her,” Phil said. “You still want her picked up, off the streets.”

“I think that’s safest for her, yes.”

“But no news.”

“Nada. The girl’s holed up good.”

“Hopefully,” Phil commented, “O’s thinking the same.”

“All right,” D.D. tapped the table. “Next up, I gotta meet with Horgan to secure permission to request a search warrant for Detective O’s apartment. Neil, I’ll need you to execute that warrant. Phil, I want you to continue to dig into O’s past. Anything we can learn about her—friends, hobbies, pets, food allergies—anything that might give us some insight to what she’s doing and how she might be doing it. I want time lines and facts, boom, boom, boom, including a list of all known firearms registered in her name. While you do that, I’m going to speak with her commanding officer.”

“More background?” Phil said.

“I’m working a hunch.”

“Care to share?”

She eyed him for a second. “Actually, I’ll go one better and give you the credit since you’re the one who got the ball rolling. Remember when I was going through the tox screen reports on Randi and Jackie earlier today, and I couldn’t find evidence of any drugs in their systems, and yet the only thing that makes sense is that they were drugged?”

He nodded.

“You said I needed to start thinking about drugs that didn’t leave a pharmaceutical fingerprint. Ones not covered in the tox screen.”

Phil thought about it. “Pretty smart of me. Did I mention which drug that might be?”

“No, but O did.” D.D. drummed her fingers. Of all the pieces of the puzzle, this one bothered her the most. That she had sat, shoulder to shoulder with a fellow investigator, and remained unsuspecting, even as O had leaked tiny insights into her homicidal game. Had she been reaching out, in her own way, another version of Catch Me? Or had she been simply taunting an older, more experienced detective, who should’ve known better?