Desperate Girls (Wolfe Security #1)(52)

“The public?” Ross asked.

“Yes. That’s all part of this.” He paused. “You may recall during the trial how the lead detective in the case, Michael McGowan, testified that they’d uncovered a stash of media clips Corby had collected. He’d been following his case closely and saving everything he could. He kept all of it in a box under his bed. Corby was obsessed with his own publicity.”

Brynn’s stomach tightened. She not only remembered the testimony, but she also remembered seeing the box itself in the evidence room when she’d been preparing for trial. The box had contained a thick stack of news clippings about Corby’s gruesome killings.

“Corby grew up a loner,” Mark continued. “He was starved for attention. From a psychological standpoint, he fed on all that media excitement while he committed the murders and even through his arrest and trial. Then he went away to prison, and all the interest disappeared, except for a few crumbs here and there.”

“So . . . you’re saying he’s hungry for attention again?” Brynn asked. “That’s what this is about?”

“A big part of it, yes.”

“I thought it was about revenge,” Reggie said impatiently. “Which is it?”

“Both. But revenge might be too simplistic,” Mark said. “At the core of Corby’s self-image is his belief that he’s smarter than everyone. He outsmarted his victims, the police, his fellow inmates who played chess with him, then his prison guards. His ego was greatly inflated by the attention he received while committing these murders and evading the police for so long. But then the police apprehended him. The prosecution outmaneuvered him. Everyone bested him in a very public way, which he certainly found humiliating. He went away to prison defeated and deprived of the spotlight he’d been enjoying. But now he’s reemerged.”

“You’re saying this whole thing—his escape, killing Jen and Mick—you’re saying it’s like a comeback,” Brynn concluded.

“You could call it that. He’s proving, once again, that he’s smarter than everyone. He escaped from prison. He hunted down the lead detective and the prosecutor who put him away. He managed to kill them and evade police, and he’s proud of what he’s accomplished. He’s feeding on the attention again.”

Brynn felt a headache coming. She looked around the room at all the faces focused on her. Except for Ross, who was staring down at the table, his skin a sickly shade of white.

She huffed out a breath. “So . . . back to the notes. You really believe they’re from him?”

“Yes.” Mark was adamant. “I also believe they are communicating something dangerous.”

“What? That even from behind bars, he can get someone to smuggle some notes out and stick them on people’s cars?”

“That he can reach you whenever he wants,” Liam said. “He wants you to know he’s watching you, that you aren’t safe anywhere.”

She looked at the criminal profiler, who’d once worked for the FBI and now worked for one of the nation’s top crime labs. “And you think this is his mission now?” she asked.

“He’s proven it, Brynn. That’s what concerns us,” Mark said. “That’s what makes these communications so threatening. The vast majority of people who make threats never attempt to carry them out. And those who do often fail. That’s a fact. What’s different here is Corby’s track record. His experience. His success.” Mark looked to Ross, then back to Brynn. “He’s killed before, and we feel certain he’ll attempt it again.”

“I want the FBI involved,” Reggie said. “These marshals are incompetent.”

“The Bureau is involved,” Liam said. “They have agents on the task force, which also includes people from the sheriff’s office and several local police departments.”

Lindsey leaned forward to look at Reggie. “We shared the letters with the task force as soon as we discovered them. We’re doing everything possible to cooperate with the other agencies involved here, and we expect the same courtesy from them. Apprehending this suspect is everyone’s top priority.”

Brynn looked at the profiler again. The man was serious. Calm. Composed. And absolutely convinced of what he was saying about Corby’s mission.

Reggie’s phone vibrated on the table. He got up to take the call, giving Brynn a dark look as he stepped out of the room.

Mark spent another few minutes describing further tests that would be conducted on the notes to prove they’d been sent by Corby. Brynn tried to listen, but her mind kept going back to Jen and the horrible details of her death. And then there was Lindsey’s theory from this morning, that some of Corby’s rage toward the authorities might actually be justified.

“Brynn?”

Erik’s low voice beside her jerked her back to attention. He was watching her intently, a look of concern on his face.

“That about covers it,” Mark was saying. “I’ll continue to work on my assessment, but the rest of the test results won’t be back for another few days. I’ll notify you as soon as we have something.” His gaze rested on Brynn, and silence settled over the room.

“Well.” Brynn glanced at her watch. “This has been . . . educational. But Ross and I have to get back.”