Sullivan returned to our side. “What have we got?”
I growled, “We have Molly Davis, that’s what. Captain—”
Sullivan interrupted my rant as he ground his fist into his eyes. “Son of a bitch. Give me a second.”
We watched as he paced, perhaps to blow off steam. He returned seconds later. “Okay, I talked to Putnam back at the station a few minutes ago. Alex is in a holding cell, and he gave us the names of all his cohorts and where to find them. Let’s just say he didn’t have a choice. It wasn’t going to come out good on his end if he didn’t cooperate. I told Putnam to let him know in no uncertain terms that I’d make sure he got that yearlong incarceration otherwise. His groupies are being rounded up and hauled in as we speak. Every one of those sons of bitches will be interrogated separately and in depth, especially anyone with blond hair.”
“Then what’s the point of gauging their interest in buying blood on the websites? If one of his own guys is committing the crimes, that information will be of no use,” I said.
“But if the killer isn’t one of his people, that interest in buying blood is still out there as a lure. Charlie told Putnam all of the sites are live and linked back to the station.”
Jane interrupted. “Guys, I’m going to have forensics take a few more pictures while she’s still here. I did an initial exam, and her condition is just like the others. Maybe I should say closer to Heather’s simply because she hasn’t been dead and out in the elements for an extended period of time like Corrine and Taylor were. Either way, the signs are identical. Enough blood was drained from her carotid and femoral arteries to stop her heart from beating. Any loss beyond 2.24 liters is nearly guaranteed death. I’m sure the killer took everything he could until her heart stopped pumping.”
“Anything that was atypical?” J.T. asked.
“Actually, yes, take a look.”
We knelt next to Molly’s side and watched as Jane pushed back Molly’s jacket sleeves. Jane shined the flashlight on both of Molly’s arms and pointed. “See the puncture wounds and bruises along her inner elbow veins? Both arms look about the same, plus she has pinch marks six inches higher, right there and there, likely from the tourniquet that’s tightened on the arm before blood draws. Her shins show signs of restraints too. Once I get her jacket off, I’ll be able to see if there are more marks from restraints across her chest area. How long had she been missing?”
“Since Monday,” I said.
“That means the killer took a number of blood draws before he decided to finish her off. This isn’t killing for killing’s sake, it’s all about the blood.”
J.T. nodded. “Same conclusion we came to a few days back.”
“If there’s nothing else, Tom and I will get her loaded up and take her back with us. I need to know how cold her body actually is before I do anything with her. She may be slightly frozen or completely frozen. Everything depends on how long she’s been outside. I should have definitive information for you later today.”
Sullivan thanked Jane and Tom. We watched as they carried Molly away, zipped in the body bag and strapped to the backboard.
“What’s going on in your head, Jade? I can almost hear the wheels spinning.”
I looked at Sullivan in surprise. “You’re getting more and more like J.T. every day we’re around you. How come everybody knows when something is bouncing around in my brain?”
“Might be that curled lip and twisted eyebrow thing you do when something is weighing on your mind,” J.T. said. He gave me a wink when I reached up and touched my eyebrow.
He got a smirk in return. “Okay, here’s what I was thinking. What if—and it’s only my initial thoughts—but what if Alex and his group actually put Molly in the building Tuesday night when they were at Dasher Point? Maybe they had already killed her and were performing their ritual with some of her blood. We didn’t compare the human blood to anyone’s DNA. We only had it tested to see if it was indeed human. Do you think some of it could have been hers?”
“Shit, you have a good point, Jade. I’ll see if the lab can run a test against Molly’s DNA sample we have on file. That group could have gotten there long before us. Hell, just because their ritual began at eleven o’clock doesn’t mean they didn’t arrive earlier and hide her inside the building. How many people were there that night?”
J.T. answered. “Twenty-six including Alex.”
“Okay, let’s get back to the station. We’re going to have our hands full doing interviews with only three interrogation rooms to work in.”
“If I could add my two cents, sir?”
“Sure. You haven’t been shy before. Why start now?” Sullivan smiled. “Go ahead. I’m just giving you shit.”
“I know, and I appreciate your candor, Captain. Let’s begin the interviews with blond men that fit with the parameters our witnesses gave us. They’d be medium height and weight, and their age would likely be under thirty. It might make things go faster, especially if somebody actually lets their conscience get the best of them and fesses up.”
“That’ll work. Let’s go.”