TWELVE

Do you see anything here that helps us?” Noah asked after they looked through everything the police had sent over.

“Not really,” Kaely said. “So now we search through all these old files. Then we give Solomon whatever we can.”

She could not stop looking at the two photos. The one from today, and the one from four years ago. She wanted to find something wrong. A difference. Something the UNSUB had missed. Finally, she saw it. She pointed at the photo with the recent victim. “Different time of the year,” she said. “The leaves show fall colors here.” She moved her finger to the old photo. “Green in this shot. It’s raining, but it looks like summer. This man was killed in . . .” She started to grab the file again but stopped and closed her eyes. She thought for a moment. “July. July 19, 2014.”

“You remember the date?” Noah asked, a hint of surprise in his voice.

“Yes.” She looked up at him. “Isn’t that why you all call me Jessica Elephant behind my back?”

She was gratified to see him blush. Although the name didn’t bother her as a tribute to her memory, she hated being called anything that reminded her of her father.

“So what does that mean?” he asked quickly, obviously trying to move the conversation away from the mention of her uncomfortable nickname.

“It means he wanted to re-create this particular killing even though there are differences he couldn’t control. Like the time of year. This murder was important to him.”

“Why?”

“I don’t know. I guess he just wanted an old case I’d worked. Look, we’re dealing with something different here. This guy is after me personally. Challenging me. There isn’t any modus operandi here, but there’s a definite signature.”

“I thought MO and signature were pretty much the same thing.”

Kaely turned her chair toward his. “A lot of people in law enforcement think that, but it’s not true. MO is the way someone kills. Signature is the emotional reason he kills. What he needs to fulfill himself. Our killer has a very specific signature.”

“His hatred of you?”

“That’s part of it. He wants to defeat me. Prove he’s smarter than I am. More powerful. His final play is to see me dead. It’s a game to him, and he intends to win. But we also need to look at the poem. The picture of the elephant left with the body. He gets satisfaction from these things.”

“So his need to beat you is just part of his signature?”

“That’s right. A very important part, but it also goes to motive. He’s angry. To go to all this trouble means the wound is deep. Maybe he lost someone and blames me for it.”

“What could you have done that caused a death?”

Kaely rested her chin on her hand as she thought. “Maybe my profile was wrong and it took longer to catch a killer. Perhaps the delay led to other murders. Maybe one of the victims was a friend or family member.”

“Have you ever given a wrong profile?”

“Not wrong per se, but not entirely accurate.” She leaned forward and studied him. “Profiles are just educated guesses, Noah. Of course I’m not always right. No one is.”

Noah chuckled. “Well, your reputation hasn’t been tarnished. People are impressed by you.”

“I don’t want that. I really don’t. No one can live up to the expectations of others. You have to be true to yourself.”

Noah was silent for a moment. “Maybe we should be looking for someone connected to a perp you put away. That’s a pretty big list.”

Kaely reached up and released her hair from its messy bun. Then she ran her fingers through her curls. It felt good to free her hair from the tight band that usually kept it under control. “Right now, all we know for sure is that we’re looking for someone who has a grudge against me and was privy to details of this crime.” She thought for a moment. “We’ll learn a lot from the next killing. Does he have information about other crimes? Or is this the only one? After all, there are seven little elephants. He has at least six more murders planned.” She frowned and grabbed their copy of the poem. “Actually, I guess it’s five more murders.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, look at the last two stanzas. Two little elephants playing all alone. One knew the truth and told it to the sleuth. One little elephant called it a day. She packed up her trunk and ran far away. One last elephant facing final judgment. She was found guilty and given no pity. Jessica Oliphant called it a day. She picked up a gun and blew herself away.

“The second elephant doesn’t die?” Noah said.

“Doesn’t sound like it.” She jabbed the paper with her finger. “This is important. We need to figure this out. And try to determine who the sleuth is.”

Noah lifted his hand and motioned toward the rooms outside. “Kind of hard to find one sleuth when you’re surrounded by FBI agents.”

“And what is the truth? I don’t have any truth to tell anyone. It doesn’t make sense.”

“Maybe he was just trying to find words that rhymed.”

Kaely shook her head. “No, every word means something. He worked on this very carefully. We’ve got to understand what he’s trying to say.”

Noah rubbed his temples. “This is incredibly frustrating.”

“Welcome to my world.”

“Can you profile him at all now? I mean, beyond what you’ve already told me?”

She continued to stare at the photos for several seconds, then she said, “He’s very, very organized. He’s been planning this for a while, and I believe he’s already picked out his victims. Unlike many serial killers, this guy moves easily around in public. He’s smart. Creative. And completely dedicated to his quest. I would say that whatever he does, he’s successful at it, although he may have recently taken a leave of absence or quit his job. He seems to have lots of time to work on this . . . mission.” She shook her head. “He’s a psychopath. He doesn’t care at all about these victims. He hates me so much he believes sacrificing them is okay. They’re only a means to an important end.” She reached down deep inside herself, trying to draw on her instincts. “I think he has a nice car, dresses well, and will be someone no one suspects. When we catch him, we’ll be surprised.”

She paused for a moment before continuing. “Probably a white male, only because statistically most serial killers are white males. Also, the writing is confrontational, forceful. More male than female. I’m not sure of his age. Thirties? Forties? Could be older but not so old he can’t overpower his victims. His planning and meticulous attention to detail makes him seem more mature.” She paused, then said, “Something happened to him. A stressor that set him off. He may have held this grudge a long time, but when this happened, it sent him over the edge. The loss of a job or someone close to him. Whatever it was impacted him greatly.”

“That’s pretty good.”

“Not good enough.” Kaely still couldn’t see him. This killer wasn’t like anyone she’d ever faced before. She felt confusion, something she almost never experienced. She had the feeling the UNSUB was trying to keep her off balance. Make her look in the wrong direction. She wasn’t confident that what she’d just told Noah was right. She wasn’t completely relying on her training. She was going with her gut.

“Can you do that . . . you know, that thing you do?” Noah’s face flushed. He was obviously embarrassed.

“No, I don’t think so. Not yet. I need more info before I do that . . . thing.

Noah scooted a bit closer to her. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be disrespectful. I mean, if I knew more about it, I suppose I’d understand.”

She arched an eyebrow as she stared at him. She remembered the first time Alex brought up her process. He was just as uncomfortable as Noah was now.

“Do I sense a question coming on?” she asked.

Noah took a deep breath and said, “Yes. My first special question. Why do you pretend to eat with an UNSUB? You know people make fun of you, right? Forgive me, but it doesn’t seem very professional.”

Kaely snorted. “So being professional means doing it by the book? It isn’t measured by results?”

“I thought I was the one asking the question.”

“Fair enough.”

She leaned back in her chair and stared at him without saying anything. What secrets was she willing to share with Noah Hunter? Would he betray her like so many others had?