After Ron told everyone about the explosion at the Journal, all Kaely could think about was that she’d missed it. The UNSUB had copied the Unabomber. Even though Louis seemed like the right target, she should have at least entertained the possibility that it could be someone else. Gilbert Banner and Jerry Acosta were dead because she’d made a mistake.
Noah was talking to Ron, but he’d asked her to stay in her chair until he could speak to her. She wondered why. He seemed to think Reinhardt had a better feel for this UNSUB than she did. She was trying not to take it personally, but it was difficult. She’d tried to read him, but it was impossible to figure out what he was reacting to. The case? Reinhardt? Her? What just happened at the Journal? Frankly, she wasn’t sure why she was still part of the task force. Maybe that’s what Noah was going to tell her. Fine with her. She’d just go home and work the case on her own.
But as soon as she had the thought, she knew it wasn’t what she really wanted. She liked being part of this team. She enjoyed the energy. Being part of something special. But it was frustrating when she felt others were going in the wrong direction. Looking in the wrong places.
Noah waited until almost everyone was gone before he said something to her. “You’re too quiet. What are you thinking?”
“Well, for one thing, I missed it. I should have considered the Unabomber. Acosta and Banner are dead because I was so focused on Louis.”
Noah sat down in the chair next to her. “That’s ridiculous. Knock it off. None of us considered anyone except Louis. This isn’t your fault. You’re no good to me when you start getting down on yourself.”
“I’m sorry.” Kaely looked away. “I’ll try not to blame myself if you tell me not to, but I intend to learn from this. Unfortunately, that won’t help Acosta or Banner.”
“No, it won’t, but I’m glad you’re not planning to punish yourself for something out of your control.” Noah frowned. “Why Acosta? I mean, that guy made your life hell. Why would someone who wants to destroy you take out a man who caused you so much trouble?”
Kaely sighed. “I don’t think it had anything to do with that.” She shook her head. “It was the perfect setup. I should have seen it.”
“What do you mean?”
“The UNSUB set Jerry up. Sent him letters. So when the package came . . .”
“He never thought to be suspicious.”
Kaely nodded.
“Wow. Believe me, I don’t respect our UNSUB, but that was pretty smart.”
“Yeah, it was.”
“Which points back to your profile.”
Kaely didn’t respond.
“Kaely, you were bothered about something even before we got the news about what happened at the Journal. What’s on your mind?” Noah asked softly. “The truth.”
She raised her head and met his gaze. She could see the sincerity in his face. “Look,” she said, “I think Reinhardt’s profile is wrong. I stand by mine. Someone who has planned all this out is very organized and smart. Not a loner. Not a loser. I think Reinhardt is confusing our UNSUB with the perpetrators connected to the cases he’s imitating.”
“And I completely agree. I’m going with your profile.” He frowned at her. “Is there something else bothering you?”
She was relieved to hear he supported her conclusions. She tapped her fingers on the surface of the table, asking herself the same question he’d just posed. Finally, she said, “I think we’re headed in the wrong direction. Wrong for us. Not necessarily for him.” She stared at the carefully constructed incident board full of crime photos and notes. “The Tylenol case? Really? Is this guy actually going to travel around the city poisoning food or over-the-counter medicine? Does that sound like one of his pre-planned scenarios? It would be unlike anything else he’s done.”
“Well, I guess he could have prepared for this ahead of time.”
Kaely shook her head. “He might have planned it, but he couldn’t set up the poison. Remember what Reinhardt said? Potassium cyanide is caustic. It eventually degrades anything it comes in contact with.”
“Yeah, you’re right.” Noah rested his chin on his knuckles, staring at the papers in front of him. He straightened in his chair. “And I see what you’re saying. It doesn’t fit with the rest of his actions. It’s too random. He can’t control it—and he can’t pick his victims. Are we following the wrong case?” He leaned back in his chair. “What did we miss?”
“I’m not sure we missed anything. But while we’re running around, checking out grocery stores and pharmacies . . .”
“We’re not looking in the right direction.”
“That’s what I think. I believe this clue is bogus. He’s trying to distract us.”
“So, what do we do now? We can’t make a mistake here. If we’re wrong again . . .”
Kaely didn’t respond. She didn’t need to.
Jeff, who’d stayed at his desk during the meeting, rushed up to the table. “Sorry to interrupt, but I’ve been on the phone with a detective in Fort Collins.”
“About my brother?” Kaely asked. The look on the detective’s face caused a frisson of fear to shoot through Kaely. It couldn’t be Jason. It just couldn’t.
“Another one of Jason’s neighbors mentioned Durango, Colorado, so I contacted the Durango PD. One of their detectives began calling vets in the area. I think we found him.”
Kaely swallowed hard. She wanted to ask Jeff for details, but she couldn’t seem to find her voice. As if he realized she needed help, Noah spoke up.
“Are you sure it’s him?”
“Yeah. A guy named Joe Tucker has a chocolate lab with diabetes. The Durango PD went to his apartment manager with a picture of your brother from an old driver’s license. She identified him as Joe Tucker.”
“Did they talk to him?”
Jeff shook his head. Even though Kaely felt the need to prepare herself for what was coming, she was shocked by what she heard.
“His landlord said he left his dog with a friend and took off two weeks ago. Told her he was going to visit his sister.”
Kaely gasped. “What?”
Noah reached over and grabbed her arm. “Listen to me. That doesn’t mean he’s here. And it certainly doesn’t mean he’s our UNSUB. He may have used that excuse just to get off work . . . or because he didn’t think his landlord needed to know his business. Don’t jump to conclusions.”
“It’s pretty hard not to,” Kaely said, having to work hard to croak out the words. “How could he hate me so much?” She felt tears fill her eyes, and it made her angry. She was better than this. More professional. She had to look at Jason as just another possible suspect. Period. She frowned at Jeff. “Did you happen to find out where he works?”
He nodded. “An auto body shop. A rather specialized one dealing with vintage cars. Pretty prestigious place, I guess.”
“He always loved cars,” Kaely said quietly. How odd that his interest in automobiles hadn’t changed that much.
“We need to put a BOLO out on Jason,” Noah said. “I’m sorry, Kaely, but we have to know where he is. Jeff, get a copy of his driver’s license and his vehicle registration. Send it to me. Then contact law enforcement with that BOLO.”
“Right away.”
“I know you need to follow up on this,” Kaely said to Noah. “I understand and I agree.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Jeff said. “I’m really sorry, Kaely.”
“This doesn’t mean our UNSUB is Jason,” she said, giving Jeff as much of a smile as she could muster.
He nodded and walked away.
“What do you really think?” Noah asked. “Is it possible?”
Kaely perched on the edge of her chair. The muscles in her back were so tight they hurt. She intertwined her fingers on the table in front of her, trying to ignore the pain. “I . . . I don’t want to believe it’s him,” she said. “My profile stands, but I have no idea if it fits Jason. I haven’t seen him for years. I don’t know who he is now. But . . . in my gut . . . it just doesn’t feel right.” She tried to change her position, but it didn’t help. “Obviously I’m too conflicted to look at him honestly. Maybe I should remove myself from the team.”
“No, Kaely. We need you. Take the rest of the night off. Relax. I think you should distance yourself a bit. Get some sleep. You’ll see things more clearly in the morning.”
Although she wanted to argue with him, Kaely felt the need to get away from the group, think about the case on her own. There was something she wasn’t seeing. Something out of place. But what was it?
“Okay. I’ll take you up on that.” She locked her eyes on his. “But call me if you need me. And please keep me updated.”
“I will. You can count on it. And if you hear from Jason . . .”
“Trust me. I’ll let you know right away.”
She stood. “I’ll be back first thing in the morning.” She glanced over at Reinhardt. He’d probably feel as if he’d won some kind of victory if she left, but she couldn’t be bothered by that. The case was the important thing. Not Reinhardt’s overblown ego.
She’d just started to head out when the back door was pushed open with so much force it shook the windows around it. Solomon Slattery walked in, his face creased in a deep scowl. He pointed toward her and Noah.
“Stay right there. We have a situation.”
He strode quickly to where Noah and Kaely waited. Everyone on the team stopped to stare at him, and work came to a standstill. When he reached them, Kaely could only stare. Had there been another death?
“What’s going on?” she managed to choke out.
“I just left the hospital,” Solomon said. “Alex Cartwright is gone.”