WHEN WE ARRIVED on the scene, the patrol officers had the courtyard taped off. The bright yellow crime scene tape mocked the peacefulness of the grassy quad. Curious students and faculty were crowded around it to get their stares in before heading off to class.

We waded through the crowd, and I cringed in horror at the display on the other side of the tape. The young male was even more mangled than Larissa Ray. In addition to the knife wounds, his hands and legs were facing unnatural directions, indicating broken bones. I wanted to look away, but I couldn’t; this was the job now.

I noticed something sticking out of his shirt pocket. “What’s that?” I asked and pointed to it for the M.E.

Chris removed the object, which was a horrific photo of Larissa Ray. She was bound to a beam, and her bulging eyes broadcasted her panic. I put on latex gloves and stuffed the photo inside an evidence bag before handing it over to a member of the CSU team.

“He’s proud of himself,” I mumbled. “He’s telling us he’s just getting started with this.”

Liam heard me and replied, “He has a grandiose sense of self-importance, and now we know he has no gender or race preference.”

Chris looked up and told us the victim, who wasn’t wearing any ID, had likely died of exsanguination as well. “He’s also cold to the touch, so I think he might have been in cold storage. That will make it hard to determine the time of death.”

I rubbed my temples. This was looking worse than we thought. If the killer was storing the bodies, he could have been killing for a long time.

“We’re going to need to try to find a connection between the victims,” I mentioned. “But I’m sure you already knew that,” I added softly, realizing that I was the one new at this, not them.

Eric nudged my shoulder. “We did, but I’m glad you also know it. Additionally, we need to see how long he’s been missing after he’s identified.”

Chris released the body to his morgue techs and the crime scene to the CSU techs, and we headed back to the station.

The message light on my desk phone was flashing when I got back, so I dialed in to retrieve my voicemail. I had a message from Jamie Tinsley.

I got in touch with Dominique Boyd, and she said her sister didn’t mention any stops before meeting her at the zoo yesterday. Let me know if you need anything else.

I told the others, and they looked just as frustrated as I felt. We were getting nowhere fast. I called Jamie back and asked if they had any leads on Tamara Boyd.

“No. The search dogs didn’t find anything, so divers are checking the lakes around Forest Park, but with as many lakes as there are…”

“It will take some time to check them all,” I finished for him. “Although, assuming she is a victim of the same perp, he’s all about leaving his victims out in the open so far, and he’s keeping them long enough to torture them. The first victim had been held for two weeks, and we don’t know about the man we have in the morgue yet.”

“So, she might still be alive then,” he concluded. “Hopefully, you’ll get to her in time, and I’ll let you know about the new victim as soon as I hear from the crime lab. I’m already running reports on local males reported missing in the last month who fit his profile.”

“Good idea. Stay in touch.” I hung up and relayed his information to the others.

I was engrossed in my notes when my cell phone rang. It was Maria Gomez.

“Maria, I’m glad you called. Did you find anything out for me on that young lady?” I inquired while flipping through the files on my desk for the one in question. I was focused on the current case, but I was determined not to let the older one slip by. “It would sure make my day.”

She lowered her voice, so I knew she wasn’t alone. “Yeah, I got something, but I can’t tell you right now. Can you meet me?”

I looked at my watch: it was 11:00 already. “Sure, where are you?”

“I’m at a friend’s house on the corner of Jefferson and Market,” she answered quietly.

“I can meet you at the Market Street Deli, and I’ll buy you some lunch, okay?”

“Sure. I’ll be there in ten minutes,” she responded and hung up.

I looked at the others and told them, “I need to run a quick errand regarding this other case from last month”—I held up the file folder—“but I’ll be right back.”

Liam nodded in approval. “That’s fine. We’re just waiting on Chris to do the autopsy and for lab reports, so we’ll call you if we need you back right away.”

I quickly took the stairs to the first floor and ran to my car in the parking garage. I couldn’t wait to bring scum to justice—even if it wasn’t the worst scum out there doing harm right now.