Wolf Creek, Alaska
Annie stared at the horror reflecting back at her from the bathroom mirror. The phone rang just as she’d stepped from the shower and she spoke to Stone, then the moment she hung up she received a call from her SAC. In the interim, her hair had dried completely before she had a chance to comb it out. It was so tangled she wouldn’t be surprised if a bird flew out. She snatched the brush and attacked it with fervor.
“Ouch. Ouch. Ouch.”
By the time she had untangled the mess, she swore there was more hair in the brush than on her head. The static electricity made her look like Einstein on a good day. She smoothed her hair back into a ponytail and lacquered it heavily with hairspray.
After dressing, she clipped her gun to her belt, slid into her jacket and snatched her purse before racing out the door. She’d almost made it to the truck when she hit a patch of ice. Her feet flew out from under her and wham! Right on her rear end. Her purse landed across the yard, spilling its contents in all directions.
She lay there a moment, dazed, while she took a couple of deep breaths. “I should just go back to bed and forget this day ever happened.”
Annie arrived at the police station forty minutes late. She slid out of the truck and moaned. Her entire body had seized up during the drive. She was making her way toward the door when Stone came out. She plastered on a smile and kept walking, if you could call it that.
Worry lines creased his face. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” She hoped he would drop it.
“Bullshit.”
“Okay, I had a little accident.”
He glanced toward the truck, than back at her. “Do we need to file a report?”
“Not that kind of accident.”
When he reached her side, he placed his hand on her low back and helped her along. “What kind then?”
“It’s too embarrassing.”
He steered her toward his SUV. “Did you fall off the toilet?”
She stared up at him and realized he wasn’t joking. “No.”
“You slipped in the shower?”
“Let’s just drop it,” she grumbled.
He opened the passenger side door. “This is ridiculous. Just tell me already.”
She faced him. “Fine. I was running to the truck because I was late. I hit a patch of ice and fell ass over teakettle.”
He didn’t say a word. His eyes creased before he caught himself, then he set his lips in a straight line.
“What?”
He shook his head.
“You’re trying not to laugh, aren’t you?”
“No,” He answered with a closed mouth.
“You are! What the hell is so funny about me sprawled out on the ice? The contents of my purse scattered. I couldn’t find my lipstick and it was expensive. Some animal will probably abscond with it and it’ll be lost forever.”
“Stop.” He turned away. His shoulders went up and down, but no sound came out. She knew he was laughing just the same.
She slapped his back. “No, you stop. I’m in a whole lot of pain here. You have a real sick sense of humor, pal.”
Gales of laughter erupted before he was able to contain himself. Finally he faced her. “I’m sorry, really, but when you wouldn’t tell me what happened, I feared the worst. I’m just relieved.”
Her hands were on her hips and she practically yelled. “What’s worse than bruising your butt-bone?”
His expression turned serious. “Your gun could have gone off in the fall and shot you.”
“Oh.” She dropped her hands. “Yeah, that would constitute a worst case scenario.” She felt bad for giving him a hard time, then realized something. “Wait. What makes you think I’m stupid enough to be walking around with a bullet in me?”
“It could have grazed you. I could see you putting a bandage on and shrugging it off.”
“Seriously? You must really think I’m some sort of badass or something.”
His head tilted from side to side. “Well, yeah.”
Cool beans. Her anger fled. “You’re forgiven.” She turned to climb up into the cab.
She heard a snicker behind her. “Now what? Did I split my pants?” Her hands flew to the seat of her trousers. “I swear this is the worst. Day. Ever.”
“No. I was just picturing a little white rabbit hopping around the forest with bright red lips.”
“Dammit. You would have to mention bunnies.” She got angry all over again.
By the time they got to the highway, the weird silence was getting to Annie, so she decided to introduce a subject she was more comfortable discussing.
The case.
She filled Stone in about her findings on Katherine Tanaka, her VICAP search and the Klump case.
“So with all the weirdness, you think they might have the wrong perp?” He asked.
“I think there’s a good chance, or the guy had a partner. I don’t think he has the mental capacity to pull it off on his own. The murders did end when Klump was arrested. But that could just mean the killer/partner was smart enough to leave and start over in another state. He obviously has a thing for cold climates,” she said.
“And ice. Wonder what that’s all about?”
“Like I said before, it is documented. There’s a fetish called psychrophilia. It’s when a person is sexually aroused by being cold or watching someone freeze.”
“Seriously?” He pinned her with a wide eyed stare. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”
“I’m certain there are many fetishes you’ve never heard of. There’s symorophilia; people who are sexually aroused by watching a car crash. In fact I worked a case where a guy caused accidents just so he could watch. Gerontophilia, a person sexually aroused by senior citizens.”
His expression turned to an exaggerated frown. “Is that why they rape old people?”
“It could be, or the person has an innate anger toward a certain elderly person and is acting on it by dominating them. Rape isn’t necessarily about sex, it’s more about power. Then there’s aptemnophilia; being sexually aroused by amputees. When I first joined the BAU, they had a case of a serial killer who cut off the limbs of his victims and had sex with the stumps.”
His entire face scrunched up. “That’s some serious sick shit.”
“Speaking of shit, there’s actually a fetish called salirophilia. People sexually aroused by feces.”
“Oh, for Christ’s sake.”
She had definitely gotten his mind off of her now. “There are many others. People who are aroused by teddy bears, causing pain to animals, being crawled on or bitten by insects, trees, mannequins, cars or machines, religious objects, or having sex with birds.”
“How the hell does someone have sex with a bird?”
“Geese, swans or ostriches are large, but I don’t think the bird survives the experience.”
“Just stop.” He put his palm up. “I’m completely grossed out now.”
“There are worse.” She chuckled. “The list is endless.”
“That’s okay. You can keep them to yourself.”
Annie basked in glory at the grimace on Stone’s face. It was important to her that he see her as a serious agent, not some buffoon tripping over her own feet.
They turned into a neighborhood filled with close knit homes. At the end of the cul-de-sac, kids ran around hurling snowballs at one another. No doubt they were taking advantage of the final days of winter break.
Stone parked across the street from a modest, single-story dwelling with an attached one-car garage. It was painted beige with a burgundy front door and shutters to match. He shut off the engine. “Let me help you out.”
“I’m fine.” She hoped she sounded convincing.
His lips formed a straight line before he exited the driver’s side. She slipped out of the vehicle, but when she began to walk, her body screamed in pain. Damn, but she could use a good chiropractor about now.
With her short stature, she was hidden on the other side of the SUV. She took advantage of the camouflage to stretch and work out her kinks.
“Annie?” Stone’s voice broke through the children’s laugher.
She rolled her neck. “Yeah?”
“Are you okay?”
“I’m coming.” She crossed before the front of the vehicle.
Stone put his hand on her waist to assist and she slapped it away.
He put his hands up in surrender.
She lifted her head. “I’m fine.”
“Yeah, well, I’m not. At the rate you’re going, it will be sunset before we make it to the door and it’s only fifty yards away.”
“Whatever.” She could feel his presence close behind. Once she made it to the porch, he rang the bell. A haggard looking woman answered, her eyes and nose rimmed in red.
Since it was Stone’s case, she let him lead. “Mrs. Grant?”
The woman nodded.
“I’m Detective Stone Wooshkeetaan with the Wasilla Police department and this is Special Agent Annie Thomas.”
Annie nodded.
Stone continued. “I was wondering if we could come in and ask you a few questions.”
The woman stepped aside and pointed to the living room where a man sat.
“It’s the police,” she said to the man who simply nodded.
Mrs. Grant took a seat next to him on the couch. “This is my ex-husband, Mark.”
Stone and Annie sat on the loveseat facing them.
“First of all, we’re very sorry for your loss,” Stone said.
Mr. Grant nodded again.
“Thank you,” said Mrs. Grant.
“I have here in my notes that Natalie went missing six weeks ago. What can you tell us about that day?”
“I already told the police everything I know,” Mrs. Grant grumbled.
“I understand, but please bear with me. It’s been awhile and perhaps you’ve remembered something new,” Stone explained.
Mrs. Grant sighed heavily. “Natalie was supposed to be spending the weekend at her girlfriend Jennifer’s house. She said they were working on a project for school.”
“When did you last see her?”
“Friday afternoon. She was to contact me the minute she arrived at Jennifer’s, then daily after that.”
“And did you hear from her?”
“Just the once, Friday night. She missed her Saturday check-in. I gave her until seven that evening, then tried phoning, but it went to voicemail.” Her voice cracked. “What did you do then?” Stone asked.
“I was angry. I called Jennifer’s parents to insist Natalie come home immediately. That’s when I learned she hadn’t been there. At all. In fact, Jennifer hadn’t spoken to her in six months.”
“Then what did you do?” Stone prompted.
“I was livid. I was ready to ground her for life.” She choked back a sob. “I called every one of her friends, but no one had seen her.”
“Did she have a boyfriend?”
Mrs. Grant shook her head. “She and Brian had broken up seven months prior.”
“Whose idea was the breakup?” Annie asked.
“His.”
“How did she take it?” Stone asked.
“She was upset, of course.” She sniffled. “At that age everything’s life or death. I told her she’d meet someone better, that he didn’t deserve her.”
“When did you finally find out where Natalie had gone?” Annie asked.
“I got a call from Jennifer on Sunday. She had been talking with all of Natalie’s friends and they agreed she was probably with Tiffany Frederickson.” Her voice dripped with disdain when she said the name.
“You don’t care for this Tiffany.” Stone commented.
“That’s putting it mildly. Soon after her break-up with Brian, Natalie became sullen and argumentative. I just assumed she was depressed and needed some time to get over it. But she began listening to heavy metal music and dressing like one of those Goth girls.
“The change was so drastic I searched her room for drugs. I didn’t find any, but that doesn’t mean they weren’t there, just that she was cleverer than I anticipated. Then one day I got a call from her principal asking me to come in. Someone had pulled the fire alarm. A witness said they saw Tiffany and Natalie running away.
“That’s when I had the pleasure of meeting that little juvenile delinquent and realized she was the one influencing my daughter. Tiffany had dyed black hair, lots of black eyeliner, black lipstick and black finger nail polish. To top it off, she had a real attitude problem.
“Natalie and I met with the principal first, while Tiffany waited out in the hall for her parents to arrive. That’s when I became aware of the fact that my daughter had been talking back to her teachers and skipping school. She was suspended for three days. At that point I forbade her to hang out with Tiffany.” Her eyes welled up. “It appears I was right. She got my Natalie killed.”
“You think this Tiffany was directly involved in Natalie’s murder?” Stone asked.
“She took her to that damn party. When Natalie disappeared, she did nothing, told no one. She lied to me and said she hadn’t seen Natalie, acting all innocent as if she didn’t know a thing. My daughter had been missing over forty-eight hours before Tiffany finally told the truth. No doubt she was trying to cover her own ass.” Mrs. Grant raised her voice on the last word. Mark patted her leg and she brushed his hand away.
Stone turned toward the ex-husband. “Mr. Grant, were you close to your daughter?”
“Used to be,” he answered in a soft voice. “We’d have dinner every Wednesday night and she stayed with me every other weekend, but she stopped coming. She claimed she was too busy with school.”
“And you didn’t push her?” Annie asked.
“How do you force a teenager to do anything?” Mr. Grant’s expression was pained.
Stone jumped in. “Do either of you know where this party was held?”
“No,” they said almost in unison.
“Okay, if we could get the names and phone numbers of Natalie’s friends, her ex-boyfriend, Brian, and especially this Tiffany. We’d appreciate it greatly.” Stone said.
After writing them down, Stone stood. “Can we get a look at her bedroom?”
Without a word, Mrs. Grant stood and led them up the stairs to a closed door. “Help yourself.”
“Thank you.” Annie went in first. The room was dark, and Stone flicked on the light behind her. The walls were covered with posters of bands: Godsmack, Nine Inch Nails, Marilyn Manson, Dead Can Dance, The Cure. She noticed something sticking out from under one of the posters and walked over. She raised it and found a picture of Katy Perry underneath. She moved over to another and lifted. Taylor Swift smiled down at her. “I’d say her taste in music changed dramatically.”
Stone turned around to see what she was talking about.
“I like Nine Inch Nails,” he said.
“So do I. The point is, Trent Reznor is a far cry from Taylor Swift or Katy Perry.”
He grinned. “I’d say her taste got better.”
Annie rolled her eyes. “That’s beside the point.”
“No, you’re right. This Tiffany had a significant effect on Natalie.” His tone had turned serious.
“At seventeen, kids are very impressionable. I think Natalie was in a vulnerable state when she met this Tiffany. I remember my first broken heart, I thought I’d never find love again. I’d have to agree with her mother. Natalie would probably still be alive if she’d never started hanging out with the girl,” Annie added.
“You could be right, but until we find out how the perp became aware of Natalie, we won’t know for sure.”
“Fair enough.”
He walked over to a little statue and picked it up. “This is interesting.”
“What’s so interesting about a dang crow? She was probably into Edger Allen Poe. There’s a whole online movement called Nevermore. It’s gained new interest since that show came out. You know, The Following, with Kevin Bacon?”
“I haven’t seen it.”
“Your loss.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” He raised one brow. “Actually, our first vic had a similar statue.”
She felt a flutter in her stomach. “Similar or exact?”
His expression turned somber. “Exact.”
Annie got goose bumps. “Now we’re getting somewhere. Let’s take it along with her computer.”
“I didn’t know about this Poe group. I was thinking more along the lines of the raven of folklore from my ancestors.”
“What does the raven mean to your people?”
“The raven was powerful. He brought light to the world, but he’s also considered the trickster. He is selfish, clever and mischievous.”
Annie thought a moment. “I wonder which scenario this bird represents?”
They showed the statue to the girl’s parents, but neither one knew anything about it.
Once alone in their vehicle, Annie turned to Stone. “The victimology between these two women couldn’t be more different.”
“I was thinking the same thing. I say we meet up with Tiffany next.”
“I agree. She obviously knows more than she’s letting on,” Annie said.