Free Psychobyte by Cat Connor Page B

lines came from crime scenes. Then we have the rest of what I believe is that stanza, and we got that from The Washington Post today. It goes like this … ‘Life cracked wide open. Everything that came before. Spilled over the screen. Seeped into the keyboard. Shattered across the desk. Laughter replaced it all.’” I stopped and let the words sink in. “And now we have … ‘I watched you fade away.’”
    No one said anything for what felt like an eternity.
    “Sounds like the poem is going to get longer, Chicky Babe,” Sam said.
    His words rasped like a bastard file on my spine.
    “I thought he was writing the poem as he killed, but he isn’t,” I said. “The newspaper had more and the memorial was in today’s paper. Terri was killed today and her line featured in the stanza.” The words contorted and finally lined up again. “I think the line we found here is part of a new stanza.”
    “Terri was killed this morning and her name was in the paper, why wasn’t Karen’s?” Sam asked.
    “I don’t know,” I said. But it ramped up my curiosity. “And who was the anonymous tipster? We would’ve got a call anyway once police were on scene.”
    Images flashed before my eyes. I couldn’t distinguish clear boundaries to say how many images. They blurred then sharpened. Faces. Dead women. Then the male I’d seen through Terri and Serena’s eyes. Finally a glimpse of a different face.
    I held my hand out to Lee; as if knowing my thoughts, he dropped the evidence bag into my outstretched hand. I looked at it again. Satisfied the handwriting matched the others, I gave it back.
    “I need a few minutes with Karen,” I said.
    Lee and Sam moved out the door. Kurt stayed. “Do what you do, Conway, I’m just here to observe.” He moved back to the doorway.
    I dropped to one knee near Karen’s head and said, “I’m Ellie. I’m here to help.”
    An exotic scent emanated from the body, its warmth filling me. I knew that scent. I breathed deeply letting the overall aroma reach deep into my nose, allowing my mind to associate the components with names. Neroli, citrus, tobacco, pepper, bergamot and lavender. Dolce & Gabbana Pour Femme? My eyes were drawn to the shower caddy. Shampoos, conditioners, body washes. Nothing appeared missing. Nothing matched the scent I could smell.
    Maybe it didn’t come from her but from the Unsub.
    I breathed the scent again. Cedar. Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme. It wasn’t from her. And I hadn’t smelled it at any other scene.
    “Karen, show me who did this?” I said in her ear.
    Her head turned to me. A spark ignited in her cloudy eyes as her hand reached up and pointed to the mirror. I clambered to my feet. From where I stood, I could see the doorway and Kurt’s reflection in the mirror. Steam filled the room, edging across the mirrored surface, leaving a gap in the middle that framed a face. No Kurt’s. Brown eyes, shaved head, strong jaw. His slightly tanned face lined with age and wear. The mirror fogged over and he disappeared. I sank down next to Karen, thanked her and promised to find the man responsible.
    Kurt stepped forward when I finally stood up.
    “From the outside there isn’t a lot to see, but I have a feeling you have something to tell us …”
    “Different Unsub,” I said. “This guy is older than the other one. Fifty to fifty-five. He has a shaved head, brown eyes, strong jaw and wears Dolce & Gabbana Pour Homme.”
    “We haven’t released details to the media so it’s a bit early for a copycat killing,” Sam said from behind Kurt.
    “It’s not a copycat. There are two Unsubs. They’re working together,” I replied, surprised by my own confidence.
    Pain behind my eye started up. It felt like a needle pushing into my brain. The sudden onset of pain reminded me I hadn’t slept in two days or eaten since yesterday. Things were on the way to getting pretty damn ugly unless I corrected one of those things.
    “Good work, Conway. Scary but good,”