drug for good reason. A victim remains conscious and will follow voice commands. When the drug wears off, the victim often has no recollection of what happened.”
“I’m surprised there’s any blood left to test,” Riley said.
Noah nodded. “All the women have died from massive blood loss. Throats are slashed, severing the carotid artery.” He looked down at a file in front of him. “It’s also believed that once he abducts his victim, he keeps her alive for several days before he kills.”
“Why do they think that?” Eden asked.
“A couple of reasons. Several of the victims have called into work or contacted friends and relatives informing them they were going to be gone for a few days. When they didn’t come back to work or reappear, relatives and friends went to check. The homes were empty. Mail and paper stacked up—indicating the women have been gone for a while.
“Also, the amount of torture he’s inflicting would take hours, if not days. It’s believed he keeps them between three and eight days. His torture methods are as varied as they are horrific. Electrical shock, strangulation, and burning their skin are just a few of them. After he kills each victim, he dresses them and then dumps the bodies in high-traffic areas around London.”
“Sounds like he wants to get as much press exposure as he can get,” Jake said.
“Yes, and the press has been more than happy to oblige,” Noah said.
Pulling photographs from a thick folder, Noah passed them to Jake. Angela had already seen a couple of the photographs. Beautiful women, dressed in elegant evening gowns, hair and makeup in perfect order, and a single red rose clutched in their hands. The only thing that marred their pale, lifeless beauty was the hideous gaping slash across their throats. The evening gown covered the multitude of torture marks on their skin.
Jake examined the photographs, passed them to his left and lifted his gaze to Angela. She saw questions, concern, and not a little bit of anger. The anger was justified. She should have been brave enough to talk to him yesterday. Bravery wasn’t usually an issue for her. She had no doubts about her courage but Jake brought out a unique vulnerability in her. She wanted to please him.
“How many victims?” Shea asked.
“Ten that we know of. At first it was one murder every three or fourth months. For the past two months, it’s been one about every eight to ten days.”
“His need is increasing,” Jordan said grimly. “Do we know whether he already has another victim picked out before he kills his current victim?”
Noah shook his head. “No, and that’s just one of the many things we don’t know. Maybe he targets several. That way, as soon as he’s done with one, he already has another lined up. But from the amount of torture he’s inflicting on these women, he’s spending a considerable amount of time with them. It’d be hard for him to commit a lot of hours to stalking.”
“Other than their occupations, does anything else link the victims together?” Sabrina asked.
“Not as far as we know. However, there are four areas of the city he seems to be concentrating on. You’ll see your assignment is in one of these areas.
“British authorities called me in for a consult the day they found their fifth victim. Honor, Seth and I flew to London and met with them. I offered LCR’s assistance at that time but it was refused. The day they found the eighth victim, they called, asking for our help.”
Angela remembered the day they returned. All three had the same bleak, sad look on their faces. Seth Cavanaugh had been a cop and his wife Honor was a former FBI agent. Both had seen their share of evil things. Angela had immediately known this wasn’t the average killer. This man was a monster. One that had to be stopped.
“There's one more distinguishing factor,” Noah said. “Each woman received a bouquet of red roses the day before she was attacked.”
Shea nodded. “So that’s where the press came up with the Red Rose Killer. I haven’t seen any mention of the single rose found in the victims’ hands.”
“Right,” Noah confirmed. “That’s one of the few things they’ve been able to keep from reporters.”
“What about florist shops?” Sabrina asked. “Any idea where he’s buying the flowers?”
“No. There are no cards indicating which florist made the arrangement. It’s assumed he buys them from all over the city. Probably pays cash. There are thousands of rose