In the Shadow of Gotham - By Stefanie Pintoff Page 0,80

Fromley. I stepped back to survey the large triangle I had created. “Something connects these three people—but what?”

Alistair traced the word Killer with his right index finger. “Did any of your suspects have reason to know both Sarah and Fromley?”

“Lonny Moore could have,” I said. “He, Sarah, and Fromley were each regularly on campus at Columbia.”

We thought in silence.

“Mamie Durant, as well,” I said. “We know she has some connection with Fromley. And she is connected with the Wingate family, if not Sarah herself: Stella went directly from Mamie’s employ to that of Mrs. Wingate.”

“And what about Dean Arnold?” Isabella asked.

Alistair and I both stared at her. Isabella had spoken with Dean Arnold on Wednesday, but nothing of importance had come out of the interview. Sarah’s work in his office was ordinary, routine.

“I read your notes after you spoke with Angus MacDonald.” Isabella paused for a split second to gather her thoughts. “He thought Sarah was upset by something relevant to her work at Dean Arnold’s office. Do you recall? And I was struck by his belief that Sarah even mentioned Michael Fromley’s name during their last conversation.”

She looked at me expectantly, under the impression she had noticed something important. But I didn’t think so.

“Yes, I remember,” I said, “but think of it logically. For her to have mentioned Fromley’s name, especially in the context of her work, makes no sense.” I spread my hands wide. “When Alistair and I discussed the matter, we decided that MacDonald must have been mistaken. The man was thoroughly grief-stricken, you see. How can we consider him a reliable source on this point?”

Isabella was clearly unconvinced and she began shuffling through the files with a peculiar expression. What could she be looking for with such urgency?

Alistair did not seem to notice her behavior, for he had moved on to his own concerns. “Well, that all sounds very reasonable. But I believe we might use what we know about criminal behavior to narrow down where and how we search for your unknown killer.”

I cut him off sharply. “We don’t have time for esoteric theories, Alistair—”

He responded quickly, before I could interrupt again. “I offer you a practical theory, of the exact sort you already use. During one of our earliest conversations, you told me you didn’t think a woman could have murdered Sarah because, quite simply, her murder was too brutal. The typical woman doesn’t commit that sort of crime, you said; she would prefer poison to the knife.” He became animated, in his element once again. “I can help you refine that kind of theory in a way that may help you.”

“Okay,” I agreed. “Then tell me, in practical terms.”

Alistair spread out several more sheets of paper and began making a list of traits, though he spoke faster than his hand could keep up. “You tell me you believe the murderer is a copycat killer. That, I tell you, means he is also highly intelligent and organized. Can you guess why?”

“Absolutely.” I immediately understood where Alistair was headed. “A killer who aims to copy another’s type of crime must be smart enough to learn another criminal’s habits as well as organized enough to carry them out. In our case, he carried out his plan so well we were completely fooled.”

“Intelligent. Organized.” Alistair mulled these traits. “Our killer commits the crime believing he is capable of deceiving and frustrating the authorities, right?” After I nodded in agreement, he added, “This belief grows, the more time that passes without the killer being caught. Or questioned. Or even suspected.”

Alistair began pacing the room, his energy too irrepressible to permit him to stay in one place. “Moreover, I believe Sarah’s killer is motivated chiefly by control. We see it demonstrated throughout the crime scene. He first, chiefly, needed to control the victim. We can now make sense of the chloroform that was in Sarah’s system—remember how our first instinct was that its presence was an anomaly? We can now explain it. Whereas Fromley would have relished the torture of a victim who remained alive until the very end, and the thrill of seeing her blood,” Alistair explained, “our real killer required perfect control. He subdued her with chloroform. Once she was unconscious, he took her life quickly, with one stroke of his knife. And then—only then—did he begin to frame the crime scene as Fromley would have done.”

I picked up where he left off, adding my own conclusion. “It also shows the killer did not murder in the