I See You (Criminal Profiler #2) - Mary Burton Page 0,110

the touch. There was no heartbeat. Foster’s wounds were from his wrists up his forearms. They were deep and deliberate with no hesitation.

“The paramedics are two minutes away,” she said.

“He’s gone.”

“Why did he summon her here?” she asked.

“I don’t know.”

“Do you see any kind of note?”

He stepped back from the body and scanned the room. That’s when he spotted the mirror over the double vanity. The words were written in Hadley’s red lipstick. They read I did it. I’m sorry.

CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO

Thursday, August 15, 6:00 p.m.

Fifty-Nine Hours after the 911 Call

Alexandria, Virginia

Within hours, the brass was considering the Hadley Foster case on the way to being closed. Captain Preston was calling it open and shut. Wife had been having an affair, told the husband she was leaving, and he lost it and stabbed her to death. Only after had he realized what a shit storm he had created. He had tried to cover it up by stashing his kid, ditching his wife’s body, and creating a narrative that involved a masked stranger. The nonthreatening cuts to his arms were self-inflicted.

Zoe crossed the parking lot of the police station to her car. She did not trust the open-and-shut verdict in this case. There was likely enough evidence to have convicted Mark Foster, but the pieces felt forced.

Her phone rang, and an unknown number popped up. “Agent Spencer.”

“This is Jewel,” she said softly.

“Jewel, how are you?”

“Okay.” In the background, another girl was speaking, and Jewel’s reply to her was too muffled for Zoe to make it out.

“What’s going on?”

“There’s another girl like Galina.”

Zoe closed her eyes. “Was she killed?”

“No. She got away.”

Adrenaline rushed through Zoe. “Did she see his face?”

“Yes. She got a good look at him. Can we try the sketch again? I can bring her to you.”

“Where do you want to meet?”

“There’s a motel down on Route One.”

“I’ll come right now.”

“Just you,” Jewel said. “My friend is spooked by men right now.”

“Okay.”

Twenty minutes later, Zoe swung through a drive-through to pick up burgers and sodas and then parked in front of the room Jewel had indicated. She grabbed her bag, which held her sketch pad and pencils, and knocked on a door with chipped blue paint and tarnished brass numbers. She moved her jacket away from the grip of her holstered gun and stepped back to the side. A chain rattled on the other side.

Jewel peered at her through the cracked door with wide dark eyes that telegraphed a mixture of fear and relief. “I wasn’t sure you’d come.”

“I said I would.” She held up the burgers. “Can I come in?”

Jewel glanced back in the room, as if to get approval, and then nodded. “Yes.”

As she stepped into the dimly lit room, her gaze skipped from Jewel to the young girl standing by the bathroom. Not more than sixteen, the girl was thin, and her long hair was dyed a brassy blond. Mascara was smudged under her eyes, as if she had been crying.

“I’m Agent Zoe Spencer,” she said.

The girl sniffed. “I’m Kiki.”

“Are you all right? Are you hurt?” Zoe asked.

“I’m not hurt,” Kiki said.

Zoe’s attention shifted to the bathroom, and instinct had her crossing to it and checking to make sure it was empty.

“We’re alone,” Jewel said.

“Kiki, did you tell Jewel what happened to you?” Zoe asked.

“I told a few of the girls, to warn them. When word got to Jewel, she told me about you.”

Zoe motioned toward a round table and the two chairs by the front window. She set the bag of food down along with the drinks and took a seat. “Girls, sit and eat now. It’s still hot.”

The girls hurried forward, and both sat in their chairs and reached for a bag.

“I’m always so hungry,” Kiki said.

“I had the clerk supersize the orders,” Zoe said. “Eat as much as you want.”

She did not offer advice about nutrition or taking the time to eat. She knew the girls were not going hungry by choice.

Zoe removed her sketch pad and flipped to a clean page as the girls bit into the burgers. She sat on the edge of the bed.

“The picture you did for me wasn’t good,” Jewel said. “But Kiki saw him better. He got right in her face.”

“Was he a customer?” Zoe asked.

“Yeah,” Kiki said. “I’ve seen him around in the last few months but never got picked. Last night, when he picked me, I almost didn’t go. I was so nervous and afraid.”

“We get this kind of extra sense on the street,” Jewel said. “But