to count them once the body was brought down.
“Anything?” Garcia asked, his voice raw with impatience.
Isaac shook his head. “It’s got Bane’s trademarks, but there appear to be inconsistencies. I won’t know more until the bodies are examined in detail.”
Garcia growled and rubbed at his temples. “Damn it, Grant. You need to get this guy.” His tired eyes glared at Isaac. “He killed the fucking mayor…in his house. If we can’t protect him , how in the hell are we supposed to convince the public we can protect them ?”
That was the beauty of Bane’s kill. For all his rush, he had struck a blow that far exceeded Isaac’s own attempt at conquering the city. The people of El Paso weren’t going to just be afraid of going out, now they had to fear for their lives at home. Bane had brought terror with one simple kill. Isaac didn’t know if he could top it. He had no worries he could produce a more brutal showing, but there was no way he could match the value of the target Bane had chosen. The mayor was the symbol of the city. His death was the city’s death. She would crumble around them if Bane remained free to kill again.
Isaac shrugged. “He’s caught up in the game. He—”
“This isn’t a fucking game, Grant. This is murder,” the captain shouted. Every eye in the room turned and stared.
“You know what I meant,” Isaac answered, raising his hands in surrender. “He’s trying too hard, and he’s making mistakes. I’ll find him, and it will be soon.” Thoughts of Mendes flashed through his mind. For all the impact of the crime, he was taking chances. He was putting on the façade of a normal life, flirting and living it up, coming to work, but the schedule Isaac had forced on him was taking its toll.
“You better, or I’m going to have to turn the case over to someone else.” Garcia sighed as he stared at Isaac. “Don’t make me do that.” He walked away, his head down as he left through the front door.
Isaac waved to the crime techs to bring the bodies down, and cast a quick glance at them. He’d come to the end game. Garcia was looking to pull him off the case. The city couldn’t support two serial killers. It was too much stress on the populace. The economy would tank and everything else would go soon after, people and businesses fleeing the killing fields. Garcia and Bane were forcing his hand, but Isaac knew something Bane didn’t. He knew who Bane was. Isaac could end it all now.
He wandered from the foyer and made a quick search of the house as he plotted his next move. The urge to race to kill Mendes gnawed at him, but he shoved it aside. There was nothing he could do in broad daylight. He needed to settle down and do his job in the here and now, and worry about Bane tonight.
Isaac made a lap around the house, checking the doors and windows. They were locked and looked undisturbed, no broken glass or evidence of forced entry. The only things he noticed that were out of the ordinary were the bloodstains on the beds of the victims. The son and daughter’s beds were pooled with crimson, as was the mayor’s, but there was only one puddle in the big bed. Isaac glanced at the nightstands set beside the bed and saw on one a romance novel, tissues and beauty products spread around the lamp. The other nightstand had a clock, a wallet and keys, clearly showing the couple slept in the same bed and whose side was whose.
The wife had been killed in bed, but the mayor hadn’t. His side of the mattress, except for spillage from hers, was clean of blood. Mendes hadn’t broken in; he had lured the mayor to the door somehow. With no other blood visible in the house, Isaac imagined the mayor had been killed in the foyer, the majority of the blood on the floor likely his. Isaac remembered Mendes had left his house with his gun and badge. It wouldn’t have taken much to get the mayor to open the door to an officer. He’d probably been the easiest kill of Bane’s streak.
“Anything?” Garcia asked, his voice raw with impatience.
Isaac shook his head. “It’s got Bane’s trademarks, but there appear to be inconsistencies. I won’t know more until the bodies are examined in detail.”
Garcia growled and rubbed at his temples. “Damn it, Grant. You need to get this guy.” His tired eyes glared at Isaac. “He killed the fucking mayor…in his house. If we can’t protect him , how in the hell are we supposed to convince the public we can protect them ?”
That was the beauty of Bane’s kill. For all his rush, he had struck a blow that far exceeded Isaac’s own attempt at conquering the city. The people of El Paso weren’t going to just be afraid of going out, now they had to fear for their lives at home. Bane had brought terror with one simple kill. Isaac didn’t know if he could top it. He had no worries he could produce a more brutal showing, but there was no way he could match the value of the target Bane had chosen. The mayor was the symbol of the city. His death was the city’s death. She would crumble around them if Bane remained free to kill again.
Isaac shrugged. “He’s caught up in the game. He—”
“This isn’t a fucking game, Grant. This is murder,” the captain shouted. Every eye in the room turned and stared.
“You know what I meant,” Isaac answered, raising his hands in surrender. “He’s trying too hard, and he’s making mistakes. I’ll find him, and it will be soon.” Thoughts of Mendes flashed through his mind. For all the impact of the crime, he was taking chances. He was putting on the façade of a normal life, flirting and living it up, coming to work, but the schedule Isaac had forced on him was taking its toll.
“You better, or I’m going to have to turn the case over to someone else.” Garcia sighed as he stared at Isaac. “Don’t make me do that.” He walked away, his head down as he left through the front door.
Isaac waved to the crime techs to bring the bodies down, and cast a quick glance at them. He’d come to the end game. Garcia was looking to pull him off the case. The city couldn’t support two serial killers. It was too much stress on the populace. The economy would tank and everything else would go soon after, people and businesses fleeing the killing fields. Garcia and Bane were forcing his hand, but Isaac knew something Bane didn’t. He knew who Bane was. Isaac could end it all now.
He wandered from the foyer and made a quick search of the house as he plotted his next move. The urge to race to kill Mendes gnawed at him, but he shoved it aside. There was nothing he could do in broad daylight. He needed to settle down and do his job in the here and now, and worry about Bane tonight.
Isaac made a lap around the house, checking the doors and windows. They were locked and looked undisturbed, no broken glass or evidence of forced entry. The only things he noticed that were out of the ordinary were the bloodstains on the beds of the victims. The son and daughter’s beds were pooled with crimson, as was the mayor’s, but there was only one puddle in the big bed. Isaac glanced at the nightstands set beside the bed and saw on one a romance novel, tissues and beauty products spread around the lamp. The other nightstand had a clock, a wallet and keys, clearly showing the couple slept in the same bed and whose side was whose.
The wife had been killed in bed, but the mayor hadn’t. His side of the mattress, except for spillage from hers, was clean of blood. Mendes hadn’t broken in; he had lured the mayor to the door somehow. With no other blood visible in the house, Isaac imagined the mayor had been killed in the foyer, the majority of the blood on the floor likely his. Isaac remembered Mendes had left his house with his gun and badge. It wouldn’t have taken much to get the mayor to open the door to an officer. He’d probably been the easiest kill of Bane’s streak.
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