The Devil's Closet by Stacy Dittrich Page A

“Elated, angry, remorseful?”
    “I think his post-offense behavior would be that of remorse or guilt. He laid Hanna out with dignity because he felt bad. He may be feeling ill, losing or gaining weight, having bowel disturbances or sleep disruptions.”
    “So it’s possible he shit his pants afterward?” Coop barked, laughing.
    “This isn’t a joke!” Kincaid snapped.
    Coop put his head down like a schoolboy chastised by his teacher. For whatever reason, this produced a loud snickering from me. Now Kincaid just glowered at both of us. It was time for me to ask a question and get back on track.
    “Michael, in this instance, what causes someone to be this way?”
    I already knew the answer, but Kincaid looked like she was getting ready to bite my head off. The question was merely a diversionary tactic.
    “It could be sexual abuse, physical abuse, drugs, alcohol, television, games, or music. No one really knows for sure.”
    “Any ideas about why he’s doing the doll thing?”
    “That I’m not sure of yet. It could be gender confusion, could be something else. Like I said, I’ve never seen something like this before, so I’m doing some extrapolating.”
    The information was what we needed to begin to put Hanna’s murder into a general context, so it was time to start wrapping up the meeting. Kincaid told Coop to focus on finding a local sex offender who may have been in Florida around the time of the Tampa killing. She was right in checking it out. I agreed with Michael instinctively when he said the killer could travel. The downside of that theory was if it proved correct, our chances of catching him would be slim. He could be anywhere, and it’s a very big country. If he still was in the country.
    Michael and I were almost back to my office when my phone rang. It was Captain Norris from patrol.
    “CeeCee, you need to know about this immediately. The Parkers got a package in their mail today. It was another doll shoe, possibly a match. They don’t know anything about the shoe found with Hanna, but they called anyway because it was creepy. The box is small and covered in stamps, so there’s no way to track it. The good news is that it was mailed locally.”
    “You’ve got to be kidding.” I was stunned after strongly considering the possibility that the killer may have left the area. “I’m assuming the crime lab is already on scene to take the shoe and box for processing?”
    “You betcha. I’ll let you know if anything else turns up.”
    I hung up and told Michael about the other shoe. We’d have to go down to the lab to confirm the shoe was a My Size, but it was a good bet.
    “He’s playing with us. I was right in that he’s doing all he can to get caught. He knows the family would turn the shoe over to us. He’s saying, ‘I’m sick and need to be put away, but let’s see if you’re smart and worthy enough to do it.’”
    “Captain Norris told me the box was mailed locally. Do you genuinely believe he’s still here?”
    “Possibly.” Michael ran a hand through his thick brown hair to relieve some of his tension. “Or he could’ve mailed it a couple of days ago and taken off.”
    Before leaving for the day, I needed to swing by the uniformed patrol squad room to see if Eric was out of roll call yet. I still hadn’t been able to reach him on the phone, and wondering about the fallout from our little chat last night had been killing me.
    Just outside of the squad room was a restroom that I desperately needed to use, my bladder feeling like it would explode after sitting in such a lengthy meeting. Washing up and cursing the extra five cups of coffee I’d had today, I heard the squad room door open. A group of officers walked into the hallway. It was impossible to miss their loud conversation, and I soon heard it concerned Eric and Jordan. Turning off the faucet, I pressed my ear against the bathroom door, feeling like a complete ass in the process. Children eavesdrop like this, not