The Kill by Allison Brennan Page A

saw Jenny walk away with the killer saw a tattoo. It was a vague impression, and she had nothing else for us. My partner is looking into similar crimes. We’ve tracked down two so far—four dead girls in Austin, Texas, and four in Nashville, Tennessee. We’re waiting on Nashville’s reports.” He stared at her and leaned back in his chair. “You work either of those cases?”
    Clearly, it was her turn to share.
    Olivia opened her briefcase and took out the thick folder of information she’d compiled. “Unfortunately, I believe the man we’re looking for has killed thirty girls, including Michelle Davidson.”
    “Thirty? And no one caught on that we have a nationwide serial killer?” Zack looked as irate as she felt.
    “He’s cautious. Methodical. Patient. Years of inactivity between murders. In three cases—California, Kansas, and Kentucky—someone else was arrested and tried for the crimes. There’s no clear-cut pattern, and because the murders happen within weeks of each other before he stops, the cases grow cold quickly.” She slid over a copy of her file.
    “How did you connect these cases to mine?”
    “I told you someone was tried in California for a crime I believe your Seattle killer is responsible for. The M.O. is similar. The man convicted was just released from prison because of a DNA test. He was convicted on circumstantial evidence, but it convinced the judge and jury. But he didn’t rape Mel—the victim.”
    “He could have been involved.”
    “Yes. I’ve thought of that, but the prosecutor said the evidence after all this time is too thin to guarantee a conviction. And with all the publicity over wrongful convictions across the country—well, I think they simply didn’t want to try a difficult case.” She’d talked to Hamilton Craig about it when Hall was released two weeks ago. He was willing to retry Hall, but he didn’t think they’d win. There was no evidence suggesting there were two people involved. That didn’t mean there weren’t, but it would be harder to prove. And thirty-four years later? Virtually impossible.
    “What do you think? Think my killer has a partner in crime?”
    He was asking her an opinion that another cop, or an FBI agent, could offer. She didn’t know. “I don’t have any evidence to suggest either way—”
    “What do you
think
? What’s your
gut instinct
say? Or aren’t you FBI types allowed to listen to your instincts?”
    Instincts? She didn’t know how to listen to her instincts. She needed the facts in front of her. Numbers. Statistics. Probabilities. She could compare microscopic threads and tell with certainty whether they matched or not. But her feelings about whether Missy’s killer had a partner? This was unfamiliar and potentially dangerous territory, and an area she wasn’t comfortable exploring.
    “Well,” she said, trying to buy time.
    “You have an opinion. Spill it. I’m not going to hold you to it if you’re wrong.”
    She swallowed, tucked her hair behind her ear. “Okay, I think the killer works alone. His crime is too personal, too
intimate
to share with another person. But—the California murder appears to be his first. And maybe he was still working out the bugs in his killing style. The primary evidence that convicted Hall was his truck—evidence in the truck proved that the victim had been in it.” She paused when she realized she’d said Hall’s name out loud. She hadn’t meant to, and quickly continued her line of reasoning, hoping Zack didn’t seize upon her slip. “Perhaps he drove the killer? Or maybe lent the killer his truck? But I can’t see anyone keeping quiet and going to prison to protect someone.”
    “I agree.”
    She was surprised. “You do?”
    “The crimes are too personal. I don’t see him having a partner. But maybe early on he had help.” Zack shrugged. “We won’t know until we find him.”
    “Do you have a DNA sample? Anything like that?” Olivia asked.
    “We have a sample