“Mya, I need you and Heath to go to Boston,” Eric says.
“Why do we need to go to Boston?” Heath asks, sounding irritated.
“The Boston Field Office called, that was Agent Anderson on the phone, seems Boston Homicide may have stumbled onto a serial killer.”
“Well, if it’s in Boston, why are we being called in and not the Boston Behavioral Unit?” Heath asks. “Don’t they know we have an agent missing?”
“I told him, but it seems the killer is getting on the train here in Maine and killing a man and woman on the train before it pulls into Boston,” Eric relays. “They feel it falls under our justification,” Eric says.
“A man and a woman?” I ask.
“I have printed all the details,” he says, passing over the files. “You will need to get with Detective Shane Maguire and his partner, Detective Nora Riley. Here is their contact information,” he answers, handing me a piece of paper. “I suggest you get there as soon as possible and assess what you can,” Eric adds.
“What about Kim?” Heath asks.
“We will continue looking for her, but in the end, we also still have a job to the people, and if there is a serial killer, it’s our job to find them,” Eric tells him.
I grab my laptop, notebook, and pack them into my case to take with me.
“Let’s go, Heath, the sooner we get there, the sooner we can get back and continue looking for Kim,” I tell him as I grab my case.
“Fine,” he says with a huff.
“Call me and let me know what you find out,” Eric commands, and I nod before grabbing the key to our government car and walking out of the office to the elevator.
Heath and I get in the car, with me driving the four hours to Boston.
“I can’t believe we have to go deal with someone else’s case while we have a team member missing,” Heath whines.
“I get it, it’s bad timing,” I start.
“Bad timing? We shouldn’t even be involved in this. Kim should be the most important case right now. What if she’s been hurt? How can Eric think this is okay?”
“Listen, Eric, Frankie, and Declan, plus Michelle will continue looking for Kim. We still have a job to do, so if that means dividing in order to complete both cases, then that is what we are going to do. Let’s just hope this case doesn’t take us long so we can get back and help, but I know the team is not going to rest until we have Kim back, and you need to believe that too.”
“But what if they need extra hands or eyes for something?”
“If Eric needs us, he will call. As it is right now, we have no leads to where Kim is or who could have her. We need to trust the team to find leads, and they need to be able to trust us to solve this case for them.”
“I know you are right, but everything feels wrong,” he says.
“I know. We’ve never worked a case without the whole team before,” I begin.
“No, we haven’t,” he says. “Do you think Boston could have a serial killer coming from Maine?”
“Anything is possible, but until we hear all the details, it’s very hard to conclude right now, though I wouldn’t be surprised. Kim did say Maine is a breeding ground for serial killers because they can get lost in the area,” I answer.
I watch as he nods, and then I hear, “I’m worried about Kim,” Heath says quietly.
“Me too,” I whisper. “Hey, why don’t you read the files so we have an understanding of what we are walking into,” I tell him, trying to refocus his thoughts for the time being.
Chapter Four
SHANE
The crime scene techs found the male victim’s briefcase and the female's purse. With the wallet that the coroner found on the male victim, we were able to identify both victims and find the next of kin.
The female was Jessica Leery. She was single, her mother and sister were listed as her emergency contacts. We opted to notify the mother, who lives locally, while the sister lives in New York. The male was Mr. George Bridden, he has a wife and two kids here in Boston and was the CEO of Val Corp, a tech company, and Ms. Leery was his secretary.
Nora and I pull up to Mrs. Leery’s house first to make the notification. It’s a small little cottage that you don’t see many of these days. There is a small porch, and I take in the light blue door as Nora and I walk up to it. I knock on the door, and we wait just a few seconds before the door is opened by an older woman with dark hair pulled back.
“Mrs. Leery?” I ask.
“Yes, can I help you?”
“Ma’am, I’m Detective Shane Maguire, and this is my partner, Detective Nora Riley. May we come in and speak with you?”
“Of course, please come in,” she says, showing us into the living room. “Please take a seat. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Water?”
“No, ma’am, thank you,” I say as I look around the small but spacious room. There is a couch and two high-back chairs, with a small coffee table in the middle. I look over and see a wood-burning fireplace with family photos spread out over the mantle.
On the wall behind me is a cabinet filled with all kinds of knick-knacks, and in front of me is a bay window looking out toward the street.
Once she takes a seat on the couch, I sit in the chair opposite her.
“Ma’am, is your daughter Jessica?” I ask.
