Chapter 17

An hour later, Aaron stood inside the tent that had been erected over the headstones to protect it and any evidence from the elements. The presumptive test had come back positive for blood, and Aaron hoped to hell it wasn't from a new human victim.

Lincoln Frazer wore his usual business attire along with a black woolen overcoat, plus Tyvek booties and surgical gloves as he crouched carefully near the grave marker.

Aaron had sent Hope home with the others and told her to get some sleep. Whether she obeyed or not, whether she could forget enough to rest, was doubtful, but he didn't want her here when the press turned up, which was probably happening right about now.

Frazer lifted the envelope and carefully used a scalpel to slit it open. A tech from the local field office held open two evidence bags and Frazer used sterile forceps to remove what looked like a photograph. He placed the envelope in one bag and the photograph in the other, sealing them both.

The profiler came over to him and showed him the image. It was of Hope crying at the funeral seven years ago. On the back was written, "Your Turn Next."

Aaron did not like the direct threat against Hope.

Frazer handed the sealed bags back to the tech to preserve the chain of evidence. Then the ERTs moved in to start processing the scene. Although he and Frazer were both trained to collect physical and biological evidence, Aaron wanted this done quickly and efficiently by experts. He didn't want any mistakes. And he wanted that gravestone washed clean and sparkling before the sun rose.

He and Frazer headed outside to give the techs the space to work, removing their protective gear and placing it in the garbage sack provided.

"Serial killers often visit the graves of their victims—I remember that from your lectures at the academy." Aaron stared at the smattering of houses that surrounded the cemetery.

"I should have insisted on cameras being set up here and on the other graves." Frazer sounded pissed too. "Something I intend to have remedied shortly."

Too late for that here, now, and they both knew it. Leech would be a fool to return to this scene if he truly valued his freedom. They'd wasted an opportunity.

Julius Leech, Reggie Somack, and Perry Roberts had shot straight to the top of the US Marshal's 15 Most Wanted Fugitives list. But the USMS's refusal to use FBI's resources, notably Lincoln Frazer, smacked of interdepartmental politics and personality clashes. Aaron didn't care about politics. He only wanted Hope—his principal—and the general public, safe.

Frazer's lips pinched. "I didn't think he'd play games at this point."

"You thought he'd skip the country?"

"Assuming he's alive." Frazer nodded. "That or move in for the kill on whoever is unlucky enough to be on his hit list."

"You think Leech has an actual list of people he wants dead?"

"I'm sure of it." Frazer tapped the side of his head. "Up here as they didn't find anything in his cell. He's had years in maximum security to hone his grudges." The man blew a big breath that clouded the frosty night air. "He never taunted the cops or victims' families before though."

Aaron turned to face the man. "You don't think this was Leech?"

Frazer shook his head. "Might be a disciple or someone trying to freak out Hope."

It had worked. "Dangerous?"

"Potentially," Frazer acknowledged. "I'll let you know how potentially after the techs analyze the blood to see if it's human or not, which will be shortly." Frazer shrugged. "Whether it's a copycat serial killer or another version of Minnie Ramon I can't say yet. They could simply want Hope to suffer but not want to put themselves at risk."

"One of the other victims' family members?" Aaron hated that idea. He wanted to arrest people who were intrinsically evil. He didn't want to have to arrest people who were twisted by grief and making poor choices—but he would. Hope was grieving, too, and rather than lashing out she'd dedicated her life to serving the criminal justice system.

What did she have to do to atone for getting Leech released before people forgave her? What more did she have to lose? Especially when it had been a cop's fault for planting the evidence and then suddenly feeling guilty enough about it to confess before he took his own life.

Something about that whole scenario smelled off to Aaron. He wanted to read the police reports for himself.

One of the evidence techs came out of the tent carrying a field test. "The blood isn't human."

Aaron breathed a sigh of relief.

Frazer said nothing.

"We'll analyze it and attempt to pin down a source. Given the quantity, I'd guess cow or pig. Probably obtained from a local butcher."

"People can walk in and order a pint of blood?"

Frazer's lip twitched. "You can buy anything you want if you know where to shop."

A point that had been brutally demonstrated last month by a serial killer who'd auctioned his murders online. A killer who'd murdered one of Aaron's colleagues in cold blood and doomed another woman to widowhood.

The tech nodded and went back to work.

"Takes a certain mindset to desecrate a grave," Frazer said thoughtfully. "Especially a child's grave."

"Did they know it was Paige's birthday and that it's Hope's habit to visit here on anniversaries? Or was the vandalism itself enough for this person and the rest is a happy coincidence?"

"I think whoever did this wanted Hope to see it and for it to inflict suffering. But they must also know the chances were pretty low given Leech is unaccounted for and she's under FBI protection. I'm surprised you allowed her to come out here at all."

Aaron grimaced. "It was my suggestion."

Frazer raised a brow.

"I found her crying in her living room. She'd lit a candle on a cupcake for Paige's birthday, and she was going through old photos." Losing a kid had to hurt. "Said there was no way she'd sleep. Said she usually visited the grave today but that she wouldn't because of the press being around to take photos. Didn't want Leech getting off on her pain should he see it. I thought a quick trip in the small hours would avoid any fuss."

How wrong he'd been.

The wind rattled the branches of the nearby trees. Local cops manned the perimeter, and he could see the news vans stacking up along the fence.

"The UNSUB could have counted on the press seeing the grave and splashing those images all over the news. Hope wouldn't be able to miss them then."

Frazer nodded. "Quite possibly. The fact someone left a dagger speaks to theatrics which was never really Leech's style."

"Didn't Leech use a letter opener to stab his victims?"

"Correct." Frazer looked impressed.

"So, like you said, this probably wasn't Leech, but one of his fans or one of Hope's enemies. Either way, it doesn't make our job any easier." Not that it mattered. Aaron would do the job regardless. Nothing would physically harm Hope under his watch. Psychological damage was harder to defend against when the blows kept coming from all directions.

Frazer had a calculating gleam in his eyes that Aaron could make out in the glow of the klieg lights. "She seems to like you."

Aaron frowned. "What?"

"She isn't a woman who opens up to strangers, nor does she generally cry in people's presence—not since the funeral."

He shrugged. "I guess she was caught off guard by the situation."

"Hope Harper is rarely caught off guard. She likes you. See if you can use that to make her stay safe and stop taunting the bastard."

Use it? How the hell could he use it? "You're referring to what she said to the press last night."

"Paraphrasing what I saw on the news—I'm not scared of the asshole, but I'm surprised he escaped given he's an incompetent moron."

"She wasn't exactly handing out olive branches." Aaron's laugh was a bitter bark of frustration.

"Can't blame her, but no need for her to recklessly taunt him into coming after her either."

"You think that's what she was doing? Deliberately taunting him?"

"Absolutely." Frazer nodded. "She would rather he focus on her than anyone else."

Aaron pressed his lips together to stop from cursing. Then he scanned the nearby cops. "That police detective, Janelli, was there last night, the one who was investigated after Monroe killed himself." Aaron nodded toward the grave. "Seems like the sort of thing a vindictive cop might do."

Frazer did a similar perusal of the patrol units. "I've spoken with him in the past. He has never varied from the story where he saw Detective Monroe legitimately collect that evidence from the scene."

Anything else would have gotten him thrown off the force.

"If he wasn't dirty, he has to harbor some serious resentment for being suspended and his reputation being tarnished. And for losing his partner." Aaron shifted his weight to his other foot. He needed to get back to the house and go over the latest development with the team. "Enough motive to have his whereabouts last night checked, perhaps?"

"I can't officially request that information."

"If the DA's office requests the information or Internal Affairs is brought in, there will be renewed antagonism against Hope, and these are the people she has to rely on in court and to protect her when we leave." Aaron held Frazer's gaze. "Alex Parker could check into it. I know you guys work a lot of cases together. Get him to work this one for us."

Frazer's lip twitched. "You notice a great deal, Nash."

"I pay attention."

"An underrated quality." Frazer paused. "I'll ask Parker to look into Janelli. If he agrees, I'll pass on any relevant information he discovers."

That was something anyway. "Want a ride back to where you're staying?"

"No, thanks. I borrowed a car from my hosts."

Aaron spotted a gleaming BMW sitting behind his black Suburban. "How does Ryan Sullivan know the Hayeses?"

Frazer shook his head. "Not my story to tell."

"Guess I'll have to beat it out of him."

"Just when I thought you were different from the other HRT louts."

Aaron gave the guy a shark's smile. It felt good to think about something other than a serial killer targeting someone under his protection. "We all enjoy inflicting pain when the situation demands it."

"Sadists."

"What are friends for?" He lowered his voice. "I don't like the way attacks against Hope are escalating."

"I don't either," admitted Frazer. "I don't like the idea of her being harmed."

"Were you and she ever…?" Aaron let the question hang in the air even though it was none of his business.

Frazer gave him a look he couldn't decipher. "That's an interesting question, Operator Nash."

He ground his teeth. That wasn't an answer. "Might be important to the op."

Frazer unlocked his car with the fob and pulled open the door. "Hope Harper is an incredibly attractive woman who, I guess on paper, is exactly my type." He kept his voice down, both of them aware of the uniforms nearby. "But she was never interested in anyone except her late husband, and I never thought of her as anything except a wickedly smart attorney and a grieving widow and mother. Until recently, I didn't think she'd ever be interested in anyone else ever again."

That made Aaron frown. "What happened recently? Is there someone I need to know about?"

Frazer simply smiled at him and slid into the car, shaking his head. Backed up and drove away.

What the fuck happened recently?

Aaron opened his door and slid into the heated seat of the SUV. Didn't matter. No one was getting close to the fierce but vulnerable woman he'd been tasked with keeping safe.

Especially not Julius freaking Leech.