CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The men of Gray Wolf sat around the massive conference table, staring at one another. Wilson, Clay, Rafe, and Angel were leaning against the wall, ready to race out the door if needed. Ian was gathering all the information that comms was sending through.

“Wilson? What can you tell us about the bodies?” asked Nine.

“Felix and I looked at each body. They were duct taped to the seats, shoes removed, hands palm up to the ceiling. The wounds were all the same. Stab wounds in palms, feet, and upper sides.”

“They were crucified,” whispered a small voice. They all turned to see Victoria seated beside Code. “Sorry. Sly was sick to his stomach this morning, so I’m helping Code. Is that okay?”

“Of course it is, honey,” said Ghost. “What did you say?”

“The wounds are the same as those inflicted on Christ. Wounds on his palms, feet, and sides. There have been other wounds on some of the victims, but these are consistent across the board with all the victims.”

“Someone is seeing this as a religious killing, which is the connection to the church,” said Ghost.

“Cleansing,” nodded Nine. “They see these people as sinners.”

“They were children,” growled Trak with a black look on his face. Beside him, Zeke was sharpening his knife, his own face darkened by the events.

“I know they were children, Trak,” said Nine calmly. “We all know. We saw what you did. But the others weren’t children. We’re missing something here. Victims who were perceived as sinners. The cheerleaders were kids, but our killer could have seen them as tempting men. They were in their cheer outfits, short skirts, lots of skin. Madeline and Stella were both women who showed a lot of skin. Joshua cheated his customers, lied to them. This guy thinks he is judge, jury, and executor all in one.”

“But the cheerleaders didn’t go to the church, did they?” asked Miller.

“Two did,” said Victoria. “Two of the girls went to that church with their parents.”

“Shit,” muttered Ghost. “We need to find whoever this is and find them fast. You were right. He’s ramping up, and I don’t think he’s going to stop as the new year comes.”

“I need a list of every registered member of that church,” said Gaspar.

“They don’t have one,” said Code. “We tried to get one before, and for the privacy of their members, they don’t register anyone. He doesn’t use social media. He doesn’t send newsletters, nothing. I mean, it’s no wonder the church is losing money and suffering. It’s still stuck in the stone age.”

“At least we know that whoever is doing this isn’t hacking into their computers and finding addresses and locations for people,” said Ian. “This is someone who identifies his victims and follows them home or finds their homes on their own.”

“Or he gets to know them, gets them to trust him, and becomes part of the family,” said Zeke. “What about the old man that lives upstairs?”

“It’s not him,” said Luc. “He’s too old, weak, and feeble, and he’s not pretending. Isaih is his name. He knew that Madeline didn’t leave on her own and wouldn’t leave on her own.”

“Why? Why wouldn’t she leave on her own?” asked Ghost.

“She was safe there. No one knew where she was. She was working for the church handling the books, and she had a place to live,” said Pork. “There was no reason she would have left there.”

“Unless she didn’t think she was safe any longer,” said Nine. They all turned to look at him, frowning at the thought. “She was handling the church books. Maybe she found something that they didn’t want her to find. Maybe she saw a donation or something that someone didn’t want her to see.”

“I think I found it,” said Victoria quietly. They jumped, except for Trak and Zeke, who grinned at the young girl.

“Fuck me. Are you taking lessons from those two assholes?” frowned Ghost.

Victoria said nothing, just staring at the men in the room. Trak’s face darkened even more, and Ian walked toward the young girl, pulling her to him for a hug.

“It’s okay, honey. We were just joking. What’s wrong? What did you find?”

“I think I found our killer. Maybe.”

“Victoria, we need you to explain, honey,” said Nine.

“I was checking everything I could on the church. There isn’t anything electronic except bill pay and registration with the state. Normally, churches are exempt from declaring charitable status, but some do it so they can be incorporated. Apparently, Madeline thought that would be the better option for the church, and she started the paperwork for that.”

“Okay, why is that a problem?” asked Gaspar.

“It’s a problem because they needed to know the background of the reverend.”