The killing hour

She peered down into the black plastic body bag, the contents clearly lit by one of the generator-powered lights. “Whoa.”

“Nearly two dozen puncture wounds,” Mac said. “And countin’. Poor girl must’ve wandered right into the thick of things. After that, she never stood a chance.”

“Her purse? The gallon of water?”

“No sign yet. We don’t know where she was abandoned, though. In daylight, we can find her trail and backtrack. Probably discover her things along the way.”

“Seems strange she’d drop the water.”

He shrugged. “In this heat, a gallon of water is good for about two to four hours. She’s been out here for at least twenty-four, so…”

“So even when the guy plays nice, he’s still a total bastard.” Rainie straightened. “Well, do you want the good news or the bad news first?”

Mac was silent for a moment. She could see fresh lines on his forehead, a gaunt set to his jaw. He’d been pushing himself hard and he looked it. Still, he didn’t blink an eye. “If it’s all the same, I think I’d like to start with the good news tonight.”

“We might have a name.” Rainie dug out her spiral notepad from her fa

Gently, she lifted the top of the girl’s blouse. She had to move her head to let in the light. Then she could see it clearly, the top edge just peeking out from beneath the edge of the girl’s black satin bra-a dark brown clover-shaped birthmark.

“Yeah,” Rainie said quietly. “It’s Vivie

“Karen is a blonde?”

“Actually, Karen’s a brunette.”

Mac immediately frowned. “The body we found at Quantico had blond hair.”

“Yeah.”

“It’s not Karen Clarence?”

“No. Betsy Radison. Her brother made the ID just a few hours ago.”

“Rainie, honey, I’m a little tired right now. Can you take pity on an exhausted GBI agent and start your story over in English?”

“I’d be delighted. Turns out the landlady is a real font of information. She was sitting out two nights ago, when Vivie

“The four of them?”

“Enter Betsy Radison and Tina Krahn, also living in Fredericksburg and taking some summer courses. All four girls went out Tuesday night in Betsy’s Saab convertible. None has been seen since. Fredericksburg P.D. went into Betsy and Tina’s apartment late tonight. All they could find were a dozen messages from Tina Krahn’s mother on the answering machine. Apparently she didn’t like her last conversation with her daughter. She’s been frantically trying to reach Tina ever since.”

“I gotta sit down,” Mac said. He moved away from Vivie

“Like Quincy said, serial killers have a tendency to escalate the violence of their crime.”

“Did you find a letter to the editor?” he asked sharply.

“No letter. An ad in the Quantico Sentry.”

“The Marines’ newspaper?” Mac frowned. “The one distributed all over the base?”

“Yeah. We have the original of what was sent in, but it didn’t give up much in the way of forensic evidence. Quincy had it turned over to E

“You got to meet with the forensic linguist? Hell, you have been busy.”

“We try,” Rainie said modestly. “You’re going to see him again soon, too. Quincy’s requested that E

“He doesn’t gloat. If I’m getting calls from the Eco-Killer, don’t you think he’d want to take the credit?”

“Well, maybe and maybe not. One theory is that he feels guilty about what he’s doing, so this is his roundabout way of getting you to stop him. Second theory, he’s mentally incapacitated-hence his love of repeating the same message over and over again. Third, you’re part of this game now, too, and he’s luring you into the wild, just like he does with the girls. Look at the body, Mac. Can you be a hundred percent certain that wouldn’t have been you?”

“It wasn’t almost me,” Mac said quietly. “It was almost Kimberly.”

Rainie’s expression became very gentle. “Yeah, and then he wins, too, right, Mac? Either way, he wins.”

“Son of a bitch.”

“Yeah.”

“I’m getting too old for this shit, Rainie,” he said. And then almost on cue, his phone rang.

CHAPTER 29

Shenandoah National Park, Virginia

1:22 A . M .

Temperature: 89 degrees

“SPECIAL AGENT MCCORMACK.”

“Heat kills.”

“Shut the fuck up. You really think this is a game? We found your latest victim dead from two dozen rattlesnake bites. Does that make you feel good? Is feeding young girls to pit vipers how you get your jollies? You’re nothing but a sick son of a bitch and I’m not talking to you anymore!”

Mac flipped his phone shut. He was mad. Madder than he’d ever been in his life. His heart thundered. He could hear the roar of blood in his ears. He wanted to do more than yell into a tiny phone. He wanted to find the man, and beat him into a bloody pulp.

Rainie was staring at him in mild shock. “While I am impressed, was that really a good idea?”

“Wait.” His phone immediately rang again. He gave her a look. “Contacting the authorities is about exercising control, right? He’s not go

He flipped his phone open. “Now what?” he said. Good cop was definitely gone for the night.

“I’m only trying to help,” the distorted voice echoed peevishly.

“You’re a liar and a killer. And guess what, we know for a fact that makes you a bed wetter, too. So stop wasting my time, you little prick.”

“I’m not a killer!”

“I got two bodies that say otherwise.”

“He struck again? I thought… I thought you might have more time.”

“Hey, buddy, stop the lies. I know you’re him. You want to gloat? Is that what this is about? You drugged two young girls and then killed them. Yeah, you are just the biggest badass in town.”

Rainie’s eyes went wide. She shook her head furiously. She was right, of course. If the guy did want to boost his ego, it wasn’t a good idea to egg him on.