As it turned out, Nelson had been wrong about the FBI. Mackenzie got the call at 6:35 in the morning requesting that she drive to the airport to pick up an agent that had flown in. She'd had to hurry, as the flight arrived at 8:05, and was embarrassed that she'd have to make a first impression without even having time to fix her hair.
Her hair, though, was the least of her concerns as she sat in the uncomfortable airport chair, waiting at the gate. She was pounding down a cup of coffee, hoping to push her mind beyond caring that her body had only managed five hours of sleep the night before. It was her third cup of the morning and she knew she'd get the jitters if she didn't slow down. But she couldn't afford to be tired and sloppy.
She reviewed everything in her head as she waited for the agent to get off the plane, recircling the gruesome scene from the night before. She couldn't help but feel as if she had missed something. Hopefully, the FBI agent would be able to help get them on a clearer path.
Nelson had e-mailed her the agent's dossier, which she had read quickly while eating a breakfast of a banana and a bowl of oatmeal. Because of this, Mackenzie spotted the agent right away as he stepped off the jet bridge and into the airport. Jared Ellington, thirty-one years old, a Georgetown graduate with a background that included a stint in profiling in counterterrorism cases. His black hair was slicked back as it had been in his picture and the telltale suit he wore painted him as someone on official duty.
Mackenzie walked across the gate to meet him. She hated the fact that she kept going back to her stupid hair. She felt frazzled and out of sorts, having been rushed earlier in the morning. More than that, she had never really cared much about first impressions and had never been the sort of person to worry too much about her appearance. So why now?
Maybe it was because he was from the FBI, an agency she revered. Or maybe it was because, despite herself, she was struck by his looks. She hated herself for that, not only because of Zack, but because of the urgent and gruesome nature of their work.
"Agent Ellington," she said, extending her hand, forcing her tone to be as professional as possible. "I'm Mackenzie White, one of the detectives on the case."
"Good to meet you," Ellington said. "Your chief tells me you're the lead detective on the case. Is that right?"
She did her best to hide her shock but nodded.
"That's correct," she said. "I know you just got off the plane, but we need to hurry and get you to the station."
"Of course," he said. "Lead the way."
She led him through the airport and back out to the parking lot. They were silent during the walk and Mackenzie took the time to size him up. He seemed a little relaxed, not stiff and rigid like the few Bureau guys she'd encountered. He also seemed very serious and intense. He had a much more professional air than any of the men she worked with.
As they drove onto the interstate, fighting through morning airport traffic, Ellington started scrolling through a series of e-mails and documents on his phone.
"Tell me, Detective White," he said, "what sort of person do you think we're looking for? I've looked through the notes that Chief Nelson sent me and I have to say that you seem pretty sharp."
"Thanks," she said. Then, quick to dismiss the compliment, she added: "As for the type of person, I'm thinking it stems from abuse. When you consider that the victims were not sexually abused, yet stripped to their underwear, it indicates that these are murders based on some need for revenge on some woman that wronged him earlier in life. So I think it might be a man that is embarrassed by sex or, at the very least, finds it gross."
"I see you have not ruled out religious contexts," Ellington said.
"No, not yet. The very nature of how he displays them has obvious crucifixion overtones. Plus the fact that the women he's killing are all representations of male lust makes it hard to rule out."
He nodded, still scrolling through his phone. She cast glances in his direction as she made her way through traffic and was struck by how handsome he was. It wasn't obvious at first, but there was something very plain yet rugged about Ellington. He'd never be a leading man but would make an attractive addition to the hero's team.
"I know this seems rude," he said, "but I'm trying to make sure I'm well-versed in this. As I'm sure you know, I was called in on this case less than six hours ago. It's been a whirlwind."
"No, not rude at all," Mackenzie said. She found it refreshing to be in a car with a man and not have the conversation be filled with sideways insults and sexism. "Do you mind if I ask what your initial thoughts on the killer are?"
"My big question is why he displays the bodies at all," Ellington said. "It makes me think the murders aren't just out of some personal vendetta. He wants people to see what he's done. He wants to make a spectacle out of these women, which denotes that he's proud of what he's doing. I'd go so far as to guess that he feels he's doing the world a favor."
Mackenzie felt a stirring of excitement as they neared the precinct. Ellington was the polar opposite of Porter and seemed to have the same sort of approach to profiling as she did. She couldn't remember the last time she had been able to freely share her thoughts with a co-worker without fear of being ridiculed or spoken down to. Already, she could tell that Ellington was easy to talk to and valued the opinions of others. And, quite frankly, it didn't hurt that he was nice to look at.
"I feel like you're on the right track," Ellington said. "Between the two of us, I think we can nail this guy. Looking at the information about the knots, the fact that he drives a van or truck, and apparently uses the same weapon each time, there's a lot to go on. I look forward to working with you on this, Detective White."
"Likewise," she said, catching another glimpse of him out of the corner of her eye as he continued to dutifully read through e-mails on his phone.
Her excitement continued to bloom; she felt a sense of motivation she had not felt toward her work in a very long time. She felt inspired, reinvigorated-and that things were about to change in her life.
*
A little over an hour later, Mackenzie was quickly brought back to reality as she watched Agent Jared Ellington stand in front of a conference room filled with local police that clearly felt like they didn't need his help. A few sitting around the table were taking notes, but there was a tension in the air that showed on everyone's face. She noticed that Nelson sat near the head of the conference table, looking nervous and uncomfortable. It had ultimately been his call to contact the FBI and it was clear that he wasn't sure if it had been the right choice.
Meanwhile, Ellington did his best to keep control of the room as he went through a short spiel where he went over the same material that he and Mackenzie had discussed on the way from the airport-that they were looking for a killer that likely had some aversion to sex and was also proud of the murders. He also went through a review of all of the clues they had to go on and what they might mean. It wasn't until he got to the topic of having the wood from the posts analyzed that he got any sort of response from the officers scattered round the table.
"In regards to the wood samples," Nelson said, "we should have results from that within a few hours."
"What good would that do, anyway?" Porter asked.
Nelson looked over to Mackenzie and nodded, giving her permission to field that question. "Well, based on the results, we could look into local logging companies or mills to see if anyone has recently purchased that certain type of post."
"Seems like a long shot," an older cop in the back of the room said.
"It does," Ellington said, quickly taking back control of the room. "But a long shot is better than no shot at all. And please, make no mistake about it; I am not here to assume total control over this case. I'm just here as a moving part of the solution, a point-man to make sure you have full access to any resources the Bureau can provide. That includes research, manpower, and anything else to help bring this killer in. I'm here only temporarily-probably no more than thirty-six or forty-eight hours-and then I'm gone. This is your show, guys. I'm just the hired help."
"So where do we start?" another cop asked.
"I'll be working with Chief Nelson following this briefing to divide you up as appropriate," Ellington said. "We'll have a few of you head out to speak with Hailey Lizbrook's co-workers. And as I understand it, we'll have fully autopsy results and information on the deceased discovered last night. As soon as we have a positive ID, some of you will need to visit her family and friends to mine for information. We'll also need someone to check with local mills when we get the results of the wood test back."
Again, Mackenzie noticed the stiff posture of most of the police around the table. She found it hard to believe they were so proud (or perhaps, she thought, too lazy) to take direct orders from someone that they did not know well, regardless of his place in the food chain. Was small-town mentality that hard to break away from? She'd often wondered this in the midst of the demeaning way most of the men in this room had treated her since she arrived.
"That's all I have for now," Ellington said. "Any questions?"
Of course, there were none. Nelson, however, got to his feet and joined Ellington at the front of the room.
"Agent Ellington will be working with Detective White, so if you need him, you can find him in her office. I know this is a little unorthodox, but let's take it for what it is and take full advantage of the Bureau's generosity."
There were mumbles and grumbles of acknowledgment as officers got up from the table and headed out on their way. As they filed out, Mackenzie noticed that a few of them were looking at her with more reproach and angst than usual. She looked away as she got up and joined Nelson and Ellington at the front of the room.
"Is there something I should know?" Mackenzie asked Nelson.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm getting nastier looks than usual," she said.
"Nasty looks?" Ellington asked. "Why do you usually get nasty looks?"
"Because I'm a determined younger woman who speaks her mind," Mackenzie said. "Men around here don't care for that. There are a few that think I should be home, in the kitchen."
Nelson looked highly embarrassed, and a little pissed, too. She thought he might actually say something to defend himself and his officers, but he didn't get a chance. Porter joined them and slapped the day's local newspaper down on the table.
"I think this is the reason for the dirty looks," he said.
They all looked down to the paper. Mackenzie's heart grew cold as Nelson let out a curse behind her.
The front page headline read "SCARECROW KILLER STILL AT LARGE." Under that, the subtitle read: "Beleaguered police force seems to have no answers as another victim is discovered."
The picture beneath it showed Mackenzie getting into the car she and Porter had driven out to the field yesterday. The photographer had captured the entire left side of her face. The hell of it was that she looked rather pretty in the picture. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, this picture placed directly beneath the headline essentially painted her as the face of the investigation.
"That's not fair," she said, hating the way it sounded coming out of her mouth.
"The guys think you're getting off on it," Porter said. "They think you're bent on breaking this case for the publicity."
"Is that how you feel?" Nelson asked him.
Porter took a step back and sighed. "Personally, no. White has proven herself to me over these last few days. She wants this guy captured, no matter what."
"Then why don't you stand up for her?" Nelson said. "Run some interference while we wait for the latest victim to be ID'd and for the results on that wood sample."
Looking like a child that had just been scolded for lying, Porter put his head down and said, "Yes, sir." He made his exit without looking back.
Nelson looked back down to the paper and then at Mackenzie. "I say you make the most of it. If the media wants to put a pretty face to this investigation, let them run with it. It'll make you look that much better when you bring this bastard in."
"Yes, sir."
"Agent Ellington, what do you need from me?" Nelson asked.
"Just your best detective."
Nelson grinned and hitched a thumb toward Mackenzie. "You're looking at her."
"Then I think we're good."
Nelson headed out of the conference room, leaving Ellington and Mackenzie alone. Mackenzie started to gather up her laptop and notes while Ellington looked around the room. It was clear that he felt out of place and wasn't sure how to handle it. She was a little out of place herself. She was glad everyone else was gone. She enjoyed being alone with him; it made her feel as if she had a confidant in all of this, someone who saw her as an equal.
"So," he said, "they really look down on you because you're young and a woman?"
She shrugged.
"Seems that way. I've seen rookies come in-men, mind you-that get some ribbing, but they aren't spoken down to the way they speak down to me. I'm young, motivated, and, according to a few, not too bad to look at. Something about that combination throws them off. It's easier for them to write me off as the over-ambitious piece of ass than a woman under thirty years of age that has a harder work ethic than them."
"That's unfortunate," he said.
"I've felt a slight shift in the last few days," she said. "Porter in particular seems to be coming around."
"Well, let's wrap this case up and bring them all around," Ellington said. "Can you arrange to have every photo from both sites brought into your office?"
"Yeah," she said. "Meet me there in about ten minutes."
"You got it."
Mackenzie decided right there and then that she liked Jared Ellington a little too much for her own good. Working with him for the next few days would be challenging and interesting-but for reasons other than the case at hand.
