Page 59 of Fatal Mistake
Cal lifted out a pen with a fuzzy-headed troll doll on the end. “Yours too?”
She picked up the bag and shook her head in disbelief. “I was ten or so the last time I saw it.”
Next, he removed a small book called Kristy’s Great Idea.
“Oh my gosh, my first Baby-Sitters Club book.” She ran her fingers over the toy block letters above the picture on the cover. “My mom was so mad at me for losing this book. We borrowed the set from a cousin who wanted it back when I was finished reading it.”
Shane sat forward, steepled his hands and rested his chin on them, his gaze pensive. Cal could almost see the wheels and gears churning in his teammate’s head. Before this review was over, Shane would have added to Keeler’s profile.
Cal turned his thoughts back to Tara. “How old were you when he stole the book?”
“Nine or so.” She came to her feet and grabbed the edge of the last box. “Is that all that you have in there?”
Before Cal could reply, she snatched up a heart necklace in another bag. “Why would he take this? He gave it to me.”
Cal turned to his associate. “Want to answer that one, Shane?”
Shane nodded. “He’s insecure and doesn’t think he deserves your friendship, so he’s proving you really do like him by looking at items that remind him of the times you shared.”
“But why keep them now? I mean after our friendship ended a long time ago, why would he want them?”
“Because even if you no longer like him, after what you’ve told us, we can assume he’s still in love with you and these things remind him of a happier time in life. A time when he thought you might become his.” Shane shook his head. “Or, as it often is with a twisted mind like Keeler’s, it could be the opposite. These things remind him of how you hurt him, and he used them to fuel his rage to get even with you.”
She shuddered. “That’s creepy.”
And sick. Cal didn’t bother putting voice to his thoughts, as they would only add to Tara’s unease.
“These items don’t help move the investigation forward, and this was a waste of time,” she said.
Shane shook his head. “Anytime we gain insight into a sick mind like Keeler’s, we’re one step closer to understanding him and catching him.”
A knock sounded on the door, startling them all.
“I’ll get it,” Shane said.
Cal kept his focus on Tara to judge her mood. Her gaze tracked Shane to the door, and she’d twisted a rubber band around her finger so tightly her finger turned purple. As Shane talked to their visitor, Cal pointed at her finger but didn’t say a word.
She looked down. “Oh…right…oh.”
She released the band so by the time Shane returned carrying an overnight package, her finger had returned to a normal color.
“From the lab in Quantico.” He set the box in front of Cal. “It’s the fragments from the Dallas bomb.”
“That was quick,” Tara said.
“Brynn made sure the evidence took top priority.” Cal rested a hand on the box. “I’ll need to look at this before we head over to the pump house.”
Tara stared at the box. “I’m confused. If the lab has already processed the fragments, why do you need to review them, too?”
“I can answer that one.” Shane stepped closer. “The forensic staff at the lab is the best of the best, but we like to think we’re just a little bit better.”
“Modest, too.” Tara smiled, and Cal appreciated the change in her mood.
“No one would ever accuse us of that.” Cal returned the smile, and she blessed him with a full-fledged grin, pushing away some of the unease in the room.
He grabbed a pair of scissors from the table to slice open the box. “This could take some time. If you want, I can have Shane find a quiet spot for you to hang out until I’m ready to go.”
She shook her head hard. “I’d rather stay here with you.”
