Page 44 of So Deadly
“I know that, but howlikelyis it?Men’s feet are usually wider, especially at the toes and pads.A man’s foot long enough to fit a woman’s size six would almost always be far too wide to fit a woman’s size six, even awidesize six.”
“It’s probably a lot more common than you think,” Jessica countered.“Foot size and shape varies wildly between individuals.It’s entirely possible that there are many men who can fit women’s shoes and prefer them.Women’s shoes are usually softer-bodied than men’s shoes.Some men find them more comfortable.”
“I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt with that,” Faith said, “But that’s still a lot of coincidence.How likely is it that Jennifer can fit our profile so well and also wear a size six?”
“Probably a lot more likely than you think,” Jessica said gently.“Six is a very common shoe size.”
Faith frowned and looked through the window at the darkening night.“If you can give me a good justifiable reason to go talk to Jennifer again, I will,” Jessica said.“In fact, if you want to talk to her while I follow up on other leads, we can do that too.”
Faith shook her head.“No.I think you’re right.I have absolutely zero empirical evidence to suggest that Jennifer’s the killer.I’m basing it on a sense of disquiet I felt, but like you said, that’s not enough to go on.We’ll explore other leads.I just can’t understand why she rubbed me the wrong way.”
Jessica shrugged.“She’s a timid, submissive woman.You are very much the opposite of that.”Faith gave her a dry look, and she said, “What?It’s true.I think you don’t like timid and submissive people.Everyone has a personality type that rubs them the wrong way.For me, it’s cocky, arrogant people.For you, it’s walk-on-eggshells types.It’s not a bad thing.Just be aware of it.”
Faith’s head was starting to hurt.She grudgingly admitted to herself that Jessica was at least within shouting distance of the truth, but she didn’t want to dwell on it anymore.“Well, let’s get back to the hotel and see who else might be involved.”
“For sure,” Jessica said.“I’ll drive, though.You look beat.”
Faith reallywastired, but not physically.She had wracked her brain hard trying to find an answer she was certain floated just outside of her reach, and it eluded her still.
She was fine with Jessica driving though.She ordered a cup of coffee to go, and after a long and reluctant goodbye, Turk left his new friends and allowed Faith to lead him to their rental vehicle, though he gave her a reproachful look when she opened the side door and ushered him into the backseat.
The coffee was drinkable, but Faith was pretty sure the dead taste buds left behind in the wake of the spice dulled the flavor of the coffee enough to make it palatable.
What wasn’t palatable was the fact that they’d found nothing connecting Jennifer Suleiman to the murders.She’d wrestled with the problem several times now, and each time, the answer came back no.Yet she couldn’t accept it.
As they reached the hotel, she made a commitment not to think about it anymore.The lead was dry, and no amount of wishing for rain would make it wet again.It was rare that one of her hunches didn’t work out, but they’d wasted enough time on this one.The killer was still out there, still choosing their next victim, still sliding on their claws and imagining the feel of those claws slicing through flesh.
It was up to them to find this predator before their fantasies came to life yet again.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Genna’s nose wrinkled when she entered the apartment.She’d forgotten to wash the dishes after her last night here, and the sink had grown a plush carpet of gray mold.She held her breath and opened a window, hoping the spores would escape to fresh air and she might have a chance of surviving the next few hours without developing some horrifying illness.Just in case, she pulled a bottle of vinegar out from underneath the sink and poured it over the mold.That stunk too but not as badly as the rotten food and mold growing in her kitchen.
She gave the vinegar some time to work while she moved on to other tasks.Most of the food in the fridge was expired, so she tossed it into a trash bag and took it and the old trash bag—also forgotten—downstairs to the trash room.Once a new bag (plum-scented!Why?Who cares!) was installed in the kitchen wastebasket, she tidied up the living room, picking up old trash, wiping down furniture, and vacuuming the carpet.There were a few new stains, but those would take hours to clean, and they would still leave a shadow behind.She’d deal with it later.
By the time she was finished, the new trash bag was full.She took that out and washed the dishes.That kept her busy well into the night, but she wasn’t going to sleep anyway.She rarely slept her first night back.
By the time she finished cleaning, she’d worked up an appetite.She didn’t have any food to cook, so she ordered a pizza and plopped on the couch.This time of night, the cable channels were playing infomercials and reruns ofSeinfeldandStar Trek: The Next Generation, so she pulled up Netflix and played the first option under the “We Think You’ll Love This” category.It turned out to be a war movie starring some A-minus lister whose shine had worn off five years ago.Chris something or other.
The pizza arrived, delivered by a cute, blushing college kid who was adorable enough that Genna almost invited him in.She even opened her mouth to ask if he wanted to come in for dinner.
And that’s when the last of the fog fell away.She smiled at him and said, “Thank you!”then closed the door before he could work up the courage to ask for her number.
The smile vanished as she turned around and set the pizza on the coffee table.She wasn’t hungry anymore.She would eat but not until she was finished.
The lingering remnants of Jennifer Suleiman had cleaned her apartment, which was a good thing, but they had distracted her from her purpose, which wasn’t.She hadn’t entered the bedroom yet, and Genna realized now that it was the last of Jennifer struggling to avoid the realization that would shut her inside of Genna’s mind until the next mission was completed.
The bedroom itself was fairly clean if untidy.The sheets were rumpled, and the blanket was tossed carelessly to the floor, but both had been washed after the Hayes woman was killed, so they were clean.
Genna stood in the room for a moment, frowning.She hadn’t finished with Crawford.He was still alive when the wolf chased her from the house.He was close to death, but he might have survived.She should find out.
No.If he was still alive, he was out of her reach.The FBI not only found him, but they found Jennifer.Had he identified her?He couldn’t have.She wore the mask.Even without the mask, there was a stark difference between Genna Solomon and Jennifer Suleiman.
You’re panicking.Calm down and think clearly about the situation.
She took a deep breath and released it slowly through her nose.The FBI suspected her or rather they suspected Jennifer.But they hadn’t found anything incriminating.They’d cleared her.That one woman, the one with the dog, wasn’t satisfied, but she was a professional.She wouldn’t waste time following a lead that had run dry.
It was smart of Genna to let Jennifer take the reins after the Crawford attack.Her quick thinking had saved them both.Come to the apartment, strip out of the incriminating clothes, shower, change, and head straight to the house.Even so, she’d beaten the agents by only a few minutes.God, if they’d come any faster…
