Page 62 of Fatal Pattern

“I know. It’s confusing.” Kobilinsky’s mind might explode if Blade started talking about dodecahedrons like Dr. Stone had. He figured this was more of a show than tell situation. “Just make sure to note any cases where the geometry matches the fractal overlay we pulled from the crime scene. I’ll email it over right after this call. We’ll want timelines aligned as well.”

“Got it. We’ll pull MO correlations. Weapon, staging, victimology, entry and exit patterns, and any geometric consistencies. If we find patterns that repeat across unsolved cases, we’ll flag them. Expect a preliminary hits list in twenty-four to forty-eight hours, with a matrix you can skim in briefing.”

“Copy that. I’ll run it through the system and cross-reference with similar staging elements. If this guy’s been active elsewhere, we’ll find him.”

Blade ended the call and immediately opened his email, attaching the fractal overlay images from the iPad. His fingers thumped the screen as he typed a brief explanation of the geometric correlation they’d discovered.

The coffee had kicked in fully now, sharpening his focus to a razor’s edge. Twenty-four hours ago, the Florek case had felt like a dead end. Now they had a thread that could unravel an entire pattern of murders.

He glanced at Tori, who was already deep into her laptop, building the psychological profile. Her fingers flew across the keyboard, translating their discoveries into a framework that would help them understand their killer’s mind.

His phone buzzed with a text from Larry:

Got your images. Running the search now. This is fascinating. Geometric staging is rare. Will prioritize.

Blade set the phone down and cracked his knuckles. Time to see how deep this rabbit hole went.

Blade scrolled through his contacts again, finding ADA Rene Garrison’s direct line. The prosecutor answered on the second ring.

“Garrison.”

“Rene, it’s Blade St. James. I need legal guidance on a multi-jurisdictional MO search. We’ve got a potential serial with geometric staging patterns.”

“Geometric staging?” Papers rustled in the background. “That’s specific. What’s your evidence foundation?”

“Solid. Crime scene analysis shows deliberate arrangement following a geometrical pattern. We’re still processing the scene for non-victim DNA.”

“You said ‘potential’ serial,” Garrison said. “What makes you think this isn’t isolated?”

“The crime scene appears ritualistic with the arrangements. This level of organization and the geometric staging suggest experience.” Blade paced to the window, watching a kite surfer below. “I’ve got Dr. Crew building a psychological profile, and we’re running a cross-case search through Pattern Analysis to see if there are similar murders.”

“Smart approach.”

“Thanks. But I need to know how to handle discovery when the hits come back. If we find matching cases across jurisdictions, what’s my protocol for evidence sharing and case coordination?”

“Good question. Document everything through official channels. Any cross-jurisdictional matches need to go through the proper task force protocols. I’ll draft a memo outlining discovery requirements for multi-agency coordination.”

“Appreciate it, Rene.”

“Thank you for calling ahead, Blade. You’d be amazed how many detectives make my job infinitely harder by not asking for guidance until they’re already knee-deep in legal complications. What else?”

Blade walked back across his living room. “I need help pursuing a warrant for Donald Florek’s office at the law firm. CSU lifted an impression from his home office blotter that turned out to be a geometrical drawing. The crime scene was staged to follow the pattern drawn at his desk. We need to eliminate whether Florek drew these doodles anywhere else.”

Rene’s silence stretched for several seconds. When she spoke again, her tone had shifted to full prosecutor mode. “That’s interesting. If the victim was drawing the same patterns found at his murder scene, it changes everything. Either he was communicating with his killer, or the killer had access to his private workspace.”

“Exactly. The law firm stonewalled us on attorney-client privilege grounds. But if Florek was documenting these patterns himself, that’s not privileged communication.”

“No, it’s not. Personal notes, doodles, calendar entries—none of that falls under privilege protection. We can craft a narrow warrant for geometric drawings, mathematical notations, and similar non-client materials.”

Blade pumped his fist. “What’s our timeline?”

“I can have a warrant application ready by noon if you get me the CSU report on the blotter impression. Include photographs, measurements, and any expert analysis on the geometric properties. The more specific we are, the better our chances with the judge.”

“Done. I’ll have Gino rush the documentation, and I’ll email the overlay we created with the victim.”

“Good. One more thing, Blade. If this pattern holds across multiple jurisdictions, we’re looking at federal involvement eventually. FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit will want in once the scope becomes clear.”

“Actually, Dr. Crew consults for BAU regularly. She can liaison when the time comes. And I’m in touch with Special Agent Sebastian Wells in the local field office.”