Page 4 of Dark Angel
Cult hero, well that’s a first.Beth smothered a smile. “I’m an FBI agent, Dr. Wolfe, not a silly schoolgirl who reads romance novels.” She raised one eyebrow. This was a seriously handsome man and the way his trained eye moved over her it was as if he could see through her own perfectly fitted mask of deception. “I didn’t see anyone apart from Small and Missy.”
“Okay.” Mac leaned one hip against the desk. “Did you pull up anything on Small?” He looked at Wolfe. “Beth came to us from cybercrime. She’s also worked undercover on a number of cases and has serious talent.”
“Thank you.” Beth smiled. “Small’s been a busy boy on the dark web. I found his website and his dedicated followers. I’ve been reading his posts and discovered a series of instructions dedicated to the abduction, rape, and murder of children. Details of where to cruise the streets and the best places to grab a kid at random. He advised them to follow kids walking home alone from school or going to the store and the best way to lure them into their vehicles.”
“Did he mention anything about Missy?” Mac let out a long breath. “Now he’s dead, we don’t have a clue to his motive.”
“I figure his motive was clear enough, but psychopaths don’t need a motive.” Wolfe folded his arms across his broad chest. “It’s more like a craving. Sooner or later, it gets the better of them.” His gaze settled on Beth as if he could see her dark side dwelling just under the surface. “They can’t control the beast and have to feed it to keep their sanity. It’s been there for as long as they can remember, so they adapt and blend into society. The ones we catch are those who lose control.”
Giving him her best concerned expression, Beth nodded. He understood psychopaths but lumped them all together and that was a mistake. She could control her dark side and killed only unstoppable murderers. She looked at Wolfe and wondered, if she confided in him, would he stick to his Hippocratic oath or have her arrested? She wished she could discuss how the need to take out Small before he destroyed more young lives had burned through her veins like liquid gold. She understood a predator’s thought processes and recognized the monster behind Small’s smiling face. “You can say that again. I’ve just been reading his posts over the last week or so. He mentioned he’d been watching Missy and how each day before lunchbreak she’d go to the bathroom. The school was quiet at that time with all the kids inside the classrooms. He figured he’d have time to drug her, get her into the trunk of his vehicle, and then leave on his break. The teacher would be too busy to notice Missy hadn’t returned, the lunch bell would ring, and she’d be forgotten. He’d have one long hour with the girl and then return to work at the usual time.”
“It was a stroke of luck you happened to be watching when he drove out of the schoolgrounds.” Mac shook his head and stared at her. “How the heck did you figure he’d planned to take the girl today?”
Shaking her head in frustration, Beth let out an exaggerated sigh. “I didn’t know for sure, Mac. I had a hunch, is all. I guess it comes from working undercover. I’m used to listening to my gut feeling and he’s been on my radar since we interviewed him for the other missing girl. After reading his posts on the dark web, I’d bet a dollar to a dime she’s one of the bodies taken from the well.” Acting casual, Beth pulled back her hair and fastened it with a band from around her wrist.
“Did someone give you the tipoff he was going to strike today?” Mac leaned closer, spilling cigarette-tainted breath over her. “Come on, Beth, nobody has a hunch that good. If you have a CI or someone else was involved in these murders, I need to know.”
Lifting her hands and dropping them to her sides in a frustrated move, Beth met his gaze. “If I had a confidential informer, I’d tell you and be putting in a request to finance them.” She stood hands on hips and lifted her chin to add attitude to her expression. Being nice didn’t work, so she’d try another angle and go on the defensive. “Don’t I get points for initiative, Mac?” She glared at him. “Okay, let me spell it out for you. Remember the call the local cops received about a rusty old Dodge cruising the streets last Tuesday? When we interviewed Small and I got a look at his vehicle, it fit the description, so I followed up. I had a gut feeling he was involved when we spoke to him. I discovered he finishes up early on Tuesdays, and figured I’d head to the school and trail him to see where he goes. I was heading toward town when the call came in about the girl and then he drove right past me. It took me time to turn around in the traffic and catch up with him. I called you the moment I set eyes on him. I was in the right place at the right time, is all. It was a lucky break.”
“If Beth suspected him as the killer, then the Tarot Killer had him in his sights as well.” Wolfe cleared his throat. “He has ways of tracking down serial killers and there was obviously a pattern to the homicides you missed, Mac. I guess he sees what you don’t. He sure has investigators scratching their heads. He never leaves evidence behind and witnesses give a different description— male, female, fat, thin, tall, short. This is why no one can pin him down. I’ve been to a few of the crime scenes and he always leaves the same tarot card behind. It’s not a card we can match anywhere. He evaporates after the crime without a trace. It’s like he doesn’t exist.”
Taking the advantage to plant a seed of doubt, Beth shrugged. “Have you considered he might be more than one person? There could be a whole team of them out there taking down serial killers that slip through the net.”
“That sure would make more sense.” Wolfe rubbed his chin. “The way he moves all over it would suggest a team effort.” He smiled at her. “I’ll run that past my people. Thanks for the input.” He looked at Mac. “Seems to me, Beth used sound judgment and investigative skills to prevent another murder. She’s been through emotional hell and back today. Maybe you should cut her a break?”
“Okay.” Mac straightened. He examined her face again and nodded. “I’ve scheduled psych tests for you for next week. I’ll send someone to take down your statement. When you’re done, make sure your case files are up to date. You’ll be at your desk until the results come in. Don’t look at me like that, Beth. It’s for your own good.”
Annoyed, Beth watched them walk away and sighed.What if I don’t pass the psych test?
THREE
TWO WEEKS LATER
Dumbfounded, Beth stood in front of the assistant director’s desk. “You want me to go where?”
“The Rattlesnake Creek field office.” The AD looked up at her over his spectacles. “You’ll be assisting Senior Special Agent Dax Styles. Rattlesnake Creek is a small town in central Montana. It backs onto the Rocky Mountains, so pack a ton of warm clothes.” He handed her an information sheet.
Beth blinked a few times, trying to wake from the nightmare. “What can someone with my skills do in a backwoods town out west? Do they even have the internet?” She sighed. “I was informed I’d be remaining in DC.”
“After the psych reports, I’ve decided to give you a break from homicide and retest you in a year or so and see if your stress levels are lower.” The AD smiled benevolently. “You’re too young and valuable to lose, Agent Katz. Agent Styles is a loner and getting the reputation of a maverick and we feel having a partner would benefit him as well.”
Trying to process everything, Beth swallowed hard. Her dark side would run riot unless she channeled it into taking out society’s lowest forms of life. She lifted her chin. “A maverick? Do I assume by that he takes the law into his own hands at times?” She shook her head. “An out-of-control megalomaniac, that’s all I need.”
“It’s deep in the Central Montana Rockies. I hear you can see Crazy Peak from the top of town. That’s the highest peak in that area. Everyone carries a weapon. Girls marry at sixteen. There are a ton of ranches but it’s a mining town. Gold and silver, as far as I’m aware. Styles assists the local sheriff at times and uses what force is necessary when required to keep the peace. Out there, law enforcement is a little different. Let’s say, more flexible. You’ll be using your own judgment a good deal of the time. The field office covers Central Montana, so you’ll be traveling all over. You like working alone, so that is an option, as you’ll find Agent Styles is often away on a case. Should you need backup, the Snakeskin Gully field office is about half an hour away by chopper.” He linked his fingers on the desk and smiled at her. “It will be like a vacation. The scenery is second to none.” He cleared his throat. “Go home and pack. You’ll be reviewed in two or three years, so I suggest you rent out or sell your apartment. You have ten days. Styles will be waiting for you at the Helena airport at ten o’clock on Monday morning the week after next. Your flight there gets in at nine. Head for the helipads. Lucky for you, he’s a chopper pilot.”
Bewildered, Beth returned to her desk and sat for a time thinking. In those few seconds, everything had changed. Without freedom to move around, and trapped in a small town, she wouldn’t be able to take down the monsters without becoming the prime suspect. Now, she’d need all her expertise going forward. Once she’d gotten the lay of the land, she could devise a scheme that enabled her to slip away unnoticed. Her dark side would always be there but now controlling it would take skill. She’d faced many obstacles during her life, and Rattlesnake Creek and Dax Styles were just another rock in the road.I can do this. I must.
Using her skill, she accessed Dax Styles’ file The thirty-two-year-old man with light brown hair in a buzz cut had a chiseled, interesting face. The intense cornflower-blue eyes and scar on his chin reflected his tough-guy maverick image. The picture screamed,Don’t mess with me. His record was impressive but confusing. A West Point graduate, he’d served as a commissioned officer in the military police. He’d risen fast to the rank of captain and received two Silver Stars and a Purple Heart but then decided not to re-enlist and was honorably discharged after eight years. He’d joined the FBI five years ago and all was well until he was removed from DC after using excessive force on two occasions during takedowns. He’d been in Rattlesnake Creek for two years with no complaints against him but hadn’t requested a transfer. Why she’d been sent to Rattlesnake Creek became abundantly clear. As a commissioned officer, part of Styles’ responsibility during his time in the Army would have been to watch over subordinate officers, devise special training, and assess if they were fit for duty. She stared at his image and the darkness rose up inside her. “I figure you’ve bitten off more than you can chew with me, Dax Styles.”
FOUR
MONDAY, TEN DAYS LATER
Tired from lack of sleep, Beth pushed her luggage cart onto the glass-enclosed section set on the tarmac and spoke to the person at the desk. “Agent Beth Katz. I think that’s my ride.” She pointed to the FBI chopper being refueled. “How will the pilot know I’m here?”
“He’ll come and get you.” The man behind the counter stared at his computer screen. “Agent Styles is heading back to Rattlesnake Creek at eleven.”
Relieved, Beth nodded. “That’s him, but I thought we were leaving at ten?”
