Part 12 (1/2)

”Yes, I do understand,” Howard said, a little arrogantly. ”Well then, let's cut to the chase, shall we? What is it you need from me?”

”The mentality of someone that's so closely linked to arson...it's something I can't quite nail down.”

”Arson?” Howard said, a little confused. ”Why are you a.s.suming arson has something to do with it? The man is burning bodies, not buildings.”

”Because he's using fire almost like a weapon. He's using it almost as a symbol.”

”Exactly,” Howard said. ”And if he's using fire for some sort of symbolic means, that does not necessarily mean he's an arsonist.”

”But fire seems to be the most important aspect to this case. That or he has some sort of weird fixation on bones and ash. But you need fire to get to those things.”

”Indeed. I agree one hundred percent. But still...the inclusion of fire in his murdering does not necessarily mean you're looking for an arsonist. That's like saying a killer that would kidnap people and drown them in a tub must surely be some sort of failed scuba diver.” He chuckled at his own a.n.a.logy; it was a dry and wretched sound.

Avery had considered this before but had not dwelled on it. The issue of fire seemed too important to not be the driving force behind the murders. But what if the killer was indeed only using it as a means to an end...a way to show off or eliminate evidence?

”Really, Avery,” Howard said, crossing his arms. ”I thought you were much smarter than this. I feel like you might be relying on me a little too much. Are you getting lazy?”

”No,” she said, nearly offended by the accusation. ”It's just rare to have such a relations.h.i.+p with someone who knows the minds of killers so well. As odd as it may be, you're one of the most reliable resources I have.”

”I don't know if I should take that as an insult or a compliment,” Howard said. ”Either way, I suppose that makes us kindred spirits in an odd way, doesn't it?”

The thought of it made her want to shudder. But she'd be d.a.m.ned if she'd look weak in front of him.

”So what do you want me to do?” he asked. ”Would you like me to drop you several hints? Are you hoping I might have some insight that will present you with a lead that you can claim as your own, solve the case and save the day?”

She wasn't sure how to respond. He had never been so confrontational. In fact, whenever she visited, he seemed to get an almost intellectual satisfaction from their conversations-from her cases. Perhaps that was no longer the case.

”No,” she said. ”I thought you might be able to lend some thoughts that might speed things along. That's all.”

”Perhaps I could,” he said. ”But really, where is the fun in that? This killer...he seems to take pride in his work. More than that, he's brave. It's rather admirable really. You know, maybe I don't want to take your side every time, Avery. Maybe it would do you good to get out there and do the hard work yourself.”

A simple response came to her lips, but she bit it back. f.u.c.k you.

Instead, she replied: ”So you'd be fine just letting this psycho continue to kidnap and burn these people? He's probably burning them alive, you know.”

”Oh, I almost guarantee it,” Howard said. ”And maybe that's the important thing you should have been chasing this whole time rather than wasting your time studying arson. Now...I appreciate the visit, but I'm going to have to ask you to head along on your way.”

”Are you-”

”Guard!” he shouted, interrupting her. ”I'm done here.”

Right away, one of the guards who had escorted her came into the room. He still had the same unpleasant look on his face as he approached Howard.

”Best of luck, Detective,” Howard said.

Avery sat there, stunned for a moment. Howard Randall had always been full of surprises. But she had never expected this. Maybe he had just gotten tired of playing along with her cases when she had hit bottom.

Daughter, boyfriend, sister...now a killer to add to the list, she thought. No one wants to be around me...not even Howard Randall.

She slowly got up and headed for the exit. As she did, she thought about the almost riddle-like clue he'd dropped near the end.

...maybe that's the important thing you should have been chasing this whole time...

If the killer was burning his victims alive, that spoke of a whole new level to the case. It meant they were dealing with a man that was likely somewhere far beyond s.a.d.i.s.tic. It was one thing for someone to want to watch the world burn and quite another for someone to find a purpose and maybe even joy in the pain of the burning.

Maybe there are still some clues to be found on the bodies themselves, she thought. At least what's left of them.

With that thought in her head, she made her way back out of the prison thinking about teeth.

CHAPTER NINETEEN.

She arrived back at the A1 half an hour later. She headed directly down to the lower levels, where Forensics took up most of the floor s.p.a.ce. There were in-jokes about how all of the scientists and lab rats had been pushed down into the bas.e.m.e.nt, but, truth be told, Avery enjoyed visiting this quieter and often calmer part of the building.

She headed for the office of Sandy Ableton, one of A1's two dental forensics experts. She didn't have to knock; Sandy's door was open and the unexpected sounds of Tom Petty's ”Into the Great Wide Open” came spilling out. Avery poked her head in and knocked on the doorframe. Sandy looked up with a smile and motioned her inside.

”Avery, how are you?” she asked.

”Well, I was hoping you might have some sort of useful information from the dental findings in these burning deaths.”

”Nothing new, I'm afraid,” Sandy said. ”We're still running a few tests on Sarah Osborne's molars, but that's likely not going to provide much to go on. And we've mined everything we can out of Keisha Lawrence's remains.”

”Well, I was curious,” Avery said. ”Is there any way you can determine if the victim was killed before they were burned?”

Sandy raised an eyebrow, as if it was something she had not considered yet. ”You feel like they might be burned alive?” she asked.

”I think it's a possibility we can't afford not to explore.”

”Well, in some cases we could make an educated guess based solely on the condition of the gums and surrounding tissue. But in the case of Keisha Lawrence, the teeth had been totally stripped and burned of the gums. And while there was some remaining on Sarah Osborne's, it's not going to be enough to get you that sort of information.”

”Okay,” Avery said, quickly cycling through her new ideas. ”Is there any way to determine how hot the teeth became while the body was burned?”

”I can give you a pretty good estimate, but nothing spot on. And you'd probably get the same lackl.u.s.ter answer off of the bone samples, too.”

”An educated guess is all I'm looking for.”

With that, Sandy typed in a few commands on the laptop that was sitting on her desk. ”Into the Great Wide Open” had ended, giving way to ”Mary Jane's Last Dance.”

”Teeth, as you know,” Sandy said, ”are among the strongest bones in the human body. When exposed to extreme heat, they'll weaken but rarely will they start to decompose. We can gauge the approximate intensity of heat based on the amount they are weakened...just like any other bones, really.”

She tapped a few more keys and then turned the laptop toward Avery so she could see it. She pointed to a section of a file and said, ”Right there. Right around one thousand to eleven hundred degrees Fahrenheit.”

”And what does a temperature that high tell you about the killer?” Avery asked.