No, they weren’t. Most folks had a darkness inside.
I do.
“The profile is showing”—Cadence’s voice was calm and cool, still with no emotion as she talked about life and death—“that our killer is extremely dominant. When he takes the women, he exerts complete control over them. He keeps them in darkness, controlling one of the most vital things to them—light. He binds them, imprisons them, and it’s by his will whether they live or die.”
“But what happens when they break his rules?” James still pushed to know.
“He punishes them.” Simple. Stark. “If the girls break his rules, he could kill them. If they stop being what he wants, what he thinks them to be…” She licked her lips. It was her first sign of nervousness. “I believe, in his mind, the victims would lose value.”
Twelve victims.
“We’re looking for a man who is physically fit.” Cadence cleared her throat and continued with the profile as the gazes of those gathered drifted to the victims. “He would have to be fit in order to carry the victims, to get them through the caverns. The man is probably in his midthirties or early forties and Caucasian.”
“Is he a cop?” Jason demanded. Kyle had known the question would come up. It had to. “Or was the guy just tricking Lily?”
This was where they had to be careful, because they didn’t know yet. Kyle inclined his head toward Jason and revealed what he could, saying, “The killer would have chosen a dominant profession for his career, one in which he was in charge. He could be a cop, could be in the military. We’re still developing his background.” He exhaled slowly. “But there is one thing I believe, one thing we all have to be ready for. This man will be hunting again, soon. We need you out on the roads. We need you to be vigilant. We don’t want another woman taken.”
It was why they were going to the media next. They wanted word to spread, because the guy had a kill zone stretching across four states.
If a woman found herself on a long, lonely stretch of road and she was approached, they wanted her to exercise extreme caution.
“He’s hunting again, and if we don’t stop him, another woman could vanish.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
Cadence stared at the entrance to the caves. Darkness was falling, the setting sun casting a red glare across the sky.
A crew had been doing excavation work all day long, and had barely made any headway. The hours kept crawling by, and they had gained damn little ground.
“It’s too risky,” Dr. Aaron Peters told her, shaking his dark head. The geology professor had come up from Auburn University, rushing to get to the scene. He’d been the lead on the cavern exploration years before, and the man who’d ruled them too unstable for the public. “Every time we try to advance, more of the ceiling falls in on us.”
She exhaled slowly. “There could be bodies inside those caverns. Victims. There are families out there, waiting to hear about their daughters.” Would this be their grave now? Forever?
“I’m not saying it can’t be done.” His voice was grim. In his late thirties, Dr. Aaron Peters had high, sharp cheekbones, and a slightly rounded chin. His green eyes shone in the waning light. “I’m just saying it’s going to take time.”
“That’s not exactly a luxury we have,” Kyle said as he came to stand with them.
In those caverns, the killer could have left clues behind, something that would help them to track the man.
“If we rush, we risk hurting the living men and women who have to go inside.” Aaron’s jaw locked. “I’m not risking the living for the dead.”
Kyle’s arm brushed against Cadence. “Dr. Peters, how far did you explore when you were up here five years ago?”
Aaron’s gaze darted to the cave. “Not nearly far enough. She’s got secrets, plenty of them.”
“You didn’t find the exit behind the falls?” Cadence asked him.
“I did, but we’d had a surge of storms then. The water was so high that the entrance was covered. You needed to swim through in order to gain access, and that wasn’t something most folks were going to do.” A shrug. “So I didn’t tell the locals about it. Didn’t see the point.”
“Was there anything else,” Kyle said, “that you didn’t tell the locals about? Something you didn’t see the point of them knowing?”
Aaron’s shoulders stiffened as he focused on them. “I didn’t see bodies, if that’s what you’re asking, Agent. I didn’t see some poor woman being held inside a chamber. I saw caverns. Stalactites, stalagmites. Miles of caves I wanted to search, but they were too damn unstable.” Anger pulsed in his words. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a crew waiting on me.”
Cadence lifted a brow. “I don’t think he likes you very much.”
“Tell me something new.” He rolled back his shoulders. “You heard the ME. The victim had been dead for eight years.”
“Yes, but that doesn’t mean her body had been in the cave the entire time. Five years ago, she might not have been inside.” She turned away from the scene.
He caught her arm. “Lily was inside.”
She tensed at his touch. His fingers seemed to burn her skin.
“You and I both know he could’ve had the others here. He could’ve been holding a victim in that chamber when the professor and his students came to explore.”
“She didn’t scream,” Cadence murmured.
“He gave her that order. He could’ve given the same order to the others. A victim could have been right there, and she was too afraid to call out.”
She glanced at him from the corner of her eye.
“Hell, the professor fits the profile,” Kyle snapped.
Yes, he did. She’d realized that quickly enough, and she’d already gotten Dani to start digging into the man’s past.
“You want control?” Kyle continued. “He’s got it over every one of his students, and he knows this area.”
“But he was at the university when Lily was abducted.” She shook her head. “I already checked.”
She was actually double-checking that alibi. One of his students had backed up Peters.
She wanted more than just the word of the guy’s coed. “There’s nothing else for me to do here today,” Cadence said, not with the night falling.
“He hunts at night.”