Devil in the Details

Chapter Nine

James slapped his desk and jumped up, his face close to the laptop he had been typing on. Evelyn paused the video she was watching and looked over the top of her own, waiting for him to speak. It was comical watching him standing with the laptop in his hands like that. James did a little dance before standing up straight and looking at her.

"I got him!" He said, grinning, "I got that son of a bitch!" He pumped his fist in the air and looked around to make sure no one had seen him.

"Let me see!" Evelyn pushed out of her chair and hurried over, coming around the desk to look. She heard Floyd coming behind her with the agents, then they crowded around James' desk. James preened and crouched down beside her, rewinding the video he had been looking over.

"Alright, see here when the security light comes on? Watch right here." He tapped the screen a few times and hit play. They all leaned in even tighter, waiting with bated breath for the killer to show himself. The security light popped on, and the camera took a second to readjust and refocus. Anna Webber's driveway was in perfect view of the security camera. Then he appeared. The killer walked out of the dark as if he had been an actual part of it. Floyd towered over Evelyn, resting his hand on her shoulder and narrowing his eyes.

"Is that a mask?" Barley asked.

"It's an old Halloween mask." she said. "They sell vintage ones just like it at Spirit Halloween."

"Could it be the same mask?" He asked. Evelyn shook her head. They had quit making masks like the original. This was new.

"It's where the 'vampire' part of The Garret Falls Vampire comes from." James added, his voice hushed. They all watched as the killer scoped out the house and the surroundings. James went on. "Someone spotted him leaving a house back in the day." On screen, the killer moved from one corner of the house, peeking in windows and doors. For a few moments he walked around back but came around.

"There he goes." Floyd said. His grip on Evelyn's shoulder tightened as he watched the killer duck down in front of the car. "How long till Webber shows up?"

"Twenty-three minutes." James said after a moment of forwarding the video. "He doesn't move from that spot for twenty-three minutes." He stopped the video as Mrs. Webber pulled up and hit play. Her headlights went over the garage door, casting part of the killer's shadow on the door for a moment. She cut them off before she would have noticed. For a few long moments, Anna Webber sat in her car, unmoving.

"Did she see him?" Barley asked.

"No." Jones said with a heavy sigh. "she's trying to be sneaky. I just left her husband. He thinks she picked up an old affair she was supposed to have given up. The blonde kid is bringing that guy in now."

"Let's keep them separated." James said, "we don't need him fighting with Mr. Webber."

"There." Floyd said suddenly, leaning forward and tapping the screen. "Right there. She looked right at him! How did she not see him there?"

"Maybe he was back behind the car?" James said, rewinding it and watching again. Mrs. Webber glanced at where the killer was hiding and looked away. "I'll check the other cameras, see if we can get a better view of that from this angle." Evelyn flinched, watching as the killer popped up from the front of George Webber's car. He smashed Mrs. Webber in the back of the head, right at the base of her neck. The baseball bat bounced off like a rubber ball. It was an instant knock out. Mrs. Webber folded to the ground. In the back of her mind, Evelyn could hear Anna Webber's echoing voice- 'I thought it was one of the children, trying to frighten me. I pretended not to see'.

Evelyn winced at the grip on her shoulder, and Floyd released her. He gave the smaller cop an apologetic smile. She tried to focus on what the others were saying. They would send the files they had collected off to the bureau to be scrutinized. No one thought they'd see the killer's face. He hadn't moved for twenty-three minutes waiting for Mrs. Webber. They all knew the odds he'd taken off the mask were slim.

"Not much rage." Barley pointed out, watching what they could of the murder.

"No," Jones agreed, "he's level headed, methodical."

"What does that mean for us?" James asked, watching with wide eyes. "Nothing good, I assume."

"He's in control." Jones said, watching, "he won't slip up easily. We call this an organized killer."

"We'll just have to be better than him then." Floyd said through his teeth, his eyes narrowed. Evelyn kept replaying her dream over and over. This was the first time she had had a dream like this. She had never met Anna Webber or been to her house. She didn't know the woman any more than she had known Jason Newton. She took a deep breath and leaned on the back of James' chair, using it to steady her shaking hands.

"Even if we can't get a good look at his face, can we get a description?" She asked, interrupting their conversation. "That car there. How tall is it? How tall is he, in comparison? Is his hair brown or black? Is that his hair or part of the mask?"

"It's hard to tell in the video." James replied, "but I think it's his real hair. It's black and white, so I'll guess it's very dark."

"Could be dark blue for all we know." Floyd said, examining it, "but I'd place him anywhere between five eight and five ten. He's maybe one eighty." Floyd leaned in closer, inches away from the monitor. He squinted, reaching out for the laptop and replaying the video again. "Hell, Evvy, I can't even tell what color he is."

"He was careful." James agreed, watching the video play again.

"That rules out some people at least." Evelyn said, sucking in a breath. It didn't help her nerves like she'd hoped it would. She was five foot four, and fuller bodied than the killer. She didn't have any bloody clothes at home, didn't have any memory loss. The killer couldn't have been Evelyn. It still didn't explain how she could have dreamt about both crime scenes without ever having been there. She had never met the victims.

Catching Floyd watching her, Evelyn looked away. The doors opened, and she focused on that instead. It was Jane coming in, her chin held high. Her clothes had become a little more stylish since the reporters had been showing up. She wore high heels today. Evelyn could hear them click click clicking across the floor toward them.

"Head's up." She warned.

"Floyd," Jane said, pursing her lips. "The state's coroner is on line two. He wouldn't say what it was about." Her tone sounded annoyed. It was like listening to a toddler tell on another for some minor infraction- he pulled my hair. She was unhappy with him.

"What it's about?" Evelyn echoed. "It's about a murder, Jane. There's a serial killer running around town, cutting people open!" Jane's mouth snapped shut and her jaw was set. James opened one of his desk drawers, rummaging through it for something, while the two FBI agents focused in on the laptop before them. Jane had an expression as if she had bitten into a lemon. She glared daggers at Evelyn, who was unaffected.

"I am just doing my job." She said before turning on her heel and click click clicking away.

"Thank you, Jane!" Floyd called. "I'll take it in my office." He gave Evelyn a bewildered look before setting off for his office. Beside her, still ducked down in his chair, James snickered. Evelyn elbowed him and he quieted down.

"She gets on my nerves." Evelyn said.

"No kidding?" James countered, smirking up at her, "I couldn't tell." His voice got higher in pitch. "There's a serial killer, you dumb bitch!"

"I do not sound like that." Evelyn replied. He opened his mouth to say something else, and she cut him off. "Do the voice again and I will tase you." His mouth snapped shut with an audible pop. Both FBI agents chuckled. It wasn't long before Floyd reappeared, walking toward them with long strides. James swiveled in his chair to face him as he approached.

"Anna Webber had all of her organs." He announced. They all looked at each other, taking in what that meant. "I think it's time we take the next step and get that interview with Benjamin Walker."

"Agreed." Jones said, crossing his arms across his broad chest. "It's a cosmic coincidence that the first murders stopped when he went to prison. Then his alibi was the first person killed this time."