“He’s a fighter,” Nina said. She wasn’t sure how she knew, but the feeling was strong. “The way he moved. He had some serious experience behind him.”
“I agree,” Wade said. “Some serial killers are sexually inadequate milquetoast types in their regular lives. They seek power over their victims because they feel they have none in other areas.” He stroked his jaw. “Not this guy. He doesn’t use a gun, because he prefers direct contact. His personality type relishes physical combat, especially if he has enough skill to dominate and punish his opponents. He feeds off the raw power and violence of blood sport. He’s probably stimulated by the crowd too. He certainly seems to enjoy a spectacle.”
“But that’s a radically different behavior pattern,” Kent said, joining the discussion. “He flew under the radar before. Didn’t want to draw attention to himself. Never taunted law enforcement.” His brow creased in consideration. “Are we rushing to judgment here? Can we be sure the Cipher is also the Beltway Stalker? That they weren’t partners?”
“He’s changed.” Wade grew animated, leaning forward in his chair. “That’s another part of his profile. He seems to have an unusual ability to adapt.”
“What was the impetus for change, then?” Kent asked. “It would have to be something strong.”
“Me,” Nina said before stopping to consider the reaction such a declaration would have. At a roomful of puzzled expressions, she began to explain something that had been in the back of her mind since the DC case.
“We’ve just gotten confirmation of a trace evidence link between my abduction and all of the murders.” She glanced around the table as she spoke. “The Cipher began engaging with us after that video of the attack in the park went viral. He must have seen it and recognized me. If he’s not the Beltway Stalker, then something about seeing me again triggered him to strike after holding off for eleven years. If he is the Stalker, then that video provoked him to change his MO dramatically. Either way, I’m the common denominator.”
No one argued the point. Their silence a tacit acknowledgment that Nina was at the center of it all.
“How can we use this to our advantage?” Buxton directed the question to Wade. “There must be a way to throw him off his game, or at least to delay this next deadline of his.”
Wade regarded Nina thoughtfully before answering. “His obsession with Guerrera is evident, yet he released prized mementos of his time with her.” He raised two fingers to indicate the items. “The god’s eye necklace and the video. He may have digital footage of every murder he committed, which would not be unusual. Many serial killers save trophies, photographs, or video of their victims to . . . enjoy later.”
He didn’t need to spell it out. Nina suppressed a shudder at the thought of the Cipher masturbating while he watched her in the throes of agony. Did he wear her necklace when he indulged his fantasies? The very idea filled her with disgust. She kept her face a mask of detached professional interest as Wade continued his analysis.
“I agree with Guerrera’s assessment that she’s a trigger for the Cipher, and I haven’t changed my opinion that he and the Beltway Stalker are one and the same and that he fed us a convenient scapegoat two years ago when we were closing in at the fight club.”
Kent showed signs of wanting to argue, but Buxton silenced him with a raised hand. “Go on, Agent Wade.”
“He began by directing his threats to Nina with the note and the clue at the scene in DC. Then he went on the news and got an extreme reaction from regular and social media, so he changed his MO again and went straight to the public. Each time he expands his audience. We had Guerrera engage him directly via DM, but he went back to his public platforms. He now has millions of people around the world talking about him, trying to solve his arcane puzzles, paying attention to him. It’s a heady experience for anyone.” He drew in a deep breath. “I want to pull him back in close. Divert his attention from the public frenzy that feeds his ego.”
“How are we going to do that?” Breck said. “He’s the object of so much social media attention even though his profiles are down. People are still posting about him, and I’m sure he’s reading the comments.”
Instead of answering her directly, Wade addressed Buxton. “The only thing that could possibly entice him to give all that up is to offer him something he wants more.” He cut his eyes to Nina. “I believe Guerrera should try communicating directly with him again. If she’s amenable.”
“That’s a big ask,” Buxton said. “And a big risk.”
“It’s my risk to take,” Nina said. “I know the kinds of things he’s going to say, and I’m willing to do it. I’ll do whatever it takes.”
“We would need to release the hold on his social media platforms,” Breck said quietly. “All of them cooperated fully with taking them down, but they may not want to put them back up knowing he’s fixing to put out more video.”
“If we don’t release the hold soon, he’ll find another outlet that we can’t control at all,” Wade said. “He craves attention. He’s becoming addicted to his own game.”
Buxton glanced at his cell phone vibrating on the table’s smooth surface. “Let’s keep that option in our back pocket for now. I’ve got to take this. It’s Dom Fanning from the DCU.”
Nina didn’t think her nerves could stretch any tighter, but an incoming call from the DNA Casework unit chief did the trick. The fact that he had reached out to Buxton indicated he had news about the commercial genealogical database search.
“I’m putting you on speaker,” Buxton said after exchanging greetings. “I’m with the task force leaders.”
Fanning’s voice carried through the cell phone’s speaker. “We got an early result from both companies. The good news is we obtained several close familial matches. Several appear to be half siblings, and one is a full sibling. A sister.”
Everyone exchanged excited glances. Everyone, that is, except Buxton. “What’s the bad news?” he said.
“Both genealogy companies have agreement forms for sharing DNA that include contact information for investigative purposes. This led us to an unexpected conclusion.”
Nina wasn’t surprised the companies required permission from participants to turn over their data. A lot of questions had been raised when law enforcement obtained familial matches from a commercial DNA database to identify a suspect in the Golden State Killer case. After the headlines, some companies had opted to have participants sign agreements declaring their willingness or refusal to share their DNA profiles with law enforcement.
“There are twenty-seven half siblings spread all over the country,” Fanning said. “Not including the full sister, who lives in Maryland.” He paused a beat. “And those are just the ones who submitted their DNA to the two companies. Statistically, there should be a lot more out there who didn’t.”
Buxton looked nonplussed. “Twenty-eight siblings total?”
“The only times I’ve seen results like that are when a sperm donor is involved. But in this case, many of the half siblings are related through mitochondrial DNA, which means they have a common mother.”