Bond had not slept much but Holly was still sleeping. He gently removed her wrapped arm from about him and slid out from under the covers. He listened at her door and could not hear anyone, so taking his chances he opened the door quietly and locked it behind him.
The corridor was empty and the motel was quiet, he slipped back into his own room. Flipping on the coffee machine he opened his laptop and checked his mail. There was nothing important the usual greeting messages, requests for information and subscriber updates. That done, he started the paperwork that was necessary to keep other agencies informed of their status.
Our intensive investigations so far have revealed little of the killers motivation or identity, but a major break through has occurred. Murders with a similar MO have been found in Houston, New Orleans, Nashville and Tecumseh. We are liasing with the local Police Departments for these areas to gather more information, but it would seem so far that we are dealing with at least two persons. One is the killer and the other is a traveller who moves from state to state recruiting persons for their cause.
The bodies recovered so far are those of the ranch family, the two tourists and the killer from Houston, the MO for each is a shallow grave, and puncture wounds except in the case of the suspected Houston Killer who was found buried in his car having apparently committed suicide.
A body with their stomach slashed has been recovered from each site relating to the previous site. Other common factors are that the recruited killer from the previous city is found at the next city apparently having committed suicide, the suicide victims have all had human flesh found in their stomachs. So far, we have no logical reasoning for this behaviour.
My team is following leads from the latest crime scene, the suspected killer for the Houston murders.
Find attached a profile of the killer, copies of the autopsies and a brief of the cases from the other Police Departments.
We will continue to assist you in the local investigation and liase with the other State Police Departments, but if the killer is not caught soon then we fear a lot more people will be murdered if his previous MO is followed.
What we do know is that if the killer is not caught he will move onto a new site where it will start all over again but with a new recruit.
His stomach had been complaining for nearly an hour, Bond checked his watch. It was 0640. He poured the last cup from the coffee machine while his computer printed all the memos and updates he would need to send by snail mail that morning.
The outer door in the room next door closed, Holly was awake. ‘You going running?’ The voice muffled but was definitely Mac. ‘Do you mind if I come with you?’ Two sets of feet then walked off down the corridor their conversation deadened sufficiently by the walls and door for Bond not to be able to hear any more.
Bond showered and got ready, the thought of jogging this early in the day made him feel more tired. In fact, jogging full stop was not his cup of tea. He had always done enough to keep himself trim with weekly workouts at the gym. With the running around the job created, he had kept in good shape and since he had been with Holly, he had felt fitter and more alert.
He could not ignore his stomach anymore and made his way down to the dinning room. Crossing reception, he spied Knight exiting the elevator. He needed to have a talk with him, the night before he had deliberately provoked Carter and it needed to stop now. ‘Knight, after breakfast we need to talk.’
Knight still looked half-asleep and the two agents went in for breakfast.
With breakfast over Bond and Knight made their way towards the conference room, on their way out Mac and Holly were just outside the main doors. Holly looked vibrant, her face was slightly red from the exercise but it only complemented her appearance. Putting one foot on a low wall, she started her wind down exercises so her muscles would not tighten immediately. He knew she enjoyed going running. She had too, as she did not need to do it to keep fit or in shape. She always seemed to be full of energy.
Stepping inside the conference room, Bond closed the door behind him. Knight leant against a chair. ‘You were out of order last night.’ He launched into his attack immediately.
Looking bemused, ‘What did I do?’ Knight replied innocently.
‘You’re little stunt with Carter, trying to draw him into a verbal volley with yourself.’ Before he could interject, Bond continued. ‘You tried to belittle and ridicule him in front of the rest of the team.’
Knight seemed unaware of his actions or saw no wrong in what he had done. ‘But that Coyote saga is a load of rubbish. It’s totally irrelevant to the case.’
‘Who are you to dismiss an angle just like that, however that’s not the point. Why didn’t you just say that rather than trying to shoot Carter down in flames.’ Bond was annoyed, Knight was the psychologist and should know better than anyone how the team respond. ‘Carter instantly goes defensive when under a constant barrage, like last nights. He had something to add that he felt was valuable, and personally, I felt was a valuable point as well. You could dampen his input if you carry on like that.’
Knight looked shocked. ‘Note to myself.’
‘I don’t want to see that happening again and back off Carter.’ Bond finished.
‘I wasn’t aware I was doing that, it wasn’t meant to come across like that, but you have a valid point and I’m sorry.’ Bond was not sure whether it was a sarcastic delivery or he was sincere.