tighten. Then she asked, âBut what kind of message and who was the message for ? In the note he said âsomeone you know.â Someone who knows? Who is the you in that statement? You?â She pointed to Dominic. âThe investigating officer? Me? The medical examiner?â This time she jabbed a finger against her chest. âOr the person who found her and called it in? How are we supposed to know who the message is for?â
âAll good questions,â Rick said. âUnfortunately, theyâve all been asked before and no one could come up with an answer. Another question that needs to be asked is, how does this person know all the details of these killings?â
âIâve already been asking myself that. I donât have an answer to that yet.â Dominic pointed at the doll. âWe know one thing for sure. If the Doll Maker Killer has a copycat, the copycatâs only getting started.â His jaw tightened. âWhich means, so are we.â
It was crazy. Totally crazy. Sheâd never come across anything like this before. A serial killer sending a message to the people working the murder? Okay, so it had been done before, she supposed, but never anything sheâd worked on.
Serena watched Rick, then bounced her gaze to Dominic, who was engrossed in something that had just come across his phone.
She thought about the break-in at her home last week. About the man sheâd shot.
She shivered. She hadnât been some random homeowner who woke to find an intruder in her house. She racked her brain, trying to figure out who was targeting her. Had possibly pushed her in front of a bus.
Were the incidents related?
God, I think Iâve had enough excitement to last me awhile. Boredom would be nice at this point. Seriously, God, whatâs happening? Why is my life suddenly spinning?
She added a prayer for protection and for wisdom to find Leslieâs killer as she watched Rick testing for fingerprints.
She couldnât help but think about her intruder and wonder why the man sheâd shot hadnât just killed her while she lay in bed. Why search her bedroom? Because heâd planned to take her alive when he found what he wanted? Or force her to tell him what he wanted to know when he didnât find what he was looking for?
Whatever his intentions, sheâd interrupted his plans. Rickâs phone rang and Dominic said, âYou get that. Weâll be in touch.â
âSure.â Rick waved and turned his attention to his phone.
Dominic took Serena by the arm, and she couldnât help the small thrill that invaded her at his touch.
âSo, Katie and Hunter are the detectives on this one, along with Chad Graham and Colton Brady,â Dominic said.
âColton Brady, huh?â She mulled over what she knew about the man. Not much.
âYep, heâs back.â
âIâd noticed that.â
âSounds like a great team.â
âIt is.â
âKatieâs at Leslieâs house, looking for somethingâanythingâthat might give us a clue as to how and why this killer picked her. Colton and Chad are questioning family and co-workers. Weâll have a pretty good picture of her life soon. Maybe thereâll be something we can work with.â
They made their way out of the building and Dominic said, âAre you in the mood to do a little research?â
âOn what?â
âThe Doll Maker Killer.â
Serena swallowed hard. âYes, I suppose. But you donât need me. Iâm sure you can find what you need without me being in the way.â
âTrue. I donât necessarily need you there. But . . . what if I want you there? And you wonât be in the way.â
Her mouth formed a silent âOh.â He wanted her there because he wanted to spend time with her? The thought made her stomach dip and swirl. She snapped her lips shut. âWell, I suppose I could lend a