Previous Chapter:

A truck driver had an unfortunate encounter with the mysterious Lilith. She killed three men the year before while Greg was dealing with the hag. Now she is back with a vengeance and Wolf Bend Chief Greg Harsen is called to the scene by FBI Agent David Harkins, a man who really doesn't like him. What he finds awakens him to the realization that more bad things are coming for him and his little town. Further, Harkins managed to wrangle him into Task Force Ash, which was created to capture the killer.  

New Chapter:

Greg led Officer Katie Kelsey into the FBI office in Spokane, Washington. They were greeted by Agent Kenny Lee, who gave his girlfriend Kelsey a hug. Then he led the Wolf Bend cops through a set of doors, and down a long hallway where he stopped at a closed door and turned to Greg. 

“Look, Chief Harsen, don’t let Dave rattle you. He acts like a roster marking his territory sometimes. He’ll probably strut around a bit showing his tail feathers. Just ignore his blustering. He’s actually a really good agent.”

“So you’re warning me that Agent Harkin’s a cock?” Greg’s comment caused Kelsey to chuckle which she tried to stifle when Lee frowned at her. 

“That’s not quite what I meant.” Agent Lee looked flustered.

“Relax, Ken. I get your drift. I’m not here to make any waves or step on any toes. It’s your boss’ show.” Greg gave a thumbs up to the Asian man. But if you think I’m going to let David Harkins brow beat me, you got another thing coming.

With that, they entered the Task Force Ash Meeting Room. There were about fifteen people standing around a large square table, broken into pairs and trios, talking. Greg only recognized three of the people in the room. Sheriff Bill Watson, Sergeant Berry Winston, and Agent David Harkins. 

Agent Lee guided them around the room, pointing out key charts, maps, and graphs they had posted, revealing locations, victim’s information, and various other details of the crime. The suspect list had two or three names, all crossed out, and all male. There were no current and active suspects. 

The map that caught Greg’s attention was the one marked with the locations where all of the victims' bodies were found. There was a cluster in Spokane, but the rest of the little red pins surrounded Wolf Bend, making it look as if the killer had intentionally steered clear of his town. Odd. 

“All right, gentlemen, let’s get seated so we can start.” Agent Harkins took a seat at the head of the table. Greg and Katie grabbed a couple of empty chairs at the far end of the table. 

“Let’s start by saying that we have added the Wolf Bend Police Department to the task force. Chief Harsen and Officer Kelsey are the two new faces at the table that many of the rest of you may not recognize.” 

The other members of the task force introduced themselves to the Wolf Bend cops. A couple were FBI, but most were officers from other local departments, like Colville and Spokane. Once the hand shaking ended, everyone re-claimed their seats. 

“So, let’s begin with Chief Harsen. He has a reputation for ‘cowboying up’ and freelancing these types of investigations.” Harkins came out swinging. “I’m sure he can enlighten us on his findings from when he ran off and conducted his side investigation at the Slide and Glide Massage Parlor.”

Greg folded his hands and shook his head wistfully. So much for letting bygones be bygones. 

“Nothing? I thought so, because that’s exactly what happens when the Lone Ranger leaves the reserve. When we don’t work as a team, we fail.”

Okay, I’ve had enough. Greg pushed his chair back and slowly rose from his seat. If he’s gonna hand his meeting over to me, then I’ll happily take it. 

Harkins fell silent when Greg went over to the suspect board, studying it with his back to the group. “I didn’t come here to be kicked around at your Circle Jerk Festival. I’m simply here as an advisor, but I can see you boys obviously need some help getting on the right track.” This is where I’m at my best. “So, Dave asked what do I have? I’ll tell you what I have. I have a better question. You all have been working on this for months. What do you have? I see three names, all marked out. You fellas have eleven murders and not one suspect. That’s some shit.”

“We . . . we just got our first body.” Harkins was obviously taken back by Greg’s boldness. 

Greg chose to ignore him. “Eleven crime scenes and not one viable suspect. And the three you marked off are all males. Why?”

“We —”

“Does anyone other than Harkins know how to speak in this room?” Greg cut the lead agent off. Stand down dickwad.

Bill Watson shifted uncomfortably in his seat and stared at his hands, while Agent Lee cleared his throat. 

“Go ahead, Kenny. Why’s the killer a man?” Greg persisted. 

“Because of the missing bodies. Victim Johnny Winslow from Spokane was a 300 pound guy. He was taken from a park with only ashes left behind, like all the others. A woman can’t move a body like that. At least not alone. Most of the vics were larger men. We were thinking maybe a cult because of the ashes, or maybe a husband-wife team. But obviously you think this is a woman?”

“I don’t think it’s a woman, I know it is.” Greg smiled.

“How, Chief?” Kelsey stared at him intently. 

“A quick look at their charts here. All the vics are male. Two killed in seedy massage parlors. One in a park. Three in their cars and two truck drivers. These men were getting sex, or at least looking for it.”

“What about a tranny or gay male?” Harkins piped up. 

“Possible. Until we throw in the Stoggers. I’m sure my good friend Bill filled you all in on what occurred at the Slide and Glide.” The comment made Watsom squirm even more and this time he cleared his throat. 

“Ah, yes. The mysterious Lilith.” Harkins smirked. “The name is obviously fake.”

“We suspect she’s another victim or at the very least, a pawn to the real killer,” one of the Spokane cops offered. 

“Serial killers don’t operate like that, at least not the practiced sexual predators. They have a type. They go after that type and pride themselves in not killing indiscriminately. Ruins their fantasy. The type becomes an obsession. 

So, Lilith is no pawn. She worked the Stoggers, three dangerous men by all accounts, and lured them back to their trailers like a pro and slew them. Our killer’s type is men seeking sex. Our killer is a woman.” Greg grabbed a red marker and began writing her name on the suspect chart.

“Only Agent Harkins is allowed to write on—” One of the junior FBI agents stopped talking when Greg flashed a stern look at him.

“That’s who you should be seeking. How she’s moving the bodies is secondary. We’ll figure that out when we find her.” Greg underlined her name, then pointed at a map. “Now tell me what you make of that?” 

The men stared at the victim’s body location map that Greg was pointing at before a Collville cop spoke up. “That’s why they brought you on the task force. They think, due to your reputation, the killer is steering clear of you and your department.”

“Obviously you have a different conclusion than us.” Dave Harkins saw Greg shaking his head. 

“Just tell us what you’re thinking, Greg.” Sergeant Winston nodded at him. Greg liked the Washington State Trooper. “Most of us have little experience with serial killers.”

“Okay. Both times I went up against Morgan, he nearly killed me. Thanks to some dead friends, I survived. This perp doesn’t fear me. Besides, that isn’t in the serial killer's psyche. Most like to challenge the cops. They think they’re smarter than us and want to rub our faces in it. They want to brag. They send notes and leave misleading clues. No, if this were about me, then all of the victims would have been in and around Wolf Bend.”

“So what does the map tell you, Greg?” Kenny frowned. 

“Our killer lives in Wolf Bend. She fears getting recognized if she strikes there. Plus, she thinks it takes the heat off of her. It’s her safe place.”

“Makes sense,” Officer Kelsey agreed, always surprised at Greg’s skill. “So how do we find her?”

Greg pulled the little piece of paper out of his pocket that Momma Lin had given him. The massage parlor madam had drawn a tattoo of a heart with wings and horns on it. He passed it down the table. “With good old-fashioned police work. Of course her name is fake, but this isn’t. Somebody has to know something about Lilith’s tattoo. The populace in this region is small. We need to hit the streets in our respective towns. Show the picture around. Hit the massage parlors, truck stops, and any other seedy places you can think of. Someone knows about this.”

The men all nodded in agreement. One of the junior agents grabbed the tattered paper and went to make copies. When Greg and Katie rose up to leave, Harkins came over and extended his hand. 

“Nice work, Chief.” He smiled. “I knew you would be an asset to Task Force Ash.”

I bet you did. Greg shook the man’s hand while he heard Agent Lee lean over to Katie just behind him and whisper, “Guess we know who the real rooster is.”