Kate nodded. “Yeah, definitely.”
“So we did get the locations on the other Alberta cases we have. We’re still checking on the Saskatchewan ones. But they were inside and facing churches.”
Kate stopped and stared at her coworker. “So, outside of the first victim, all the others were found inside some building, facing a church?”
Lilliana nodded. “What’s your take on that?”
Kate shook her head. “Either asking forgiveness or making an offering.”
At that, everybody in the place stopped and stared.
“Huh,…making an offering,” Lilliana repeated slowly. “I hadn’t considered that.”
“What’s your take on it?” Kate asked, curiously studying the cup of coffee in Lilliana’s hand and hoping it wasn’t the last one. “I was thinking that it was somebody who couldn’t go into a church, for whatever beliefs he may have, and he feels like a sinner or whatever.”
“Or I was wondering about making a mockery of the church,” Owen suggested, pushing his chair back. “As if to prove to the church that they couldn’t control what he did.”
“So a heavy religious background? That could also work,” Kate agreed.
“Well, I like your idea too,” Lilliana added.
Then Rodney interrupted, “The offering thing would also go along with Owen’s idea. Because, if he couldn’t get into church, was kicked out, or even felt like he was, making an offering might allow him back into God’s good graces—or at least in his mind.”
“But killing somebody”—Kate frowned, turning to look at him—“and using it as an offering to get back into church does not sound normal. Particularly in a devil’s mask, although that would be easy enough to take off.”
At that, Rodney looked at her directly and stated, “Is anything about the way those women died normal?”
Kate winced. “Good point,” she agreed, rotating her head to get the kinks out. “He really is one sick bastard, isn’t he?”
“And then there’s the point you mentioned last night just before going home.”
“What point was that?” she asked. “I feel like I’m still trying to play catch-up here.”
“That’s because you haven’t got any caffeine coursing through your veins yet.”
“Yeah, did you guys leave me any?” she asked, with a growl.
“You can go and find out in a minute.”
“So, what point are you talking about?” she called out to Rodney, as she was halfway to the hallway, already heading to where the coffee was.
“Your thought about there being more than one killer. Did you wake up with any more thoughts on that?”
“It would explain some things,” she replied. “But I don’t know so much if it’s more than one killer or more than one killervicariously.”
At that, they all stopped and stared too.
“Jesus,” Owen declared, “I didn’t even consider that.”
“And I still don’t get it,” Lilliana admitted, looking at Kate in surprise. “What does that mean?”
Kate nodded. “I will, just,… Jesus, I need coffee.” She headed for the coffeepot and thankfully found enough left for her to grab a cup. She put on another pot because no way would just one cup do it today, and she walked back into the bullpen.
“Okay, now explain,” Lilliana ordered.
“I’m just wondering,” Kate began, holding up her hand, “and I know this will sound really wrong and maybe contrary to what I was thinking earlier, but what are the chances the kid is orchestrating this from a distance?”
They all stopped and stared.