Page 2 of Her Last Promise
"Model prisoner," she muttered, the words bitter on her tongue."Of course you were."
The memory of last week's phone call to her contact at the Virginia Department of Corrections still burned fresh in her mind."Released three months ago," he'd told her, his voice crackling over the line."Good behavior knocked a couple years off his sentence."She remembered how it had been early in the morning, her suspicions that Cody Austin, a ghost from her past, had somehow killed Scarlett in her home, just a few weeks after being released from hospice.
Three months.He'd been walking free for three months, and she hadn't known.The thought made her stomach turn.Three months during which he could have been anywhere, planning for anything.Of course, she knew she was being too hard on herself.Austin had gone into prison almost eleven years ago.She hadn’t thought of him at any great length for several years.
Rachel pulled up the old case files on Cody Austin, her own detailed notes appearing alongside crime scene photos she'd memorized over a decade ago.Four murders—maybe six, depending on the circumstantial evidence—all bearing the same signature: victims found peacefully arranged, the scenes described as a home-invasion gone wrong.They were all scenes she’d been unable to link him to, unable to ever properly nail him down.
The first victim had been David Chen, 42, found in his bed by his teenage daughter.Then Maria Rodriguez, 35, discovered in her favorite reading chair, book placed strategically in her lap.James Wilson, 51, slumped over his desk as if he'd dozed off while working late.And finally, Katherine Murphy, 39, laid out on her living room couch, looking for all the world like she was taking an afternoon nap.
Two other cases had fit the pattern—Elizabeth Foster and Thomas Greene—but the evidence had been even more circumstantial than with the others.Rachel had known in her gut that they were Austin's work, too, but she hadn't been able to prove it…just like the four others.She'd never been able to prove any of it.
Her cursor hovered over the autopsy reports.She'd read them so many times she could recite them from memory.Cause of death in each case: blunt force trauma to the head.Simple and to the point…and in all but one case, not all that messy if you knew what you were doing.
In the end, all they'd managed to pin on Cody Austin was reckless assault and attempted kidnapping of Sarah Morton, a thirty-five-year-old elementary school teacher who'd managed to fight him off and escape.The evidence in that case had been solid: security camera footage, DNA under her fingernails, witnesses who'd heard her screams.Even then, Rachel suspected they'd interrupted him before he could complete his usual routine.Sarah Morton had been luckyandfeisty—she'd fought back early enough, screamed loud enough, attracted enough attention that Austin had been forced to flee.
Ten years.That's all they'd gotten him for.Ten years, reduced to eight for good behavior.
Rachel's fingers trembled slightly as she pulled up the most recent photo of him, taken just before his release.The same unremarkable face stared back at her—plain features, neutral expression, the kind of face that could disappear in any crowd.But his eyes...there was something in his eyes that had always made her skin crawl.A coldness, a calculation that belied his otherwise forgettable appearance.
She remembered interviewing him after they'd caught him trying to take Sarah Morton.He'd been so...pleasant.Polite.Apologetic, even.Claimed he'd been drunk, made a terrible mistake, would never dream of hurting anyone.He'd looked at Rachel with those empty eyes and smiled, and she'd known he was lying.Known he was responsible for the others.It was almost as if he were trying to telepathically tell her:I know you know about everything I’ve done.But…why don’t you prove it?
Yes, she had known.But knowing wasn't proving, and proving was what they'd needed.
She clicked through to Scarlett's case file next, her throat tightening.The crime scene photos were still too fresh, too raw.Her friend—her miracle friend who'd beaten cancer against all odds—laid out in her entryway floor, blood surrounding her head…just like Austin's victims from a decade ago.
He was taunting her.She knew it in her bones.But gut feelings didn't hold up in court, and the similarities between Scarlett's murder and Austin's old cases were circumstantial at best.Director Anderson would need more than that, especially given Rachel's history of drawing dangerous attention from past criminals.The bureau was still reeling over the aftermath of her drama with Alec Lynch and Alice Denbrough.She thought of the patrol car that had only recently stopped its regular rounds past her house—the last remnant of the nightmare of having Alice, an overzealous supporter of Alex Lynch, coming after her family.
Somehow, things were finally starting to feel normal again.Jack was settling into his new role at work and as a husband, Paige was thriving (even with her temperamental come-and-go teenage attitudes), and she and Novak were finding their rhythm as partners.Did she really want to risk upending all of that based on a hunch?
Part of her wanted to march straight to Anderson's office, to lay out everything she suspected, to demand resources for a full investigation.But she could already hear his response: "Where's your evidence, Gift?We can't justify a major investigation based on similarities to decade-old cases that never even went to trial."And she also suspected he’d be thinking:Christ, can’t you go just a few months without adding drama to everything?
She rubbed her temples, feeling the beginning of a headache building behind her eyes.Maybe she should talk to Jack first.He'd understand her instincts, help her figure out if she was seeing patterns that weren't really there or if there was something genuine to pursue.She figured she’d bring it up to him tonight after Paige had retired to her room.
A knock at her cubicle door pulled her from her thoughts.She turned to see Novak standing there.She’s come to know him fairly well.For instance, she knew that the expectant look on his face meant that he was coming to deliver news from elsewhere…maybe not good news, either if his posture was any indication.
"Hey," Novak said, leaning against the doorframe with an energy that put her a bit more on alert.Despite her initial resistance to working with someone new after Jack's promotion, she'd grown to appreciate Novak's sharp mind and steady presence.He might not be Jack, but he was proving to be a solid partner in his own right.
They'd had a rocky start—her resentment at losing Jack as a partner had bled into their early interactions, and Novak's eagerness to prove himself had sometimes grated on her nerves.But over the past eight months or so, they'd developed a rhythm.He knew when to push and when to back off, when to offer support and when to give her space.More importantly, he was good at his job.
“Hey to you as well,” she said.“What’s up?”
"Just talked to Anderson.We've got a case."He paused, and Rachel could tell he was trying to contain the excitement of being the first one to have learned about the new case.He was still learning the ropes with Anderson, after all.
“What are we looking at?”Rachel asked.
"Marcus Smith was found dead in his car about an hour ago.Parked right in front of his house.He'd been missing for two days."
Rachel frowned.The name was familiar, tickling something in the back of her mind."Smith...wait, why is this coming to us?"
“He’s a judge.Not ahugename but still widely known.Given his position and some of the cases he's presided over recently, Anderson wants us to rule out any potential security concerns."Novak's expression grew more serious."Initial reports are...weird.No obvious cause of death, body positioned like he was just taking a nap in the driver's seat."
Rachel's hand froze over her mouse, her pulse quickening.No obvious cause of death.Positioned like sleeping.The parallels hit her like a physical blow, but she forced herself to breathe normally as she closed out the windows containing Austin's files.
"You okay?"Novak asked, his excitement giving way to concern."If you need more time to catch up on paperwork—"
"No," Rachel said, perhaps too quickly.She stood, grabbing her jacket from the back of her chair."No, I'm good.Just...thinking about something else."She managed a small smile, one that didn't quite reach her eyes."Anyway…you said he was missing for two days and then showed up dead in his car?”
“Seems that way based on what the police assigned to the case have to say.”
