As they left the coroners office and drove back to the police station, it became abundantly clear that this was just going to be one of those cases that wasnt going to allow them to sleep. Rachel was fine with it, as she was getting used to it. But she was already resenting the fact that when she did get back home, the first thing shed likely do would be to sleepnot spend time with Paige or to figure out of there was any hope of reconciliation with Peter.

So you know, Jack said as she drove back to the station. Three of the people on this list have already been confirmed to currently residing in a hospital right now.

Yes, but Im not as interested in that as I am to know if any of them have ever had training or background in the medical field. Hell, maybe even to see if any of their immediate loved ones might fit the bill.

Its a good theory, but thats a hell of a lot of cross-referencing.

You got anything better to do tonight?

No, not really.

They arrived at the precinct and returned to the cubicle space Stanhope had given them earlier in the day. She was pleased to see that everything was still connected to the internal network, giving them access to the criminal databases. There were also numerous scribbled notes from throughout the daysome in her own handwriting, and some in the scribblings of some of the Roanoke PD officers. She was sure it probably all looked like one big mess to anyone unfamiliar with the case, but it was surprisingly tidy and put-together.

Heres some food for thought, Jack said as they started digging in. If our killer is indeed affiliated with a hospital in some way, why wouldnt he just start with the people on this list that are already there in the hospitals? Seems like it would be a hell of a lot easier than climbing a roof and sneaking in through bedroom windows.

I agree with that, she conceded. But the more I think about this, the more it makes sense. Think about it: the killer knew when the first two victims had appointments. That sort of information is going to be hard to come by unless youre a doctor or very closely affiliated with the places where the appointments had been set.

Maybe, Jack said, but he did not sound very convinced.

As Rachel continued to dig through records and fighting through notes on the people on the list that had been jotted down earlier, it became painfully clear that it was going to be hard to get any sort of confirmations without speaking to the people or their families. In other words, theyd need to all be called again. And though she was dedicated to the case and would do just about anything to close it, she was not about to call these poor people at 3:10 in the morning.