It just makes no sense, Rachel. I know you went to see him those few times not long after he was sentenced, but…have there been any other times?

No. Just yesterday.

And…well, are you okay?

She couldnt bring herself to say anything. Saying yes would be a lie. So she settled for a nod and that seemed to be enough for him. He said nothing else, and Rachel focused every bit of her attention on the road ahead so she would not have to look at him. In doing so, Rachel realized they had just barely missed the gridlock of evening traffic. That, she supposed, was something to be thankful for. It was 5:21, so perhaps they had just barely squeaked out ahead of it. A few minutes later, when the GPS voice told her to take a right and that her destination would be on the left just half a mile ahead, that stirring of excitement in her guts intensified. She legitimately could not remember the last time shed been so hyped up to confront the person at the end of such a promising lead.

She took the turn when it came and as they neared Claire Allens address, she noticed Jack sitting rigidly in his seat. He was clenching and unclenching his fists and bobbing his head like he was listening to music that only he could hear. She wondered if her excitement was rubbing off on him.

It turned out that Claire Allen lived in a small cluster of townhouses. There were more townhomes being built to the right of the property, and a scant grove of trees blocking the property from the incredibly busy road to the left. The address gave her townhouse number as 108, and the agents approached it with restrained promise.

When Rachel knocked on the door, her heart seemed to hammer right along with it. There was no answer, so after ten seconds, she knocked again. She knocked significantly harder this time and even added in quite loud, Ms. Allen? Hello?

After another handful of seconds of silence, it was clear that she either wasnt home or simply not answering the door.

It is creeping up on five thirty, Jack said. She could be on her way home from work, stuck in afternoon traffic.

Could be, Rachel said. But this killer is working fast. And based on the timeline we have so far, unless shes decided to stop out of nowhere, shes due to strike either tonight or tomorrow night.

But we dont have any idea who the next victim might be.

We might be able to figure it out. How many more women on that Facebook group were local to the Baltimore area?

Jack grinned at her, pointing to her in the way an excited coach might point to a player that had just made a great play. Two more.