Only, it wasn’t like driving down a winding road that would eventually lead to a castle. It felt more along the lines of Little Red Riding Hood or Hansel and Gretel. Thankfully, Ruby could find her way out again without leaving behind breadcrumbs.

What she couldn’t handle was the silence, letting her thoughts replay the conversation over and over. Spiraling would only give Vallejo more power over her.

She dialed into the office, itching to make the drive productive. Speaker phone would give a half-hearted illusion that she wasn’t alone.

She listened to the echoing rings for a few moments, eyes locked on the twisting road ahead of her.

“This is Bellisario. What can I do for you?”

“It’s Hunter. I’m just coming back from Boone Correctional,” she said.

There was a pause and Ruby winced.

“Boone Correctional? That wasn’t exactly what I had in mind when I gave you the case, Ruby,” he said patiently. “Enlighten me. What could have called for that?”

Even his doubt was better than spinning Vallejo’s voice in her mind. Ruby had always known this would be a case of asking for forgiveness instead of permission. Now she just needed to justify her actions.

“I know, but the similarities in these new murders… It was either wait around for a new body to get more clues or see what Vallejo had to say,” Ruby said.

“And? Did he have something to say?” Bellisario pressed.

She could appreciate that he was in a different position. Bellisario handled the ripple effects of cases, saw them beginning to end whereas Ruby was brought in for the worst of it. Getting help from convicted serial killers was a bold move to make. It wasn’t something to be undertaken lightly, but Ruby wasn’t taking it lightly.

“He’s up to something. I think he’s involved somehow,” she said, forcing herself to sound confident. She was certain, definitely, but that was part of Vallejo’s game. He would love nothing more than to make her the Cassandra of this situation, cursed to know something bad was about to happen and for no one to believe her.

“Did he say as much? Explain how he could possibly be orchestrating a murder spree from supermax prison?” Bellisario asked.

“Vallejo warned me not to interfere with his work,” Ruby replied. “What would you make of that?”

The question hung in the air a moment before Bellisario sighed heavily, the sound coming out crackly through the speakerphone.

“That he’s still as self-important as ever, but it’s enough to request 24 guard duty and no communication,” he said, “I really wish you hadn’t immediately dragged him into this. As soon as you claim a convict is conducting homicide from prison, it sounds like we’re accusing them of not doing their jobs and that turns into a bureaucratic nightmare.”