Their war room was beginning to look more chaotic as more details emerged. She didn’t like the pattern they’d fallen into. One minute, they were racing to crime scenes, and the next they were left waiting, slogging through information trying to make something of it. The back and forth was doing a number on her nervous system.

Gabe perched on the edge of a desk like the first time Ruby had met him, his arms crossed.

“Over 20 party guests and none wore shoes matching the bloody prints,” Gabe said, “no jealous ex-boyfriends, no nothing. Just a lot of wasted time.”

Ruby had a sneaking suspicion that was exactly the point. Interviewing had frustrated them both, and ate up valuable time.

“For the record, the shoe prints are a size 11,” Ruby says.

“Figures,” Gabe replied, staring at the wall.

Ruby followed his gaze.

The taunt was obvious. Even in plain sight, her killer was uncatchable, invincible, and he could let them flounder in the minutiae of procedure, letting him get even further away. They couldn’t let their frustration blind them to what details they did have.

“Alannah wasn’t 26 and she wasn’t born on the 13th,” Gabe said, “so what mysterious connection does she have?”

This was what Ruby was trying to work through.

“The balloons at the party reminded me of something… the colors, kind of like graduation. School spirit,” Ruby said, “Sylvia said Alannah was athletic, that she would have tried to fight off her killer? Was she on some kind of team?”

Gabe gave her an incredulous look, but he kept his mouth shut and turned to the computer.

Her loosely connected numbers weren't convincing him.

Sometimes she couldn't tell if he was stubborn just because he didn't want her to be right.

Ruby could almost understand that. Connecting everything to Vallejo was a worst case scenario. It wasn't her objective to become entangled in the murderer's web again.

Gabe looked up from the computer screen.

“Lacrosse,” he conceded, “number 13. It's all over her Facebook. Fine, you have something. So just tell me how I'm supposed to use that information to catch this guy.”

“You're not,” Ruby said calmly. “We are.”

Gabe made a face.

“Whatever,” he said, “still the same question.”

“Are you on my team?” Ruby asked pointedly.

The question hung in the air between them. Gabe didn’t respond immediately.

Ruby knew what she was asking him. She was asking him to believe her. She was asking him to help her.

“I said I would catch him,” Gabe said.

Ruby felt her chest fill up with something. Brave words. Still, her instincts told her that he was trying to keep his options open. She couldn't blame him for that. No one was going to walk into this battle with her, and she had to be ready to fight alone.

She turned to the whiteboard.

“What game is Vallejo playing?” she asked out loud.