Jessie knew he was right. The original detectives, whom she hadn’t even met, were probably more than capable of working this case. And there no longer seemed to be any connection to either of the serial killers she was associated with. That made it hard to justify continuing to pursue the killer.

But she really wanted to. Not all her reasons were altruistic. One was simply the thrill of the chase. Having been stashed away at the WITSEC house for days now, she’d been unable to scratch that itch. Now that she’d gotten a taste for the hunt, she couldn’t just shut that instinct down.

She also knew that if Captain Decker agreed with Dolan that this case had no connection to either serial killer, her vaunted inside knowledge and forensic skills would be rendered moot. She was only allowed to pursue this case in the first place because it seemed like one where she might have special insight into the killer. If that was no longer true, then there was no reason for her to be there. And that likely meant she’d be sent back to that boring house in Palms and expected to spend endless, soul-draining hours by the pool. Anything that could prevent that outcome was worth pursuing.

Finally, independent of her own situation, there was the girl. She’d seen Claire’s face, so young and beautiful, frozen in a mask of fear. She’d seen the ugly perforations that had turned her neck into a pulpy mess. Just because she wasn’t the victim of a serial killer didn’t mean that Claire Stanton wasn’t entitled to justice too. If Jessie could help make that happen, she had an obligation to do so. She couldn’t just pass the case off if it wasn’t convenient for her. So she lied.

“We don’t know this isn’t the work of Crutchfield or Thurman yet,” she finally said, making even Murph and Toomey turn around in surprise.

“What are you talking about?” Dolan asked incredulously. “This killing has none of the signs of either one of them.”

“None of the obvious signs,” she said with impressive conviction. “But both of these men are smart. They’d know that using their standard methods would be a dead giveaway. Using keys as the murder weapon would allow either of them to satisfy that murderous urge without revealing their involvement. It would actually be a clever move to throw off suspicion, which seems to be working with you right now.”

Dolan stared at her with a mix of bemusement, frustration, and a hint of admiration.

“Are you really trying to sell me on the idea that Thurman or Crutchfield, while being hunted, and in one case, badly injured, took the time to travel to the San Fernando Valley and murder some random party girl with a weapon neither has ever used before?”

Jessie smiled politely at his tirade, knowing it would only infuriate him more.

“I don’t have to sell you on the idea, Agent Dolan. I just have to sell my captain. You’re more than welcome to drop the case and I’ll continue to pursue it on my own. As you noted, there are two dangerous killers on the loose, and I for one intend to leave no stone unturned in the search for them. But you do you.”