“Detective Jermany got a sample and measured it. But he sent it for lab analysis to be sure.”

“Is it the kind of rope the company had in 2005? And is it the only rope they use?”

“Yes, it’s the same as in 2005. The foreman said it’s not the only one, but it’s the most commonly used. He said Partridge had access to it, and employees drove their own vehicles in and out of the yard without security.”

“Okay. So that gets us closer. Can we connect Partridge to the murder? What about the crime scene?”

“Beth Hunter’s body was found in Dan Foley Park, a sixty-acre public park in Vallejo.” Eden flipped through the pages. “It’s got a lake, community center, picnic areas, baseball and soccer fields, and a playground. Similar to our Spring Lake Park.”

“Where was the body?”

“Marshy area near the lake.” Eden pulled out a map and pointed to a spot on the lake’s perimeter. “Beth Hunter went to the park four days a week to meditate. Always at five p.m. Always took a bamboo mat and thermos of tea. Sat in the same spot, on a flat bar of land that extends into the lake, so she could face the setting sun. The gate guard was familiar with her routine. When she didn’t return as usual and he saw her car in the lot, he went looking. Found her body and called the Vallejo PD at 6:45 p.m.”

“What about physical evidence at the site?”

“Not much. The victim was strangled with a cord, like the victims in Santa Rosa. Same pattern of overlapping around the neck. Same signature cut at the base of the spine.”

Eden looked up. “By the way, I went to see Partridge’s girlfriend, Lorin Albright, like you said. On one wall of their apartment was a picture of a man in a pose for something called Kundalini. It seemed an odd choice, so I looked it up. Kundalini is an Eastern religious practice. Translates as ‘serpent’ and refers to sexual energy wrapped in three and a half coils in the sacrum bone at the base of the spine. The cords on Foss, Hart, and Hunter were wound three and a half times, and the victims had a small cut at the base of the spine.”

Mahler stared at Eden. “Wow. That’s good work, detective. Really good work. So we know Partridge has some sick thing going on with this Kundalini when he kills the girls.”

“Yeah. I mean…maybe.”

“But we still don’t have—”

“I know, any direct evidence connecting him to the murders. So…getting back to the Vallejo victim. No other marks on the body or clothes. No usable evidence on the ground near the body. The theory is, the killer came out of tree cover. Behind the victim. Plenty of tall brush to shield him from view.”