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That had allowed him to survive

He could not solve this case if his nerves would not hold

He

drew several long breaths and withdrew his hands and stared down at the pictures

Victi in common The killers picked their victims based on shared characteristics, at least in the person’s demented mind

Young Professional Female Three characteristics

And national security A fourth characteristic

Lots of things were classified back then, just like today, Puller knew If the Feds had stonewalled a hoation, the work the women did must have been really important But they had to work somewhere The problee military footprint and thus DoD contractors were all over the place like ants at a picnic and had been for a long time

So how had the killer gone about hunting for them?

And why Willia?

Was it because the killer was frorated there from some other place?

Puller looked at the background sheets on each of the victih the bios of the slain women

An engineer, a biologist, a cherammer Where they had worked had been redacted from the files Puller shook his head That was unheard of How could the police establish a connection if they had no idea where the women worked?

However, it had been determined that they didn’t shop or eat at the sas They didn’t get their cars repaired at the same shops Two banked at the same bank, but that was all This was before the era of smartphones and e any of the women

If there was a common thread, it had escaped everyone’s attention

But the obvious connection was the national security tag Only they hadn’t been allowed to follow up that lead

So maybe I should look at the case a different way, then Not from the evidence Not from the victims But from the killer’s perspective

That was far easier said than done

Getting into the head of a psycho was not going to be pleasant

He had looked down at the pictures again when his phone buzzed It was Knox

“Yeah?” he said

“You didn’t say much on the trip back”

“I didn’t have much to say”

“I’ve got to check out for a bit, then I’ll be back”

“Problems?”

“Like you, my entire career is based on problems”

“Well, good luck”

“You too,” she said, her voice a little strange, he thought

Puller clicked off, set his phone down, and looked at the photos again He was getting a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach This whole case screamed cover-up And he still didn’t know if his mother’s disappearance was even connected to it He could be wasting ti to do hat he had set out to accomplish

But as he looked down at the photos of the dead women he also realized he could not just let this drop

He pulled out his phone and called Ted Hull He wanted to fill hient would reciprocate

An unfamiliar voice answered “Joyce Mansfield”

“I’ number”