Page 126 of Coordinates of Death

“On my way. Put on some tea.”

She smiled. “Will do.”

Aurora ended the call and threw off her comforter, then quickly changed into jogging pants and a sweatshirt. She picked up the picture and rushed from her bedroom into the kitchen, putting the photo on the counter.

She set the kettle on the burner, and while she waited for the water to boil, she studied the picture again.

And gasped.

It wasn’t the girl’s smile that she recognized, but the way she stood with her hand on her hip, elbow protruding at an odd angle. “I know that body language, but from where?”

The kettle whistled, and she lifted it off the burner, pouring the water into her teapot.

Movement sounded behind her, and she turned, but it was too late.

A blunt object came crashing down on her head. She dropped the kettle, knocking the teapot onto the floor. A familiar face came into view.

A face she knew well.

“Hello, Rory. Surprised?”

Aurora’s response stuck in her throat, her knees buckling. She crashed to the floor, chills clawed at her as the darkness devoured her whole.

Kordell turned onto the highway toward Aurora’s condo, eager to get there quickly, but another snowstorm had blanketed the region, playing havoc on the roads. He had sent the photo of the children and the logo with the initials to Mic, hoping for some type of identification.

His rental’s tires hit black ice, sending him careening to the center of the highway into oncoming late-night traffic. He righted the vehicle, easing back into his lane moments before a truck whizzed by.

Kordell gripped the wheel tighter. “Slow down, Kord. Getting into an accident will not help Rory.” The fact that she’d called him sent shivers of hope up his spine. Was she on the road to forgiving his stupidity? Please, Lord, make it so.

He was praying now? Had his heart shifted toward God?

His cell phone rang through the system’s Bluetooth, silencing his questions. The caller’s name lit up the screen: Mic. “Hey, girl. Why aren’t you asleep?”

“Too much on my mind with this case. And Lilly is at a friend’s for a sleepover. I never sleep when my daughter is away.”

“Understood. Did you find something?”

“Yes, a bit of a twist.”

He froze. “What do you mean?”

“The logo that you sent with the initials J.F.K.B?” A pause. “It’s the symbol for twins.”

“Twins?” His grip on the wheel slipped, and the vehicle swerved. Pay attention! He guided the car back into the right lane. “Do we have this all wrong? Could SBK have a twin?”

“Possibly. Why else would they leave it on the bodies? Dawson would call that a signature. It carries some type of significance for the killer.”

He turned into Aurora’s quiet area. “I can’t wait to share this with Rory.”

“Are you at her place?”

“Just arriving now. Anything on the initials?” He drove into her condo complex.

“Nothing. I’ll keep at it.”

Which meant she wouldn’t be going to bed anytime soon. “Go to bed, Mic. Try to sleep.”

“Yes, sir. Night. Stay safe.”