Robert Walker - Grave Instinct

In the meantime, Eriq and Jessica continued to interrogate Cahil, attempting to pry loose any additional information. J.T. did a little more digging at her insistence. He learned that the clock on Cahil's computer had not been tampered with, so the dates were indeed accurate, and they showed him at home and responding to E-mail at the time of the Winston-Salem and Florida murders. Not so with the Richmond killing or the Georgia one. It was frustrating as they all knew that Cahil could have responded to his own E-mail from any terminal.

“ We need more time, Eriq,” Jessica continued to plead.

“ All right. We'll hold him on the animal-cruelty charges and hold off announcing that he is the Digger,” agreed Eriq. “For now we make him out to be someone who surfaced as eating animal brains. But the clock is ticking on this, peo-pie.”

Jessica knew he was annoyed with her, but she imagined Cahil would be far more annoyed when he learned he was being booked for animal-cruelty charges for the time being, rather than as the now-infamous Skull-digger.

Jessica knew that if news of Daryl Cahil's arrest for the killings went public-making Cahil guilty by default- then the real killer could easily fade away, unless be could not control his urge to kill and eat. Meanwhile, Jessica learned that Cahil himself was trying to get the word out that he was the Skull-digger. Cahil was enjoying the idea of celebrity nowadays-standing in for the most-wanted man in America. She imagined he would plaster his cell at the asylum with news accounts of his horrid deeds once the story on him broke.

Eriq had phoned her about Daryl's latest episode. “Through his lawyer, Cahil is fighting to obtain one of his plaster-cast brains and a supply of noodles, claiming his need as a religious ritual that he should be allowed while incarcerated.”

“ Give him all of his goddamn toys. I'm done with him, Eriq.”

With Eriq holding back the will of the agency against her, with nowhere to turn, she had enlisted others to her cause, beginning with J.T. Together they poured over the computer history of log ons. They dismissed single hits and concentrated on repeated hits, isolating the larger numbers in hope that the computer server would soon be made to turn over records. Primary among their targets was the Seeker who was logged on near two of the crime scenes just before or after the kills were discovered. He communicated through public-access computers, all of which were within 150 to 160 miles of the kills.

From all the log-on names and E-mail addresses, they created their list of possible suspects. It numbered in the thousands and had to be refined down.

AOC, America On Cyberedge, was the Internet server, but getting such a fringe Internet server to cooperate by allowing the FBI access to so many files proved useless without a special search warrant that named the suspect or suspects in question. It was as Strand had predicted, a catch-22. Even the federal judges Jessica had spoken to and pleaded with wouldn't go near it-right to privacy-unless the FBI could prove a state of imminent danger to substantial numbers of people existed. And with word getting around law-enforcement circles that Cahil was in custody, it had proven impossible to find a judge who believed any danger still existed.

The search-warrant request had to be amended to make a case for the FBI's need of a watch list being created from Cahil's website for future possible crimes against humanity. One old federal judge went so far as to tell Jessica, “Sorry, but I can't justify opening private records of hundreds of thousands of citizens to FBI scrutiny on the basis of a single victim in Florida having logged on to this man's website. Nor on the supposition of future possible criminal suspects. Especially since, as I understand it, you have this man in custody for the murders anyway.”

“ But, Your Honor-” Jessica began to protest.

“ Not on the basis of one person using this site, can I open everyone's lives to your agency. We have trampled on enough civil liberties for a decade in allowing you people access to combat terrorism. Now you want the same latitude for murder cases?”

Finally, news of her failed attempts had gotten back to Eriq who marched into Jessica's ready room, where a row of computer experts worked on Daryl's website, while others worked phones and files. The walls were plastered with photos of the victims, names, dates, times and places. Maps with pins in them spoke of the geography of the crimes.

“ I'm shutting you down, Dr. Coran,” Eriq announced to her and all the assembled people. “It's time you cease and desist from any further investigation of this case. We're going with Cahil as the Digger. He'll be indicted this afternoon.”

Jessica shook her head. “You've got to give us more time.”

“ It's over, Jess. I've taken hell from everyone above because it's taken this long to indict Cahil on more than dog-and-pony crimes.” Then the phone rang. It was from the FBI field office in Mobile, Alabama, an agent named Ben Lowery. There authorities had found a floater in the water with her head cut open and her brain removed.

As she listened to the words, Jessica's insides fell. She had known this call was coming; she had braced for it. She knew it would prove her right, but she felt horrible in the bargain.

She turned on the speakerphone here in the task-force ready room, and she asked, “Agent Lowery, would you mind repeating what you just said to my team?”

Lowery did so to a solemn audience.

“ Keep the scene intact until my team arrives. Don't disturb a thing. We'll be there as soon as possible.” She then hung up and stared at the small group that had been left to pursue the case.

“ Well, so much for Cahil as the Digger,” said J.T., summing up everyone's initial reaction.

“ A hollow victory.” Jessica's gaze immediately met Eriq Santiva's.

Eriq looked as stricken as anyone. “Be out of here to Mobile within the hour. I'll make arrangements.”

Shortly after, Jessica and John Thorpe were on their way to an FBI jet bound for Mobile, where Jessica recalled Santiva's words to her, “If it does indeed prove the work of the same killer, with Cahil behind bars, I promise you one thing. I will personally go back to the federal court system for the warrant to get AOC to open its goddamn files to us.”

Jessica and J.T. settled into the small special transport Cessna six-seater. They taxied to the runway and, having immediate clearance, were soon racing toward the sky. Jessica loved the exhilaration of takeoff.

“ If this is our guy and not some copycat, Jess,” said J.T. with an upraised hand, “then he's moved considerably west.”

“ Yeah… you're right. He worked along the east coast, now maybe he's heading southwest, changing his hunting grounds.”

“ If it's him.”

“ After all the faulty, misfit evidence, J.T., you don't hon-estly believe that Cahil is guilty.”

“ I believe that Cahil is insanely nuts.”

“ Agreed, which makes him an easy target to set up. I just feel it.”

“ Instincts?”

“ Call it what you will.”

“ If the Manning girl was in touch with Cahil, it could mean that his other victims were as well. They could have accessed through computers other than those at home.” J.T. had left the capable team of computer experts to monitor Cahil's website and continue checking on those possibilities.

“ The libraries I traced the Seeker to won't allow us access either, not without a court order. Public policy.”

“ Yeah, I recall they pulled the same argument following the Nine-Eleven attacks.”

“ Might as well try to relax and get some rest,” he sug-gested, handing her a cup of tea brewed for them.

“ Thanks, and you're right.” She stared out at the darkness of the never-ending sky.