She stood at the window and pointed to the still lit Johnson house. “I need to go take care of my face.”
Her cheek in the mirror wasn’t too bad. She put ice on it to reduce the swelling, but she could get away with saying she ran into a door. The bruises on her neck probably wouldn’t show up until tomorrow.
She returned to her bedroom holding the ice pack against her cheekbone. Murdock had set up on the floor on the other side of the bed, and only the top of his orange mass was visible from the door. “What does disturbing God’s name mean? Is Thestern a religious fanatic?” She moved around the bed to see him.
Murdock frowned and consulted his vidplayer. “Not according to his personal library. The Odrichan law enforcement catalogued nearly three hundred books divided between astronomy and mythology.”
“I think religious fanatics usually say demons made them kill or their victims were demons. Did Thestern say anything like that while he was in custody?”
“Only that he wasn’t finished and we would regret stopping him. Repeatedly.”
“A man of one theme?”
“At least he isn’t a liar. He did start killing as soon as he was free to do so. I need to study the crime scene to discover why he picks certain families opposed to others.”
“Okay, I’ll study my book to see if we missed an angle.” Cyndia laid down on her bed. “How was Thestern caught?”
“He targeted the home of a member of the local law enforcement. The officer was prepared for him.”
“Can’t count on that here. No cops live in this subdivision.”
Murdock made a noncommittal sound as he leaned over the vidplayer. She flipped through the book. The killers featured mostly acted on their sexual impulses, killing who attracted them. Son of Sam seemed the closest, and he just killed pretty girls he found on the streets at random. Whatever caused Thestern to choose his victims, it wasn’t sex.
You disturb God’s name. It almost sounds like an insult, only he hadn’t delivered it like an insult, he was being literal. She was messing with God’s name? How could you do that?
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