Chapter 11

Maura stared helplessly at the new body on the table. This one had been tied to a tree, like the first two, but while those had been tied in a sitting position, this one had been standing in a poor imitation of the Aphrodite pose Dennis Rockmond's victims had been found in. She had not been turned into a statue. Clearly, their killer didn't have the talent for that. But her arms had been cut off, and her throat had been slit. This meant a slight change in MO since this killer usually strangled his victims, likely enjoying the feeling of life leaving their bodies. Dennis Rockmond, however, had threatened to cut Maura's throat open, and the killer clearly knew that. The young blonde woman on her table had suffered something resembling the fate Maura would have suffered without Jane's intervention.

"I'm sorry," Maura whispered to the dead woman, although she knew she couldn't hear her. She tried to tell herself that the killer was clearly unhinged, that he would have found some reason to kill even if he hadn't decided to terrorize her and Jane for whatever reason. But this woman probably would not be dead, right now, in this way, if it weren't for her. She wished she knew what she had done to make this person hate her so much.

"Hey," said Jane, striding into the room. "Have you learned anything yet?"

Maura shook her head. "I haven't started the autopsy. I'm waiting for Kent."

"Since when do you have to wait for Kent?"

"I want him to take the lead on this one, since I'm being targeted."

Jane nodded her understanding. "We're both being targeted."

"It feels a little more focused on me though."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, the killings and articles so far have alternated between people who primarily attacked me, and people who primarily attacked you. But the notes were both given to me. One was in my purse, and the other was in my science journal."

"They didn't specifically mention you, though. Maybe he's just had an easier time getting at your things. Maybe he slipped the first one in your purse while you were in line at a checkout counter or something, and when he put the note in our mailbox, your magazine just happened to be there. I don't carry a purse, and I'm not subscribed to any magazines."

"Maybe," Maura agreed.

"What I don't understand is, if he has it in for us, why not just come after us? Why kill people who sort of resemble us?"

"It seems like they're trying to destroy us psychologically first, like Hoyt did. I would be surprised if the endgame didn't involve targeting us directly."

"So we gotta find him before he gets to the endgame."

Maura nodded, looking down at the newest victim. "It would be even better if we could find him before he kills again."

"That would be ideal, yes."

"He kills people who are much younger than us, though." Maura frowned. "He's showing a definite preference for women who are the right age to be in college. Do you suppose that means he's that age?"

"It's definitely possible. The question is, if he prefers young women, would he attack us?"

"If he has a big enough grudge against us, yes. Did you find a possible ID?"

Jane nodded, pulling something up on her tablet. "Victoria Anderson. She was only eighteen. She was reported missing yesterday."

"Eighteen? She should have had her whole life ahead of her!"

"I know. She's a BCU freshmen. She was supposed to babysit a couple kids who live in the neighborhood girls keep disappearing from. Her roommate says she left their dorm to catch the bus, but the parents of the kids she was going to babysit say she never showed up. Bus driver says he let her off in that neighborhood, but she just never made it to the house. It's the exact same bus stop we've already been focusing on."

"Not everyone involved was going to or from the bus stop, though."

"No. But our killer must be lurking near the bus stop, and he must be an integral part of the neighborhood since no one notices him. Most of the people on that block have alibis for at least one of the murders, and some of them wouldn't have been capable of it. It has to be an able-bodied man." She thought for a moment. "I mean, we had a case once where a woman was raped with a, you know, a dildo? By another woman? Could that be possible this time?"

Maura sighed. "Well, in the case you're thinking of, the rape was done postmortem. These were done antemortem, and the bruising on the thighs does imply that her attacker was actually on top of her, forcing her legs apart."

"I'm sorry, Maura. That was a stupid question."

"Not stupid at all. You have to look at every angle. But the forensic evidence, or lack thereof, at the previous crime scenes did indicate that the victims were killed somewhere else and then transported to the Charles River, so we're looking at someone who has the ability to do that. I suppose two women working together could do it, if one was wearing a strap-on phallus and the other helped her move the body afterwards. But the question is, why would they want to?"

"It was just a thought," said Jane. "Our only people with no alibis for any of the murders are an eccentric single lady and a 90-year-old man who can barely walk even with a walker."

"Have you confirmed that he is genuinely disabled?"

"Yes. He couldn't have done this even with help."

"Then you might want to keep looking at people who don't live in the neighborhood. Is there an article yet?"

"Yeah. The Boston Globe was looking out for it, so this time they caught it the minute it appeared and took it back down. They emailed a screenshot to Nina."

"Is it on your tablet?"

"Yes," Jane said hesitantly.

"May I read it?"

"I don't see what good it would do."

"It's about me, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but it's more lies."

"I would still like to read it."

Jane hesitantly handed over the tablet. "No one saw it," she assured her.

"Well even if they had, it couldn't easily be more damaging than the one people did see." Maura opened the article.

SET IN STONE

The doomed romance between chief medical examiner Maura Isles and serial killer Dennis Rockmond

By Iambic Chino Kind

Maura Isles first met bestselling author, motivational speaker, and artist Dennis Rockmond (real name Mark Dugan) when he collapsed from an Inderal overdose and, having been presumed dead, was brought to the morgue. Isles realized he was still alive and was able to resuscitate him long enough for emergency help to arrive. After making a full recovery, Rockmond returned to show his gratitude to Isles, and the two began a sexual relationship that lasted for three months.

What Isles didn't know – or refused to acknowledge – was that Rockmond was a serial killer who preyed on prostitutes, torturing and killing them before turning them into Venus do Milo statues, which he then left in prominent locations. On his 36th birthday, he took Maura to his apartment and raped her, intending to kill her as well. Fortunately for her, Detectives Vince Korsak and Barry Frost figured out Rockmond was the killer they were looking for and rushed to his apartment with Detective Jane Rizzoli, Isles' lesbian lover, in tow. They were able to save Isles from harm, and Rockmond reportedly jumped down an elevator shaft to his death, although it seems more likely that a jealous Rizzoli pushed him to his death and the others decided to cover for her.

Why, you might ask, would Rockmond target Isles when his other victims were prostitutes? Police reports say he chose her because of her role in saving his life after his overdose, but with her spotty dating history, it's likely that he saw her as little more than an unpaid whore. This history includes relationships with convicted killer Garrett Fairfield and serial killer Jared Nielson, as well as a flirtation with Charles Hoyt and a lengthy non-monogamous relationship with former BPD detective Jane Rizzoli.

Maura hurriedly handed the tablet back to Jane, suddenly feeling sick to her stomach. "Unpaid whore?"

"He's a bad guy, Maura. You can't take anything he says seriously."

"He said…he said I had a relationship with…"

"I know, honey. We've already established that he doesn't have a good handle on the difference between rape and sex. I mean, he said that Hoyt raped me and that I then began a relationship with him. He probably thinks he's had relationships with all the women he's raped and murdered."

Maura nodded. "He also said Dennis raped me, which he didn't. He didn't rape any of his victims. I didn't sleep with him, either."

"I know. He's blurring the lines between his own kills and the ones he's imitating."

Maura took a deep breath. "Well, based on what we've seen, I feel confident saying that we are dealing with an extreme misogynist. Did you notice how he completely downplayed your role in saving me from Dennis? He did that in the first article as well, and he said you killed Hoyt in a jealous rage when he was too sick to pose a threat. He refuses to acknowledge that you could have done something heroic."

"Yeah, and he talked about your 'role' in saving Dennis's life. You totally saved his life. It turned out to be worthless, but still, you saved it."

"A man who hates women this much probably would attack someone outside of his sexual preference if he felt she deserved it." Maura shuddered. "We can't let him get close to us again."

"I know."

Maura shuddered again as a horrible thought struck her. "What if the things he's doing to these victims are all the things he plans to do to us when he gets us?"

"Well he's not going to get us." Jane crossed to Maura and put her arms around her. "He's not going to touch you. I won't let him."

For just a second, Maura relaxed a little. She would be safe as long as Jane was close to her. People had tried, but no one had ever seriously hurt her when Jane was around. But then she tensed again. "No, you can't protect me this time!"

Jane frowned. "Why not?"

"You're not in any condition for that! Your biggest priority right now is keeping Eva safe. I have to protect you."

"But it's my job to protect you."

"No, we look after each other. That's what married couples do. But right now, you need more looking after than I do."

Jane heaved a frustrated sigh. "Fine. Now let's go back to what you said a minute ago. This guy downplays everything I do, makes it sound like the guys are always the ones doing the heroics, then claims I kill people unnecessarily."

"And he said he thought you went after Hoyt alone all those years ago because you wanted to prove a female cop could do more than a male cop. He could be someone who doesn't believe women should be in law enforcement."

"He probably doesn't think women should be chief medical examiners either. Maybe it's another Alice Sands thing. Maybe there's some cop or former cop who thinks I've held him back in some way, and he's doing this to make me look bad."

"But you've already left BPD."

"Maybe it's not about ruining my career. Maybe it's…I don't know what it's about yet, but I'm going to go tell the others about what you said. We need to look at current and former cops who may be connected to me in some way. We should also look at people I've put away or killed, because it could also be someone who's connected to someone I caught."

"But it's not just about you. They're leaving us notes that say our life isn't perfect, that we're not fooling anyone. And as you said, it's not clear yet whether those notes are aimed at both of us or only me."

Jane looked thoughtful. "The notes do feel more personal than the articles, don't they?"

"Yes. The dead bodies are being put on display, and the articles are posted on the Boston Globe site where anyone can read them. The notes have been hand delivered to me, and so far they haven't coincided with the murders."

"That is strange," Jane said uneasily. "I suppose the point of the articles is to show the world how imperfect our lives really are. He thinks we're imposters, that we shouldn't be in the jobs we have, that our relationship can't be as good as we've made it look. Hand-delivering the notes is probably supposed to put us on edge. Putting one in your purse shows he's been close to you. Putting one in our mailbox shows he knows where we live. He just wants to unsettle us."

"It's working." Maura forced her breath to come more evenly. "So far, they haven't given any indication that they would hurt children."

"No, and hopefully he draws the line there, but we can't be too careful. I've got Ma carrying pepper spray in her purse now."

"Have you made any progress with the anagram yet?"

"We put it through a server, but those things aren't the best when you're trying to find names. We'll probably have to do it long hand." She widened her eyes dramatically. "If only we knew some kind of genius, someone who figures things out faster than a normal person. Wouldn't it be great if we had someone like that working here?"

Maura rolled her eyes. "I'll work on it."

"You're the best. I'll catch you later!" Seeing no one around, Jane gave Maura a quick kiss before going back upstairs.

Soon Kent arrived and began the autopsy. Maura supervised from across the room, working on the anagram as she did so.

"Did they post another article?" Kent asked her.

"Yes, another article with only a little truth in it. Aside from believing that Jane and I have had sexual relationships with the men who have tried to kill us, they also believe I've been in a relationship with Jane as long as I've known her and that we've both been sleeping with men – usually men who are killers – while we've been together."

"It doesn't sound like they know you that well then."

"No, they don't. They really don't." She chewed her lip thoughtfully. "I wonder if he really believes the things he's saying, or if he's only saying it to provoke us."

"It would take a lot of provoking to make you do something stupid, but you might want to keep Detective Rizzoli on a short leash."

Maura erased her latest anagram attempt and started over. "I've reminded her that she has to be extremely careful, because she has a baby to protect right now."

"How is she doing with the pregnancy?"

"Quite well. She's feeling a lot better now that she's in the second trimester. I took her shopping for maternity clothes last weekend. She hates shopping, but she's starting to show a little and her pants don't fit anymore, so it had to be done. I'm trying to find a prenatal exercise class she'll be willing to take. She doesn't really like that sort of thing, especially if I can't be there with her, but it would help her to recover faster when she gives birth."

"I don't envy you the job of getting that woman through a pregnancy."

"She usually does what I say, even if she has to grumble about it. And after years of listening to her grumble about stuff, I think I'd miss it if she ever stopped."

"You are truly a saint, Dr. Isles."

She drew in her breath, looking at her paper. "I think I've figured it out. I have to go tell Jane!" She jumped up and ran to the elevator.

"Maura," Jane said in surprise when she came barreling into the squad room. "Did you find something in autopsy?"

"I solved the anagram!"

"Okay, what does it say?"

"Dominick Bianchi!"

"Dominick? But he didn't try to kill either of us. And he's not dead, either."

"No, but he kidnapped you." Maura glanced involuntarily towards the BRIC, remembering the agonizing moments she spent watching a live feed of Jane as she lay spread-eagled on a bed exactly like her own, wearing clothes that were nothing like her own.

Jane groaned. "I can only imagine what that article will say."

"He really is alternating between people who attacked Maura and people who attacked Jane," said Frankie.

"So he has a problem with both of us," said Maura.

"Possibly," agreed Jane. "But think of all the people before who hated me and still went after you. Hoyt only wanted to kill me, but he decided to kill you in front of me because he knew it would destroy me. Hawthorne wanted me for himself, so he poisoned you to get you out of the way. And Alice Sands had it in for me, had nothing against you at all, but she had you kidnapped and planned to have you killed to get at me. Everyone knows hurting you hurts me."

"And vice versa," Maura said quietly. "So far, he's made no mention of Charlotte though."

"He fucking better not mention her!"

"I agree," said Maura, feeling pained at the very thought. "But it worries me. If someone really wanted to hurt both of us, they wouldn't need to know very much about us to know that would be the way to do it."

XXX

Maura tried to push her growing unease out of her head that weekend. She had much more important things to worry about, like taking Charlotte to have her picture taken with a department store Santa. She had been agonizing for weeks over what to have her wear, but had finally settled on a red silk dress with a hand-smocked bodice, a velvet headband with a red and white bow, and gold leather Mary Janes.

"Wow, look at you," said Jane, poking her head into Charlotte's room while Maura buttoned up the back of the dress. Charlotte was busy stuffing a rubber giraffe named Sophie into a little cloth house that said "Sophie la girafe" on the front.

"What do you think of the dress?" Maura asked Jane, putting Charlotte into one of the little chairs at her play table so she could Velcro her shoes on.

"I think she's going to be the best-dressed kid Santa sees today."

"Do you like the shoes with the dress? I thought about using the silver ones instead. She also has black and red Mary Janes."

"I know. The kids going to need her own shoe closet soon if you don't learn to control yourself." Jane shook her head, an amused smile on her face. "The gold shoes look just fine. I'll meet you downstairs."

Maura carefully combed Charlotte's dark curls, which just reached her shoulders now in the back. She put the headband on her and stepped back to admire her work.

"Oh, Charlotte, you're so beautiful," she said softly. "I just love you so much."

Charlotte smiled, tilting her head. "I love you, Mommy."

Maura scooped the little girl up in her arms and hugged her tightly, kissing her soft cheek. If anyone tries to lay a finger on this child, I will kill him with my bare hands, she thought fiercely.

XXX

Charlotte's pictures with Santa went off without a hitch. She managed to keep her headband on and her dress neat long enough for them to get through the line, and her habit of saying "cheese" every time she saw a camera meant that she had a big dimpled smile in each shot. When the pictures were done, the three of them set off to do some Christmas shopping. Charlotte walked between her mothers, holding both of their hands so they could lift her up and swing her every few steps.

"Next year, we'll be here with two little girls," Maura remarked happily. "Charlotte will be two and a half, and Eva will be about six months."

"I bet they'll look adorable on Santa's lap together," Jane said with a smile.

"I can get them matching dresses!"

"Matching dresses are the reason I'm glad I don't have a sister."

Maura laughed, eyeing Jane's subtle bump. "She should be about four, maybe four and a half inches long now. Her facial muscles should be developing, and her organs starting to function."

"Really? It's crazy to think about all that happening when she's so tiny."

"That's why pregnancy is so fascinating! The baby goes from a single cell to a complex, fully formed newborn human in such a short amount of time." Maura realized Jane had ground to a halt beside her and looked up to see Casey Jones in front of them.

"Jane," he said. "Maura. It's been a while."

"I was sort of hoping to keep it that way," Jane muttered.

"You both look well," said Casey, ignoring Jane's comments. "This must be your little one. What's her name?"

"Charlotte," Jane said reluctantly.

"Charlotte," Casey repeated, getting down on the toddler's level. "You are the very picture of your mother, Charlotte. May I shake your hand?"

"No," said Charlotte, drawing back and holding tighter to her mothers' hands.

"Looks like you have your mother's personality as well." Casey stood up. "Did I hear you say there's another one on the way?"

"Considering that you didn't think I should bring this one into the world, I don't see any reason why I should discuss our plans for future children with you," Jane told him firmly, though Maura saw her unconsciously touching her bump. "I don't really think we have anything left to say to each other, and my wife and I have shopping to do."

"Not a problem. I just thought I'd say hello." Casey stepped back to let them go by. "Charlotte is beautiful," he said before walking away.

"Don't like it," said Charlotte, her new phrase for anything that troubled her.

"I don't like it either," said Jane. "But he's gone now. He won't bother us anymore. Do you want to look at toys?"

"Yes!" said Charlotte, and the three of them headed into the toy section, where Maura took careful note of what Charlotte gravitated towards.

"I can't believe we ran into Casey," Jane groaned. "And when our daughter was with us!"

"At least he was easy to get rid of. I think Charlotte picked up on how tense we were, though."

"I was proud of her for refusing to shake his hand," said Jane with a smile. "I think she's a smart little girl."

"I'll certainly never discourage her from trusting her instincts." Maura watching fondly while Charlotte pulled a rag doll down from a shelf. "I'd like to buy some of her presents while we're here, but I can't do it with her watching."

"There was something I wanted to check out for you. Want me to take her and meet you back here in a few?"

"Yes, that would be great!" Maura waited while Jane led Charlotte away and then went around to the things the little girl had been most attracted to, deciding which ones were worth purchasing. When her hands were full, she asked a cashier to hold onto her collection and then headed back into the depths of the toy department in search of something in particular. Finally she found it: a large floor puzzle in the shape of the human body. It showed bones on one side and organs on the other, and it would be a little larger than Charlotte when put together. Maura thought it would be an excellent tool for teaching her the names of bones and organs.

"It's funny," said a voice behind her as she was picking up the box. "I don't know if you realize it, but you're living my life."

Maura whirled around to see Casey blocking her way. Her heart started pounding.

"Who am I kidding? Of course you realize it," he said. "You have everything that was supposed to be mine. Jane should have been my wife by now. That little girl who looks like her should be my daughter. She should be pregnant with my child."

Maura looked around, but no one else was nearby. "Jane didn't want to be with you," she said, struggling to keep her voice steady. "If she had wanted that, she would be with you."

"I know it's my own fault. I pushed her away when she wanted to be there for me." He smiled grimly at Maura. "But you, you saw your chance. You took everything that should have been mine. You are living my life."

Maura groped in her purse for her phone, wondering if she could manage to call Jane without tipping him off. "Jane actually made the first move. She wanted to be with me." She slipped the phone quickly from her purse to her coat pocket and tried to type in her passcode without looking. "When you told her about the surgery, I was afraid she would leave me to be with you, but I wasn't going to try to stop her. I told her I would understand, that I would still be her friend no matter what. But she said she had no feelings for you anymore. She only wanted me."

"She couldn't have made the first move on you. Jane was never like that."

"She suppressed it for a long time, but—"

"You never wanted her to be with me, did you?"

Maura gave up on trying to operate the phone in her pocket. "I didn't think you deserved her, but I encouraged her to pursue you anyway, because I thought it would make her happy. Now please let me go."

"Maura?" She was intensely relieved to hear Jane's voice nearby, although she couldn't see her yet.

"Jane!" she called, realizing she was shaking. Jane came into view carrying a small bag, Charlotte at her side. She took in the sight before her: Maura, cornered and frightened, with Casey standing in front of her.

"Maura," she said evenly, "could you take Charlotte out of earshot, please?"

Judging from the look on Jane's face, she was likely about to let loose a whole string of words Charlotte shouldn't hear. Maura hastily put back the puzzle, scooped up her daughter, and hurried to the down escalator.

"Mama mad," said Charlotte, wrapping her arms around Maura's neck.

"Yes, she is," Maura admitted, her mind racing. Should she have left Jane alone with Casey? She'd never thought he was dangerous, but his behavior just now made her wonder.

"I'm mad," Charlotte said fiercely.

"Why are you mad?"

"Mean man. Don't like it!"

Maura hugged her tight. "It's okay. You're safe. Mama will make the man go away."

Charlotte turned herself sideways in Maura's arms, wanting to nurse in order to calm her nerves. Maura looked for the nearest ladies' room and sat on the couch inside, sending Jane a quick text to let her know where they were before pushing the phone back into her coat pocket. She looked up in relief when Jane came into the room a few minutes later.

"Hey," she said. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay."

"What exactly did he do? Did he threaten you?"

"No, he just said I'm living his life, that you should be his wife and Charlotte should be his daughter." A shiver went down her spine at the thought.

Charlotte lifted her head. "Mama!" she said, reaching for Jane. Maura fastened her shirt back up, hoping the experience hadn't traumatized the child.

"But he didn't try to hurt you?"

"No, he just…scared me. I had a bunch of toys picked out for Charlotte. I left most of them with the cashier."

"It's okay. We can go back up and pay for them. He's gone now."

Maura felt a little calmer once they had all their purchases and got out of the store without further incident. As they got in the car, she reached in her coat pocket to retrieve her phone and realized there was something else in there. A piece of paper.

Heart pounding again, she pulled out the paper, read it, and showed it to Jane:

JANE DOESN'T LOVE YOU.

"You found that in your coat just now?" Jane asked.

Maura nodded. Jane took out her phone and started dialing.

"Who are you calling?" Maura asked.

"Frankie. I'm gonna tell him to bring Casey in for questioning."