Chapter Fifteen – Tracking

The detectives met back at the squad room to brief Cabot and Cragen.

"Alan Cummings had access to the ritual," Munch started. "According to the Library's marketing department he also requested a complete copy of the patron's list just before he left. That gives him the victim's names and addresses. He also purchased the types of supplies needed to perform the ritual."

"That's enough to get us search warrant for his residence," Cabot said. "And to bring him in for questioning. But we still don't have anything directly linking him to the murders."

"We do now," Stabler walked into the squad room. "The Morgan Library fingerprints its employees. Cummings' came back as a match to prints found at all four crime scenes."

Cabot nodded her head. "Pick him up. I'll get the search warrant."

"Take back up," Cragen said. "This guy's murdered four people in cold blood."

"Captain," Buffy started. "I'd like to come along. I promise I'll stay out of the way."

"I'm sorry Buffy," Cragen replied. "You and Dawn have been a tremendous help in finding this guy. But there is no way I can justify letting a civilian go on an arrest."

"Ok, I guess I understand," Buffy suppressed the Slayer. This was a matter for the police now. "We'll stay here."


Benson watched as the lead cop busted down the door to Cummings' house.

"NYPD, we have a warrant!" police flooded the house. She and Stabler followed behind, guns out and ready.

"Clear!"

"Clear!"

Benson and Stabler paused in the living room. Munch and Tutuola came in from the back.

"Doesn't look like our boy's here," Tutuola said.

One of the officers came in from the bedroom. "The house is empty. Nobody home."

"Alright search the place," Stabler said.

Tutuola was looking around. "We're not going to find much. I don't think this is where he does his rituals."

"Why not?" Benson asked.

"House is wide open to the street," Tutuola replied. "No way to get a person in or out of here without being seen. Cummings likes cover."

"So we check to see if he owns any other property, maybe a storage shed," Stabler said. "By now he's already stalking his next victim. We need to find this guy."

"I'll call the Captain," Benson said. "Get him to issue an APB for both Cummings and his car."

"Detectives," one of the uniformed officers came in carrying a blue jacket.

"Blood on the jacket," Munch said looking it over.

"Tear on the sleeve," Tutuola pointed to the sleeve. "And it's the same color as the fabric we found at the last crime scene."

"Bag it and take it down to the lab," Munch said handing it back to the officer.


"People tell me we've got something," Cragen said.

"Canvas of his neighborhood is coming up blank," Stabler said. "He quit his job about four weeks ago. Just two days after Emily Gaston added her name to the library's mailing list."

"Anything from his co-workers?" Cragen asked.

"Not much," Benson said. "According the library director he said he was leaving to pursue a new calling."

"Murder as a calling," Munch said.

"What about other property?"

"So far nothing," Stabler said. "My guess is he's paying cash for a storage shed somewhere to do his rituals. Something we won't be able to trace easily."

"Anything from the house yet?"

"Blood on the jacket is a match for Amanda's," Tutuola said. "Lab's doing DNA now."

"He's using this mailing list to pick his victims," Cragen said. "Let's see if we can beat him to the next one. Dawn, does this Beiner guy's translation still list 'tiller of the soil' as the next victim?"

"The order of the sacrifices is about the only thing Beiner got right," Dawn replied.

"Munch, Fin, go over the mailing list," Cragen said. "Find anyone who might match with what he's looking for. Cummings likes to stalk his victims. He should be nearby."

Munch and Tutuola nodded their heads and went to get a copy of the list.

"Benson, Stabler, go back the Library, interview his co-workers again. Find out where this guy likes hang out," Cragen said. "Serial killers are creatures of habit. He'll go back to one of those places eventually."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Buffy asked.

"You've done quite enough Buffy," Cragen said. "You and Dawn should head back to your hotel now. I'll call you when we catch Cummings."

"If you don't mind Captain I'd like to stay here until you catch him," Buffy said.

"And I still need to do a little more work on the Beiner translation," Dawn said.

"Fine," Cragen responded. "Why don't you use the couch upstairs to rest up a bit?"

"Thanks Captain," Buffy turned and headed up the stairs. A couple of minutes later Dawn headed up carrying two cups of coffee. She sat down next to Buffy and handed her one of the cups.

"My turn," Dawn said. "You ok."

"I'm fine," Buffy replied. "I just hate doing nothing. A part of me wants to be out there. On the hunt."

"These guys are good Buffy," Dawn said. "They've got a name, a face, everything they need to find him. He's not going to get away."

"I know," Buffy said. She paused for a second and reached out with her senses. She nodded her head lowered her voice. "This ritual he's using. If he actually knew what he was doing, could he have accomplished anything?"

"Not with translation he's using," Dawn replied. "I suppose if he tried it on a Hellmouth he would have attracted the attention of some demonic entity. Most likely he would have just gotten himself killed."

"Just a guy playing with things he doesn't understand," Buffy said.