The Mephisto Club

interview room. There’s so much symbolism here. Why did he arrange the body parts in just this way? What’s the meaning of the hand on the plate? The four place settings on the dining table?”
    “The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse,” Detective Kassovitz said softly. It was one of the few times she’d spoken during the meeting.
    “Why do you suggest that?” asked Zucker.
    “We’re talking about Satan. About sin.” Kassovitz cleared her throat, seemed to gain her voice as she sat straighter. “These are biblical themes.”
    “The four place settings could also mean he has three invisible friends who are joining him for a midnight snack,” said Jane.
    “You don’t buy into the biblical theme?” said Zucker.
    “I know it
looks
like Satanism,” said Jane. “I mean, we’ve got it all here—the circle and the candles. The mirror writing, the upside down crosses. It’s like we’re
supposed
to come to that conclusion.”
    “You think it was merely staged this way?”
    “Maybe to hide the real reason Lori-Ann Tucker was killed.”
    “What motives would there be? Did she have romantic problems?”
    “She’s divorced, but her ex-husband lives in New Mexico. They apparently had an amicable parting. She moved to Boston only three months ago. There seem to be no boyfriends.”
    “She had a job?”
    Eve Kassovitz said, “I interviewed her supervisor over at the Science Museum. Lori-Ann worked in the gift shop. No one knew of any conflicts or any problems.”
    Zucker asked, “Are we absolutely sure about that?” He directed his question at Jane, not Kassovitz, a snub that made Kassovitz flush. It was yet another blow to her already battered self-esteem.
    “Detective Kassovitz just told you what we know,” said Jane, backing up her teammate.
    “Okay,” said Zucker. “Then why was this woman killed? Why stage it to
look
like Satanism, if it really isn’t?”
    “To make it interesting. To draw attention.”
    Zucker laughed. “As if it wouldn’t already draw our attention?”
    “Not ours. The attention of someone who’s much more important to this perp.”
    “You’re talking about Dr. O’Donnell, aren’t you?”
    “We know the killer called O’Donnell, but she claims she wasn’t home.”
    “You don’t believe her?”
    “We can’t confirm it, since she erased any phone message. She said it was a hang-up call.”
    “What makes you think that’s not the truth?”
    “You know who she is, don’t you?”
    He regarded her for a moment. “I know you two have had conflicts. That her friendship with Warren Hoyt bothers you.”
    “This isn’t about me and O’Donnell—”
    “But it is. She maintains a friendship with the man who almost killed you, the man whose most deeply held fantasy is to complete that job.”
    Jane leaned forward, every muscle suddenly taut. “Don’t go there, Dr. Zucker,” she said quietly.
    He stared at her, and something he saw in her eyes made him slowly lean back in retreat. “You consider O’Donnell a suspect?” he said.
    “I don’t trust her. She’s a gunslinger for the bad guys. Pay her enough to testify, and she’ll walk into court and defend just about any killer. She’ll claim he’s neurologically damaged and not responsible for his actions. That he belongs in a hospital, not a jail.”
    Marquette added, “She’s not popular with law enforcement, Dr. Zucker. Anywhere.”
    “Look, even if we
loved
her,” said Jane, “we’re still left with unanswered questions. Why did the killer call her from the crime scene? Why wasn’t she at home? Why won’t she tell us where she was?”
    “Because she knows you’re already hostile.”
    She has no idea how hostile I can get.
    “Detective Rizzoli, are you implying that Dr. O’Donnell had something to do with this crime?”
    “No. But she’s not above exploiting it. Feeding off it. Whether she meant to or not, she inspired it.”
    “How?”
    “You know how a pet cat will sometimes kill a mouse and bring it home to its master as sort of an offering? A token of affection?”
    “You think our killer is trying to impress O’Donnell.”
    “That’s why he called her. That’s why he set up this elaborate death scene, to pique her interest. Then, to make sure his work gets noticed, he calls nine-one-one. And a few hours later, while we’re standing in the kitchen, he calls the victim’s house from a pay phone, just to make sure we’re there. This perp is reeling us all in. Law enforcement.