Aleksander and Sofia split off from the group, heading to Philadelphia Police Department. Oz had word Susan Lambert was already there for a statement. Meanwhile, Wednesday, Enid, and Oz drove to track down Leroy.
In a stark PPD meeting room—gray walls, single table—Susan Lambert sat waiting, 28 now but carrying years in her tired eyes. Aleksander and Sofia introduced themselves quick, took seats across.
Susan leaned forward, voice soft. "I always hoped my mother was out there somewhere... alive."
Sofia slid the file over. "That day, she filed domestic abuse charges against your father."
Susan nodded, reaching for the report. "Yes. Could I see that?"
Aleksander watched close. "At the store, right before your mom disappeared, you said you saw someone?"
Susan sighed, flipping pages. "I know. It could have been anyone's boots. I was just a kid... scared."
Sofia kept steady. "You thought it was your dad coming for you. For her."
Susan paused, eyes catching on a line. "Walking on Sunshine?"
Sofia frowned. "What?"
Susan tapped the faded report text—fragments visible: complained about getting... would make him something hot... she was struck in the face... -o and continued to strike... -o was "Walking On Sunshine"... -er until she stumbled into... -et relates that she begged... was too late. Janet says... Leroy struck Susan in the... -wl at him, packed up..."
That song was playing on the radio when my father was beating my mom," Susan said.
Aleksander caught flashes—Susan's old memories surfacing. Convenience store counter, Susan not looking up at her mom."Hey. I love you, little girl." Janet smiles, heads out back with trash. Front bell jingles. Susan ducks under the counter.Man enters. Boots by the counter. Susan peeks—legs, heavy boots. Hears him humming low.Man leaves through back. Door clicks shut.
Susan met their eyes. "He was singing it."
Sofia leaned in. "Who?"
"The man who came into the store that night," Susan said. "I waited and waited, but he never came back. Neither did my mother."
Aleksander pressed gentle. "You're positive about that song?" He knew older memories from back then can blur.
Susan held his gaze. "I've never forgotten that day."
Aleksander's new phone buzzed—he stepped out, took the call low. Sofia closed the file. "Thanks for your time, Susan."
Susan grabbed her wrist soft. "The court sent me back to him... after she disappeared. What my father couldn't do to her anymore, he took out on me."
Sofia paused, voice quiet. "I'm sorry."
Susan nodded faint. "Yeah, me too."
Aleksander hung up, pocketed the phone. "K9 squad found something."
While on the other hand, Wednesday, Enid and Oz speak to Janet's ex husband, LeRoy. He says Janet got what she deserved. He recalls getting angry with Janet over cereal. Susan snaps back at Janet and LeRoy hits her. She hides behind Janet who throws something at LeRoy, demanding he never touch her again. She left him that day. LeRoy says Susan deserved the same fate as her mother, saying he didn't kill Janet, but wishes he had.
Wednesday, Enid, and Oz pulled back into Tinicum Wildlife Preserve, gravel crunching under tires.
Enid spilled out first, face twisted. "That Leroy guy's the worst—slimy, zero remorse, kept dodging every question like it was a game."
Wednesday clenched her fists, voice ice. "I should have beaten him senseless and buried him out here."
Aleksander held up a hand. "Bigger concerns right now."He nodded toward the expanded crime scene, where floodlights cut through the dark—CSU techs brushing dirt from multiple shallow graves, body bags lining up.
Sofia knelt by one, already gloved up.
Wednesday stepped closer, eyes narrowing. "How many?"
Aleksander read the unit lead's surface thoughts easy. "Eight."
Enid blinked at the rows. "All headless?"
"Yes, ma'am," Aleksander said.
Sofia probed a ribcage on the nearest set of remains, pulling another deformed slug. "Same pattern across the board. Single gunshot to the chest, large caliber—deer eye bullets from a hunting rifle. Shattered ribs, no holes in any clothes found nearby."
Aleksander frowned at the tree line. "He's been at this a long time."
He turned to Sofia. "Get IDs on all of them."Sofia nodded, firing up the Erudite DNA scanner.
The group gathered tight under the floodlights as CSU techs kept digging.
Aleksander along with his group went back to hotel nearby. He pulled a black slab from his pack—large, solid, tactical. He gripped the long edges and slid it apart with a soft click. One half unfolded into a thin translucent screen that locked into the base at an angle, keyboard glowing faint beneath. Screen booted with amber arcs spinning. He pressed four fingers to the biometrics panel, dragged down—white checkmark flashed. Grays and amber WIMP interface loaded.Keypad popped left side. He punched 1-8-5-4. Thumbnails filled the screen—victim portraits from a cold case board.
Aleksander tapped the first. "Janet Lambert, November 2006. Matches our skeleton."
Sofia leaned in."He has 10 kills so far."
Aleksander scrolled smooth. "Pattern holds. Gloria Zucker, 2007. Theresa Raymond, 2010. Martha Williams, 2012. Beatrice Simon, 2014. Yvette Lopez, 2016. Tina James, 2020. Latrice Hicks, 2022."
Wednesday crossed her arms. "November hunts every time."
Enid scanned the faces—varied ages, ethnicities, all women. "All over the map, but same dump. He's escalating."
Oz flipped his notebook. "Jane's intuition was spot on. Serial hunter, two decades running."
Aleksander muttered, "November profile fits your vision dead. Stripped, shot, headless trophies. We run the rest through your scanner, Sofia—build the web."
He placed ten fingertips on the screen across the portraits, then threw his hands outward. The thumbnails slid offscreen, expanding into ceiling-height volumetric windows hovering in the air—each filled with victim details: photos, timelines, maps pinned to Tinicum Woods, missing reports dated November spans.
Wednesday scanned the floating display, voice flat. "Ten confirmed victims. Hunter's cycle—deer season opens mid-month."
Enid pointed at Latrice Hicks' window. "All women, all November. Dumped close. He's local."
Oz shook his head at the floating victim windows. "No way Leroy's responsible. Spent 2019 to 2022 in and out of lockup—exact dates our last three victims went missing."
Enid frowned, arms crossed. "So if it wasn't Leroy, how did he know about the song?"
Wednesday's gaze stayed cold on the timelines. "What we do know—he strips 'em, probably rapes 'em, shoots 'em with that rifle."
Sofia frowning at the varied faces. "Doesn't explain how he picks 'em. Nothing in common: different races, ages, professions—nurses, teachers, clerks."
Wednesday nodded sharp. "Most serial killers have a type."
Oz's phone buzzed—screen lit his face. He glanced up. "Uniforms ID'd a possible witness in the wildlife preserve. Let's talk to him ASAP."
Aleksander turned from the holo-display. "Families are coming in?"
Oz nodded. "Yeah. First ones hitting the station soon."