The Naturals, #1
The Naturals
by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Contents
Chapter 30
Overview
The UNSUB escalates by bypassing the FBI’s lockdown and sending Cassie a new box through Sloane, containing blond hair and a photograph of a kidnapped teenage girl. The victim is revealed as Genevieve Ridgerton, a senator’s daughter, making the case politically urgent and proving the killer is retaliating because Cassie has been kept from him.
Locke argues that Cassie must be brought back into the investigation, not only for her profiling ability but as bait to draw the killer out. Cassie accepts the risk and agrees to visit the club crime scene, shifting from protected target to active participant.
Summary
Cassie wakes midmorning after the previous night’s shock over wearing the same lipstick shade as her mother. Seeking privacy, Cassie locks herself in the bathroom and starts a hot shower, but the sensory conditions trigger fragments of the memory of finding her mother’s dressing room. Cassie cuts the shower short before the flashback can overtake her.
Sloane screams from their bedroom, and Cassie rushes in to find Sloane holding a padded envelope that Sloane took from one of the agents because it had Sloane’s name on it. Inside is another small black gift box matching the one previously sent to Cassie, except this time the UNSUB has used Sloane to get the package past the FBI’s screening.
Agents Starmans and Brooks respond first, followed by Briggs, Locke, and Director Sterling. Cassie insists on being present when the box is opened, arguing that the UNSUB wants her involved and that withholding information will only make her more vulnerable. When Cassie guesses that the UNSUB has struck again, the silence confirms that Cassie is right, and Sterling allows Briggs to open the box.
Inside the box is a blond ringlet of hair, and the card contains a photograph of a bound, beaten, duct-taped teenage girl with a newspaper proving the girl was alive the day before. Cassie realizes the UNSUB took this younger victim because the FBI took Cassie out of reach. The card reads, CASSIE—WON’T IT LOOK BETTER RED?, making clear that the girl is alive for now but intended to become another victim.
Locke reveals the victim is Genevieve Ridgerton, the daughter of a U.S. senator, despite Sterling’s objection. Locke argues that the kidnapping is a direct strike at the FBI and that Genevieve will die unless they give the killer a reason to delay. Locke proposes bringing Cassie to the club crime scene as bait, hoping the UNSUB will follow; Briggs objects, but Sterling overrules him because of the political stakes and the shaky value of the Naturals program. Cassie agrees to go, believing her connection to the UNSUB and her profiling skills may help, but says she is bringing backup of her own.
Who Appears
- Cassie HobbesTargeted profiler; argues for information, identifies the killer’s escalation, and agrees to visit the crime scene.
- SloaneCassie’s housemate; unknowingly receives and opens access to the UNSUB’s new package.
- Agent LockeSupports Cassie’s involvement and proposes using Cassie’s presence to lure the killer.
- Agent BriggsOpens the box, resists using Cassie as bait, and faces pressure from Sterling.
- Director SterlingFBI superior; initially restricts information but authorizes taking Cassie to the crime scene.
- Genevieve RidgertonKidnapped senator’s daughter shown alive in the UNSUB’s photograph and threatened as the next victim.
- The UNSUBSerial killer; escalates by abducting Genevieve and sending Cassie a taunting message.
- Agents Starmans and BrooksGuarding agents who respond when Sloane reveals the suspicious package.