Chapter 30 Task Force

Chapter 30 Task Force
Detective Bruno POV

The federal building's conference room was too bright, fluorescent lights buzzing like wasps trapped in the ceiling. I stood at the head of the table, looking at faces that represented three agencies and more combined experience than I wanted to calculate. FBI Special Agent Victoria Hayes sat to my right, her laptop open to a PowerPoint presentation I already knew would make this worse. Across from her, Agent Michael Torres from the Behavioral Analysis Unit tapped a pen against his notepad with mechanical precision. Morrison sat beside me, looking like he hadn't slept in three days. He probably hadn't.

Captain Rodriguez had flown back from Miami to authorize this operation. He sat at the far end of the table, arms crossed, face unreadable.

"Let's be clear about what we're proposing," Hayes said, her voice cutting through the ambient noise. "Using a civilian as bait to draw out an active serial killer is not standard protocol. It's barely legal protocol. And it requires sign-off from everyone in this room."

"Noted." I pulled up the crime scene photos on the main screen. Amanda Westbrook, Rebecca Torres, Stephanie Porter. Three women who'd trusted David Kellerman. Three women who'd died because of it. "But sitting around waiting for David to make his move isn't working. He's had four days to plan. Four days to secure locations, coordinate with his brother, set up his endgame. Every hour we wait gives him more control."

Torres leaned forward. "Detective Bruno's assessment aligns with our profile. David Kellerman exhibits classic characteristics of an organized serial offender with escalating confidence and sophistication. But there's a critical variable that changes the dynamic." He clicked his laptop, pulling up David's psychological profile on screen. "His relationship with Morgana Gaius wasn't just another hunting cycle. It was research. And for someone with his level of obsessive documentation, leaving that research incomplete would be psychologically intolerable."

Morrison spoke up. "You're saying he won't run."

"I'm saying he can't run. Not yet." Torres highlighted sections of David's recovered journals. "Look at the language he uses. 'Six-month observation period.' 'Comprehensive data collection.' 'Final documentation phase.' This isn't a predator who grabs victims opportunistically. This is someone who views his actions as scientific inquiry. And scientists don't abandon experiments before reaching conclusion."

Hayes pulled up a map of the eastern seaboard. Red dots marked cities where David had lived. "We've been coordinating with local departments in Pittsburgh, Austin, and Dallas. The pattern is consistent. David operates in a city for three to four years, targets multiple victims, then relocates before investigations connect the dots. But there's always a cooling-off period between the last murder and his departure. Usually six to eight months."

"He's tying up loose ends," I said. "Making sure nothing points back to him before he moves on."

"Exactly. Which means if he follows his established pattern, he's not running yet. He's preparing for his final act in New York." Hayes zoomed in on the Connecticut property coordinates Marcus had provided. "This property has been in the Kellerman family for forty years. Richard's father was county sheriff. They have deep roots there, established cover, and isolation. It's the perfect staging ground."

Rodriguez cleared his throat. "What's the FBI's official position on using Ms. Gaius as bait?"

Hayes closed her laptop. "Officially? We can't endorse it. Civilian safety takes precedence over investigation advancement. But unofficially?" She looked at me. "If Ms. Gaius volunteers, and if we can guarantee adequate protection, it's the best chance we have of bringing David in before he disappears or claims another victim."

"Can we guarantee protection?" Rodriguez's voice was flat.

I thought about the safe house breach. About Richard walking into NYPD headquarters. About the network of corrupt cops and officials who'd been helping the Kellerman brothers for decades.

"No," I said. "We can't guarantee anything. But we can stack the odds. Small team, need-to-know basis only. No digital communications except encrypted channels. And we move fast—before David realizes we've flipped the script on him."

Morrison was shaking his head. "Morgana will never agree to this. She's barely holding it together in testimony prep."

"She'll agree." I pulled up the email David had sent to the DA's office. The photo of Morgana through the window, the threatening message. "Because David's already told her there's no safe hiding place. She can either wait for him to come for her on his terms, or she can take control on ours."

The room went quiet. Torres was studying David's profile again, his expression troubled.

"What?" I asked.

"There's something we need to discuss before we proceed." He pulled up a different file, this one marked with FBI case numbers from multiple field offices. "When Detective Bruno first contacted us about potential connections to unsolved murders in other cities, we ran David Kellerman's name through ViCAP. The Violent Criminal Apprehension Program cross-references unsolved homicides across jurisdictions looking for patterns."

My stomach dropped. "How many?"

Torres displayed a map. Seven red dots across four states. "Seven confirmed matches to David's methodology and timeline. Three additional probables that we're still investigating. All professional women, ages twenty-five to thirty-five, killed in their homes with no forced entry and minimal physical evidence."

Seven. Not three. Seven women dead, and those were just the ones that matched the database.

Hayes added, "Pittsburgh PD is reopening two cold cases from 2009 and 2011. Austin has three from 2013 to 2015. Dallas has two from 2007 to 2008. All of them show the same pattern—victims were professional women who worked in corporate environments, all had been dating someone they met through work or professional networking, all were killed in staged scenes that suggested intimate partner violence rather than serial predation."

"He's been doing this for at least ten years," Morrison said quietly. "And nobody connected the dots until now."

"Eighteen years, actually." Torres pulled up an older file. "If our theory is correct, David's first victim was in Seattle in 2006. Graduate student. He was twenty-two, working as a financial intern. The murder was classified as domestic violence and never properly investigated."

I did the math. Eighteen years. At least ten victims, probably more. All of them dismissed as isolated incidents because David was smart enough to move between jurisdictions and patient enough to let years pass between kills in the same city.

"Richard covered for all of them?" Rodriguez asked.

"Richard was still NYPD during the early years, but we found evidence he used his connections to influence investigations in other cities. Calling in favors, providing false leads, generally muddying the waters." Hayes pulled up phone records. "And in cases where local investigators got too close, Richard appears to have warned David in time for him to relocate."

Morrison slammed his hand on the table. "So we're dealing with a serial killer who's been operating for nearly two decades, has murdered at least ten women, and has a former cop actively protecting him. And we want to use his only surviving victim as bait?"

"Yes," I said. "Because it's the only play we have that David won't see coming."

Torres nodded slowly. "Detective Bruno's right. David views himself as the hunter. He's spent months studying Morgana, documenting her patterns, controlling her movements. The one thing he won't anticipate is her turning that dynamic around. Becoming the hunter instead of the prey."

"Psychologically, it would be devastating for him," Hayes added. "His entire methodology is built on control and documentation. If Morgana volunteers to face him, if she demonstrates that his months of research failed to break her, it undermines his core belief system. He'll make mistakes."

"Or he'll kill her faster," Morrison said.

I looked at the crime scene photos still displayed on screen. Seven women. Probably more. All of them dead because David Kellerman viewed murder as research and Richard Kellerman viewed covering it up as family loyalty.

"Morgana's already a target," I said. "David sent that email because he needs her to know he's still in control. That she's still his subject. Setting a trap doesn't increase her danger—she's already in maximum danger. We're just changing the location and terms of engagement."

Rodriguez stood, walked to the window overlooking Federal Plaza. "I need to hear from Ms. Gaius herself. If she agrees, truly agrees without coercion, then we proceed. If she has any hesitation, we go back to protective custody and hope we can build a case strong enough to prosecute David without her direct testimony."

"She won't hesitate," I said.

"You don't know that."

"I know she's been asking me for three days when she can help actively instead of sitting in safe houses waiting to be rescued. I know she's a financial analyst who spent her career identifying patterns and predicting outcomes. And I know she understands that hiding isn't a long-term solution." I turned to Torres. "How long before David makes his move if we don't act first?"

Torres consulted his notes. "Based on his previous patterns and the psychological pressure of his incomplete research? Three to seven days maximum. After that, either he'll reach her or he'll accept failure and relocate. But his forum posts suggest he's not in failure-acceptance mode. He's in completion mode."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning he's planning to take her within the week, whether we want him to or not."

The room processed that in silence. Somewhere in the building, phones rang. Outside, the city moved through its Friday afternoon routine. And somewhere in Connecticut, David Kellerman was preparing to commit his next murder.

Hayes closed her laptop with finality. "I'll coordinate with our Hostage Rescue Team. If we're doing this, we do it right. Full tactical support, helicopter backup, trauma medical standing by. Ms. Gaius doesn't leave our sight from the moment she agrees until David Kellerman is in custody or dead."

"Or both," Morrison muttered.

Rodriguez turned from the window. "Set up the meeting with Ms. Gaius. Tonight. I want to look her in the eye and make sure she understands what she's volunteering for." He looked at me. "And Bruno? If this goes wrong, it's on both of us. Clear?"

"Crystal."

The task force began organizing logistics. Tactical considerations, communication protocols, backup plans. I watched them work, professional and efficient.

My phone buzzed. Text from Anthonia Glenn: Richard Kellerman arrested at DA's office. Appeared in maintenance uniform, delivered message to Morgana. He's in lockup but lawyered up immediately. Won't talk.

I showed Morrison the message. "Richard delivered a message in person. That's either desperation or arrogance."

"Or both. What did he say?"

I called Anthonia. She answered immediately, stress evident in her voice.

"He told Morgana that David wants to talk and that she doesn't have a choice," Anthonia said. "Then he smiled while they cuffed him. Like getting arrested was part of the plan."

"Maybe it was. Keep him isolated. No phone calls except to his lawyer. And monitor those calls." I paused. "How's Morgana?"

"Shaken but holding together. She wants to know when she can stop running."

"Tell her tonight. Tell her we have a plan." I ended the call and looked at the task force assembling around me. FBI agents, NYPD detectives, federal resources backing a trap that would either end a serial killer's eighteen-year run or cost Morgana Gaius her life.

Torres approached with a printed report. "One more thing you should know. We analyzed David's forum posts, specifically his interactions with other users. He's not just killing and documenting. He's teaching. Sharing methodology. Encouraging others."

"A murder mentor."

"Essentially. Which means even if we stop David, there are potentially dozens of others out there using his techniques. This case could open investigations across the country." He handed me the report. "The BAU is prepared to support a national task force if this leads where we think it will."

I skimmed the report. Forum usernames connected to unsolved murders. Geographic clusters suggesting active predators in major cities. David Kellerman wasn't an isolated killer. He was a node in a network.

"How many?" I asked quietly.

Torres met my eyes. "Conservatively? Based on forum activity and geographic correlation with unsolved cases? Fifty to seventy-five active offenders using similar methodologies across North America."

Fifty to seventy-five predators. All of them learning from David. All of them targeting professional women. All of them hiding behind corporate respectability and workplace access.

Morrison had joined us, reading over my shoulder. "Jesus Christ."

"This goes way beyond one serial killer," Torres said. "This is a criminal subculture with shared techniques, mutual support, and escalating sophistication. David's arrest could give us the evidence we need to dismantle the entire network. But only if we take him alive and flip him on the others."

I thought about the trap we were setting. About Morgana walking into danger to stop one killer. About the dozens of other women who might be saved if we could break this network open.

"All the more reason to do this right," I said.

Hayes called the room to attention. "Connecticut State Police are standing by for warrant execution on the Kellerman property. They'll move on our signal but not before. We don't want to spook David before Morgana's in position." She pulled up aerial surveillance of the property. "Satellite shows recent activity. Fresh tire tracks, lights on in the main house. Someone's there."

"David or Richard?" Rodriguez asked.

"We can't confirm until we move in. Richard's arrest might have been a decoy to buy David time to prepare the property." Hayes zoomed in on the treeline. "Heavy forest cover provides concealment but also makes approach difficult. If David's watching the access roads, he'll see us coming."

"Then we don't use the roads," I said. "We bring Morgana in by helicopter. Fast insertion, heavy support, David doesn't realize what's happening until it's too late."

Torres was nodding. "Psychologically, it fits. David expects to control the encounter. Expects Morgana to be brought to him as a captive. Instead, she arrives on her terms, backed by federal resources, demonstrating complete rejection of his victim paradigm. The cognitive dissonance could trigger mistakes."

"Could also trigger him killing her immediately," Morrison said.

"Which is why we don't let him get that chance." Hayes pulled up tactical positions. "HRT deploys in advance, establishes perimeter. Morgana arrives with protective detail. David makes his move, we take him. Clean, fast, minimal exposure."

Rodriguez studied the map. "What's the margin for error?"

Hayes didn't hesitate. "Razor thin. Everything depends on David following his established pattern. If he deviates, if he has backup we don't know about, if the property has defenses we haven't identified..." She looked at me. "This is high risk, Bruno. For everyone involved."

"I know." I pulled up the photo of Morgana through the DA's office window. "But David's already declared his intention. We either control where and when this happens, or we wait for him to choose. And his choices have left seven women dead."

The room fell silent.

Finally, Rodriguez spoke. "Get Ms. Gaius. Let's see if she's willing to be a hunter instead of prey."