"I think the killer was forcing the victims to recreate something."James set the tablet down on the conference table and turned to face them fully."The bodies weren't just positioned at scenic overlooks—they were positioned at specific spots, angled in specific ways, their cameras pointed at specific compositions.It's like the killer had a template.A reference image they were trying to match."
"A reference image," Kate repeated."Like an older photograph?"
"That's my theory.Someone who has a collection of historical images, vintage photographs of these locations, and is staging murders to recreate them."James's jaw tightened."The victims aren't just becoming part of the landscape—they're becoming part of a specific vision of the landscape.Someone else's vision."
Isla stared at the images on James's tablet, her mind racing through the implications.Historical photographs.Vintage compositions.Someone with a deep enough knowledge of Duluth's photographic history to identify the exact spots where famous images had been captured.
"We need to research the locations," she said."Hawk Ridge, the Lester River overlook.Find out if there are historical photographs that match the compositions the killer was recreating."
"Already started."James pulled up another window on his tablet."I've been digging through the University of Minnesota Duluth's archives, the St.Louis County Historical Society, local photography collections.These locations have been photographed for over a century—there are thousands of images to sort through."
"Then we narrow the focus.Look for photographs that match the specific compositions in the crime scene photos.Same angle, same framing, same relationship between elements."
James nodded, already typing something into his tablet."I'll need help.This is a lot of material to sort through."
"Take whoever you need from the bullpen.This is priority one."
Kate had been quiet through the exchange, but now she spoke up."If the killer is recreating historical photographs, that suggests a personal connection to those images.Someone who owns the originals, or has studied them extensively."
"A collector," Isla said."Or an academic.Someone who specializes in the history of landscape photography."
"The university would be a good place to start.Art history department, photography program.Someone who teaches about the evolution of landscape photography in this region."
Isla felt the familiar quickening of her pulse that came when a case started to take shape.It wasn't much—a theory, a direction, a thread to pull.But it was more than they'd had an hour ago.
"I'll make some calls," she said."See who at the university might have expertise in historical Duluth photography."
"Keep me updated."Kate moved toward the door, then paused."And Rivers?Don't forget about Brune.I know the photographer case is urgent, but the Lake Superior Killer is still out there.We can't lose sight of that."
"I won't."
Kate left, and Isla turned back to the whiteboard.Robert Brune's face stared at her from the LSK section—the grizzled fisherman, the quiet man who'd spent forty years feeding bodies to the lake.He was still out there somewhere, hiding, waiting, planning his next move.
But right now, there was another monster to catch.
"James," she said without turning around."What do you know about photography professors at UMD?"
"Not much.But I know someone who might."
Isla finally turned to face him.He was already on his phone, scrolling through contacts with the focused efficiency she'd come to appreciate over three years of partnership.
"Who?"
"Patricia Henley.Her husband taught at the university before he retired—something in the arts department, I think.She might know who to talk to."
"Call her."
Twenty minutes later, they had a name.
Thomas Kramer.Former associate professor of photography at the University of Minnesota Duluth.Specialization: the history of landscape photography in the Upper Midwest, with particular focus on early twentieth-century documentation of the Lake Superior region.
"He was denied tenure in 2019," James read from the screen, scrolling through the faculty records that Patricia Henley had helped them access."According to the department chair's notes, there were concerns about his 'increasingly confrontational attitude toward colleagues' and 'fundamental disagreements about the direction of the program.'"
"What kind of disagreements?"
"It doesn't say specifically.But there are references to complaints he filed with the administration, accusations of 'commercialization of artistic education' and 'betrayal of traditional photographic values.'"James looked up from the tablet."Sounds like he had strong opinions about how photography should be taught."
"Strong enough to get himself fired."