Читать книгу Picture Perfect Murder - Rachel Dylan - Страница 10
ОглавлениеLily settled down on her couch, snuggling up with Grace to watch the local evening news. It had been two days since the incident, and she was still on high alert after receiving that note. But she was skeptical about bringing in the police or FBI at this juncture. She didn’t want anyone snooping into her life, because that would inevitably lead to questions about her past. Questions she really didn’t want to answer.
How could she explain to law enforcement, those who lived and worked in between the lines, that her previous career had forced her to work outside them?
Yesterday she had gotten her locks changed and bought a new Glock—two, in fact. Along with a new phone, since the police presumably hadn’t been able to locate hers. If this guy was coming after her again, she’d be ready this time. She’d been doing a lot of thinking about the past few weeks. There had been a couple of times when she was out shooting photos that she’d felt she was being watched. But she’d chalked that up to her CIA paranoia. She’d left the Agency and the life that went along with it, but she couldn’t leave behind the training.
If she were being truthful with herself, she’d admit that she had enjoyed the challenge of being a CIA agent. But it was too painful to go there right now. She’d only been out for nine months.
She turned up the volume on the TV so that she could hear it over Grace’s snoring. The blonde TV anchor didn’t smile tonight as she looked into the camera with serious hazel eyes. “Good evening, everyone. Breaking news tonight. The FBI has officially declared that there is a serial killer roaming the streets of Atlanta. Four young women, all in their twenties, have been murdered over the past two months. The latest victim was found just last night by local police, and officials are estimating that she was killed yesterday. The FBI has gone on record to say that they, too, are on the hunt to bring justice to those who have been slain.”
A shiver coursed through her body. Then the TV shot cut to a face she was familiar with—Special Agent Rex Sullivan. “We’re asking everyone in the area to be vigilant. All four murders took place inside the city, but there’s nothing saying that the killer will stick to his pattern. I would especially urge young women to remember that a serial killer may not look dangerous. He may come up to you in the grocery store parking lot and try to help you load bags into your car. He may approach you on a college campus. There are many different ways that a contact could occur, and I am advising everyone in the community to be on alert. If you see anything suspicious, please report it to the local police or the FBI field office in Atlanta immediately.”
As the news anchor picked up the reporting, Lily’s thoughts shifted to her situation. This man they were talking about might have been in her home with the intent to make her his next victim. And then it dawned on her that after he had failed with her, he’d gone out and found another innocent woman. The thought made her sick.
Her eyes went back to the screen, and she felt her mouth drop open. She reached for the remote and quickly pushed the volume up even louder. Blinking a few times, she stared at the TV.
“And tonight we have a WNB Atlanta exclusive. The photograph you are seeing was left at the latest murder scene, a fact that has been confirmed to us by the FBI. If anyone watching has information with regard to this photograph please contact the number on the bottom of your screen for the FBI field office in Atlanta immediately.”
She jumped up from the couch and walked into the kitchen, trying to remember where she had put Rex’s business card.
After locating it in one of the drawers, she grabbed her cell from the counter and dialed the number printed there.
After two rings, he answered. “Agent Sullivan.”
“Hi. This is Lily Parker.”
“Hey, Lily. How are you doing?”
“Not too good.”
“I’m sorry about that. It’s not uncommon to have difficulty after dealing with an attack in your own home. The Bureau has a lot of resources if you would like a referral to someone you can talk to about what happened to you.”
She could hear papers shuffling around in the background. “No, please listen to me. You need to come over to my house right now. I have to talk to you.”
“Are you okay?”
“Your serial killer case. I need to talk to you about that now.”
“Okay. Did you think of something else that happened the night you were attacked? I can be on my way to your place in just a few minutes, but what is this about?”
“That photograph that was just televised on the local news. Is the reporting on the photo legitimate?”
“Unfortunately, yes. That photograph was found at the scene of the latest murder. The killer struck again yesterday. We found the body last night and the photo along with it.”
She took a deep breath. “Agent Sullivan, I shot that photograph.”
* * *
Rex sped all the way from his office, where he’d planned on working a late night, to Lily’s house. A million thoughts raced through his mind, including why the killer would use one of Lily’s photographs.
He also couldn’t get a good read on Lily. He’d run some background checks on her and found some holes that he couldn’t fill. Plus, it concerned him that she had gone after the killer when he’d attacked her. That wasn’t something most people would’ve done under the circumstances. But even given all the question marks about Lily, she wasn’t the problem. She was a potential target. The killer had zoned in on her and used her photograph to send some type of message.
Lord, more innocent women are going to be killed if I can’t figure this out. Please guide me and give me strength. Rex couldn’t imagine going through life without God. Especially in his line of work, where he dealt with some of the most evil people out there.
After fighting through Atlanta traffic on the interstate, he pulled into Lily’s driveway. He rang the doorbell and heard Grace’s loud bark. He couldn’t help but smile. He really liked that dog. If he didn’t work such crazy hours, he’d have one, too, but it just didn’t seem fair given his lifestyle right now.
The front door opened and Lily stood on the other side. Her coloring was back to normal now, and her bright blue eyes didn’t break contact with his. “Come on in.”
He walked through the front door and was greeted by a very excited Grace. He knelt down for a moment to say hello.
“She really likes you,” Lily said.
“I love dogs.” He gave Grace another pat before he stood up.
“They’re great. I’m so glad I have her here with me. Come on into the living room, and I’ll try to explain everything.”
The yellow Lab followed him closely as he walked into the living room and sat down in a big beige chair. Lily took a seat on the navy couch across from him, and Grace jumped onto it to join her.
“Why don’t we just get right to it and you tell me about the photo,” Rex said.
“All right. When I saw the news tonight, I instantly recognized the picture that they put up. I’d taken it at Westlake Park only a couple of weeks ago. I remember thinking the scene was pretty amazing. That photo was black-and-white, but I have a digital color version, too.”
He leaned forward. “So first things first. You’re certain that’s your photo?”
“Absolutely. There’s no doubt in my mind.”
“And how did you take the photo?”
“With actual film. I do a combination of traditional and digital photography. But for the specific photo they showed on TV, I used film. I have a darkroom here on the first floor down the hall. I had been developing those photos the night I was attacked.”
Rex frowned as he tried to process this information.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Just trying to put together a plausible scenario for what happened here at your house. The killer cuts your lights, breaks in and attacks you. You fight him off and he retreats, taking your phone and the photo from the darkroom.”
She nodded. “Instead of being able to make me his next victim, I messed up his plan.”
“When he failed to kill you, he found another innocent victim. But he still had your photo. And he decided to use it at the scene of his fourth murder. Have you looked to see if any other photos are missing?”
“Not yet. I haven’t even gotten that far in my thought process.” She took in a deep breath. “But I had photos on my phone, too. They weren’t high quality, just images of places I wanted to go back to with my camera.”
“That’s good to know. I’d like to look in your darkroom and get the team out here to do additional evidence collection.”
“Sure. There’s another thing that I need to tell you about.”
A knot formed at the pit of his stomach. “What?”
“You’re not going to be happy about this, but a note was delivered to me at the hospital.”
“What? What did the note say?”
“It said, ‘Next time you’ll be mine.’”
“Why in the world didn’t you tell us about this immediately?” he asked in a raised voice.
“I didn’t realize how this was all going to unfold. I’m sorry.”
“Do you still have the note? We need to run prints on it and do an analysis.”
“Yes, I’ve got it. It’s in the kitchen.”
“You should’ve told the police about this. From here on out, you have to be straight with me, Lily. Lives are literally on the line and we’re up against the clock to find the killer before he strikes a fifth time.”
“I understand. It won’t happen again. I realize this is a serious situation. The last thing I want is to hamper your investigation. I don’t want another woman killed by this guy.”
Now he had to lay something else on her, but he thought she could handle it. He was getting the very distinct impression that it would take a lot to rattle Lily Parker. “I’m not trying to alarm you, but when I examine all the facts, I think that you could still be in danger.”
“Why is that?”
“You were on the killer’s list of victims, but you managed to stop him. I can imagine a scenario in which he becomes obsessed with finishing the job because—let’s face it—you’re the one that got away. He took your photograph and placed it at the next murder scene. He also communicated with you directly via that note. I suspect he’ll come after you again.”
“Your theory makes sense.”
He wanted to know more from her, but he needed to be careful. If he pushed too much, she might clam up. He needed as much information from her as she was willing to share. But he’d been an FBI agent long enough to know that this woman was hiding something. How many free-spirited photographers carried Glocks and seemed more annoyed than terrified at a home invasion?
“Let me show you the darkroom,” she said.
He followed her down the hallway. Once they entered the room, he surveyed the area, but nothing seemed out of place. There was a big table with large plastic containers on top of it. A sink, surrounded by shelves housing numerous bottles of liquids, sat in a corner. Then there were clips and other supplies scattered throughout. “And what about your digital photography?”
“I do that in my office across the hall. That’s where my computer and printer are.”
“I’ll need you to go through the darkroom and your computer and see if it looks as if anything else has been tampered with.”
“I understand. I’ll definitely do that.”
“And I’m going to call the crime lab and have them do another sweep for prints just in case they missed anything, as well as run a forensic analysis on your computer. They can also collect the note for examination. Excuse me for a second.” He pulled out his phone and made a quick call to his team. “They’ll be here within the hour. How many pictures do you estimate were on your phone?”
She blew out a breath. “Maybe a hundred, two hundred. But like I said, they aren’t top quality like the ones on my computer and in the darkroom.”
He didn’t like this at all. The serial killer had access to more of Lily’s photographs. And if he was going to start using photos as part of his deadly game, then the implications were staggering. Rex didn’t even want one more death on his watch, but the killer obviously had other, bigger plans.
“Agent Sullivan, you’re off in another world, aren’t you?”
“Please, call me Rex. And I’m sorry. When I get into a case, my mind goes into overdrive trying to connect the dots.”
She looked down and back up at him, her blue eyes sparkling. “Why would this guy focus on me of all people?”
“Because he has a distinct type. You meet all of his preselected physical requirements. We can’t know at this point why he chose to go after women who look like you. I’m going to coordinate with APD so we can figure out what makes sense for some sort of protective detail. Meanwhile, I’ll stay with you until the FBI team arrives. Then I’ll come back tonight.”
Frowning, she walked out of the darkroom, and he followed her back to living area. “That’s not necessary. My friends you met at the hospital are coming over soon. I won’t be alone.”
“Okay, but if that changes let me know. I’m also going to put FBI electronic surveillance in place. That should be set up by tomorrow.”
She winced as she took a seat on the sofa. “Is that really necessary at this point? That’s a pretty aggressive approach.”
“It is, but I think it’s needed. We have no idea how far this guy is going to take it with you. I find it deeply disturbing that he’s come after you once and has used your photo at a murder scene. I don’t take this threat lightly.”
“I have one request for you.”
“Sure. What do you need?”
“I don’t want my name to be associated with this photo in the news.”
“I understand. It’s not exactly the type of publicity you’d want for your business. We’ll try to keep a tight lid on the fact that it’s your image.”
“Thank you. I appreciate you trying to protect my privacy. No one wants to hire a photographer who’s linked to a serial killer.”
“No problem. I’ll touch base with you in the morning about the security setup and when to expect the installation. The FBI team will arrive soon, but if you end up needing me tonight, let me know. Now that we know the killer has developed a special interest in you, I don’t want you to be alone.”
“Don’t worry. My friends will be here, and I’ve also got my Glock.”
“That’s good.”
“And, Rex? Make no mistake about it. If that man comes into my house again, I will use it.”
* * *
Hours later, as she stared at her laptop screen, she felt anxious to hear the results of the analysis the FBI had performed earlier on her computer. Lily felt confident that the only picture taken from her darkroom was the one that had been shown on TV. What she felt far less confident about was whether anything had been taken from her computer. It would’ve been fairly simple to transfer pictures from her desktop. She no longer kept highly encrypted classified files, so she hadn’t been particularly focused on the security of her computer.
And unlike some of her former counterparts at the CIA, technology wasn’t her specialty. Tradecraft and human intelligence were her strengths. When she needed tech help, she called on others. So for now, she would have to wait for the FBI results to come in.
She walked over to the sink, and Grace nuzzled her hand while she finished up the dishes. Her pup could no doubt sense that she was feeling down about the whole situation. Though Alison and Jackson were supposed to come over, she had decided that she didn’t feel like company. So she’d told them that she would be fine for the night. And she could take care of herself. Rex’s concern was perfectly normal, but he assumed that he was dealing with an average citizen. Not a highly trained CIA operative.
Grace whined. “Okay, girl. This is your last time going out this evening.” Thankfully, she had a large fenced-in backyard that Grace loved. Lily let her out the back door and then went into the living room and took a seat on the couch.
Her thoughts returned to her CIA past. When the truth had come out to everyone at the Agency that James had been a double agent, it should’ve made her feel less guilty over what had happened on the mission. But she had loved him and his deception still stung.
She closed her eyes and for a moment thought about praying. But what good would that do? She and God weren’t exactly on good terms anymore. No doubt she’d made bad choices, and she had to live with those repercussions. Still, she blamed God for what had happened to her. How it had all played out and how she’d had to end things.
A loud crashing sound broke through her thoughts. Shards of glass from the window sprayed her body. Instinctively, she dropped to the ground and covered her head. Grace barked loudly from the backyard, but Lily was so thankful that she wasn’t inside right now.
She bear-crawled toward the kitchen, trying to avoid as much glass as possible. But there were pieces all over the living room floor. She felt a shard cut into her arm, but she didn’t stop until she reached the kitchen.
Grabbing her Glock from the kitchen drawer, she saw that her hand was covered in blood. She turned, her gun trained on a possible assailant, but she didn’t see anyone. She looked out the window to the backyard, where Grace was still barking.
Slowly, she proceeded back to the living room, gun drawn. This was the second time someone had invaded her home. That was a threat she didn’t take lightly.
The living room was covered with bits of glass from the broken window. Looking around, she saw the large brick that had been hurled through the glass. Was this guy trying to intimidate her? Scare her? Little did he know who he was dealing with. It wasn’t likely that one of her CIA enemies would do something like this. They’d just come after her directly with an assassin’s bullet. No, this felt like something else.
She grabbed her phone from the kitchen and dialed Rex.
“Lily, what is it?” he answered.
“Someone just threw a large brick through my living room window. There is glass everywhere.”
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice ragged.
“Just a few cuts. I don’t think they’re too deep.” She looked down and saw that there was a good bit of blood though the cuts were only superficial. “Thankfully, Grace was in the backyard when it happened.”
“I’m calling this in right now. Do not hang up.”
Seconds later, he returned to the line. “APD is less than five minutes away. I’m also on my way over. Are your friends with you?”
“That didn’t end up working out.”
“You should’ve called me, Lily. I didn’t want you alone tonight. I told you it was too dangerous. You’re not taking this threat seriously enough.”
She didn’t respond, because she couldn’t say anything at this point to make him happy.
“Stay on the line with me until APD gets there. I need to know that you are safe.”
“I’m right here.” She waited only a few minutes until Rex arrived at her place, along with an APD squad car.
He walked into her house and immediately started checking her over. “Are you sure you’re all right? Do you need medical attention?”
“I’ll be fine. It’s really nothing too serious.” She held out her arms to show him. “The cuts aren’t that deep. Just a little blood.”
He frowned and walked over to the officers who were starting to work the scene in her living room. Now that the police were in the house, she took the opportunity to get Grace safely back inside and put her into her bedroom away from the glass. She walked back down the stairs and into the kitchen, where Rex was waiting for her.
“They’re gathering evidence,” he said.
“It happened so quickly. What’s the connection here? Why would the killer do this to me?”
“Because he’s determined to finish the job he started, and extend his sick game along the way. You’ve proved to be a special challenge for him, and it’s one that he seems to have fully embraced.”
A chill shot down her arm. “That’s disturbing.”
“And, unfortunately, I have some more bad news.”
“What?” She was almost afraid to ask.
“We’ve got a report of a missing graduate student.”
“Oh, no.”
“She fits the victim profile perfectly,” he said quietly.
“You think he’s already struck again? He’s escalating quickly.”
“I’m thinking the worst-case scenario. We have search teams looking for her. I think this guy wants us to find his victims because that’s all part of the fun for him.”
Her phone chirped, announcing a text. She glanced at the screen but didn’t recognize the sender. It was a blank text with an attachment. Something told her that this was wrong. Still, she had to look. She opened up the attachment.
“Lily, what is it?” He took a step toward her.
Her heart thumped loudly in her chest. She looked down at the phone and saw the photo that had been on the news. But now it was marked with a bright red X. “Rex, you should look at this.” She handed him her phone. “I think I have the location for your latest victim.”
