Читать книгу Picture Perfect Murder - Rachel Dylan - Страница 12

FOUR

“Did you just say that you killed him? As in literally?” Rex looked into the big blue eyes of the woman in front of him. And even though she said she’d worked for the CIA, she definitely didn’t seem like a cold-blooded killer to him.

“I had no choice but to take action against James,” she said, barely audible.

“Tell me what happened.” His heart pounded as he waited to hear her explain.

“It’s a long story.” She looked away and then took a sip of coffee. She wiped the single large tear from her cheek, and thankfully, no more tears fell.

It killed him to watch a woman cry. He hated to push her to talk, but he had to explore every avenue when it came to his investigation. “I’ve got the time. I think I need to hear this.”

She nodded. “On my last mission with the Agency, I found out that James was working both sides. Basically, a double agent.”

This was only getting worse. He couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. She’d obviously gone through a lot. “So James was a traitor.”

“Exactly. And if you would’ve asked me to pick out someone on our team who was capable of selling this country out, he would’ve been the last one on my list. He was always so loyal, or so I thought. A real team player who would go the extra mile to help anyone who needed it. Now I can see that his attentiveness was really just opportunism, which allowed him to gain information that he could exchange for money.”

“That’s the way people like that work, Lily. They are master manipulators. That’s how they can get away with it for so long. The FBI also has its fair share of traitors. It makes me sick.”

“Well, imagine how it made me feel,” she said in a raspy voice. “This was my boyfriend. Someone I thought I was potentially going to marry. The man I saw myself spending my entire life with. I don’t think I have to spell out how much that hurt me.”

“What did the Agency think about your relationship?”

She shrugged. “We tried to keep it quiet. But I think they knew and didn’t care. There are a lot of romantic relationships that occur within the CIA, especially among field agents. We were both highly effective operatives. The most important thing from the Agency’s perspective was that we were getting the job done. We both had stellar reviews and were climbing up the ladder. There was even talk about one of us being promoted to the third in command at one of the embassy hot spots. Which would’ve been a feat for someone our age. James was only two years older than me.”

“So what happened on this last mission?”

“James wasn’t even supposed to be there. Not from the CIA side anyway. I was working by myself. I can’t go into the operational details of the mission because that’s still classified.”

“I understand.”

“But I was meeting with one of my assets, and James showed up. He killed the person right there on the spot before I could get the critical information that I needed from them. It was in that moment that I knew he was working both sides. The realization hit me like a sledgehammer. I’ll never forget that exact moment as long as I live. Talk about life changing.”

“So you killed him in self-defense,” he said softly.

She nodded. “I could say it’s the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but honestly in that moment it was a pure survival reflex. I knew he was about to pull the trigger. He’d just killed my asset, and then he turned and pointed the gun at me. So I did the only thing I could do. I got the shot off before he could shoot me first.”

He reached out and grabbed her hand. “Lily, no one should have to go through something like that.”

“It was the lowest point of my life. Then I had to go back to the Agency and explain the entire situation. Literally over and over again. I was polygraphed three times by three different examiners. I was put on leave during the internal investigation. All of James’s subterfuge came out, but it was a long and difficult process. And because of our relationship and the way things ended, I was also considered a security risk. So they had to make absolutely sure that I wasn’t a double agent, too.”

“I’m so sorry.”

“At the end of the day, my name was completely cleared. But the damage was already done as far as I was concerned. I never went back to work, even after they told me I could. I left the Agency and moved here to my hometown. Started my photography business. A totally new and fresh start doing something radically different.”

He had never met anyone like Lily before. Most people would’ve crumbled under the pressure and stress of such an ordeal, but she’d chosen to go after another dream instead. “That was a very brave move.”

She laughed. “Some would call it more cowardly than brave. I did run away from my troubles. Instead of continuing with my CIA career, I just cut my losses and left it all.”

“No, you made the best decision you could make for yourself at the time. You had to deal with James’s betrayal, not only as a CIA agent but also on a personal level. Those things don’t just resolve themselves easily. No one could question your motives for leaving.”

“It sounds as if you speak from experience.”

“Well, it was nothing like what you went through, but I have been betrayed before by someone I cared for.” He paused. This wasn’t the time to talk about the problems of his past. He wanted to focus on her. “But enough about me. I appreciate you telling me all of this. I know it wasn’t easy, but now I have a better understanding of your background and all you’ve dealt with as you transitioned from the Agency to your new life here in Atlanta.”

She reached out and put her hand on his shoulder. “And now you can see why I don’t want to be in the news. There are people who would want to harm me if they knew I was an easy target sitting here in Atlanta.”

“You mean foreign agents?”

“Yes. I made a lot of friends while on the inside, but I made my share of enemies, too. It’s all part of the job. Also, it’s possible that the people James worked for would try to come after me if they knew where I lived. I’m not even sure exactly who he reported to. Just that it was a foreign government.”

“Which one?”

“I can’t say. And honestly, I’m not even a hundred percent certain myself, although I do have my theories.”

He was frustrated by all of the security clearance issues, but he understood protocol.

“I just don’t want any extra attention put on me,” she said. “It’s always best for former operatives to live a low-profile life, at least for a few years. Put some time in between themselves and the missions. Even if this weren’t happening, I’d still want to lie low. It’s one of the reasons I chose photography—in addition to really enjoying it.”

“I totally agree. There’s enough of a threat against you already without adding enemies from your CIA past. Even if the chance of any of them finding you and acting on it is small, there’s no reason to risk it unnecessarily.”

“I used many different aliases over the years. But I didn’t radically change my appearance for most jobs. That’s why I’m trying to keep my actual photo out of the news.”

“I’ll do my best. You know how reporters are, but we’ll try to prevent any leaks.”

“And you can see why I don’t think this killer has anything to do with my time at the Agency. If one of my enemies wanted me dead, they’d shoot to kill. Put a hit out on me. End of story. This dramatic game of cat and mouse is something very different. It’s not tradecraft, I can tell you that much.”

“I would tend to agree with you.” He finished up his coffee and set down the empty cup. “What about your past before the CIA? Boyfriends from high school or college? Even if they weren’t as serious as James, I’d like to be able to run them down, too, and check their connections to the other victims.”

Her cheeks flushed pink, and she shook her head. “It’s kind of embarrassing, but I was what you would call a late bloomer. I didn’t really date at all. I was so focused on school, and then after college I went straight to the CIA.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that,” he said.

“How do you think the killer found me?”

“It would be all speculation at this point. But it could’ve been something as simple as him seeing you out and about in your daily life. He targeted you because you met his checklist of qualifications. Once he’d honed in on his type and decided to kill women who fit his profile, there was nothing you could do.”

“But then he tried to kill me and failed.”

“Exactly. Which made this personal for him. He didn’t like being foiled by a woman. Lily, now you’re a special target to him because he can’t have a loose end, and he definitely can’t have failure. He’s probably a perfectionist with OCD tendencies. All of those characteristics get amplified in the mind of a serial killer to become a lethal combination.”

Her eyes narrowed. “We’ll catch him.”

“I don’t know if I like the sound of we. The FBI’s priority is to catch this guy, and right now my priority is to keep you safe. You aren’t actually responsible for finding him.”

“I appreciate that. But we can’t pretend that I’m a regular victim here. I think it helps that I have a lot of experience keeping myself safe.” She smiled for the first time since this conversation started. He couldn’t help but smile, too.

“Tell me more about your friends.”

“Alison Cruz and I have known each other since second grade. She’s my best friend. She has an interior design business and has an amazing eye for decorating. I met Jackson Bray in sixth grade and Guy Randolph in eighth grade.”

“What do the guys do for a living?”

“Jackson works in marketing for a technology company, and Guy is going to school to be an EMT. The four of us were a very close-knit group. We all kind of went our separate ways for college or jobs. Alison and Jackson left Atlanta to go to school in Athens at the University of Georgia. But they moved back after graduation. When I came back it was as if we all picked up where we left off.”

“I’d like to talk to them individually.”

“I’m sure they’ll help in any way they can. You could probably tell that the guys are very protective of me.”

Grace barked and he looked down at his watch. “It’s getting late, but I’m not leaving you alone. I know we haven’t discussed all the logistics, but as far as I’m concerned, you need 24/7 protective detail. Even if it’s not likely that the killer would come back to your house, I’m not willing to take that type of risk. The downside is just too high.”

“I’m not saying I like it, but I get where you’re coming from. I have a guest room down here on the first floor across from my darkroom that you or anyone else from your team is welcome to use.”

“Thank you, Lily. Get some rest. Nothing is going to happen to you on my watch.” And he was dead serious about that.

* * *

The next morning Lily couldn’t believe she had opened up to Rex about what had happened with James. She hadn’t told anyone about it other than the people she had to talk to at the Agency, including the psychologist she’d been ordered to visit. That session had been particularly painful. Mainly because she had absolutely zero interest in opening up to the person sitting in the chair, trying to get inside her head. Trying to break her down before the Agency was going to attempt to put her back together.

She headed downstairs with Grace, ready to take her for a walk. Rex was sitting at her kitchen table drinking coffee.

“Good morning,” he said. “How did you sleep?”

“Considering everything going on, I think I slept pretty decent. I need to take Grace on a walk.”

He stood up from the kitchen chair. “You know I’m coming with you.”

“I figured you’d say that.”

The doorbell rang and Grace started barking. “It’s okay, Grace.” She started walking toward the door and Rex grabbed her arm.

“Let me see who that is,” he said.

She could already tell she wasn’t going to adjust well to her new bodyguard. She was so accustomed to fighting her own battles. Taking care of herself. Watching her own back. It felt strange to have someone there doing that for her.

But, as directed, she remained standing in the kitchen while Rex went to the door. She heard male voices.

Derrick and Sean walked in with Rex. Both men were tall and presented themselves with confidence. She surmised that Sean was a few years younger than Derrick and fairly new to the job. He wore his brown hair cut shorter than Derrick’s.

“Hey, guys,” she said.

“We’re sorry about all of this,” Derrick said. He reached down and gave Grace a hearty pat on the rump.

“It’s not your fault that there’s a killer out there.”

“Not just any killer,” Sean said. “A serial killer with your name on his hit list.” His brown eyes didn’t show any sign of levity.

“Yeah, we were talking about that just last night,” Rex added.

“What brings you to the house?” she asked.

“We wanted to regroup with Rex. The FBI is gathering additional resources to assist in the investigation, since Rex volunteered to take over your security in addition to working the case.”

“Have there been any new developments since last night?” she asked.

“Thankfully, no,” Derrick said. “We don’t know how long this guy’s cooling-off period is going to be. But there’s a high likelihood that he will contact you again. Also, have you thought about what the photo he left at the last scene could mean? The one of the farmhouse?” Derrick asked.

“I thought about it a lot while I was trying to fall asleep last night, and I have no idea what he’s trying to say with that picture. There’s no special significance that I can think of.”

“To you, maybe,” Rex said. “But in the mind of a serial killer it could have meant something.”

“Sorry to interrupt this discussion, guys, but I really need to walk Grace.” Her sweet dog was waiting patiently, but she knew that Grace would need to go.

“Of course,” Derrick said. “We’ll wait here until you folks get back.”

She leashed Grace up and walked out the front door with Rex right by her side. He was in full FBI alert mode. She didn’t really think that she was in danger in broad daylight in the middle of her neighborhood. But it was Rex’s job to be cautious and she appreciated that.

They were only about halfway down the street when they saw Alison and Jackson approaching them. “They were probably coming over to the house to check on me. Alison lives just down the block and Jackson is only an additional block away.”

Grace excitedly tugged on her leash to greet them as they quickly approached.

“We were worried about you,” Alison said. “I heard all about Jackson and Guy boarding up your window after it was smashed in. That’s horrific. You could’ve really been hurt, Lily.”

“I’m fine though, Alison. Just a few cuts from making my way through the glass. And, thankfully, Grace was outside.”

“We saw on the news that they are no closer to catching this guy.” Jackson frowned. “Or at least that’s what they’re reporting. The media is having a field day with this. Saying that this guy could turn out to be the deadliest killer that Atlanta has ever seen. Is that true?”

“I’m not going to attempt to minimize the threat here. We’re adding more FBI resources, plus we have Atlanta police working the case, too,” Rex said. “Bringing the killer to justice is a top priority for FBI and local law enforcement.”

Alison reached out and touched her arm. “And what about you, Lily? What are you going to do?”

“I’m going to keep on living my life and trying to help with this case any way I can.” Grace tugged and Lily continued walking with her friends and Rex.