Chapter 18
Eighteen
Wednesday afternoon
I stared down at my next offering. I didn’t want to be too obvious.
I was leaving clues, but so far they didn’t seem to get it.
I planned to keep going until . . . well, until the last one.
It was coming soon. Would they figure it out in time?
I laughed, but the woman lying on the ground didn’t join in.
Even though she was smiling, I’d had the last laugh.
Erin tried not to let her nerves take over on the drive to the command center.
She clasped her hands in her lap, squeezing them tightly as a way to redirect her apprehension.
Would she be okay, or would she act foolishly in front of the people manning the center?
The fear of having a panic attack in front of strangers was almost enough to cause one.
Until the night Erin watched Scott die during a gang war and one of her own stray bullets hit and kill a young girl inside her own apartment, she’d never experienced a panic attack.
They were truly awful. Something she wouldn’t wish on her worst enemy.
As if knowing how she felt, Kaely said, “Please don’t worry about this. I’ll be with you every step of the way. If you want to leave after you’re interviewed, we will. However, since I’m a consultant and you’ve been deputized, we can hang around.”
“I’m not sure what they want from me,” Erin said. “I’ve seen the crime photos. I don’t know any more than they do.”
“That’s just the evidence,” Kaely said. “Now, they’re writing a profile and looking for suspects—people who knew the victims. You may have a connection you don’t even know about. They’re just trying to be thorough. You know how this works.”
“They’re checking out the authors in case they might be involved.”
Kaely looked over at her. “Sure, but they already know you had nothing to do with this.”
Erin sighed loudly. “You’ve told me that several times, Kaely. But how could they know that? They haven’t even talked to me yet.”
Kaeley was quiet for a moment. “Investigators followed up on your whereabouts. You were right. It wasn’t difficult. They know you never left Sanctuary.”
Erin looked over at her. “And how did they do that?”
“They called Adrian. Since you both walk your dogs almost every day, it was easy to put you miles away from each murder. They also checked with the people who worked on your car. They confirmed that you didn’t make a quick trip to Virginia to kill anyone.”
Erin had squeezed her hands until they hurt. Why hadn’t Adrian told her about the call? “We don’t walk the dogs every day,” she said through clenched teeth. She wasn’t certain just why she was so upset, but the idea of people talking about her without letting her know made her angry.
“I know, but the days you did walk your dogs happened to fall on the same days the women were murdered.” Kaely glanced over and met her gaze. “Are you upset because they called Adrian?”
“I don’t like people doing things behind my back.” Erin turned her face away. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I just found out about it. Besides, the police and the FBI are kind of funny about stuff like that. I was trying to follow protocol.” Kaely sighed. “I’m sorry. I guess I should have told you. Don’t be mad at me.”
Even though Erin understood protocol from her days with the police department, she couldn’t seem to let go of her anger.
What was wrong with her? She took a deep breath and let it out.
This was stupid. She’d spent several years in law enforcement.
Being so nervous was ridiculous, and it made her feel weak.
Maybe that was the real reason for her anger. She used to be brave. Fearless, even.
Suddenly, Kaely pulled off the road and brought the SUV to a stop. She put the car in park and turned toward Erin. “We can reschedule this for later, you know. I want to catch this guy, but I care more about you than I do this investigation.”
Erin leaned back against the headrest. “You said the other authors have been interviewed?”
“Yes, Dan Harper and Toni Sue Smith have both been interviewed by their local police departments.”
“Their reports were sent here? To the local task force?”
Kaely nodded. “They work together, not only on the case, but also in how to handle the media.”
“And I’m the only one who will be interviewed by the task force at the command center?”
“I assume so.” Kaely frowned at her. “But like I told you, you’re the only one in Virginia. Are you really that nervous about this?”
Erin grunted. “Just call me a coward.”
“You are absolutely not a coward,” Kaely said, emphatically. “In fact, you’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met.”
Erin looked at Kaely like she’d lost her mind.
“Are you kidding? I can barely leave my house. I avoid almost everyone. The other day while I was in town buying groceries, a car outside the market backfired, and I fell to my knees. I pretended like I’d dropped something, but I’m pretty certain anyone watching knew the truth. ”
Kaely reached over and put her hand on Erin’s arm. “And that’s my point, Erin. Regardless of everything you’ve been through and are still going through, you’re here, aren’t you? That’s what real courage is. Can’t you see that?”
Although she still didn’t feel very brave, Kaely’s words impacted her.
It was true. She could have refused to come to Virginia and talk to investigators at the command center.
Maybe she had a little more backbone than she’d realized.
She hoped it was true. She wanted to feel like herself again.
The person she was before that night in St. Louis.
“I’m going to take a chance here,” Kaely said gently. “Don’t get angry with me, but could I pray for you? It won’t be long or very religious. I just want to pray for peace and ask God to give you strength.”
Erin still wasn’t certain if there was a God who cared anything about her, but she nodded. To be honest, she was surprised by her reaction. She hadn’t planned to agree, she just . . . did.
“Dear God,” Kaely said softly, “please touch my dear friend Erin with Your peace, and hold her up with Your strength. I ask this in the name of Your Son, Jesus. Amen.”
That was it? Erin had expected her to address God using Thee or Thou.
But this was simple. As if Kaely were talking to a friend.
It was at that moment Erin felt something.
Something real. Peace. But not the kind of peace she was used to feeling, the kind of peace she’d only experienced when everything was going right in her life.
This wasn’t that. This was . . . a person.
She felt . . . Someone. It wasn’t until Kaely took her hand that she realized tears were streaming down her face.
“What . . . what is that?” Erin whispered. “Is . . . is that . . . Him?”
“What do you think?” Kaely asked with a smile. “Did you think I was just delusional? I worked for the FBI. I know how to analyze data. I’m not the kind of person who would fall for something that wasn’t real, am I?”
Erin shook her head. “No. No you’re not.” A sob tore through her. “He’s real. This is . . . real.”
Kaely unbuckled her seat belt and reached for Erin. She leaned over and put her head on Kaely’s shoulder and wept for a while. When she could gain control of herself, she sat up straight in her seat. “We’re going to be late,” she said, wiping away her tears with a tissue Kaely handed her.
“Only a little bit. And it’s totally worth it.”
“When we get back to the house, will you . . . you know . . . help me pray?”
“To ask God into your life?”
Erin nodded.
“We can do it then . . . or even now. There’s no special prayer or ceremony, you know.”
“I figured that,” Erin said. “But I don’t want to rush it. And I don’t want to get so emotional that the police and the FBI change their minds and decide I really am a serial killer.”
Kaely laughed. “I don’t think that will happen, especially since most serial killers are psychopaths and don’t cry, but if you want to wait, I completely understand.” She’d just put the SUV in drive and pulled back onto the road when Erin’s phone rang. She looked at the caller ID.
“It’s Adrian,” Erin said. She took a quick breath to calm herself and then answered her phone.
“Hi,” Adrian said. “I hope I’m not bothering you.”
“We’re on our way to the command center where I’ll be talking to an investigator. We still have a little way to go. Is everything okay?”
When Adrian hesitated, Erin started to tense up again, but this time she dismissed it. She wasn’t letting go of the peace she was experiencing. It felt so . . . good.
“I saw someone hanging around your house this morning. He ran off before I could stop him. Your house is fine, but I thought you’d want to know. We’re going to keep a close watch on things until you get back.”
“Do you think he was trying to break in?”
“No way to tell, but if your alarm is on, I don’t believe you have anything to worry about. Like you said, if anyone does try to get in, the alarm company will be alerted.”
“I know I set the alarm, so everything should be okay. Maybe it was just someone checking out the cabin. It wasn’t that long ago that it was for sale.”
“You could be right,” he said. “How . . . are you doing? Any way I can help?”
“Can you come here and pretend to be me? That would make things a lot easier.”
Adrian’s laugh wafted through Erin’s phone. She loved his low, husky laugh.
“Not sure I could fit into your clothes,” he said. “And I certainly wouldn’t be as attractive.”
Erin was glad Adrian couldn’t see her. She was sure her cheeks were red.
Kaely reached over and touched her arm. “We’re almost there,” she said softly.
“Adrian, I have to go. Thanks for looking after my cabin.” Something suddenly occurred to her.
“Hey, maybe I should give you the password and the code for my alarm. My password is 4397. It has to be entered when I come in, and again when I leave. I also have a code in case the alarm accidentally goes off. If it isn’t used within thirty seconds, the alarm company will send someone out to investigate. ”
“Okay,” Adrian said. “I promise to keep this information safe.”
It was Erin’s turn to laugh. “I’m really not worried about it. You don’t seem like the type to break in and pillage my cabin.”
“Pillage? Not even sure how to do that.”
Erin noticed Kaely turning into the parking lot of a large, abandoned warehouse. This had to be the command center.
“My code word is Jake.”
“From your book?”
“Yeah,” Erin said. “My character and your dog. Thought it would be easy to remember.”
Kaely drove behind the warehouse where there were other parked cars.
“I’m here, Adrian,” she said. “Thanks for letting me know there was someone skulking outside my house.”
“Erin, there’s one other thing. I wasn’t going to tell you because I didn’t want to worry you, but . . .”
“Someone called you to ask about my whereabouts during the past few months?” She could hear him breathe a sigh of relief.
“Yeah. I’m glad you know. I feel better. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. If anything else happens, let me know?”
“I will,” he said. “Bye, Erin.”
Erin realized that talking to Adrian had helped her get her mind off what was coming. At that moment, she wished he was with her, helping her get through this. Although she didn’t want to have feelings for another man after Scott, she finally admitted to herself that it was already too late.