Chapter Sixteen
When Sean returned from his shower dressed in faded jeans, black slippers, and a gray long-sleeved T-shirt, he found Grace and Suki in the kitchen talking about some television show he’d never heard of.
The easy sound of their laughter caught his attention at once, and relief moved through him.
He’d hoped the two women would hit it off, but seeing them chatting like old friends eased something he hadn’t realized he’d been carrying.
Grace glanced up when he entered, and the smile she sent him nearly stopped him in his tracks.
Even dressed in simple jeans and a soft sweater, she looked beautiful.
There was something about seeing her here, moving around the kitchen as though she belonged in the beach house, that felt right in a way he couldn’t quite explain.
Not trusting himself to linger too long and risk pulling her into another kiss, he grabbed the plate of steaks she’d prepared and headed out to the patio to throw them on the grill.
The evening air met him at once, cool enough to raise a faint chill against his damp hair.
The heat of the day had faded, leaving behind the kind of crisp coastal air he’d always loved.
Beyond the dunes, the ocean reflected the last streaks of fading sunlight, the western horizon washed in soft bands of gold and pale pink, while the sky overhead deepened toward dusky blue.
After flipping the steaks, Sean paused for a moment and drew in a slow breath, reveling at being home in Whisper again.
Now that he was back in the area for good, he couldn’t help wondering why he’d stayed away so long. The Bureau had given him purpose and direction, but standing there on familiar ground, with family nearby and Grace waiting inside, made his years away feel strangely misplaced.
He shut off the gas to the grill and transferred the steaks and foil-wrapped potatoes back onto the plate. He had just turned toward the house when the porch door flew open.
“Sean, you’d better get up here. We’ve got big trouble.”
Something in Suki’s voice sent a jolt through him. His grip clamped around the plate as he took the steps two at a time. The first thought that flashed through his mind was Grace. Had she been hurt?
Suki held the door open as he rushed inside, his gaze sweeping the room. Grace stood behind the couch, staring at the television. Relief came fast, though it was quickly replaced by confusion.
He looked at Suki. “What’s wrong?”
“The news. Apparently, they have new information on our case—an exclusive. It’s coming up next, and I don’t think we’re going to like it.”
A cold knot formed low in Sean’s stomach. He set the plate on the dining table and crossed to the couch, lowering himself onto the edge of the cushion. Snatching up the remote, he raised the volume as Grace came around and sat beside him while Suki perched on the arm of the loveseat.
They waited through two commercials that felt twice as long as they should have before the evening newscast began.
The anchors introduced themselves and previewed the upcoming stories before one of them turned toward a camera that zoomed in on him.
“But first, a Channel Four exclusive from our own Jessica Daly.”
Sean’s jaw hardened as the screen shifted to the blonde reporter standing outside the Dare County Medical Examiner’s Office. He recognized her at once from the press conference, and the grave expression on her face told him this wasn’t going to be good.
“This is Jessica Daly for the evening news, reporting to you from the Dare County Medical Examiner’s Office with a Channel Four exclusive.
“Investigations into the strangling deaths of three county women continue. At this time, local law enforcement has very few leads. Sources inside the Dare County Sheriff’s Department report the Seaside Strangler mutilated the torsos of his three victims with a knife, carving the word ‘sinner’ into their skin before killing them.
“Apparently, all three victims had been out partying with friends at different locations before encountering the vicious sadist who took their lives.
“This reporter has also discovered this is not the first time this cruel savage has struck.
The FBI was called in last summer by the Philadelphia Police Department after three women in three months were found strangled and with the same word cut into their torsos.
That information was never made public, and no other homicides were reported.
The killer apparently went into hiding until a little over two months ago, when Becky Travis was brutally murdered.
Is this barbarian finished slaughtering the women of Dare County, or has he just begun?
“Channel Four is warning its female viewers to be extra vigilant and to use every precaution available to keep themselves safe.
“If anyone has any information regarding these brutal crimes, please contact our tip line at Channel Four or the Dare County Sheriff’s Department.
“This is Jessica Daly. Back to you, Ken.”
The instant the segment ended, Sean surged to his feet. “That damned woman!”
Rage surged through him as Suki reached for the remote and lowered the volume.
Years with the FBI had drilled control into him, taught him to lock down his temper even under intense pressure, but this was reckless and dangerous.
Whoever had leaked those details had just handed the killer exactly what he wanted.
Worse, they’d compromised the case and reopened fresh wounds for the victims’ families.
“How is she getting this information?”
Neither woman answered, and they didn’t need to. Sean was already striding into the kitchen for his phone. His pulse pounded as he pulled up Brad Lynch’s number and hit send, pacing the narrow space between the counter and table while the line rang.
It connected on the first ring.
“I just saw it. Where is she getting her information?”
“That’s what I want to know.” Sean fought to keep his voice level, though anger sharpened every word.
“The Seaside Strangler? Is she kidding?” He dragged in a breath and forced himself to rein it in.
“Brad, this isn’t a slow leak anymore. This is going to open the floodgates.
The only thing that hasn’t gone public is the pennies. ”
“I know. Griffin’s calling in. I’ll talk to you in the morning. There’s nothing we can do tonight.”
When the call disconnected, Sean stopped pacing and found Grace and Suki staring at him from the kitchen doorway.
As furious as he was, he realized Brad was right.
There wasn’t anything they could do about it now.
By 11:00 p.m., every other news show would repeat what Jessica Daly had already reported.
And first thing tomorrow morning, she would be getting a visit from the FBI—specifically, Special Agent Sean Malone.
Running his hands down his face, he pasted on a wry smile. “I can’t do anything about it tonight, so we might as well go eat while it’s still warm.”
Unfortunately, he’d lost his appetite.
That smug, self-righteous woman!
What had she called him? A vicious sadist?
A savage? A barbarian? Fury burned through him at the memory.
How dare she label him that way? The great George Wallace was none of those things.
He was simply a man doing what needed to be done, ridding the world of women whose immoral choices had sealed their own fates.
Someone had to. And now that woman on television had sealed hers the moment those accusations left her mouth.
If she wanted to call him cruel, he would show her exactly what cruelty looked like.
Slowly, he forced the anger back under control. Acting on impulse led to mistakes, and mistakes got men caught.
“Think, think, think,” he muttered, pacing the length of the living room. “Take your time. Think. Then plan your revenge.”
By the third pass across the worn carpet, the answer came to him. A slow smile curved his lips.
Crossing to the recycling bin, he pulled out that morning’s newspaper and carefully removed several unread sections by one corner—those were the ideal pages. No fingerprints. No stray DNA. His DNA wasn’t on file, but his fingerprints were, and he wasn’t careless enough to leave those behind.
From the desk in the spare bedroom, he gathered scissors, glue, and a blank sheet of paper, arranging them neatly on the dining room table he rarely used. Last, he retrieved the rubber gloves from beneath the kitchen sink. He usually wore them to wash dishes.
Tonight, they would serve a different purpose.
The blonde reporter wanted his attention.
Now she had it.
And before this was over, she—and everyone else watching—would understand exactly what happened to those who disrespected him.