Rachel Dylan - Picture Perfect Murder

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.