Rachel Dylan - Picture Perfect Murder

“I’m sorry about your phone. We will attempt to track it, but I’m assuming that search will come up empty. I also suggest you get your locks changed.”

“Thanks. That’s a good idea.” She looked up and saw another man walk into her hospital room. She recognized him as one of the officers at the scene last night. He screamed law enforcement, with his dark, conservative suit. He was tall with thick, blond hair.

Rex looked at her. “Ms. Parker, I don’t think you officially met Derrick last night. This is Detective Derrick McKinley from the Atlanta Police Department. He’s also working your case.”

Derrick walked over and smiled. There was a kindness in his blue eyes. “How are you doing, Ms. Parker?”

“I’m ready to get out of here.”

“I can only imagine how you must be feeling. I just wanted to stop by and check on you. And to pick up this guy.” He nodded toward Rex. “The doctor said she was about to come in. Have you given Rex your statement?”

“Yes.” She looked over at Rex. “Did you have more questions?”

“Not at the moment, but I’m going to need to talk with you again to determine if there is any connection between you and the previous victims. Also, we’ve got an APD officer here at the hospital who will escort you home.”

The implication was clear. Rex thought that she may still be in danger, and she couldn’t object because she needed to seem like a photographer. Not a CIA agent fully capable of defending herself. She already knew that Rex was a bit suspicious of her having a Glock. And chasing after the guy. But she felt it was better to be straightforward in her statement to him. She knew all too well about how lies could start to spiral out of control.

Lily thanked both men again, and they walked out of the room as the doctor came in. She wore wire-frame glasses and her blond hair was pulled back in a bun. “Ms. Parker, I’m Dr. Grady. How are you feeling today?”

“Ready to get out of here.”

“Good news about your ankle. Not even a sprain. Just might be a little sore but shouldn’t slow you down too much. I also conducted a thorough physical exam and was unable to detect any trauma. But how are you feeling emotionally? If you need to talk to anyone, we have a full staff of psychologists.”

No way was she doing that. “I’m fine, Doctor. Just anxious to be home.”

She smiled. “I understand that.” She paused. “Ms. Parker, one other thing. An envelope was delivered for you.” The doctor pulled the small envelope out of her jacket. “It might be best if you involve the police, given the circumstances. But I thought I’d talk to you about it first in case you were expecting something.”

She wasn’t. But she didn’t want to discuss this with the doctor. “Oh, yes, it’s probably from my friend who couldn’t get off work this morning.”

“Okay, then. It will just take the nurse a few minutes to process your discharge paperwork.”

“Thank you.”

Once the doctor left the room, she quickly opened the envelope. The words typed on the small card stared back at her.

Next time you’ll be mine.

Her heart dropped. Was the FBI agent right? Could she have been the serial killer’s latest target?

TWO

Lily 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?”