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?”
“That photograph that was just televised on the local news. Is the reporting on the photo legitimate?”
“Unfortunately, yes. That photograph was found at the scene of the latest murder. The killer struck again yesterday. We found the body last night and the photo along with it.”
She took a deep breath. “Agent Sullivan, I shot that photograph.”
* * *
Rex sped all the way from his office, where he’d planned on working a late night, to Lily’s house. A million thoughts raced through his mind, including why the killer would use one of Lily’s photographs.
He also couldn’t get a good read on Lily. He’d run some background checks on her and found some holes that he couldn’t fill. Plus, it concerned him that she had gone after the killer when he’d attacked her. That wasn’t something most people would’ve done under the circumstances. But even given all the question marks about Lily, she wasn’t the problem. She was a potential target. The killer had zoned in on her and used her photograph to send some type of message.
Lord, more innocent women are going to be killed if I can’t figure this out. Please guide me and give me strength. Rex couldn’t imagine going through life without God. Especially in his line of work, where he dealt with some of the most evil people out there.
After fighting through Atlanta traffic on the interstate, he pulled into Lily’s driveway. He rang the doorbell and heard Grace’s loud bark. He couldn’t help but smile. He really liked that dog. If he didn’t work such crazy hours, he’d have one, too, but it just didn’t seem fair given his lifestyle right now.
The front door opened and Lily stood on the other side. Her coloring was back to normal now, and her bright blue eyes didn’t break contact with his. “Come on in.”
He walked through the front door and was greeted by a very excited Grace. He knelt down for a moment to say hello.
“She really likes you,” Lily said.
“I love dogs.” He gave Grace another pat before he stood up.
“They’re great. I’m so glad I have her here with me. Come on into the living room, and I’ll try to explain everything.”
The yellow Lab followed him closely as he walked into the living room and sat down in a big beige chair. Lily took a seat on the navy couch across from him, and Grace jumped onto it to join her.
“Why don’t we just get right to it and you tell me about the photo,” Rex said.
“All right. When I saw the news tonight, I instantly recognized the picture that they put up. I’d taken it at Westlake Park only a couple of weeks ago. I remember thinking the scene was pretty amazing. That photo was black-and-white, but I have a digital color version, too.”
He leaned forward. “So first things first. You’re certain that’s your photo?”
