Hiding out in Joel’s outbuilding might not have been the most brilliant plan—he’d known they would figure out Joel’s identity eventually and come looking—but it had been the best he could do at the time. Joel had told him all about the place and offered it to him should he ever need it. Keeping an eye on Joel’s pretty wife and cute kids was just a bonus. He had plans for them as well.
Rabor shoved his hand in his pocket and curled his fingers around the key, wishing the crime scene folks would hurry it up. He had things to do, plans to make . . .
. . . people to kill.
With a low grunt, he rolled over to peer through a rotted slat in the wood fence. Law enforcement milled and he smiled. He’d seen Joel’s handiwork his first night there and been impressed.
His gaze lit on the lone figure leaning against the porch railing, studying the proceedings with massive interest.
Penny Carlton.
He recognized her from the news. Geneva Queen’s daughter.
She’d been the one to send Joel to his fiery reward. Interesting. Okay, Joel had tripped, but she’d been fighting back when it happened, if he understood correctly.
And she was pretty too. Just like he preferred. But she was smart. Smarter than he was used to. Not to mention her law enforcement connections. Especially Holton Satterfield. The man stepped into view and Darius grinned. “Ah, Holt, my favorite agent.” Darius had picked up on Holt’s affection for the pretty pilot, but that wouldn’t do.
Darius had plans for Penny and they didn’t include Holt. The more he sat there, the more he learned. And the more he realized how much Joel Allen had taken on his persona, his habits, his . . . everything. Joel had pumped him endlessly during his visits, and Darius gladly told him every single detail he could think of, knowing somehow Joel’s obsession with him would come in handy one day. He just hadn’t expected it to be like this. Joel had copied Darius’s killings down to the nth degree. And then taken it one step further. He’d frozen his victims.
Interesting. He’d have to try that next time.
His gaze found Penny once more.
All in good time. All in good time.
Holt drove Penny home, and just as he pulled into her driveway, her phone rang.
“Stay here while I check the place out, all right?” he asked before she answered the call.
She nodded, then swiped her screen. “Hi, Raina.”
Holt left her talking, paused, and went to the back of the Bucar. He popped the rear lift and grabbed a small mirror from his bag. Working slowly, he walked around the vehicle, searching. Nothing. He checked the license plate and behind the mirrors. Everywhere he could think of.
And still nothing.
When he glanced at Penny, she was still on the phone. He held up a finger for her to wait and she nodded.
He approached the house and punched in the code to unlock the deadbolt. It took him three seconds to disarm the alarm, then he let his gaze sweep the area. So far, so good. The fact that the alarm was armed comforted him somewhat, but he still wanted to walk through the entire house, just to be sure.
He checked the rest of the house and noted the progress she’d made on the upstairs bath. Her talented touch was everywhere in the home and he made a mental note to tell her she needed her own DIY television series.
Footsteps sounded behind him and he turned to find Penny grinning at him. “I go back to work first thing in the morning,” she said. “One of the other pilots has the flu, so I’m up.” She sobered. “Not that I’m glad someone is sick, but I’m relieved I can fill in. I’m going to spend the night at the base.”
He nodded. “You want to grab anything from your house? I’ll follow you to work, then check on Gus.”
“Everything I need is at work.”
His phone rang. “Then I’ll take this while you lock up.”
Once she was buckled in behind the wheel of her SUV, he let his eyes scan the area. Nothing looked out of place, but his nerves couldn’t seem to stop humming.
He kept coming back to the song. “Tea for Two.”
And the whole tea party setup Joel had created.
As soon as he made sure Penny arrived at the hospital safely, he’d find time to take a look at the crime scene notes from the other killings. The reason he’d even caught the case was because Rabor’s first kill had been a federal employee—a single woman who’d just landed her dream job as a district court judge. She’d been engaged to a high-powered attorney who was devastated at her death. Holt still checked on the man occasionally, and he kept saying he’d rest when Rabor got the needle.
And now this.
Holt rubbed a hand over his cheek and realized he needed to shave. His five-o’clock shadow was quickly turning into a one-week beard.
He stayed right on Penny’s bumper, his nerves tight, his head on a swivel as he analyzed every car they passed. He was almost surprised that they arrived at the hospital without an incident. But he hadn’t seen the reporter or anyone else follow.
Not that he couldn’t have missed someone, but . . .
Penny pulled into her assigned spot and Holt parked in the law enforcement space not too far from her.
He waited on her to catch up with him, then they both walked into the hospital. She kissed his cheek, then backed down the hall. “Thank you, Holt. For everything.”
“Keep in touch with me. Promise?”
“I promise.” She spun and darted toward the stairs that would take her to her second home.
He hesitated and raced after her, loath to let her out of his sight. He rounded the corner just as she swept through the door to her base. Holt stopped and waited. Watching.
For fifteen minutes, he stood there, watching. When nothing happened, it was almost anticlimactic.
He’d take it for the moment, because he had a feeling that moment wasn’t going to last.
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
At 7:30 Sunday morning, the alarm blared and Penny and the others scrambled to the chopper. Being in the cockpit always felt like coming home to Penny. All of her worries and stress faded into the background, and she focused on aiming the bird toward the interstate. “What’s going on?” she asked.
“Attempted suicide,” Holly said. “Someone jumped off a bridge and into the river.”
“What else?”
“That’s all we know at the moment.”
Four minutes later, she hovered over the area. “Looks like they’re ready for us.”
Authorities had cleared the lanes in both directions, giving her the space she needed to land.
EMS was already on the scene.
An officer spotted her and hurried to direct her landing, and Penny set the chopper down with barely a bounce.
“Nice landing,” Holly said.
Penny pulled her headset off and turned at Holly’s low voice. She just now noticed her friend’s tight features and shadowed eyes. “You okay?”
Holly nodded. “It’s been hard climbing on board after the whole mountain scene, but it’s getting easier—and I know God’s in control. I just have to focus on the patient.” She paused. “You’re good?”
“Yes. Surprisingly. Discounting the nightmares of being chased by a serial killer.”
Raina shuddered and grabbed the medical bag. “Enough of that kind of talk. I don’t want to think about it.” She jerked her head at the door. “Ready when y’all are.”
They unloaded from the chopper and Penny scanned the scene. Multiple police cruisers with flashing lights, two ambulances, three fire trucks, and more. She followed Raina down the embankment to the edge of the water below the bridge, where the victim had been laid out on the grass. She was soaking wet, pale to the point of being white, with blue-tinged lips.
Penny recognized Eric Pollard as the lead paramedic. “She going to make it?”
Eric looked up. “Absolutely. Paddles!”
Penny stepped back and waited. If they needed any help, they’d let them know. Sometimes Raina and
Holly worked on the patient, sometimes they let the first responders do their job. For now, her team waited. All Penny knew was that if she ever needed paramedics working on her, she wanted Eric.
“Come on, come on,” he muttered. “You’re not dying. Not while I’m here. Clear!” The victim jerked when he shocked her. His gaze went to the monitor. “Again!”
They worked over her for the next several minutes while Penny and the others watched. After the last shock, the sound of a beating heart reached her.
“She’s back. Let’s get her loaded in the chopper!” The paramedic nearest Penny rose to his feet and nodded to Raina and Holly.
“Guess it’s our turn,” Raina said.
They turned to climb back up the embankment. When Penny’s eyes scanned the bridge once more, they landed on one particular figure who stood to the side, looking down, watching the commotion.
A gasp slipped from her, and she blinked, sure that she was seeing things. But he was still there, and his eyes met hers for a solid two seconds. Then he smiled, turned, and disappeared into the crowd before she had time to draw in her next breath. Her fingers fumbled for her phone. The others carrying the stretcher passed her.
“Penny?”
Raina’s voice snapped her out of her trance, and she hit Holt’s speed dial number while searching for a cop. She raced over to the man. “Have you heard of Darius Rabor?”
“The serial killer. Of course.”
“I just saw him on the bridge.” She pointed even as Holt came on the line.
“Penny?” Holt sounded distracted. “What is it?”
“He’s here. At the scene!”
The officer eyed her and she wasn’t sure he believed her, but he got on his radio and Penny continued her climb toward the chopper.
“Who?” Holt’s voice sharpened. “Rabor?”
“Yes! I told an officer, and now I have to get a patient to the hospital.”
“I’ll take care of it, but—”
“Penny! Let’s go!” Holly’s shout spurred her forward.
She made it to the top and darted for the cabin. She slid into the seat and snapped the headphones over her ears. “Holt? I have to fly. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Wait! I need details!”
“Those are the details! I’ll call you when I can. Sorry!” She hung up and glanced back. “How’s she doing?”
“She’s stable at the moment,” Raina said. “Broken leg, sprained arm, not sure what she hit, but she’s got some internal bleeding. The guy who saw her jump is an off-duty paramedic. She wasn’t under super long before he had her on shore, but she was hysterical, screaming and fighting, and they had to put her under to treat her wounds. And then her heart stopped. That’s the scene we arrived to see.”
“Poor thing.” Ten seconds later, Penny was in the air. She banked gently and headed for the hospital. Their ETA was five minutes.
When she touched down, Penny’s mind was still spinning with visions of Darius Rabor and her desperate need to know if she’d really seen what she thought she saw. She itched to talk to Holt, but first things first. She cut the engine and Holly shoved the door open.
Once the patient was delivered to the medical team and she’d dodged the persistent reporters, Penny made her way to the base. She pushed through the doors only to come to an abrupt stop, with Raina and Holly nearly crashing into her.
Frankie Olander sat on their couch. They really needed to start locking the doors.
“You know,” Penny said, “I’m not normally a rude person, but you’re pushing it. You need to go away.”
Raina and Holly stepped up beside her like protective bookends. “You heard her,” Holly said. “She’s not interested in being a feature story.”
The man sighed and stood. “I get that. And honestly, if my boss wasn’t pushing this so hard, I’d let it go, Winston Hamilton, LLC.”
Penny sucked in a sharp breath. “Get out.” How had he gotten that name? That was the name she’d bought her house under, the name she did her banking under. Everything. It had been the only way to keep her mother’s fame from touching her life.
“I’m going,” he said, “but think about it. I can keep things secret when I have the right motivation. A story would do that for me.”
“Get—” Penny stopped the shout and curled her fingers into tight fists. Resisting the temptation to land one on Frankie’s chin, she instead planted them on her hips. Yelling at him to leave her alone and get out wasn’t working. Time for a different approach. “Let me think about it.”
Frankie’s brows rose. “For how long?”
“Just”—she raked a hand over her ponytail—“give me forty-eight hours.”
“What’s to think about?”
“A lot. There’s a lot to think about. And I need to talk to a few people who might be mentioned. So . . .” She waved her hand. “Go away and let me think. And talk.”
He tilted his head and studied her. “All right.” He looked at Raina. “I’m still working on you. It’s interesting that you don’t have a past that I can find any farther back than eight years ago.”
Raina sucked in an audible breath and Holly pulled her phone from her pocket. “I’m calling security.”
“No need,” Frankie said, backing toward the exit. He nodded to Penny. “Forty-eight hours.” He left and Penny let out a low growl and stomped her foot.
Then spun to face Raina. “He won’t find anything.”
Raina hurried past them and went straight to the refrigerator. “I’m starving. I’m making burgers and fries. Holly, can you grab the air fryer?”
“Sure.” Holly studied Penny for a moment, then grabbed the air fryer from the pantry and set it on the counter for Raina. Penny figured Raina would talk if and when she was ready. For now, she would cook. And hopefully, de-stress. Raina had a past that very few were privy to, and cooking was how she dealt with it. Penny dialed Holt’s number.
Once.
Voice mail.
Twice.
Voice mail.
When Holt didn’t answer after three calls, Penny paced, ignoring all of the commotion going on behind her at the stove.
“Penny, you want your burger well done?” Raina called out.
“That’s fine, thanks.” She dialed Holt again. “Come on, answer.”
But he didn’t. She tossed the phone onto the table with a groan of frustration and slumped into the nearest chair.
“You okay?” Holly asked.
“No.” Penny dropped her head into her hands to massage her pounding temples.
“You really saw that guy back at the scene? The serial killer?”
“Yes.”
“What was he doing?”
“Just standing on the bridge, watching everyone work. Blending in with all of the other people up there.” She paused. “But it was like he was waiting for me to look up, because when I did, he met my eyes and he stared. Just for a brief moment. Then he gave me this weird little smile, turned, and walked away.”
“That’s incredibly . . .”
“Disturbing?”
“To say the least.”
“Or maybe I’ve just been thinking about him so much that I’m hallucinating.”
Holly dropped into the chair next to her. “Or he was really there,” she said, her voice soft. “I don’t think you can discount that.”
“But why?”
“Think about it, Pen, you’ve been all over the news. The media is reporting that you fought the guy who was supposed to be him and that guy died. Rabor has to have seen some footage or something. What if he’s—”
“Watching me?”
“Yeah.”
Penny shuddered. What a horrific thought. “But how would he even know I was there at the scene? How would he know about the call? That doesn’t make sense.”
“Yeah, true.” Holly frowned. “I don’t know.”
“Unless he’s got some kind of scanner?” Raina said, pausing in her kitchen activities. She s
ighed. “Maybe it’s a crazy idea, but you know me. I’m always thinking about the worst-case scenario.” She went back to the food. “Forget it. Ignore me.” She walked over and set a plate in front of Penny with more force than necessary. “My specialty. Stop talking about scary and depressing subjects and eat.”
Penny wanted to take her friends’ advice, but what if they were right? “Now I’m never going to be able to stay by myself again. I’ll hear every thump and creak and groan and moan that old house makes.” She glared at Holly. “Thanks.”
“I’m not saying that’s the case, but . . .”
“Yeah.”
“Eat!” Raina’s shout echoed through the room and Penny flinched.
Holly rolled her eyes but shut her mouth.
Penny took a bite of the burger. She closed her eyes as her taste buds danced with delight. “Raina, not sure you made the right decision when you dropped out of cooking school to become a critical care paramedic.”
Raina laughed, the sound more natural. “Don’t get used to it. You’re on cleanup duty, by the way.”
“Fine.” Penny wasn’t wild about cooking, but she didn’t mind cleaning up. She finished the burger and looked up to find Frankie Olander staring at her through the glass doors. “Oh, you’re kidding me.”
She stood and stomped across the floor to pull open the door. “I thought you were giving me forty-eight hours.”
“I am. I just want to be close whenever you’re ready.”
She pulled the blinds, effectively blocking him from seeing into the base. Normally, because of the security in the hospital and the fact that someone was always in the base, they left everything open. Normally. Having a reporter as a stalker wasn’t normal. She returned to the table and pressed her palms to her eyes.
“Pen?” Holly said.
“Yeah?” she said without looking up.
“It’ll get better.”
“I sure hope so.” Having a reporter after her to provide him with a story was annoying to the point she was gritting her teeth, but the idea of having a serial killer know who she was—well, that was downright terrifying.
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