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2:05 p.m.
Heavy Snow, 25oF, Windchill 12.6oF
“Well, hey there. I wasn’t expecting your call for a bit. What is it? Do you miss me that much?” Katie was laughing on the other end of the call, while Rainey tried to make her voice sound normal.
“Yes, I miss you. What are you doing?”
Rainey stared out the window of the Captain’s study. The snow was falling heavy, whiting out the sky. There was no way she could get home, not without a tank. She had watched the rest of the video opening to the game, understanding only then the extent to which Colde had penetrated the security she had worked so hard to maintain. A simple name change and he walked right into her life, but why? What had she done to attract his attention? He certainly spent hours watching her. He knew her house, her friends, her car—her life was all right there on the screen. The only difference was his perception of who she was. His Stormy Weather character was dark and brooding, bent on vengeance, and willing to break laws and kill without mercy in order to “rid the world of evil,” as the narration said. It was “Dexter” on steroids, with a bit of “Criminal Minds” mixed in.
The twist in the game was the other main character, the Letter Man, who carved the alphabet in his victims’ torsos. He was on letter “S” when he got to Stormy. The game offered the player an option to finish the alphabet before getting caught, or hunt the killer as Stormy Weather, the broken and scarred former FBI agent who gave up love and her career to find the Letter Man.
Katie’s voice sounded in Rainey’s ear. “We put the kids down for a nap and now the adults are drinking coffee and watching the snow and the news coverage of stranded vehicles. The interstate is closing soon. They have so many cars stuck, no one can move. The snow is coming down hard now. I can barely see the back gate.”
“Did Molly make it okay?” No need to panic Katie, if Molly didn’t make it back with Joey and his friend.
“Yes, she’s here. She showed up right after I talked to you. She said the roads were really becoming difficult to travel. I’m glad you’re staying put.”
“So, Joey and Theodore are there too?”
“Joey is, but Theodore changed his mind and went home, Molly said.”
“Oh, thank God,” Rainey said relieved.
“Come on, Rainey. He’s not that bad.”
“Listen to me carefully,” Rainey dropped all pretense of joviality. “Do not under any circumstances let Theodore Suzanne into our house, again.”
“What are you talking about? He’s never been to our house.” Katie grew concerned. “What’s the matter, Rainey?”
The possibilities ran through Rainey’s head rapidly.
“Do not alert to anyone that there is something wrong. Hand the phone to Molly.”
“Rai—,” Katie started to say.
“Katie, smile. Do not look upset. I need you to listen to me carefully. Someone may be watching you. You are not in danger at the moment, at least I don’t think you are or I’d call the police.”
“They couldn’t get here either, Rainey. I’m telling you nothing is moving.”
“That’s good, honey. You are safe, but I need to talk to Molly and, Katie, give her access to her weapon.”
“Okay, I love you. Don’t worry. I can take care of us.”
“I know you can, sweetheart. I love you too. Everything is going to be fine. I’ll be home in the morning to sort all this out. Just keep the alarm on and do what Molly tells you. I’m going to ask her to handle a few things for me until I get there.”
Katie did as she was asked, “Hey, Molly. Rainey wants to talk to you.”
Katie would focus on the kids if things went crazy, but Molly would focus on living through it. Molly was a survivor and Rainey needed her to be that right now.
“Well, I hear you’re going to miss the snow cream party later, or are you living it up down there in Dobbs County? Glad it’s you and not me,” Molly’s voice said from the phone. She came from Dobbs County, but her childhood was devoid of many fond remembrances.
“Molly, put on that lawyer face. There is nothing wrong, got it?”
The tone in Rainey’s voice must have alerted Molly to danger. She answered, “Sure, enjoy your time as a single woman.”
“Good, now listen. Theodore Suzanne is not Joey’s friend’s real name. He was held but never tried on a double murder in 2000, brain injury, no memory, released from a mental hospital after five years. He has either been in my house, put a camera on Joey, or has tapped into my video surveillance somehow. Either way, he can see and hear you most likely.”
Rainey had skimmed the details, but in Molly’s line of work she understood facts needed no embellishment.
“Really, we’re fine here. All tucked in tight and secure. Don’t worry about a thing. Leslie and I are staying the night. Katie will have plenty of help with the kids.”
“Do you have your weapon?” Molly carried a small pistol for protection. She was a criminal attorney with some shady characters in her past.
“I certainly do.”
“When we hang up, have Katie email the security company. Alert them to a possible threat and give them Colde’s, I mean, Theodore Suzanne’s description.” Rainey wanted so desperately to be home now. She tried not to let the frustration cloud her brain. “I’ll leave as soon as I can in the morning. Can you stay until I get home?”
“No problem. Do I need to call Sheila?” Molly was adeptly playing the game. She referred to their mutual acquaintance, Detective Sheila Robertson of the Durham County Sheriff’s office.
“No, I got nothing right now except a video game based on my life, but the detail indicates that he has been in my house and in the files I left out at the lake. Katie gave him access to the women’s shelter computers. I have my old cases stored in a locked room out there. My own crime scene pictures are in a box in that room. He’s seen them. There is no doubt in my mind.”
“Well, aren’t you the popular one,” Molly said.
“Tell me about it. Just take care of my family for me. I feel helpless stuck down here.”
“Well, don’t do anything stupid, like try to drive home before the roads are clear. We’ll stay with Katie and help out with the kids as long as it takes.”
“Thank you, Molly. I owe you.”
“I’ll collect, I’m sure. Here’s your wife.”
The phone changed hands and Katie came back on the line. “Listen to Molly. Don’t drive if it isn’t safe. It’s supposed to snow all night long. It’s not going to thaw anytime soon, so do what you have to do, but be safe.”
“Always. I love you. Hug the babies. I’ll call you before I go to bed.”
“Please do and I love you too.”
Rainey hung up and returned to the desk. She sat there for a few minutes trying to comprehend how and why someone like Graham Dean Colde, or Theodore Suzanne, whatever he called himself, latched onto her. Creeps continued to be fascinated by her. Despite her best efforts to live a quieter, safer life, the threats just kept coming.
A knock at the door broke her from her thoughts. She called out, “Come in.”
Harriet poked her head in. “May I come in?”
“Please,” Rainey said, inviting her in with a sweep of her arm.
“I’m sorry you can’t get to your family. I can see how worried you are. Bill told me what Theodore has done. I know now why Wellman seemed so alarmed and desperate to speak with you.”
“My family is safe. Someone is staying with them and the security company is being alerted. I’ll have to prove Theodore has broken a law before I can have him pulled in.”
“Do you really think he’d hurt your family, or you?”
Rainey thought about what she saw on the game video, the flashes of sadism. “His mind is rife with violence and sadistic fantasies. For that reason alone, I do not want him near my family. It is possible that he has a vivid imagination and a fascination with serial killers. Many people do and don’t turn into murde
rers. But this guy has already invaded my privacy, which tells me he disregards boundaries. What other boundary might he be willing to cross?” She locked eyes with Harriet. “I want him stopped before the answer to that question is another murder.”
“Do you think he killed Wellman?”
“I really don’t know. My training is in identifying the type of person who could commit a crime of a specified nature. Colde certainly fits within the parameters of the profile I’m leaning toward in your husband’s shooting, but so could others. I’ve hardly scratched the surface here, and we still don’t know if any of these ‘accidents’ were really murders. If these deaths were not accidental and can be connected, that’s a very intelligent and dangerous criminal mind at work.” Rainey indicated all the paperwork on the desk. “It would take hundreds of man hours reevaluating each one of these deaths, before any definitive answers or a profile could be offered.”
“It is far more complicated than they make it look on television, isn’t it?”
“Yes, ma’am, it is, and it never replaces good investigation techniques. Behavioral analysis is a tool, not a solution.”
Harriet smiled at Rainey. “Billy had good reason to be proud of you. Well, he wasn’t just proud, he bragged about his FBI Special Agent daughter and her meteoric rise to the elite BAU.”
Rainey felt the rush of embarrassment flush her cheeks. “Meteoric, huh?” She laughed. “I wouldn’t call it that. It felt painfully slow while it was happening.”
“You have his air about you.”
Rainey’s face automatically formed the smile she had borrowed from Billy Bell, along with his hair, eyes, lanky body, and if her mother was correct, much of his personality as well.
“He could not deny I was his, that’s for sure.”
Harriet shook her head. “It’s more than looks. You have his ability to think under enormous pressure. Wellman said it was the damnedest thing he’d ever seen. While everyone else was preparing to die, Billy was working on a way out. He never stopped to think about dying. He told Wellman and me, with that same cocksure smile you have now, ‘In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.’”
“Sun Tzu, The Art of War, he quoted it all the time.”
Another gentle knock at the door turned Harriet’s head. She stood to go. “I’m sure they are looking for me. Let me leave you to your reading. Would you like some food, coffee, tea? Ellie said you didn’t eat your brownie earlier. She found it when she picked up in here.”
Bill opened the door and peeked in. “Sorry to interrupt. Mom, the snow is tapering off, Mrs. Colde is leaving.”
“Colde? Is that Graham’s mother by any chance?”
“Yes, she was Graham’s mother. Theodore knows who she is, because he’s met her, but he does not remember her as his mother. As far as she’s concerned, her son never woke up from that coma. Theodore is a complete stranger.”
Rainey wasn’t about to let this opportunity pass, even if she had to follow the woman home in the snow. “Do you think she would talk to me? I’ll try not to keep her long, so she can get home.”
“Bill, would you ask Susie to step in here for a moment?” Harriet requested, and then turned back to Rainey. “I’m sure she’ll talk with you.”
The older woman Rainey saw in the kitchen entered the study.
“Susie,” Harriet said, as she ushered her friend over to Rainey, who had come from behind the desk to meet her, “this is Rainey Bell, a friend of the family. In fact, Bill is named after her father. Rainey, Susie Colde.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you ma’am,” Rainey said, extending her hand in greeting.
Susie smiled and took Rainey’s hand softly. “I thought you looked familiar. You’re Billy Bell’s daughter, the spitting image of him too. My husband knew your father, a veteran kind of thing. It’s so nice to meet you.”
“I had forgotten Billy knew Teddy. Anyway, Rainey has some questions she needs to ask you. It won’t take long and we’ll get you home straight away.”
“What kind of questions?” Susie asked, while being escorted to the couch by Harriet.
“She needs to know about Graham, dear. It’s rather important. It could help us find out who shot Wellman.”
“Graham? What in the world could Graham have to do with Wellman’s death?”
Rainey sat down in the chair Bill had pulled up to the couch earlier and began her questions. “When was the last time you saw your son, Mrs. Colde?”
Harriet answered for Susie, because the other woman appeared stunned by the question. “Oh, she hasn’t had any contact with him since he was let out of the hospital. Isn’t that right, Susie?”
Susie became very sheepish. Rainey didn’t have time to play games. This woman was hiding something and could leave at any time. “You’ve seen him. Theodore. He’s been here, hasn’t he?”
After a moment, Susie sighed loudly. “Yes, he’s been here. I haven’t spoken with him, but I did see him. I called Wellman and told him I thought Graham, or Theodore—it’s so hard for me to call him that—I thought he was watching my house. He’s filled out a little and grown up now. He has a smaller frame, but looks like his father did at that age. I’d know that profile anywhere.”
Harriet appeared stunned now. “Wellman never mentioned that.”
Susie turned to her friend. “He said I shouldn’t say anything and he would not either. Graham was in violation of his release by being here.”
Rainey took control again, asking, “Has your son approached you at all?”
“No, but Wellman spoke to him. I called him like he told me to the next time I saw that white van outside my house. He came over and they talked thru the driver’s side window for a moment, and then the van drove away.”
“When was that?”
“About two weeks ago. I started seeing the van in early January, but I’m pretty sure he’s been coming back here all along. I thought I saw him at Teddy’s funeral. I would think I saw him and then convince myself it wasn’t him. But these recent visits, it’s like he wanted me to see him.”
“Do you think he’s remembering his old life?”
“He told Wellman he got our home address from his medical records, and that he was just trying to figure out what had happened to him. He promised to stop sitting in front of the house and drove away. He hasn’t been back to my knowledge.”
“Are you afraid of your son, Mrs. Colde?”
Susie answered without hesitation. “I was never afraid of Graham and to this day I have no idea why he shot those people. He was depressed, but we were getting treatment, all of us. Teddy’s injury and PTSD affected our entire family, but Graham was a good boy. He was very smart, too smart it seems. He had a hard time relating to his peers, but he wasn’t angry, not that we saw anyway. It just made no sense.”
“Mrs. Colde, it is rare to find a parent who saw it coming. You are not alone in trying to make sense of a tragedy.” Rainey asked the most important question next. “Could you tell me what kind of experience Graham had with the rifle used in the shooting? Did he hunt?”
“Oh, no. Graham didn’t like guns. He never even played those first-person shooter games all the boys liked. He would faint at the site of blood, always did, so it never made sense that he would shoot someone, and it certainly never made sense that he shot a second person after the blood from the first. I guess we’ll never know. I lost my son fourteen years ago. I suppose he just snapped.”
“It made no sense.” “He just snapped.” Rainey heard those words often enough. People were always shocked at finding out the person they thought they knew had unfathomable secrets. “I never saw it coming,” another frequent comment, one Rainey had made herself. Life, like any good mystery novel, contained all the clues in the beginning. Sudden personality changes were rare. Rainey knew, when a person did something seemingly out of character, she should go back a few chapters, or even to the beginning. The clues were always there, just so much easier to see in hindsight.
&n
bsp; “What can you tell me about your son’s relationship with the Paxtons?”
“Oh, he loved them. He stayed over there as much as he was home. Ellie and Ely were always good to him. Graham was small and a target for bullies, but the twins protected him. He loved Ellie beyond reason. I’ve often wondered if her beginning to date was the trigger.”
Rainey delved deeper. “Beyond reason. What makes you say that?”
“Well, I told you he didn’t like guns, but he joined the shooting club, just to spend Saturday afternoons with the Paxtons at the range.”
“Shooting club?”
“Yes, Mr. Paxton was a world class marksman. He started a competition-shooting club for the kids that fall before—” Susie paused to gather her emotions.
Rainey gave her the moment she needed and then asked, “Do you remember who was in the club?”
“There was a whole group of them: the twins of course; Skylar, who had started dating Ellie at the beginning of the school year; Gordon, who is still Skylar’s shadow; Cassie, she was Ellie’s best friend and dated Ely; and I think Benjy Janson was out there too—most of the neighborhood was involved. Graham wanted to belong so badly. He went probably three times and then just stopped. He said the noise bothered him, even with ear protection.”
“Then he did know how to fire a rifle.” Rainey said, confirming that Susie was contradicting her earlier statement about Graham’s dislike of guns.
Susie seemed to realize this as well. “Well, yes, he knew how to use a rifle. He just wasn’t gun crazy like so many boys his age were.”
“How did he gain access to the rifle he used?” Rainey was testing how readily available firearms were in the Colde household.
“Well, that’s the thing. That awful note they found in Graham’s pocket, it led the police to believe he may have been planning to go to school that morning and kill those kids on his list. That was Teddy’s rifle. He loaned it to Graham for the shooting club. Mr. Paxton kept it at his house because he transported the weapons for the shooters in his truck to and from the range. He said it eliminated the poor judgment young men were prone to and saved the road signs on the way back to town. The police believe Graham went to the Paxtons with the intention of retrieving the rifle and was surprised by Ellie’s father. The rest is just a tragedy.”
Colde & Rainey (A Rainey Bell Thriller) Page 10