Picture Perfect Murder

by Rachel Dylan

  “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.

  But, as directed, she remained standing in the kitchen while Rex went to the door. She heard male voices.

  Derrick and Sean walked in with Rex. Both men were tall and presented themselves with confidence. She surmised that Sean was a few years younger than Derrick and fairly new to the job. He wore his brown hair cut shorter than Derrick’s.

  “Hey, guys,” she said.

  “We’re sorry about all of this,” Derrick said. He reached down and gave Grace a hearty pat on the rump.

  “It’s not your fault that there’s a killer out there.”

  “Not just any killer,” Sean said. “A serial killer with your name on his hit list.” His brown eyes didn’t show any sign of levity.

  “Yeah, we were talking about that just last night,” Rex added.

  “What brings you to the house?” she asked.

  “We wanted to regroup with Rex. The FBI is gathering additional resources to assist in the investigation, since Rex volunteered to take over your security in addition to working the case.”

  “Have there been any new developments since last night?” she asked.

  “Thankfully, no,” Derrick said. “We don’t know how long this guy’s cooling-off period is going to be. But there’s a high likelihood that he will contact you again. Also, have you thought about what the photo he left at the last scene could mean? The one of the farmhouse?” Derrick asked.

  “I thought about it a lot while I was trying to fall asleep last night, and I have no idea what he’s trying to say with that picture. There’s no special significance that I can think of.”

  “To you, maybe,” Rex said. “But in the mind of a serial killer it could have meant something.”

  “Sorry to interrupt this discussion, guys, but I really need to walk Grace.” Her sweet dog was waiting patiently, but she knew that Grace would need to go.

  “Of course,” Derrick said. “We’ll wait here until you folks get back.”

  She leashed Grace up and walked out the front door with Rex right by her side. He was in full FBI alert mode. She didn’t really think that she was in danger in broad daylight in the middle of her neighborhood. But it was Rex’s job to be cautious and she appreciated that.

  They were only about halfway down the street when they saw Alison and Jackson approaching them. “They were probably coming over to the house to check on me. Alison lives just down the block and Jackson is only an additional block away.”

  Grace excitedly tugged on her leash to greet them as they quickly approached.

  �
�We were worried about you,” Alison said. “I heard all about Jackson and Guy boarding up your window after it was smashed in. That’s horrific. You could’ve really been hurt, Lily.”

  “I’m fine though, Alison. Just a few cuts from making my way through the glass. And, thankfully, Grace was outside.”

  “We saw on the news that they are no closer to catching this guy.” Jackson frowned. “Or at least that’s what they’re reporting. The media is having a field day with this. Saying that this guy could turn out to be the deadliest killer that Atlanta has ever seen. Is that true?”

  “I’m not going to attempt to minimize the threat here. We’re adding more FBI resources, plus we have Atlanta police working the case, too,” Rex said. “Bringing the killer to justice is a top priority for FBI and local law enforcement.”

  Alison reached out and touched her arm. “And what about you, Lily? What are you going to do?”

  “I’m going to keep on living my life and trying to help with this case any way I can.” Grace tugged and Lily continued walking with her friends and Rex.

  “And I’m going to be by her side,” Rex said. “We’re not going to leave her without protection. We understand the stakes here.”

  “You think you can keep Lily safe?” Alison asked.

  Lily could see the worry and apprehension in her friend’s dark eyes.

  “Absolutely,” Rex replied. “Lily’s safety is my priority.”

  “We’ll do anything we can to help, too,” Alison said. “I just can’t fathom that anyone would want to hurt Lily. Much less kill all those innocent women. It’s so scary.”

  “Guys like this can’t stay under the radar forever,” Lily said. “He’ll get overconfident and make a mistake. And law enforcement will be there when he does.”

  “I hope so,” Jackson said. “Because we can’t have anything happen to you.” Reaching out, he put his arm around her and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “And you know I have my new cabin about half an hour from here. You are welcome to stay there if you want a safe place outside the city.”

  “Thank you, but right now I’m staying put.”

  She was fortunate to have such friends in her life. Then she remembered there was something she wanted to ask. “Oh, Alison,” Lily said. “Do you remember anything special about that day you and I went to the farmhouse and I took photos?”

  “No. It was just like any other outing. I remember you saying you got some great shots. Why?”

  “Because the killer left a photo of the farmhouse at the latest crime scene.”

  Alison pulled in a deep breath. “Lily, this is all too much.” Alison turned toward Rex and grabbed his arm. “Shouldn’t you take her away somewhere safe? Somewhere this psychopath can’t get to her?”

  Before Rex could say anything, Lily jumped in. “I can’t just run away,” she said. “If I did, he might just redirect his attention to some innocent, unsuspecting victim. We know this guy has an issue with me because I stood up to him. We can beat him at his own game.”

  “Lily’s right,” Rex said. “At least at this point. Depending on how this guy reacts, the threat assessment may change in the future. But like I said, Lily won’t be left alone under any circumstances.” Rex turned his attention to her friends. “Could I talk to the two of you before you go? I’d like to just make sure I rule out any possible connections between anyone you know and our other victims.”

  “Sure,” Alison and Jackson said in unison.

  “Let’s head back to the house and you can talk to Rex there.” Lily was certain of one thing. She wasn’t going to run away. She was going to face this madman down. He’d messed with the wrong girl.

  * * *

  Rex looked over at the petite, long-haired brunette sitting across from him at the table. Alison’s big, deep-chocolate eyes showed her sincere concern for her best friend. It tugged at his gut to see this woman in pain and worry, but he had a job to do.

  “Would you like a soda or water or anything before we get started?”

  Alison shook her head. “No, I’m good. I just want to be able to help Lily. To be able to do something to stop all of this.”

  “I understand. Why don’t we back up a bit before we jump into things. You and Lily have known each other since you were little, correct?” Rex was going to use this opportunity to find out more about Lily’s past. Even if it was more for his own benefit than the investigation itself.

  Alison smiled. “Yes. We were inseparable growing up. Lily spent a lot of time at my house. My late mother, God bless her soul, acted like a second mother to Lily. Her mom’s intentions were good, but she had a really bad follow-through. Got mixed up in drugs and that lifestyle. It was bad, so Lily spent nights at my house a lot. I’m so thankful we were able to be here for her. If you haven’t figured it out yet, Lily is fiercely independent. I think what happened with her mom is one of the reasons she’s like that.”

  “Yeah, I’ve gotten the impression that even growing up Lily was a bit of a loner. Only relying on her small group of friends.”

  “I hate that she has to go through this,” Alison said. “Lily has the kindest heart. For her it’s all about Grace and her photography. As a business owner myself, I can totally sympathize. It takes a lot of work to get a business up and running. And then keep it up.”

  He waited a few more minutes to see if he was missing something, but as much as Alison wanted to help, none of her information was particularly helpful. He’d cross-referenced the list of names from the friends and acquaintances of the other victims with hers and had come up empty.

  “Thanks for your help, Alison. Can you tell Jackson I’m ready to talk to him now?”

  “Sure.” Alison reached out and grabbed on to his hands. “Please protect Lily. I know she seems so strong on the outside, but she still needs someone watching her back.”

  “Of course. You have my word that I will do everything in my power to keep her safe.”

  “Good.” Alison stood up and walked out of the room.

  A minute later, Jackson walked in. Lily’s tall, dark-haired friend shared Alison’s concern. He took a seat without saying a word.

  “I know you’re worried about Lily and you have every right to be.”

  “Lily is one of my closest friends on this earth. I can’t fathom something bad happening to her.”

  “That’s why I wanted to talk to you. To see if you have any connections to the other victims. And, of course, to find out if you have any additional input that may be useful to the investigation.”

  “Have you considered the fact that the killer could’ve found Lily through her job? She’s had a lot of male clients through her photography business.”

  Rex made a note to double-check Lily’s client list again. They’d done one review, but Jackson made a valid point. “Is there anyone in particular you can think of?”

  “No, but even beyond her clients, she’s done a number of weddings. I imagine she’d get attention from some of the male guests in attendance.”

  Jackson was right. The web of possibilities was beginning to seem endless.

  Rex turned his full attention back to Jackson. “You clearly care about Lily. Is there anything else you think I should know? Anything, no matter how small, that you think might provide a fuller picture?”

  “If I had information, believe me, I’d give it to you. Lily isn’t the type of woman that people want to hurt. She’s difficult to get to know, but once you do, you see how sweet her heart is. I can’t imagine someone wanting her dead. It boggles my mind.”

  “I appreciate you taking the time to talk.”

  “Happy to help. The only other thing I wanted to mention is that I’m concerned about Lily staying in this house, and again I’ll offer up my cabin if you need it.”

  “Thank you for the offer, but we’
re good here. The house is under police and FBI protection. I can assure you of that.”

  “But we know that the killer knows how to find her. Wouldn’t it be safer to move her somewhere else?”

  “We’re constantly evaluating options. This is not something we take lightly. And I can guarantee you that I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be by her side, regardless.”

  Jackson’s brown eyes narrowed. “Please keep her safe. Don’t underestimate this guy. Please.”

  “You have my word.” Rex realized he’d been making a lot of promises lately. He prayed he’d be able to keep them all.

  * * *

  Later that night, Rex stared at his laptop. Lily was in the living room watching TV, and he was in the kitchen catching up on all the FBI and APD emails related to the investigation. He was trying to put the pieces of this strange puzzle together. Unfortunately, he knew that time was never on his side in a case like this.

  One fact remained indisputable. All the women were physically similar to Lily. But there didn’t seem to be any other link between the victims outside that. None of the victims appeared to know each other. He’d run all types of scenarios and factual data points to try to find connections, but there simply weren’t any that he’d been able to uncover yet.

  Serial killers were usually very methodical. If he had already decided what his victim profile was going to be, it was unlikely this guy would start killing tall, blonde women. Serial killers were typically also highly focused on reaching their goals. Which meant that he probably wasn’t going to give up on his pursuit of Lily.

  He reviewed his file of notes to see if there was something he had missed. As far as the attacks on Lily went, there was the initial incident at her house and the note left at the hospital. Plus, her window being broken. But that was probably more of a warning shot than anything else. A clear signal that the killer wasn’t done with her yet. Then he had communicated with her electronically via text. Rex had a sneaking suspicion that he would do that again. The perpetrator wanted to feel close to Lily.