Picture Perfect Murder

by Rachel Dylan

  “Why?”

  “Because you’re worth it.” He planned to show her just how much she meant to him.

  * * *

  As Lily had looked into Rex’s brown eyes earlier and heard him tell her that he had feelings for her, it was as if the world had shaken underneath her.

  Because if she was being honest, she’d developed feelings for him, too. Strong feelings, at that. But it was far too dangerous for her to act on them. For one, she was still being hunted by a serial killer. Even if all of law enforcement and the district attorney thought that Sean was guilty, she knew better.

  But beyond the current threat, the even bigger threat to her was an emotional one. Of allowing herself to be vulnerable again. To open her heart to a man. She’d done it only once before and the ramifications had been life altering. Not only had she been betrayed, but James’s duplicity had forced her to take his life. Even though she knew she’d had no choice, that it was either kill or be killed. She’d been struggling to pick up the pieces ever since.

  Yeah, she knew there was no comparing the two men. James and Rex couldn’t have been more different. But her heart was still going to hold her back. It was still telling her that there was no one worth risking that kind of pain ever again. A pain that felt like a punch to the gut every single day. A pain that she relived with each new breath she took. Even with the passage of time, her wounds still felt raw. A gnawing ache that never went away.

  “Hey,” Rex said. He walked into the kitchen carrying the groceries that they had picked up on the way to his house. “Just sit tight and I promise dinner will be great.”

  “I didn’t realize you had culinary skills. I can’t wait to see what you cook up.”

  He smiled as he starting pulling the groceries out of the bags. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Lily.”

  She knew this man cared for her. It was evident by the look of concern in his eyes even as he smiled. But she also knew she needed to keep their relationship strictly platonic. That was the way it had to be. Right? Because what if she did start acting on her feelings and then got hurt again...? Or, even worse, what if she hurt him, even if she didn’t intend to?

  “So what’s for dinner?” she asked.

  “My special pasta recipe with grilled chicken.”

  “Sounds delicious. I’m not much of a cook myself.”

  “I started cooking once I graduated college. I figured if I was going to be on my own I needed to learn how to do more than get takeout every night.”

  She laughed. “I’m much more in the takeout category myself.”

  “Your CIA lifestyle didn’t exactly lend itself to culinary expansion.”

  “You’re right about that. One of the many sacrifices I made to be in the CIA.”

  He started chopping vegetables with a quick hand and looked up at her as he stopped for a second. “And I know you want your space, but until I have a better handle on the situation, I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

  She sighed, knowing there was no point in arguing with him. “You’re a stubborn man. Did you know that?”

  He laughed loudly. “I have been told that a time or two.”

  “Seriously, I do have a question for you.”

  “Shoot,” he said, as he turned on the stove.

  “How long are we going to do this? I get that things are uncertain right now, but we can’t live like this forever. We both need to get back to our lives.”

  “You’re really anxious to get rid of me, huh? Am I that bad?”

  “I’m being serious here, Rex. Being constantly on edge and on guard isn’t a healthy way for either of us to live.”

  He nodded. “Okay. Well, I think time will reveal all we need to know. If Sean is truly the killer, then you should be safe with him in custody. That means that nothing should happen to you from here on out. And if the killer is still out there, it’s only a matter of time before he strikes again. So I’m not willing to put a deadline on the situation right now.”

  “They are going to start the repairs to my house on Monday, but that might take some time. I’d be happy to stay with Alison, but not until I know I wouldn’t be putting her in danger.”

  “That makes sense. I promise I’ll give you space. This house is plenty big for the two of us and Grace.”

  As she looked into his eyes, she wondered if that was true. She knew she had to protect her body from the killer—but was her heart safe from Rex?

  * * *

  A few days passed with no new threats and Lily started to consider the distinct possibility that Sean was guilty. That he had really planned on having her taken from her house, tortured and killed. All part of his deadly path that included taking the lives of numerous other innocent women. A police officer, someone who had sworn to protect and defend, had violated his oath.

  She felt a strange combination of relief and disappointment. They’d dropped Grace off at Derrick’s, and he would take her for a late-night run with a couple of his training officers. Now she and Rex were on the way back to his house.

  She was starting to get antsy being around Rex so much. Thankfully, he hadn’t brought up his feelings for her again. But she had her own feelings to rein in. Rex was genuinely a great man. Not only was he handsome and smart, he lived out his faith through his actions. He was loyal and protective of those he cared for. Her respect only grew for him by the day. But she knew it was a lot more than respect she was starting to feel for him. Her heart was involved now, and she didn’t know exactly what to do about it.

  “Anything you need before we head back to the house?” Rex asked.

  “Nothing I need, but I could really go for some greasy food right now.”

  He laughed. “What, have I been cooking too healthy for you?”

  “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful.” She looked over at him. Gone were the tense shoulders and furrowed brow that had been his trademark since the beginning of their time together. He was finally starting to relax. She thought they were both beginning to realize they may have been wrong about Sean. And that everything was going to be okay after all. If all went as planned, she’d be getting back to her photography business soon.

  “No, I get it. What kind of greasy food are you looking for? Something like burgers and fries? I know you said you didn’t want pizza again for a while and that’s totally normal after what had happened.”

  “Yeah, poisoning will do that to a person.” As they exited the Atlanta highway and turned onto one of the side streets, she found herself actually thanking God. Just for being alive. Having more opportunity to live and do something meaningful with her life.

  “Then, cheeseburgers and greasy fries it is.”

  “Awesome. Thank you.” She looked over at Rex, expecting him to be smiling, but he wasn’t. In fact, he had a big frown on his face, the first she’d seen in days.

  Then she saw that his eyes were glued to the rearview mirror. She turned around to see what had captured his attention. “What is it?”

  “Probably nothing, but just being cautious.”

  “You’re not looking as if it’s nothing.” Just as the words came out of her mouth, he floored it, throwing her off balance. Thankfully, she had a seat belt on.

  “Hang on,” he said, his voice strained.

  She braced herself, but couldn’t help but look back again. That was when she saw the large, dark SUV gaining on them. The headlights were bright and barreling down on them.

  “That isn’t just an aggressive driver, is it?”

  “I don’t think so. Let me speed up to see what happens.”

  “How much power does your Jeep have?”

  “Enough. Especially with me driving.” He punched the accelerator and put some distance between them and the SUV.

  She took a few deep breaths to ste
ady herself. This wasn’t her first car chase. She’d been involved in a few nasty ones during her time at the CIA. But she preferred to be behind the wheel. Having no choice now, she relinquished total control to Rex.

  He kept up the furious pace, but the SUV was gaining on them.

  Suddenly, she was thrown forward when the other car rammed them in the rear. “This isn’t just fun and games. He’s trying to hurt us.”

  “Agreed. I’m going to pull a fast turn when I find the perfect street, so be prepared. He still might hit us.”

  “I have my Glock. Please let me take a shot. If he’s driving solo, he can’t get to me.”

  “It’s too risky.”

  Disabling the SUV would be their best chance to get away from this guy. She knew the area of town they were in now and there weren’t going to be good options for taking a quick turn. “I’m sorry, Rex. I’m going to have to take action on this one. I promise I know what I’m doing.”

  She saw him visibly tense as he gripped the wheel even more tightly. “I can see that I can’t talk you out of this.”

  “No. Just let me take a shot. It might get him off our tail.”

  “All right. But I can’t slow down too much or we’ll suffer a direct hit.”

  “I’ve got this, Rex. This isn’t my first rodeo.” Her statement put the smallest of smiles on his face. She pulled her Glock out of her purse and unfastened her seat belt.

  “If you can’t get a clear shot, get back in as quick as possible.”

  “Roger that,” she said. In that moment, as pure adrenaline surged through her body, she realized there was a part of her that missed the feeling of being in the field. She rolled down the window and positioned herself where the SUV was in her direct line of sight. She could shoot left-handed if she needed to, but she was more precise with her right.

  Lord, if You’re still listening to my prayers, I could use Your help right now. Her hand steady and her aim solid, she took the shot. The glass of the front windshield of the SUV shattered. The bullet hit the passenger side, which was exactly where she’d aimed. Unlike the killer, she wasn’t trying to murder—just destabilize. And that was enough to get the result she wanted.

  The driver of the SUV slammed on the brakes. Mission accomplished.

  Not wasting any time, she slid back into the passenger seat and fastened her seat belt. Her heart raced, but it was well worth it.

  “Good job, Lily. That was impressive.”

  “I told you I was a good shot.”

  She looked back and didn’t see any sign of the SUV.

  Finally able to let out a breath, she gathered her thoughts. “What are we going to do?”

  “Sorry, Lily, the burger and fries will have to wait. We’re going to head back to the house, and I’m going to start making calls.”

  “You don’t think that was a random attack, do you?”

  “Of course not. And neither do you. Either the hired gun is still coming after you, or it’s a much worse alternative.”

  “What is that?”

  “The real killer is on the hunt, and he won’t stop until you’re dead.”

  TEN

  A man of his word, Rex made plenty of calls once they had gotten back to his house. Currently he was being joined in his kitchen by Derrick and Eliza, with two other FBI agents standing temporary guard outside. Lily was also there, refusing to be left out of the loop. And he couldn’t blame her. This wasn’t the time to cut her out.

  “We can’t get ahead of ourselves,” Eliza said. “There is still a possibility that this attack had absolutely nothing to do with the serial killer. This is Atlanta. You were in an area that has a good amount of crime. It’s not unheard of for things like this to happen.”

  “Eliza,” Rex said, refusing to hold back. “I’m beginning to think that unless you’re face-to-face with Lily’s dead body, nothing is going to make you think this killer is still out there.”

  Eliza physically recoiled in her seat, eyes wide. She frowned. “Rex, you can’t believe that’s true.”

  “Rex, don’t take this out on her,” Lily said. “She’s just trying to be objective here.”

  “Everyone needs to start looking at this entire situation from a logical perspective,” Rex said. “No one really thought that Sean was capable of this to begin with. But because of the supposedly solid evidence, everyone rushed to judgment and wanted a quick trial and guilty verdict. But I don’t see how we can ignore the facts right in front of us. It is much more likely that Sean is not our man. And if the real killer did come after Lily tonight, I wouldn’t be surprised if another dead body turned up soon. This guy will only be able to suppress his emotional impulse to kill for so long.” He was done biting his tongue and being a team player. If his FBI counterparts wanted to stick their heads in the sand, he had to be the one to open their eyes.

  “That still doesn’t explain away all the evidence we do have against Sean,” Eliza said.

  “But evidence can be planted and fabricated. Someone skilled with computers could’ve set up that wire transfer. That’s just one example. The shrine to the victims at his place could’ve been planted there at the time when the killer knew the police and FBI would be searching it. It’s not outside the realm of possibility that the killer had a master setup plan to frame Sean from the beginning.”

  “I agree with Lily,” Derrick said. “I know I’m biased because Sean is one of my men, but I’ve always said that I didn’t think he was the one. We can’t start coming up with illogical scenarios to explain away what happened to Lily and Rex tonight. The chance of that being a random attack is remote at best.”

  Rex could see that Eliza still wasn’t totally on board. And the fact was that he needed her solid support to make a case to the FBI that the full security team needed to be put back in place. And that the case was far from closed. “Eliza, what additional proof do you need?”

  “I’m just trying to figure out how this all fits together,” Eliza responded. “I do admit that this latest attack on you can’t be discounted. There’s always a risk that Sean was framed, even though I think it’s a small one. So in this case, Rex, I’ll go to bat for you to try to obtain additional FBI security. It doesn’t matter if my opinion ultimately remains unchanged.” Eliza shifted her focus toward Lily. “Because, frankly, I’m not willing to risk your life. I don’t care about my ego in this.”

  “Good. I appreciate any backup I can get with the FBI higher-ups,” Rex said. Having Eliza’s support would definitely strengthen his cause.

  “I am also looping in Steffie Hood. She should know about this,” Eliza said.

  Lily scoffed. “Believe me, there’s nothing you could say to change that woman’s mind. She’s going full steam ahead with Sean’s prosecution.”

  “Well, regardless, I plan on giving her a complete report. What she does with the information is on her and the DA’s office.” Eliza stood up. “I’m going to get out of here and start making phone calls. Including the one to your boss, Rex. I’ll circle back around with you.”

  “And since you’re my ride, I’m out of here, too,” Derrick said. “If there’s anything I can do from the APD side, I’m here.”

  “Thanks. We have the two FBI agents providing security for the night while my boss considers his next move,” Rex said. “So we should be fine here.”

  With that, Eliza and Derrick walked out of the kitchen, leaving Rex alone with Lily. He stifled the urge to reach out and wrap his arms around her. “What are you thinking?” he asked.

  “I think this latest incident is solid proof that Sean is innocent. I just don’t buy the argument that we were a victim of random Atlanta road rage.”

  “We’re both on the same page.”

  Grace barked loudly.

  “I’m glad she wasn’t in the car with us ton
ight,” Lily said.

  The truth was, Grace and Lily had both taken up residence in his heart. It was getting more and more difficult to imagine life without them. “Me, too.”

  “She seems to have really adjusted well to your place,” she said.

  “Yeah, she has.” He had to hold back saying what he truly felt. That he wanted Lily to be adjusted to his place, too. Would a relationship with this woman be possible? It was certainly something he was praying for. He didn’t want to push the issue, especially during such a dangerous and stressful time. But once this killer was put away, Rex intended to ask Lily on a proper date.

  “So we wait to hear what the FBI does before we make our next move?” Lily asked.

  “Yes.” Tired of fighting his impulse to touch her, he reached out and took her hand in his. “You were great out there tonight. In addition to the stellar shot, you never lost your cool.”

  She smiled. “We make a good team.”

  “Yes, we do.” Dare he take a chance and say something again about his feelings for her that kept getting stronger by the day?

  “What is it?” Lily asked. “You’re looking at me strangely.”

  He considered his words carefully as he looked into her eyes. There was so much he wanted to say, but mere words didn’t seem to cut it at the moment.

  He slowly leaned in toward her and reached out to touch her cheek. Then he brushed his lips gently against hers, only allowing himself to linger a moment. He pulled back and looked into her bright blue eyes, which were wide with surprise.

  She didn’t say a word, but there was something in the way she looked at him that made him think she felt something for him, too. The kiss had been brief, but it had told him everything he needed to know.

  * * *

  The next morning, Lily stood in the living room and was still reeling from Rex’s kiss. It had only lasted a second, but it had been filled with so much promise, making it even harder for her to process her own feelings. She was scared of how attached she was becoming to Rex. And that kiss solidified what she had already feared—she was falling for this man.