Parker chuckled and bent to kiss her good-bye. “I love you, Rainie mine. Come to work early this morning.”
“Why come early?”
His mouth tipped into a slow, devilish grin. “You think I’m finished with you, lady? Think again. I want to make up for all the lost time.”
“But where? The arena is filled with people.”
“The office isn’t, and neither is my house. Maybe we’ll compare tables and see which is best, yours or mine.”
Rainie giggled and flapped her hand at him, convinced he was teasing. But an hour later when she arrived at the ranch, she quickly found out otherwise.
The weeks wore on, and still Peter Danning didn’t show his face in Crystal Falls. Concerned, Rainie went to Loni for a reading several different times, but Parker’s clairvoyant sister-in-law could pick up nothing about Peter by touching Rainie’s hand.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “It happens this way sometimes. I just can’t see.”
During the hours after dark and before dawn, Rainie and Parker made love as much as possible, but despite their insatiable desire for each other, there were physical limitations that sometimes dictated. When they were too tired to explore each other’s bodies, they fell into the habit of exploring each other’s minds. Parker shared his saddest and happiest memories with her, and soon Rainie found herself doing the same. For so long, she’d felt distanced from her past, but being with Parker had enabled her to recall moments that had once meant so much to her.
He held her especially close when she told him about all her failed attempts to find her grandparents after her father’s death and tried to explain how sad it made her feel to know that their children would never know her side of the family. “My mom was an orphan, and my father severed all ties with his relatives. If we ever do a family tree, my side will have no branches, and if our kids have physical or character traits that aren’t obviously Harrigan in origin, I won’t be able to tell them what individual in my lineage passed those traits down to them.”
“Ah, Rainie, if I could find your grandparents for you, I would.”
A tight sensation came into her chest. “Yes, well, finding them would be no guarantee that they’d be interested in meeting me, so maybe it’s better this way. I can pretend that they would have wanted to meet me if only they’d known I existed.”
Parker talked with her about his sadness over his mother’s death. “It wasn’t just losin’ my mother that devastated our family. My dad was never quite the same after she died, so in a way, we lost part of him, too. We Harrigan men only love that way once, and Mom was it for him. He cares very deeply for Dee Dee, don’t get me wrong, but it’s more a strong friendship and affection that he feels for her than a romantic, once-in-a-lifetime kind of love.”
“Does that bother her?”
He smiled slightly. “Nah. They got together when they were older. Neither of them expected fireworks. They get along well and enjoy each other’s company. After workin’ for him for so many years, she’s like a mother to us kids. What they have is special in its way. I’m so glad Dad has her in his life now. He spent enough years alone.”
“What was your mother like? Can you remember her?”
“Some of my memories are dim, others as clear as if they happened yesterday. She was tiny like Samantha, and pretty as a picture. I can still remember the sound of her voice, which was soft and almost musical, but what I remember most clearly is her laugh. You know how some people just let go and when you hear them laugh, you can’t help but chuckle, too? That was what her laugh was like, and she laughed a lot, one of those people who could always find humor in almost any situation. Dad says she was the light of his life, and I truly believe she was.”
Rainie cupped her hand to his lean cheek. “There you go, talking about inner light again.”
He smiled and caught her thumb in his teeth. “Maybe that’s because yours shines so bright.”
Several weeks after Rainie filed for divorce, special agents Slaughter and Simpson returned to Crystal Falls and requested another meeting. As before, the gathering took place in Parker’s kitchen. This time, the meeting was much more relaxed. Rainie’s attorney wasn’t present, and Parker served some of Dee Dee’s peanut-butter cookies to go with the coffee.
Special Agent Simpson opened the dialogue with, “I’m sure you’ve probably guessed our reason for wanting to meet with you today.”
Beneath the table, Rainie threaded her fingers through Parker’s. “I’m assuming it’s because Peter has yet to make a move, and you’re coming to think that he may not.”
The blonde nodded. “Exactly. When we went into this, we fully expected the situation to pop right away, but evidently Danning is smarter than we thought.” She smiled and shrugged. “We’re not happy about that. It was our hope to nail him, drag a confession out of him, and put him behind bars for the rest of his natural life, but it doesn’t appear that it’s going to play out that way.”
“You surely aren’t plannin’ to leave Rainie high and dry.” Parker’s body stiffened. “You gave her your word that she would have ’round-the-clock protection. You gave me your word on it, too.”
“We have no intention of leaving Ms. Hall high and dry, Mr. Harrigan. But we can’t ignore the fact that final dissolution of the marriage is a mere two weeks away. Once that occurs, it is our belief that the danger to her will be over.”
“So you’ll continue to protect her until the divorce is final, and then you’re out of here?”
“At that point, she’ll no longer need us.”
“Bullshit,” Parker said. “Are you forgettin’ that Danning is certifiably nuts and totally unpredictable? How can you think he’ll just let her go?”
Special Agent Slaughter cleared his throat and said, “Danning is inarguably crazy. We agree with you about that. But it isn’t entirely accurate to say that he’s unpredictable. Serial killers are infamous for establishing a murder pattern.”
“He’s not your run-of-the-mill serial killer,” Parker shot back.
“True, but when you trim away the expensive suit, all the polish, and the meticulous planning, he isn’t really so different from all the others,” Slaughter replied. “We brought in an FBI profiler to do a case study on him, and the first thing he picked up on is that Danning, like most serial killers, follows the same pattern, time after time. Danning may think he’s brilliant and absolutely unique because of the way he goes about killing his victims, but in truth, he is fundamentally similar to every other serial killer we’ve profiled.”
“I’m still not clear on how that makes Rainie safe once the divorce is final.”
Slaughter took a sip of his coffee. “I completely understand your alarm, Mr. Harrigan. But, please, just hear us out.” When Parker sat back to listen, the agent continued. “If you look at every infamous serial killer on record, they all follow basically the same pattern. First there’s the hunt for a victim. Some killers are opportunists who hang around in public places, waiting for a woman who fits their criteria to happen along. If she seems vulnerable, he strikes. In Danning’s case, the hunt is more a matter of research.”
“He has very specific victim criteria,” Parker inserted.
“Yes,” Slaughter agreed. “He looks for young, lovely, gullible, and wealthy young women with no family and few friends. But other serial killers have specific criteria as well. Bundy, for instance, targeted young women who bore a striking resemblance to one another. Many psychologists believe that he was exacting revenge against some female figure in his past and chose victims who looked like her.”
“I’m still not gettin’ how that relates to Danning.”
“Hear me out, and perhaps you will.” Slaughter chose a cookie from the platter but then set it aside on a napkin, forgetting to eat it as he warmed to his subject. “After the hunt is successfully executed, the killer captures his prey. Bundy usually lured his victims into his car, charmed them into trusting him, and then disabled them. Danning lur
es his victims into marriage, charms them out of their money, and also renders them helpless. At this stage, there usually follows a period of torture, sometimes brief in duration, sometimes long, depending upon the killer’s pattern. Bundy’s attacks were brief but brutal. Danning prefers to toy with his victims over a long period of time.”
Rainie shivered and closed her eyes.
“I’m sorry,” Slaughter said softly. “I know this is an unpleasant conversation for you, Ms. Hall, but I think both you and Mr. Harrigan need to see the similarities between Danning and someone like Bundy in order for me to put your minds at ease.”
Rainie lifted her lashes, steeled her spine, and nodded.
“The period of brutality,” Slaughter went on, “is normally sexually arousing for the serial killer, and it’s common for him to be almost ritualistic in its execution, sometimes to a point that he leaves what we call his trademark at every crime scene. Bundy often viciously bit his victims, for instance, and that became one of his trademarks. After the torture period, be it brief or prolonged, the killer finally murders his victim. At this point, he is high on adrenaline and the thrill of the kill. Outwitting law enforcement and getting away with the murder is his finale, what turns his crank the most, because it makes him feel superior to the poor cops who are chasing their tails, trying to nail him. Most serial killers are very charming and intelligent individuals. They’re often high achievers in school and later in their professional lives.” He leveled a look at Rainie. “Is any of this striking a chord with you?”
Rainie nodded. “You’re describing Peter, almost to a tee.”
“Exactly. His pattern is different on the surface but fundamentally the same, and that pattern is extremely important to him. It’s a game to him, and the only way he’ll play is by his rules.”
“Where are you goin’ with this?” Parker asked.
“Things haven’t gone according to Danning’s plan, and now we believe he’s decided not to play.” He raised a finger to forestall Parker from interrupting again. “First off, Ms. Hall vanished without a trace right before he intended to kill her.” He raised another finger. “Then he came under suspicion for killing her. Not his usual pattern. Part of the thrill for him is murdering his victims without the cops ever suspecting foul play. After Ms. Hall thwarted him and he came under suspicion, things began to fall apart for him. Unwilling to give up, he hired a pricey investigator to locate Ms. Hall, but she was so clever that finding her wasn’t easy. Before the investigator could track her down, she threw yet another wrench in the fan blades by filing for divorce.”
“But—”
“Just hear me out,” Slaughter requested of Parker again. “Danning has undoubtedly considered this situation from all angles and knows that he will fall under suspicion again if anything happens to Ms. Hall prior to dissolution of the marriage. If he waits until after dissolution, he can’t walk away with her money. Two important aspects of the game have been ruined for him. In short, the gratification he usually feels won’t occur, so the fun is gone.”
“The fun?” Parker echoed.
“I know it’s sick,” Simpson inserted, “but he’s obviously a very sick man. The profiler feels that the danger to Ms. Hall is nearly over. Once the divorce is final, Danning’s usual pattern is blown to smithereens, and the pattern is everything to him, a ritual of sorts. He will eventually strike again, but he’ll choose a different victim—someone who fits his criteria in every way. Ms. Hall no longer does. He could never woo her again, or lure her into the trap. That being the case, he’ll move on and find a young woman who will play the game according to his rules.”
Rainie sank back in her chair, utterly exhausted. “So if I can make it through the next two weeks until the divorce is final, I’ll be safe from him.”
“Absolutely safe.” Simpson smiled. “You can put Peter Danning and the past behind you forever, moving forward with your life.”
That sounded so wonderful to Rainie. She squeezed Parker’s hand and smiled at him. “Two weeks, only two weeks, and I’ll be free.”
Parker didn’t return her smile. Instead he turned a burning gaze on Slaughter. “What if your profiler is wrong? Don’t they ever make mistakes?”
Slaughter chuckled. “Rarely. As difficult as it is for people like us to understand the workings of the criminal mind, that’s a profiler’s job, and he lives, breathes, eats, and sleeps inside their heads. This particular profiler specializes in serial killers. Danning fascinated him from the first because he’s so different from most serial killers on the surface, yet so much the same when the layers are peeled away. This man is very good at what he does. If he says Danning will back off and regroup once the divorce is final, I’m willing to go to the bank on it.”
“Rainie’s life hangs in the balance,” Parker reminded him. “You gave me your word that her safety would be your top priority.”
“And it is our top priority. We aren’t in the habit of asking people to cooperate with us and then leaving them to suffer the consequences, Mr. Harrigan. According to the profiler, Ms. Hall will be in more danger over the next two weeks than she’s ever been. The clock is ticking. Danning knows that time is running out. If he doesn’t strike soon, the game is over. To ensure Ms. Hall’s safety, we’re bringing in more agents to protect her until the clock strikes midnight.”
Parker at last relaxed on the chair. “So you think he may still make a move?”
Slaughter frowned thoughtfully. “My gut tells me it’s unlikely. It’s very risky business for him at this point, and he’s not in the habit of putting himself at risk in any way. But on the off chance that I’m wrong, it only makes sense to beef up security until the gavel drops. Once that occurs, the danger to Ms. Hall will be over.”
Simpson cradled her mug in her hands. “We aren’t the only ones who need to be extra cautious over the next two weeks,” she said, looking directly at Rainie. “You’ll be safe here on Mr. Harrigan’s ranch and safe while at your home. But when you’re driving to and fro, you’re more vulnerable. We’ll continue to have you tailed by two agents whenever you’re commuting, but to avoid detection, the car will continue to hang back. If you see someone thumbing for a ride, don’t stop. If someone is broken down along the road, call nine-one-one to get them help but don’t pull over. It’s important for you to realize that Danning may be getting desperate at this point and might make a move when you least expect it. Don’t forget that even for a second.”
“I could drive her back and forth,” Parker offered.
Simpson shook her head. “If you do that, Danning will know something’s up. She has to go it alone. If he decides to make a move, he’ll watch her for a while, learn her habits. An escort would send up a red flag.”
Parker sighed, then glanced at Rainie, his expression somber. “Don’t stop for anyone or anything. All right? I don’t care if you hit a deer. Call the cops and keep driving.”
“What if I get a flat tire or my car breaks down?”
“Roll up all the windows, lock the doors, and wait. Your tail won’t be far behind you.” Simpson set aside her coffee, pushed to her feet, and offered Rainie her hand. “We’re going to get through this, Ms. Hall, and in two weeks, it’ll be nothing more than a bad memory.”
Rainie stood to shake the woman’s hand. “I so appreciate all that you’ve done for me. I’ll never forget you.” She turned to Slaughter and expressed the same sentiments. “You’ve both been absolutely awesome.”
Slaughter took his cup over to the sink. Retracing his steps to the table, he said, “As we understand it, you’ve opted not to appear at the divorce hearing?”
Rainie hugged her waist. “I prefer not to see Peter again if I can avoid it. If the judge rules in his favor because I don’t appear, I honestly don’t care. My attorney says I will at least be awarded my inheritance money. That’s all that really matters to me.”
“I don’t blame you for not wanting to see him,” Simpson sympathized. “Let your attorney handle
it. Seeing Danning won’t make him lose any sleep at night.”
Rainie laughed humorlessly. “So . . . this is it, then?”
Slaughter rested a hand on her shoulder. “You won’t see us, but we’ll be there. Trust me on that. When the divorce is final, we’ll be in touch, probably to tell you we’re pulling the plug on the case. The only reason we might change our minds about that is if Danning does something suspicious.”
“Such as?” Parker asked as he came to slip an arm around Rainie’s waist.
“We’ve been monitoring his financial transactions. So far, we’ve noted nothing fishy. But if he should withdraw a large sum of cash from the bank or write a check to a suspicious individual, we’ll go on red alert. As I told you at our first meeting, we believe he hired White to kill one of his wives. He may try the same tactic again.”
After that meeting, Rainie was far less upset than she had anticipated. She now felt confident in her abilities to defend herself in a physical confrontation with Peter, and with the finality of the divorce fast approaching, she had to agree with the FBI that Peter had decided to cut his losses. She knew him. If he was going to come after her, he would do it before a judge could grant her a portion of their marital assets.
As the days passed, her complacency grew in some ways, and her anxiety mounted in others. Strings had been pulled to hasten the divorce proceedings, Peter had done very little to impede the progress, and she would soon be a free woman. During those final days, it was never far from her mind that the clock was ticking and that Peter might be gearing up for a last-minute onslaught. Even with Parker there at night to hold her in his arms, she began having trouble falling asleep, and once she did drift into slumber, she slept so fitfully that she got little rest.
One morning after yet another night of her tossing and turning, Parker suggested that she see a doctor for some tranquilizers. At first, Rainie protested, insisting that she didn’t want to become dependent on drugs in order to sleep.
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