“Don’t you think it’s time to tell me about your marriage?”
Dan winced. “I didn’t want to frighten you off by thinking I had hang-ups about her and remarriage. I don’t have any ties to her, or any children. My marriage couldn’t survive my job. Kristi was a very needy person. She needed a lot of attention and didn’t have many activities or friends of her own. I came home one day to find her sleeping with my partner who I thought was my best friend. I even saved the bastard’s life in ‘Nam. He repaid me by stealing my wife. That’s why it took me so long to get involved with another woman. I didn’t trust them. I’ve been satisfied to date a woman only a time or two. It’s different with you, Andi. I knew that the moment we met. It was like I was sleepwalking where emotions were concerned. You looked into my eyes and gave me a wake-up slap in the face. My brain and body were flooded with contradictory emotions. Now, my wits are clear as a bell. I’m in love with you, Andrea Arquette, and I want us to spend more time together, every free moment we have. If living together works out for us, then we can talk about marriage. How about it?”
“The old ‘Try the product before you purchase it and make the first payment’ line? Later, it’s ‘Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free’? I don’t know, Dan. I’ll have to think about it seriously. This came out of the blue for me.”
“I didn’t mean it like that, Andi, so get that look out of those beautiful green eyes. I just want to make sure this time. Is that so terrible?”
“I had a bad experience, too. That’s why you’re the first man I’ve dated more than once or twice in years. We women don’t have many good choices these days. The great men are married. Those who’ve never been married have hang-ups. The divorced ones have trunks of troubles on their backs with clingy or spiteful ex-wives, resentful children, and embittered ex-in-laws. I don’t want to take on other people’s problems. Life is hard enough without them. And marriage is impossible with them hanging around your necks like cement weights when you’re trying to learn to swim in a new pond.”
“You don’t have to worry about me, Andi. I don’t have any connections to my past, or any hang-ups about it. We have something special. Let’s not lose it or mess it up.” No connections to your past? Liar! You have a frigging hit out on you! Dumb ass, you’re practically in witness protection! What if they find you and your weakness? Good Lord, man, you’re putting her life in jeopardy! What if the Avenger comes after Andi if I get too close and piss him off? You have to be free of those two threats before you pull her into the line of fire. Don’t let your selfishness and greed get her killed.
Andrea saw the rapid and conflicting emotions that flashed across his face, tensed his virile body, and darkened his gaze. Yes, he was scared and worried, but about more than a relationship with her. He had pressed too soon and too hard, and he knew it. Help him make a logical retreat, for both our sakes. “Just give me some more time, Dan, and you’ll have my answer. This is happening so fast and unexpectedly; we’re both so busy with our work right now. We’re still getting to know each other.”
“If we were living together, you could learn all about my bad habits.”
“I hope you don’t have any major ones. If you do, I haven’t noticed. I just don’t want you to blind me with your charms, and you have tons of them. How about a compromise? Give us a month, Dan. You solve your case and we’ll work through our anxieties. And we get a bigger place. Agreed?”
“How about September as D-Day? My lease is up then so we can get a larger place together.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, Andi, I am.”
“All right, Dan. I should have everything in my life settled and sorted by then.”
“In that case, Andi, I’d better get going. That gives me three weeks to put Mister Avenger behind bars. Maybe, as soon as we get moved, we can take a short vacation. We both need one, and my Montana cabin is the perfect place.”
“You have a cabin in Montana?”
“Yes, I inherited it from my grandparents. My parents used to take us up there all the time to visit them, and they knew how much that place meant to me. My brother worked with Grandpa in his construction business, so he passed that along to him, since he knew I had already found my place in law enforcement.”
“Were you very close to them?”
“Yes, I was. It took me a long time to get over their deaths, so the cabin helps me when I need to go sort out my problems. Grandpa is the one who taught me to fish. I guess that’s why I head to the lake when I need to think. But the lakes in Montana are beautiful. The cabin is located on the side of a mountain overlooking a small pond. When it snows and the water freezes over...” Dan’s voice trailed off. “Well, how does that commercial go? ‘It just doesn’t get any better than this.’ I’d love to take you there and show it to you sometime. You’d love it, I promise. The cabin is old, but it’s solid and well kept. They don’t make things like that anymore.”
“Sounds exciting and romantic, Dan, just like you.”
“I’d love to take my permanent roommate with me. If I get this case solved, I’m sure I can convince the Captain to give me a week off. You’ll love Montana and the cabin.” Dan wanted to tell her everything about his past before she agreed to marry him, but now wasn’t the time. Maybe while they were in the cabin, away from all the perils and distractions, he could share his painful past with her.
“Then, get busy, Lieutenant, so we’ll be free to leave if I can get the time off. I’ll work like a slave for Ray so all of our cases will be finalized or easily handed off to another assistant. Just be understanding when I have to work late or on weekends. I’ll do my best to clear my schedule for moving and Montana. September first, Lieutenant Mallory, it’s a Decision Date.”
Late Thursday, August 16th
Dan picked up his interoffice mail and noticed a faxed report from the State Crime Lab. The contact lens that was found under Manuel Green’s leg was a unique kind that was under research in the United States and awaiting FDA approval. The lens was being made and tested by Eye-Tech and selected doctors around the country were helping with the research by using ten of their patients who qualified for the lens. The Rigid Gas Permeable bifocal lens bent light rays to achieve two three-dimensional holographic pictures, one corrected for near vision and one for distance. The eye automatically chose the sharper, focused image and rejected the unfocused one. It was available in England, but not in the United States, which should make it easy to trace. A quick phone call to Eye-Tech, and Dan was holding a list of optometrists who were involved in the research project. One was local: Doctor Robinson Wellesley. Dan grinned as he realized the Avenger had finally made his mistake. “Gotcha!” he said with gleeful anticipation.
Dan surprised Andrea hours later when he dropped by her condo unannounced. When she opened the door, he grabbed her and hugged her tight.
“Well, you’re certainly in a good mood,” Andrea teased when Dan finally released her. “What has you so excited?”
“The contact lens I told you about? The one on Manuel Greene’s leg? I got a fax from Eye-Tech. It’s a special lens they’re testing in the United States while awaiting FDA approval. One of the doctors in on the research is here in Augusta, Georgia.”
“You’re kidding! Dan, that’s great. What did he tell you?”
“He was out of the office for the day. He’ll be back in the morning. I guess I could get a warrant for his files, but Doctor Wellesley would be back by the time I could get everything together. I’m sorry I cancelled our dinner plans, but I thought I’d be following up with the patients who wear these special contacts.”
“Since you weren’t coming for dinner, I’ve already eaten. But I can heat you up some of the pasta I had left, if you’re hungry?”
Dan noticed an empty plate on the end table next to her chair. Her briefcase was beside it with legal pads thrown on the floor. “Working?”
“Trying to catch up. No, get ahead. It’s been a hectic few weeks.
”
“And my pulling you to help with the Avenger case increased your load even more, didn’t it? I’m sorry, Andi.”
“Trust me, Dan. The benefits have far outweighed any consequences. I didn’t mind helping at all. I’m tying up loose ends for Montana.”
Dan noticed the Bible opened on the floor. “Are you praying for some divine intervention for us?”
“What?”
“The Bible,” Dan motioned to the floor.
“Oh, I was trying to find the scripture the Avenger used to see if there’s anything about it that might give you a clue to his identity. I thought if I read the entire passage, something might stick out to me.”
“Has it?”
“No. I knew it was a long shot, but I wanted to try. Why don’t you read it and see if you notice anything? It’s open to the right page. I’ll move these papers out of the way and get you some dinner heated up while you look at it.”
“You don’t have to do that, Andi.”
“I know, but it will only take a second. Maybe something will stick out in your head that didn’t in mine,” Andrea said as she gathered the papers, put them in her briefcase and took it to her bedroom.
Dan heard her in the kitchen heating up a plate of food for him. Man, she was one of a kind. What had he done to deserve this? He’d called and cancelled their dinner plans at the last minute. Instead of being mad at him as many women would have been, she’d come home and tried to help him with the case. Now, she was fixing him dinner while he studied the phrases some more.
“Find anything?” Andrea asked as she returned with a steaming plate of pasta and vegetables and a large glass of tea.
“What?”
“In the passages. Did anything stick out to you?”
Not wanting to be caught daydreaming, Dan declined to tell her he hadn’t even glanced at the Bible. He’d have to remember to look tomorrow. “No, nothing. This looks delicious, Andi. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
“I don’t want to keep you from working. I just came by to share the news about the contacts with you.”
“That’s all right. I wasn’t really in the mood to work anyway. My intentions were good when I left work, but I think I’m just too tired and distracted to concentrate.”
“How about I give you a back rub after I finish eating?” Dan could tell he scored big points when her eyes lit up.
“That would be great. My shoulders hurt from sitting at the computer all day.”
“Well, it’s about time I returned a little bit of that TLC you’ve been giving me. If I want to keep getting spoiled, I’ve got to do a little spoiling of my own. It seems like I end up canceling more times than I can make it.”
“Dan, you’ve got a high profile serial killer on your hands. I’d be a total bitch not to understand that. That doesn’t mean you need to back out of the back rub, though.”
“Not a chance, Andi.”
“I like this kind of payback.”
“Me, too.”
Friday morning, August 17th
“I’m sorry I wasn’t in the office when you called yesterday. I had a conference in Atlanta. What can I do to help you?”
Dan told Doctor Robinson Wellesley about the contact lens that was found on the Avenger’s latest victim, and the list that Eye-Tech had faxed him yesterday.
“And you’re hoping I’ll be able to tell you whose lens it is. I’m sorry, Lieutenant. The prescription won’t help you locate the right patient, because the lens is the same for all of them. When the soft lens is soaked and inserted into the eye, it conforms to the eye shape during wear. The lenses are worn for a month, then taken out and cleansed thoroughly. The eyes rest overnight, then the lens are reinserted for another month. It will be impossible to tell whose contact that is.”
“How many patients have you prescribed with this particular lens?”
“Each doctor is given ten pair. Five for males and five for females.”
“Could I get a list of the male patients?”
“Sure. Let me check with my secretary, and I’ll have her pull that information for you. I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful.”
“You’ve given me five possibles. That’s more than I had this morning.”
Doctor Wellesley returned with a sheet of paper. On it were five names and addresses. “I had my secretary pull the files to see if anyone had come in to get a new lens since August ninth or tenth. Apparently, two patients have reported losing a lens since that day. I put a mark beside their names. If there’s anything else I can do for you, Lieutenant, please let me know.”
“What do the letters stand for beside the names?” Dan asked.
“I asked her to designate the colors of the lens beside the person’s name. You indicated that the lens you found was colored, so I thought that might be helpful.”
Dan looked at the list. Two of the lenses were clear, one was brown, one was green, and one was blue. The two patients with a missing lens had an asterisk beside them. One was a clear lens. Dan stared at the patient’s name with the asterisk and the “G”. Wayne Binder, age thirty-three, had come in on August tenth to get another green contact lens, the same type and color lens that had been found underneath the last victim. Maybe his luck was turning around. “Thanks, Doctor Wellesley.”
“You’re welcome. If there’s anything else I can do, please let me know.”
“Just keep your files in a safe place.”
Dan headed to the precinct to update Mory and see if his partner wanted to ride with him to check out this new lead.
“Tom, would you check and see if Wayne Binder has a police file? Call me as soon as you get something,” Dan hung up the phone and asked, “Anything?”
“He doesn’t show up anywhere on the printout,” Mory responded. “I’ve double checked, and I don’t see his name anywhere.”
Dan answered the phone on the first ring and talked for a few minutes. “Thanks, Tom,” he said as he replaced the receiver.
“What did you find out? Has Wayne ever been arrested?”
“Didn’t you say that Greene’s dog was missing?”
“Yeah, why?”
“An animal lover drove by the park and witnessed what he called a strange man muttering to himself while he buried a dog. He got the culprit’s number and reported the incident to the police. It was Binder’s. That was on Friday, August tenth.”
“Greene was killed on the ninth,” Mory stated, the familiar adrenaline starting to course through his veins.
“On the tenth, Binder went to get another lens, a special lens that only a few patients in the United States are wearing.”
“Maybe he lost his on the back of Greene’s leg. Let’s go, Dan.”
Chapter Eighteen
Friday morning, August 17th
“This is it: Fifty-four, forty-nine. Let’s go see what Binder has to say about that dog he buried and his missing contact lens,” Mory said, as Dan halted his car in front of the small two-story brick house and parked it. A man answered the summons to the door dressed in old blue jeans and a white tank undershirt. He looked as if he’d been asleep and was none too happy about being awakened.
“What do you want?”
“Are you Wayne Binder?” Mory asked.
“What’s it to you?”
After showing their badges and revealing their identities, Dan explained, “We’re following up on a report we received two days ago that said you buried a dog last week on the tenth. We’d like to ask you a few questions about that incident.”
“I told the other cops when they was here. That dog was mean and dangerous, always growling and snapping at everybody, so I killed him. I thought I was doing good by putting his vicious ass in the ground, but that seems to have bit me on the butt.”
“What kind of dog was it?”
“A pit bull with big teeth, sharp toenails and a nasty attitude. I was scared he was gonna bite one of the neighbors or company. I tried everything to keep him confin
ed: a fence, a neck chain, one of those shocking gadgets. Nothing worked on that sneaky beast, so I took care of him before he did anything bad. The way people are suing these days, I couldn’t afford to have him bite nobody. Surely, you boys understand the liability of having a crazed dog. I didn’t want him hurting no kids, you know? They couldn’t have defended themselves against such a huge animal. It wouldn’t be fair to them to keep a mad dog around when it wouldn’t stay penned up.”
“Why don’t you take us to where you buried him?” Dan asked. His instincts told him there was more to this matter than Binder was telling them. Something wasn’t right.
“I don’t remember exactly where I did it. I was upset. I loved my dog before he went looney, but I couldn’t let him hurt anybody.”
“That’s fine. I’m sure it’s in the report where the witness claims to have seen you bury him. We can pull the report and go check out the site. But it would look better for you if you come clean with us first.”
“Hey, it ain’t against the law to kill a mad dog. Better than letting him bite some kid or company and get sued. Then, you’d be out here singing a different tune about why I hadn’t done anything about him when I knew he could hurt somebody. Course, you wouldn’t be sleeping on the streets with me when I lost my house in some million dollar lawsuit, would you? So, why do you care so much?”
“Why didn’t you let your vet put the dog to sleep?” Dan countered.
“Why should I pay a vet a lot of money for a job I coulda done?”
Dan asked, “Do you mind if we look around? See those measures you took before killing him? Just to satisfy ourselves?”
“Why are you so interested in my dog’s death? He was a mean old fart who could’ve been big trouble if he attacked anybody.”
Dan noticed Wayne was becoming visibly nervous. His belligerent tone had changed to a near whine and quavered in panic. “We’ll explain later. Do we have your permission to look around?” he repeated.
“Why not? Sure, go ahead.”
Wayne stepped back to allow them to enter his home. He told them the general layout of the house and went to sit in a chair in the den area while Dan and Mory looked around the place.
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