by Nora Roberts
Jenny tightened her grip, swayed them back and forth. “You never think about the families of . . . You never really think about them, and what it’s like for them. You didn’t have to tell us,” she said as she drew back. “It has to be hard for you to talk about.”
“I didn’t plan to tell anyone. Just to live here, just to be here. But . . .” She looked at Xander. “Things changed.”
“She figured you’d probably pull back,” Xander commented. “Look at her different.”
“Xander—”
“Shut up. Some people put it together, one way or the other, and did that or went the other way and salivated for all the nitty-gritty details, so she’d pack it up and take off.”
“Some people aren’t worth spit. Is that what you thought of us?” Jenny demanded. “That’s insulting.”
“I—”
“You should apologize.”
“I . . . I’m sorry?”
“Accepted. Kevin, accepted?”
He half smiled at his beer. “Yeah.”
When Naomi covered her face with her hands, fought for composure, Jenny stabbed a finger at Xander, then at Naomi. Fisted her hands on her hips until he stepped over, put his arms around Naomi.
“Cut it out.”
“Oh, give her a minute,” Jenny snapped. “Where’s my wine?” She swung back to Kevin to take it, and swiped at tears. “I need a minute, too, and all I can see is a little girl only a few years older than Maddy dealing with what no little girl should even know exists. If you don’t want anyone else to know, Naomi, no one will. You can trust us.” On a huff, she pulled Naomi from Xander. “Hell, men are no good at times like this. We’re going inside for a few minutes. I’m taking the wine.”
“She’s one in a million,” Xander said as Jenny pulled Naomi into the house.
“Which one of them?”
“Looks like both. We’re lucky bastards.”
“Yeah, we are. Now tell me what Bowes has to do with Marla and Donna, and whoever was around here today.”
“I’m going to.”
Xander sat down, and did.
—
In the morning, Naomi set a mug under the coffee machine when she heard Mason coming down the back stairs. And turned to take the plate she’d already prepared out of the warmer when he stepped into the kitchen.
“Coffee and a hot breakfast? I may have to relocate. Whoa, eggs Benedict? Seriously?”
“I was in the mood to cook, and Xander’s fond. You’re wearing your suit again.”
“It’s what we do in the Bureau. I know I got in late. Since Xander’s going to be here, I may bunk in town off and on. More on than off probably until we finish this. Thanks.”
He took the coffee, drank. “But I’m not going to get eggs Benedict and coffee this good at the diner.”
“Will you finish it, Mason?”
He looked at her, those clear brown eyes—like their father’s. Nothing like their father’s.
“I won’t stop until it’s finished. He wears a size ten Wolverine Sentinel. Some wear on the treads so he’s had them awhile.”
“You found that already, from a boot print.”
“It’s what we do in the Bureau,” he said again. “We figure him for between one-sixty and one-sixty-five, between five-ten and six feet. Going by shoe size, depth of print, stride. He’s white, he’s most likely around thirty. That’s a hell of a lot more than we had a few days ago.”
“Now we just have to figure out who I know who’s average height and weight, about my age, and wants to kill me.” She held up a hand before Mason could speak. “I’m not being sarcastic. It’s something I’m racking my brain over.”
“You may not know him. Or not realize you do. But he knows Bowes. I’m going to be going over all the visits and correspondence today—starting that. Then I’m going to go see him.”
“You’re . . . You’re going to West Virginia.”
“It’s unlikely anyone’s obsessed with Bowes’s daughter, has been killing in a way that mimics Bowes, and hasn’t had contact with him.”
She braced herself. “Should I go?”
“It may come to that, Naomi, but no. Let me make the first pass. If we get to the point that we believe you talking to him could help, can you do it?”
“It’s something I’ve thought about, asked myself. Yes. I can go back, I can see him. I can do that to save myself, and any other women this pseudo Bowes might target. Mason, it hasn’t been fear of Bowes—or not primarily that—keeping me from going back. It’s been the need to deny it. Maybe I had to keep denying it, in my way, until I could accept, fully. I let it define me in too many ways. I’m not going to let it define me anymore. I told Jenny and Kevin last night, and it’s okay.”
“It’s a hell of a good step toward defining yourself. You made the first one buying the house. You shifted your lines then, Naomi. You’ve kept shifting them, and making your own. You did what you needed to do until you could.”
“Xander loves me.”
“I noticed.”
“You would. I’m adjusting to having a man who loves me, and enough to wait until I’m ready to shift the lines. Last night I was able to tell him I loved him. As desperately as I wanted normal, I never believed I’d have someone who knew everything about me and loved me. Someone who could get past the blocks so I could love him. It feels . . . miraculous.”
“He’s who I’d pick for you, if I had a vote.”
“Even though you don’t, it means a lot. He’s moving in. Not just staying here, but moving in. God.” With a hand pressed to her heart, she blew out a breath. “It’s huge for me.”
“How do you feel about it?”
A shrink question as much as a brother’s, she thought. But even that was okay.
“Nervous. Not scared, just nervous. And happy. And baffled as apparently we’re now building a three-car garage.”
“The uncles are going to go nuts.”
“I know it. I’m going to wait until they meet him. They should meet him first. Probably. Mason, get this finished before they come. Get this finished.”
“I’m working on it.”
Twenty-nine
Within a day Xander moved everything he wanted into the house on the bluff. The books presented the biggest challenge. The library wouldn’t hold all of them.
“I never imagined this house would be too small for anything.”
He shrugged, studying the shelves, now filled with books. And the tubs on the floor, still full of them.
“You don’t want all your books in one place anyway. We should scatter some around.”
“There are too many to scatter.”
“Don’t even think about saying I should get rid of some.”
“Wouldn’t think of it.”
Maybe she had—just for an instant—and had just as quickly rejected the idea.
“I just don’t know where to put them. They don’t deserve to be stuck in tubs either. How will I know what’s in there I want to read?”
“Kevin could do another wall of books.”
“I’d love a wall of books,” she considered. “But I don’t know where.”
“Basement. You’re putting in a darkroom down there, right?”
“Yeah, sooner or later.”
“I could use some office space. Don’t need much, but somewhere for a desk and some files.”
“You don’t want an office in the basement.”
“Works for me,” he countered. “You’re out of my way, I’m out of yours, and there’s a hell of a lot of space down there. Plenty for a wall of books. They’re okay in tubs until. I’ll spring for the office and the wall, whatever goes with it.”
Which included, to his mind, doors leading out to the yard. But he didn’t see the point of front-loading that on.
“I’ve got money, Naomi. Investing it here instead of another rental—I’ve been looking at that—makes more sense right now. Plus I just got another rental since Jimmy’s moving into the a
partment over the garage. Gangly guy with the pitiful goatee deal? He works for me.”
“Yes, I met him. You . . . You’ve already rented it.”
“Jimmy graduates from trade school in June, wants his own place. And I like having someone over the garage. It’s a good deal on both sides as it comes mostly furnished. You don’t want the crap I had in there.”
“But don’t you?”
“I want the books. They’re nonnegotiable,” he said, idly picking up a worn paperback copy of The Illustrated Man. “Did you ever read this?”
“I saw the movie.”
“Not the same.” He pushed it into her hand. “It’s good. Anyway, unless you’ve got other plans or want to think about it, I can get Kevin thinking about office space and a wall of books.”
“Other than the darkroom, I didn’t and don’t have any plans for the basement.”
“Good. We’ll get on that. Worrying about what you’ve gotten yourself into?” he asked her.
“No. More wondering why I’m not. And I guess since I have some actual furniture coming tomorrow, we could scatter some books. Or at least consider their final location.”
She stuck the book in the back pocket of her jeans for later and would have picked up a tub, but he beat her to it. “They’re heavy,” he said.
“The little sitting area off the living room. That’s a good start.”
She led the way through the quiet house. Just the man and the dog, with all the workmen gone for the day. It didn’t seem smaller, she realized, now that she lived with a man and a dog. It seemed that was always what the house had in mind.
It seemed natural.
She mentally rearranged the sitting room furniture she’d yet to buy as she studied the space—added a funky plant stand with some interesting houseplant. And . . .
“There’s this open cabinet—four shelves—in the basement. I was going to use it outside for plants, but it would work right here for a bookcase—with knickknacks worked in. Books and maybe a couple of photos, some whatever. Metal frame, wood shelves.”
“I guess you want me to get that.”
“What’s the point in having a man around if he doesn’t get things from the basement?”
“Right.”
“Oh, you know, now that I see it here—in my head—Cecil has this old radio. You know, the dome-shaped vintage style. How cute would that be on the top of the case? It doesn’t work, but . . .”
“Doesn’t work doesn’t mean it can’t work.”
“And what’s the point in having a mechanical man around if he can’t fix a vintage radio that would be perfect in the sitting room? I think, yes, I think I’m getting used to it already.”
“I’ll get the case. How about if I see if I can get used to drinking your wine while we set it up?”
“An excellent idea.”
They drank wine, loaded books on shelves.
“Did you talk to Loo?”
“Yeah. She’s pissed. Not at you,” he said, reading Naomi’s face clearly. “Jesus, give her some credit. She’s pissed this bastard’s been stalking you since college. Pissed he killed Donna. And now she’s aware. A lot of people go into Loo’s. A lot who aren’t local, who stop in for a drink, some easy food. Or like they will Friday night to listen to the band. She’ll be looking.”
For a thirtyish guy with an average build in Wolverines, Naomi thought, but let it go.
“Mason’s going to West Virginia, to the prison, with someone from the BAU.”
“It couldn’t hurt.”
“They have some names.”
Xander dropped the book he’d just picked up. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t recognize any of them. But they’re going to interview anyone who sends up a flag—who’s corresponded with or visited Bowes multiple times, or whose correspondence sends up those flags.”
She picked up the book, set it on the shelf. “They’ll look into all of them. Lifestyle, travel, occupation.”
“Good. Nobody’s ever looked for him—not like this. And I’m not buying he’s so damn smart he’ll slip through now that they are.”
“Mason agrees with you. I’m working on getting there, too. He could be gone—from here, I mean. He could have moved on, at least for now.”
But when they found the body of Karen Fisher, part-time waitress, part-time prostitute from Lilliwaup, on the side of the road a half a mile from Point Bluff, they knew he hadn’t gone far.
—
The best thing about a press pass—and his was legit—was how it got you where you wanted to go. The little whore from nowhere stirred things up again, brought reporters from Seattle back. Even some national stringers.
And he was right there with them. Hell of a story that would be, he thought. If he wrote it himself he’d win the fricking Pulitzer.
Up yours, New York Times, Washington Post, and all the other creaky dinosaurs who wouldn’t give him the time of day when he’d wanted a job.
Now papers were the dodo of news, and blogging was the way to go.
He could work anywhere, and did. He’d actually doubled back and covered some of his own work before, but this marked the first time he’d been right on the spot before, during, after.
While he found it tremendously satisfying, and knee-slappingly funny, he knew he couldn’t stay in the area much longer.
Getting too hot, he thought as he recorded the droning chief of police (asshat) and the media liaison from the FBI (arrogant bitch).
Time was coming—he could feel it—to wind up the odyssey. Time to take Naomi for a ride, have some long conversations, a hell of a lot of fun.
Then end her.
After that, maybe he’d take his show on the road. Maybe up to Canada for the summer, down to Mexico for the winter.
Footloose, fancy-free. And plenty of targets to shoot when the mood struck. In memory of Naomi Bowes.
And one day he would write the story. He’d write a book—not for money. He’d have to wait until he settled somewhere. Like Argentina. He’d write and self-publish the book that rubbed everything he’d accomplished in the faces of the asshats and arrogant bitches.
He took notes on his tablet, took some pictures. He liked focusing in on Mason, he especially liked that.
Hey, over here, fuckhead. I’m going to kill your sister soon. I’ll rape her every way there is to rape first, then strangle her like your old man should have.
Maybe send old man Bowes a picture of her. There were ways to smuggle things in—and he’d made a point of finding them. He thought that would be the whipped cream on top.
Yeah, he’d do that, and go one better. He’d publish all the pictures online, every one of the bitches he’d done. God bless the Internet.
Then everyone would know he’d outdone Bowes. Outdone them all. The Green River Killer, the Zodiac? They were nothing next to him.
Deliberately he threw out a question during the Q&A,