Picture Perfect Murder. Rachel Dylan
the note for examination. Excuse me for a second.” He pulled out his phone and made a quick call to his team. “They’ll be here within the hour. How many pictures do you estimate were on your phone?”
She blew out a breath. “Maybe a hundred, two hundred. But like I said, they aren’t top quality like the ones on my computer and in the darkroom.”
He didn’t like this at all. The serial killer had access to more of Lily’s photographs. And if he was going to start using photos as part of his deadly game, then the implications were staggering. Rex didn’t even want one more death on his watch, but the killer obviously had other, bigger plans.
“Agent Sullivan, you’re off in another world, aren’t you?”
“Please, call me Rex. And I’m sorry. When I get into a case, my mind goes into overdrive trying to connect the dots.”
She looked down and back up at him, her blue eyes sparkling. “Why would this guy focus on me of all people?”
“Because he has a distinct type. You meet all of his preselected physical requirements. We can’t know at this point why he chose to go after women who look like you. I’m going to coordinate with APD so we can figure out what makes sense for some sort of protective detail. Meanwhile, I’ll stay with you until the FBI team arrives. Then I’ll come back tonight.”
Frowning, she walked out of the darkroom, and he followed her back to living area. “That’s not necessary. My friends you met at the hospital are coming over soon. I won’t be alone.”
“Okay, but if that changes let me know. I’m also going to put FBI electronic surveillance in place. That should be set up by tomorrow.”
She winced as she took a seat on the sofa. “Is that really necessary at this point? That’s a pretty aggressive approach.”
“It is, but I think it’s needed. We have no idea how far this guy is going to take it with you. I find it deeply disturbing that he’s come after you once and has used your photo at a murder scene. I don’t take this threat lightly.”
“I have one request for you.”
“Sure. What do you need?”
“I don’t want my name to be associated with this photo in the news.”
“I understand. It’s not exactly the type of publicity you’d want for your business. We’ll try to keep a tight lid on the fact that it’s your image.”
“Thank you. I appreciate you trying to protect my privacy. No one wants to hire a photographer who’s linked to a serial killer.”
“No problem. I’ll touch base with you in the morning about the security setup and when to expect the installation. The FBI team will arrive soon, but if you end up needing me tonight, let me know. Now that we know the killer has developed a special interest in you, I don’t want you to be alone.”
“Don’t worry. My friends will be here, and I’ve also got my Glock.”
“That’s good.”
“And, Rex? Make no mistake about it. If that man comes into my house again, I will use it.”
* * *
Hours later, as she stared at her laptop screen, she felt anxious to hear the results of the analysis the FBI had performed earlier on her computer. Lily felt confident that the only picture taken from her darkroom was the one that had been shown on TV. What she felt far less confident about was whether anything had been taken from her computer. It would’ve been fairly simple to transfer pictures from her desktop. She no longer kept highly encrypted classified files, so she hadn’t been particularly focused on the security of her computer.
And unlike some of her former counterparts at the CIA, technology wasn’t her specialty. Tradecraft and human intelligence were her strengths. When she needed tech help, she called on others. So for now, she would have to wait for the FBI results to come in.
She walked over to the sink, and Grace nuzzled her hand while she finished up the dishes. Her pup could no doubt sense that she was feeling down about the whole situation. Though Alison and Jackson were supposed to come over, she had decided that she didn’t feel like company. So she’d told them that she would be fine for the night. And she could take care of herself. Rex’s concern was perfectly normal, but he assumed that he was dealing with an average citizen. Not a highly trained CIA operative.
Grace whined. “Okay, girl. This is your last time going out this evening.” Thankfully, she had a large fenced-in backyard that Grace loved. Lily let her out the back door and then went into the living room and took a seat on the couch.
Her thoughts returned to her CIA past. When the truth had come out to everyone at the Agency that James had been a double agent, it should’ve made her feel less guilty over what had happened on the mission. But she had loved him and his deception still stung.
She closed her eyes and for a moment thought about praying. But what good would that do? She and God weren’t exactly on good terms anymore. No doubt she’d made bad choices, and she had to live with those repercussions. Still, she blamed God for what had happened to her. How it had all played out and how she’d had to end things.
A loud crashing sound broke through her thoughts. Shards of glass from the window sprayed her body. Instinctively, she dropped to the ground and covered her head. Grace barked loudly from the backyard, but Lily was so thankful that she wasn’t inside right now.
She bear-crawled toward the kitchen, trying to avoid as much glass as possible. But there were pieces all over the living room floor. She felt a shard cut into her arm, but she didn’t stop until she reached the kitchen.
Grabbing her Glock from the kitchen drawer, she saw that her hand was covered in blood. She turned, her gun trained on a possible assailant, but she didn’t see anyone. She looked out the window to the backyard, where Grace was still barking.
Slowly, she proceeded back to the living room, gun drawn. This was the second time someone had invaded her home. That was a threat she didn’t take lightly.
The living room was covered with bits of glass from the broken window. Looking around, she saw the large brick that had been hurled through the glass. Was this guy trying to intimidate her? Scare her? Little did he know who he was dealing with. It wasn’t likely that one of her CIA enemies would do something like this. They’d just come after her directly with an assassin’s bullet. No, this felt like something else.
She grabbed her phone from the kitchen and dialed Rex.
“Lily, what is it?” he answered.
“Someone just threw a large brick through my living room window. There is glass everywhere.”
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice ragged.
“Just a few cuts. I don’t think they’re too deep.” She looked down and saw that there was a good bit of blood though the cuts were only superficial. “Thankfully, Grace was in the backyard when it happened.”
“I’m calling this in right now. Do not hang up.”
Seconds later, he returned to the line. “APD is less than five minutes away. I’m also on my way over. Are your friends with you?”
“That didn’t end up working out.”
“You should’ve called me, Lily. I didn’t want you alone tonight. I told you it was too dangerous. You’re not taking this threat seriously enough.”
She didn’t respond, because she couldn’t say anything at this point to make him happy.
“Stay on the line with me until APD gets there. I need to know that you are safe.”
“I’m right here.” She waited only a few minutes until Rex arrived at her place, along with an APD squad car.
He walked into her house and immediately started checking her over. “Are you sure you’re