RAINEY DAYS (17 page)

Danny waited until Rainey was ready, before he started, “I’ve been over the recent evidence and I believe the suspect is escalating. He’s gone from sending notes once a month to three in two days. His actions are more daring. He is devolving and his behavior will become more unpredictable.”

JW, who had stopped writing, asked, “What does this guy want?”

“He’s playing a game and he wants to win. His goal is to terrorize you, until he catches his quarry alone,” Danny said, and then continued, “We’re not sure, at this point if it is one of you, or all of you he is after. We need more time to evaluate the notes. A forensic linguist is looking at them now. We’ll know more when the report comes back.”

He took a second to let that sink in, and then went on, “What I’m getting at is I don’t think you’re safe here. Even with four agents, there are so many ways to get in. I can’t guarantee your safety. I think we should move all three of you to a safe house, at least until we get more analysis of the evidence we have. JW has given us a list of people fitting the general description of our suspect. We need time to check out each one of them. I would just feel better if this guy didn’t know where you are right now. It could cause him to make a mistake.”

Rainey challenged him, “Or it could send him over the edge. He could wind up killing more people, out of frustration. I’m the bait, use me. Let me draw him out. You can take Katie and JW, but I’m not going.”

“Me, either,” Katie said. “I’m staying with Rainey.”

JW spoke next, “I can’t go to a safe house. I have meetings with the budget committee, next week.”

Danny knew there was no reason to argue. He could tell they were not going to take his advice. “Okay then, these agents will stay with you. Please keep the doors locked and the alarm on, after I leave. I’ll be back in the morning.”

Danny started for the SUV and Rainey turned to go inside. Just as her hand turned the handle on the door, Danny’s voice stopped her.

“Hey Rainey, sleep with your gun,” he said.

Rainey smiled at him. “Always,” was her reply.

Rainey entered the kitchen area. JW was not sitting at the table anymore. Katie was standing, in the open door of the refrigerator, lost in thought. Rainey watched her for a minute, until she became aware of an agent sitting at the end of the table. She moved to the kitchen island.

“I want to fix something that will last, so the guys can munch on it during the night. I think I’m going to make pizza. How does that sound?”

“I’m sure it will be fine. Can I help you?” Rainey asked.

Katie turned around with a big onion in her hand, “You get to chop this time.”

They hurried around the kitchen. Rainey watching closely, as Katie talked her through the recipe for authentic brick-oven pizza, Brooklyn pizzeria style. Katie had purchased the dough crust already made, that was the hard part, she explained. She made it from scratch before and it took sixteen hours for the dough to rise. They used a pizza stone on the lowest rack in the oven, setting the temperature at five hundred and fifty degrees. Katie showed Rainey how to place thinly sliced pieces of Mozzarella cheese on the crusts and ground black pepper over it. Katie brushed Rainey’s arm and the electricity shot to Rainey’s heart. Next Katie sprinkled oregano on the crusts and had Rainey randomly arrange crushed tomatoes around on top. Katie drizzled extra virgin olive oil over all four pizzas, telling Rainey that was the key to the recipe.

Rainey enjoyed the time she spent cooking with Katie. They worked together very well, she thought. She was proud when the pizzas came out of the oven, bubbling with melted cheese, looking like a picture in Bon Appétit magazine. Rainey helped Katie set out the pizzas, stacking plates and napkins, at the end of the table. The agent, still in the room, ate a piece and gave it the thumbs up. Rainey and Katie each took pieces and sat on the stools, by the counter. Rainey thought the pizza was outstanding and ate another large slice.

The entire time they worked together Katie kept touching Rainey. She would brush up against Rainey when they worked side by side, at the island. When they sat down to eat, Katie repeatedly touched Rainey’s knee or thigh to make a point. Every time a part of Rainey came into contact with Katie, she felt a tingling sensation and streaks of electricity crashed through her body. Rainey looked at the agent stuffing pizza in his mouth; glad he was there watching their backs, because all Rainey was watching was Katie.

JW reappeared with the other agent in tow. “Mmm, that pizza looks great,” he said, when he arrived at the table. He, and the agent with him, sat down to eat. The other agent, who had just finished his third slice, made plates for the guys outside, thanked the women for cooking and went to deliver the pizza. Katie and Rainey cleaned up the kitchen and then took glasses of sweet tea to the den and settled in, on the couch.

Rainey’s eyes began to get heavy again. She was spent emotionally and physically. She needed a long sleep to recoup her strength. The agent came back from delivery duty and joined them a few minutes later. JW went back to his study, accompanied by his shadow agent. There was small talk, but nothing interesting. They really could not talk with the agent in the room. The news channel they were watching started repeating stories, so Katie turned the channel to PBS and they watched a show on museums of music in New Orleans. Rainey did not really pay attention. Her head was spinning with thoughts of Katie, only Katie. She could think of nothing else. She finally asked Katie if there was someplace she could lie down.

Katie stood up and crooked her finger at Rainey. “Come with me,” she said, and it had the pied piper effect on Rainey.

Rainey grabbed her overnight bag, from the car, and followed Katie up the stairs to a bedroom, across from the master bedroom. The ever-present agent followed too.

“Will this be alright?” Katie asked.

“This is great, thank you,” Rainey replied. She looked at the agent and said, “I think I’ll be okay up here. You can wait downstairs.” She patted her gun, to remind him she was armed.

“I think I’ll go to bed, too,” Katie said. “Good night, Rainey. Sweet dreams.”

“Goodnight, Katie,” Rainey said and watched her walk away.

Katie went to the master bedroom and locked the door. Rainey heard the latch click over. The agent left and went downstairs. Rainey changed her clothes and crawled into bed, leaving the door open, so she could hear. She was lying there, thinking about Katie and the serial killer lurking around outside, but soon the heaviness of her eyelids forced them closed and she drifted off to sleep.

Some time later, she felt someone lie down, in the bed with her. She popped up, in a sitting position and reached for the Glock, she had placed on the bedside table.

“It’s just me,” Katie said. “I couldn’t sleep in there alone. I hope you don’t mind, if I share your bed.”

Rainey looked at Katie, blinking the sleep from her eyes. “Yeah, sure. No problem,” she said, still thinking she was dreaming.

Katie settled down into the covers and Rainey followed suit. They did not talk. They were both exhausted and soon they were sound asleep. Rainey woke up again later, sensing someone nearby. She looked out the open door, into the hallway and saw JW standing there, watching them sleep. When he realized she was looking at him, he turned and went back down the stairs. She closed her eyes again and slept better than she had in months. She did not wake up until early morning. She had no dreams at all that she could remember. She rolled over and saw Katie sleeping beside her. She thought to herself, “Wouldn’t it be wonderful to wake up to that face every day?” That was a dream Rainey was beginning to think she could live with, and it frightened her.

 

Rainey slipped quietly out of the bed. Katie was sleeping so soundly, Rainey did not want to wake her. She grabbed her bag and found the guest bathroom, where she showered and dressed for the day. Rainey had found some tank tops, which did not show her scar, back in the spring. She was glad because she was running out of old tee shirts to cut up. She put on a blue tank, adding a simple white, short sleeve, cotton shirt over it. She left the over shirt unbuttoned and folded the sleeves up a little. She wore khaki shorts, tennis shoes and of course her shoulder holster. She was glad she wasn’t still in the Bureau, forced to wear those dark blue and black suits, while strolling around the piedmont of North Carolina, in the height of summer. She brushed her hair and put it up in a ponytail. She put everything back in her bag, surveyed the room and deciding it was clean enough, Rainey walked out to start the day.

When she came back into the guest bedroom, Katie was gone. There was no trace that either of them had been in the immaculately made bed. She turned to look down the hall and saw that Katie’s door was closed. The aroma of fresh brewed coffee filled her nostrils, winding its way up from the kitchen downstairs. Katie must have awakened, shortly after Rainey left the bedroom. Rainey put her bag down and happily bounded down the stairs. She felt better than she had in months. Last night she slept nearly ten hours of the most peaceful rest imaginable. No terrifying nightmares, no waking for unknown reasons only to lay and stare at the ceiling, just the sleep of babes. It must have been because she felt safe with all the extra security in the house. It could not have been because Katie was sleeping by her side, could it?

Rainey did not care why she slept so well, only that she had. Now she was about to get to hang out with Katie for another day. She let the fact that a serial killer was after them take a backseat for a few minutes. She had a huge grin on her face that she could not control, as she turned the corner into the kitchen. The grin died on its own, when she saw JW, not Katie, standing by the coffee pot.

“Good morning, Rainey. You look as though you slept well.”

“I did, thank you. I must have been exhausted,” Rainey said.

She took the cup from JW’s outstretched hand and poured herself some coffee. The cream and sugar bowls were there by the coffee maker. She added some of each, while she took in JW, who had moved to the breakfast counter. He was leaning on his elbows, reading the paper. JW was dressed more casually today, in a polo shirt and slacks, but he still looked like he walked out of a golf magazine advertisement. Rainey could smell his cologne and, although it was nice, had been applied a little heavy this morning. He was completely engrossed in the newspaper.

Rainey heard a noise behind her and turned to find Katie smiling at her. She too looked refreshed from yesterday’s drama. Katie had left her hair down, pulling only some of it back away from her face. She was wearing a simple, Carolina blue, cotton tee with little flowers sewn, in the same color, around the scooped neckline. She wore white tennis shorts, styled like the men wear, but fitting her perfectly. The bright white against her skin made her smooth, tanned legs glow. Once again, Rainey found herself spellbound.

Katie said, “Good morning. I hope I didn’t keep you awake, I just couldn’t fall asleep in that room, by myself, for some reason.”

JW reached for his coffee cup, on the counter. He did not look at it, he just reached for the cup and found it robotically, while saying, “Don’t let my wife make a habit out of sleeping with you…”

He paused just long enough for Rainey’s heart to jump into her throat. She had a blurry memory of JW watching them sleep. What was he accusing her of?

JW finally let her off the hook, by adding, “… she snores.”

Rainey was sure she felt the blood flowing back up to her brain, from where it had drained just seconds ago. She said, laughing to cover her nervousness, “I don’t think I would have heard her, if she did. I was out of it.”

JW still did not turn around. He saluted her with his coffee cup and said, “I’m just saying…”

Katie poured a cup of coffee for herself. She turned to Rainey and said, “It’s true, I’m a terrible snorer, but really, all you have to do is roll me over.”

“Good luck with that,” she heard JW say, still engrossed in the paper.

Katie stuck her tongue out at his back, which made Rainey giggle. She covered her mouth, so JW would not hear her. One of the French doors opened and the two agents, who had been outside, came in to retrieve the other two, who were standing just off the kitchen. Rainey had not seen them when she first came in; they were standing just out of sight. Four fresh agents were here to relieve them and they were as big as or bigger than the first group. Rainey did not know any of the new men. They were probably locals. Rainey thanked Roger and the others, as they passed her, leaving the kitchen.

Katie had begun cutting slices of cantaloupe and toasting bagels, by the time Rainey made it back to her coffee cup. Rainey heard Danny coming, before he entered the French doors. He was red-faced and angry, his Irish temper looking for a vent. He slapped his briefcase down on the table, his eyes searching for Rainey. When he saw her, he marched up to her with a newspaper in his hands.