Chapter two

Thursday, May 10, five days later.

Southeast of Eagle Rock Gorge, the James River formed a small island. On the east embankment facing the island, the dark trail of dried blood was still visible five days after the murder. Bloody bare footprints ran up and down the hill, forming a macabre choreography along the crimson trail. Rainey’s eyes followed the stains to the rapidly moving water below and then back up to the naked, headless body attached to the tree. The hands were still duct taped together in prayer. Rainey pulled on the latex gloves she had been squeezing tightly in each fist, trying to distance herself from the pain and horror the victim experienced. She turned from the rotting smell of the corpse and took a deep cleansing breath, before she walked back up the hill to join the others by the tree.

FBI Supervisory Special Agent, Danny McNally, his broad muscular shoulders in stark contrast to the wiry mountain men, towered over the two local detectives. His red wavy hair was wildly out of control. He had not tried to tame it since they ran out from under the helicopter blades, jumped into a waiting SUV, and rushed to the crime scene. Rainey’s experiences with helicopter blades and the thick mass on her head were not good ones. Before leaving this morning, she captured her unruly chestnut locks in a ponytail that stuck out the back of her FBI baseball cap.

Rainey and Danny were here to try to make sense of a series of brutal murders along US 220, from the Blue Ridge Mountains down through the Piedmont area of North Carolina. They left the National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime, or NCAVC, on the campus of the FBI Academy, just after seven a.m. Using the twenty minutes of flying time to go over the files prepared by the Behavioral Analysis Unit, of which they were both members, Danny and Rainey were now analyzing the most recent crime scene. The BAU2, as it was known, was tasked with understanding evil the average person could never fathom. Her unit concentrated on violent criminal acts like serial murders, mass murders, spree killers, unusual murders of all types, along with sexual assaults and kidnappings targeting adults. The nine murders tied to this particular unknown subject or UNSUB certainly met the criteria of violent and unusual.

Danny turned to Rainey, as she approached, and made the introductions. “Detectives Blaine and Martin, this is SSA Rainey Bell.”

Rainey ignored the hands extended toward her. She held up her gloved hands to show the officers she didn’t want to contaminate them. She simply nodded and acknowledged each with, “Detective.”

Danny began to fill her in on what he found out from the locals. “Blaine here says the body was discovered just before dawn by those two scared boys over there. They were huntin’ a new spot to do some fly-fishing, found a path, followed it, and stumbled on her. They’re going to have to wash out those waders when they get home. No sign of the head, but they’re pretty sure this is the Granger girl that went missing last Saturday.”

Rainey walked over and studied the body without touching it. “What makes them so sure it’s her?”

Blaine answered, “That ‘WWJD’ tattooed on her ankle is exactly like the picture her folks gave us. They weren’t too happy she had a tattoo, but it helped us identify her. We’ll know positively when we get the hands un-taped and compare prints. We hope the scavengers left the thumbs under the tape untouched. The M.E. thinks the tape may have preserved the skin well enough to rehydrate. She was printed at one of those safe kids things at the mall, so we have a comparison set. If we can’t get a print, then we’ll have to wait for DNA, but I’m pretty sure it’s her.”

At that moment, a small white haired man in blue coveralls came toward them. He made eye contact with Rainey. A huge grin enveloped his face, curling the ends of his white mustache upward. “Agent Bell, how nice to see you again. Sorry it’s under these circumstances, but then we always seem to meet over a dead body.”

“Dr. Patrick, I’m glad to see you. I was hoping it would be you on this one,” Rainey said, and then added, “Her hands… they are the same. Can we see if she’s holding anything before you bag her?”

“Let me get something down so we can lay her over and then we’ll see what the tape could be hiding,” Dr. Patrick said, as he and his assistant moved a plastic sheet into position beside the body.

Rainey squatted in front of the putrid, blackening remains. Rainey wasn’t “used to” the smell, but she had learned to block it out and breathe properly. Still, she had to fight the gag reflex trying to overtake her. Detective Martin moved closer.

He spoke behind a handkerchief, held over his nose and mouth. “Did he beat the others this badly?”

“It’s hard to tell what’s bruising and what’s lividity. The animals and insects didn’t do us any favors,” Rainey answered, dispassionately.

She had to be detached. How else could she deal with the torturous images she saw almost daily? She spent the last seven years researching serial killers, rapists, sadists and the like, by reading about them in reams of reports, interviewing them in prison, cataloguing their behavior, and going out into the field to help catch the new ones. It took time to develop the expertise needed to become one of the eight members of Rainey’s team. In conjunction with their extensive field experience and accrued wisdom, she and her coworkers had studied an extremely large volume of cases. An average law enforcement officer would pursue maybe one serial killer in a lifetime. Rainey’s team averaged twelve serial investigations a year.

Criminal behavioral analysis developed based on the idea, a person’s behavior directly resulted from that person’s thought processes. The repetitions of behavior in his or her crimes became recognizable. By comparing types of criminal behaviors and the people who committed those offenses, it was possible to classify the type of person who would most likely commit a crime with similar characteristics. In other words, Rainey Bell spent her days and most nights submerged in human depravity. Today would be no different.

Rainey stood up and moved back as Dr. Patrick approached. He removed a cross, suspended on a gold chain, from what remained of the neck. He placed it in an evidence bag and handed it to Rainey. She studied the cross while the doctor and his assistant cut the ropes fastening the victim to the tree, careful to leave the knots intact. Slowly, they lowered the body onto the plastic sheeting. Once all the bindings had been bagged and tagged, the doctor moved to the hands. He cut the tape with a scalpel only enough to see inside. Prying the hands open slightly, he reached in with tweezers and removed a small piece of folded paper. He placed the paper, stained with body fluids from decomposition, in another evidence bag and handed it to Rainey. She looked at the paper, unable to see what was written on it, but she knew from the way it was folded what it would say.

Detective Martin moved in to get a look at the contents of the bag. “I don’t remember seeing anything in the reports about a note in the previous victims’ hands.”

Danny spoke up. “We kept that out of the reports. We need one piece of evidence that only the killer knows. We would very much like to keep it that way.”

Rainey was glad Danny didn’t give Martin all the information about the notes. The fewer people that knew certain details the better.

“Sure, sure,” Martin replied. “So you don’t think this is a copy cat? This is the real deal?”

Rainey looked down at the body, trying to see the smiling face of Crystal Lynn Granger from the missing persons report. She said quietly, “Yeah, this is the real deal.”

#

Later in the evening, Rainey and Danny were shown into an empty conference room at the county sheriff’s office. They spread a stack of files across the long table in the center of the room. They just arrived from the morgue where Dr. Patrick confirmed that Crystal Lynn Granger suffered almost identical wounds as the first eight victims. The doctor had the unfortunate experience of recovering, now, his third victim in the case and had reviewed the other victims’ autopsy reports. He concluded that all of the women were victims of the same killer the media had nicknamed, “The Praying Hands Killer,” in reference to the victims’ final pose.

Crystal most likely died within hours of when she was last seen on the previous Saturday. Like the others, the retraction of her neck muscles indicated decapitation was the cause of death. Crystal’s body was in advanced decomposition when she was found, but there was still enough evidence to link the cases. All of the young women were bound, choked, beaten severely, savagely raped, and sodomized. The instrument used to behead the victims appeared to be consistent with a long, thin blade, possibly a sword or machete. The same weapon also made the cut to the abdomen. No semen was found and Dr. Patrick seemed to think all the rapes had been carried out with a large phallus or similar instrument. There was no sign of the head. It was assumed to be in the James River. Several of the other victims’ heads showed up weeks after the bodies were found, downstream from the scene of their murders and always in a river.

Rainey set about taping pictures of the known fatalities on a white board placed in the room for that purpose. Nine times she reached into a file folder and pulled out a picture of a teenage girl, full of life. Nine more times she taped a picture of each girl’s mutilated body beneath their corresponding smiling faces.

“Damn,” she said, under her breath.

Danny looked up from the corner where he was concentrating on pouring a cup of coffee. “What?”

“Nothing,” Rainey responded, then added quickly, “They were all so young with their whole lives ahead of them. Look at their faces. These are confident, athletic, beautiful girls. How does he get a girl like that to go with him willingly?”

“The news media all up and down 220 warned about this killer, but he has no trouble getting control of them,” Danny said.

Just that quickly the two analysts began the process of working the Granger murder case without an official pronouncement. They brainstormed, shared ideas, and formed hypotheses based on the evidence at hand and the knowledge they gained studying similar murderers. Back at Quantico, Rainey, along with the rest of the analysts, already generated a profile of this serial killer. Rainey and Danny were sent to evaluate the latest murder to see if the profile still applied. An hour later, they emerged from the room ready to give the local detectives their opinions on the case.

Often asked to work together, they made a good team. Rainey was always happy to go into the field with Danny. They were Academy classmates and joined the BAU at almost the same time. She never let him forget she was a full member of the team first. At thirty-nine, Danny was just two years older than Rainey. They had an almost sibling relationship on and off the job. He sometimes made her crazy, but she loved him anyway. He could always make her smile when his cherubic, freckled cheeks dimpled up in a grin. Rainey’s work didn’t allow her to smile often. Danny took her mind off the human misery they witnessed. She appreciated it more than he would ever know.

Rainey followed Danny into the squad room where the detectives and other officers had gathered. She was used to the way local law enforcement stared at them. It was as if she and Danny were magicians about to reveal the secrets behind a trick. Most people did not understand what the BAU did. Behavioral analysts were not psychics, but rather a group of people who were trained to recognize the undercurrents that link various criminal personality types. Rainey couldn’t tell them exactly who the perpetrator was, but she could tell them what kind of person to look for. It wasn’t magic. It was hard, life consuming work.

Rainey’s most recent and longest standing relationship, with Bobby, a cop in Arlington, had fallen victim to the job. He wanted to marry her, but he also wanted a wife he would find at home, not one he had to wonder when or if she was coming home. Rainey chose the job and they parted amicably, but she missed him. She missed his companionship most of all. He was her best friend. She didn’t have time for many friends. In a sad way, Rainey was glad to have this case to occupy her mind while her personal life fell apart. She needed a vacation, but she was determined to find this killer before taking time off. For now, she buried her needs and focused on the young girls whose pictures she had taped to the board.

With all eyes in the room on her, she began to speak. “The UNSUB in this case has now taken the lives of nine young women that we are aware of. You are looking for a white male between the ages of twenty and thirty. He will be above average to very good looking, with no outward physical deformities. He will be well liked and appear non-threatening. The young women this UNSUB takes are pretty, self-confident, in good physical condition, and live very low risk lifestyles. We think these women go with him willingly, with no resistance. They are comfortable and feel safe with him. If they felt threatened, these girls would have fought back. There is no evidence of a struggle at the scenes where we think he coaxed them into his vehicle.”

Danny jumped in. “The victims were all good girls, smart, popular, with strong ties to their churches. This type of girl does not go with a stranger willingly. She must have known the UNSUB, if only casually. You are looking for a man that travels Highway 220 for some reason. He gets off the highway and comes into these little towns, picks a victim, and then leaves again without anyone suspecting him. We know he travels this route frequently, going both north and south. He has a totally innocent reason to be here, to meet these girls, and then returns to take them at his pleasure.”

Rainey added, “We’re encouraging all the other law enforcement agencies involved to re-examine the victims’ history for any possible connection to traveling salesmen, businessmen, service technicians, etc. You should also check out local hotels for men fitting the profile, who stayed in hotels near the crime scenes, around the time of the murders or when the bodies were found. This guy would probably hang around a few days to watch the cops.”

Danny rejoined the conversation. “Due to the remoteness of his kill sites, he could have committed crimes we are unaware of. With that said, we think the first murders happened up here in Virginia, then he traveled south to North Carolina, and now he’s back up north. Highway 220 is significant to him for some reason. We have no evidence that he’s committed a crime like this anywhere else, but don’t be surprised if more bodies turn up near here. This is his territory.”

“We think he lives on this highway, maybe even close by,” Rainey said, pointing at a map of the area on the wall behind her. Nine red pushpins marked the places where the victims were found. “He is familiar with local trails into the woods and secluded areas where he takes his victims. He needs time to do what he does and he must know he will not be discovered there. He has studied each of these communities. He knows the habits of people in these rural areas, what the locals do for fun, and where to catch these young women alone. He most likely stalks them for some time to establish their routines and takes them when he knows they are most vulnerable. He probably watches more than one victim at a time. People have seen him with these young women, but like Agent McNally said, he had a legitimate reason for being there.”

Detective Martin asked, “That could be anybody. How do we know what to look for?”

Rainey answered, “The guy you are looking for would be appealing to these girls. Remember he is probably good-looking and charming. I believe he is in his early twenties or appears younger than he is. That’s young for this type of killer, but he has to be attractive to these teenage girls. He is also probably in good physical condition. These were not tiny girls and he would have to be large enough to gain control over them. There will be no reason to suspect him and that will be your first clue. This is not an outwardly disturbed person. He will fit in socially. He will not be awkward in any way. He possesses above average intelligence. He is organized and planned his crimes for years. When you question him, he will show the appropriate emotional concern for the victims. He may even offer to help with the investigation.”

A uniformed cop in the back said, “This guy has to be insane to do what he does to these girls. How can he hide that?”

It was Danny’s turn to answer. “He’s not insane in the legal sense of the word. You are not looking for a mental patient. This guy is a true psychopath. Outwardly, he has learned to mimic normal human emotions. These guys learn the words but not the music, so to speak. The music of emotion has no power to move him. He has learned to mask his true personality and desires, in order to get what he wants. Above all, he sees nothing wrong with his behavior. He has no remorse, no guilt.”

Rainey continued, “He may have exhibited psychopathic behaviors at a younger age, but often these behaviors are misinterpreted as common ‘boys will be boys’ situations. He may have been caught peeping in a window, or accused of going too far with a girl, but through charm and maneuvering, he escaped punishment. Some psychopathic behavior is thought of as simple alpha male assertiveness and applauded in athletes or successful businessmen and women. Not all psychopaths are murderers. What you need to look for is a guy who can talk his way out of or in to anything. This type of UNSUB is a master manipulator.”

Another officer spoke up. “What about the crosses and the praying position? What does that tell you?”

“Because it took three to five days to find his victims, the distance he travelled with them, and the fact that he doesn’t want them found right away suggests a controlled killer,” Danny answered and continued, “He brought ropes, a weapon, and instruments to torture the victim. The planning, stalking, and his obvious social skills all point to an organized offender. This also backs up the theory that he may appear younger than he really is, because his maturity as a killer is fairly advanced.”

Rainey completed Danny’s answer, as they often did for each other. One could pick up the other’s thoughts in mid-sentence and never miss a beat.

“This type of serial murderer gets off on controlling his victim, instilling as much fear as possible. He is sadistic in that his reward is his victim’s terror. He may be impotent, substituting her fear for his sexual gratification. The posing of the victim and the religious connotations we believe are this killer’s attempts to make us look for a disorganized, mentally ill person, a smoke screen as it were. The beating these girls took might indicate a disorganized killer caught up in a rage, but it may just as well indicate how hard he had to fight these girls to control them. He must dominate them and get them to submit. He picks victims he knows will fight. He gets off on that. He takes the cross from one victim as a trophy and places it on his next victim. This act has strong meaning to the UNSUB. It is his signature. He wants us to know it’s him, but beyond that, he is no ‘hand of God’ killer, not a mental patient who hears messages from God. He does all of this to fulfill his narcissistic fantasies. He may belong to a church, but his real deity is himself.”

A young female deputy, Rainey guessed not more than five years older than the victims, read from the notes she had taken. “So, I’m looking for a good-looking, well built, charming young man with a narcissistic personality. Sounds like my boyfriend.”

The room erupted in laughter.

Without cracking a smile Rainey said, “It could be. Where was he on the night Crystal went missing?”

The laughing ceased.

Danny reiterated Rainey’s point. “That’s what we’re telling you. This guy is slick. He moves among you without notice. Do not discount anyone. You’ve probably already talked to him or someone that knows him.”

Detective Martin stood up and began giving assignments to the officers. Rainey went back to the conference room to pack up the files, while Danny stayed behind to give Martin their written suggestions for how to proceed with the investigation. Rainey was looking forward to getting back on the helicopter for home. She already made up her mind that this was the last case she would work until she took a much-needed rest. She was drained of energy. It had been a long day and a longer year. Re-charging her batteries was in order.

The young deputy stuck her head in the open door. “Hey, I’m sorry about the boyfriend comment,” she said.

Rainey looked up and smiled. “Sorry to be so hard on you. It’s just that’s the point really, this guy is the last person you would suspect and that makes him exceedingly dangerous.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The ma’am made Rainey feel old. She knew it was simply a sign of respect. She heard it at the academy often, but it stung just the same. She deserved the “ma’am” because of the tone she was using, her instructor voice reserved for the wayward trainees. In a much friendlier manner she asked, “How long have you been in uniform?”

“It’ll be a year in July. I went to UVA, got my Bachelors in Criminal Justice, and then I signed up here. I grew up just a few miles out of town. I knew Crystal’s family. I go to the same church, when I go that is.”

Rainey pulled out a chair and sat down. She motioned for the officer to join her. “Well, it’s nice to meet a fellow Cavalier,” she paused, peering at the nametag on the other woman’s shirt, “Deputy Knox.”

Knox pulled out a chair, saying as she lowered herself to the seat, “Please, call me Gillian. You went to UVA?”

“Class of ’93. I went straight into the Academy after graduation.”

Gillian brightened. “That’s my goal, to do what you do. I know I have to get some experience under my belt, but I’ve applied already. I’m just going to keep trying until I get in.”

Rainey had this conversation often. In almost every place she visited, someone wanted to be a Behavioral Analyst. She had the spiel down to a few sentences. “Once you’re in the Bureau, you’ll need at least five years of field service. Your time here could count towards that, depending on what types of investigations you experience. Then it’s back to the Academy for sixteen weeks and up to two more years of mentored training before you can work in the unit. Be aware that there are few positions exactly like mine, but working within the NCAVC is a challenging and rewarding assignment in itself.”

“You sound like you’ve said that a few times,” Gillian said, grinning at Rainey.

Rainey couldn’t help but return the grin. “Yeah, it’s a pretty frequent topic when we hit the road.”

“You can’t blame us for wanting in the BAU. You guys are rock stars.”

Rainey’s smile slipped. “Just remember, there is a price to pay for being a rock star. This job is not for everyone. You will make sacrifices. People who love you will make sacrifices. Make sure the person you become romantically involved with in the future, and I’m assuming you’ll be dumping the narcissist, knows what your career goals are. It takes the right kind of relationship to make it work with this job.”

Rainey felt the pain of losing Bobby once again. She heard it in her voice. She didn’t usually open up to people as she was with the young deputy. Rainey kept her life in mental boxes, only opening the ones she needed to function at the time. It was the only way to survive a job like hers. Something about Gillian made Rainey want to warn her about the losses she might suffer. Rainey was tired, emotionally raw at the moment, and her boxes were opening without her consent.

Rainey gathered her emotions in, pushed the box lids back down and stowed them away, as she usually did. There was no room for self-pity or regrets in Rainey’s life. In the young deputy’s enthusiasm, Rainey recognized the fledgling cop she had once been. Silently, she wished Deputy Knox a happy life far away from Quantico and the losses a career in the BAU would bring her. Instead of saying what she was thinking, Rainey pulled the picture of Crystal Lynn from a folder and slid it across the table to Gillian.

“What can you tell me about this girl? You said you knew the family. Did you know Crystal personally?”

Gilliam looked down at the picture, studying it, and then looked up at Rainey. “I’m five years older than she is… was, so I was out of high school before she got there. I remember seeing her and I knew who she was, but we didn’t travel in the same circles. I know that she was very active in the church youth group.”

Rainey prodded Gillian. “What was your impression of her? Just tell me what comes to mind, anything you can think of.”

“Well, like I said, she was heavily into the youth group. I was at church the Sunday before she went missing. She stood up during the service and told everyone about the youth revival scheduled for… I think it would have been tomorrow. I don’t know if they’re still having it. Anyway, she was very sweet and enthusiastic. I remember thinking she looked like a kid going places, you know. Self-confident and very pretty, she just seemed to have it all together.”

Rainey added what she knew. “She had a job cleaning the church on Saturday nights. That’s where her parents found her car when she didn’t come home.”

Gillian nodded in agreement. “Yes, I was the one who answered the call. I went to the church and checked out the car. I didn’t touch anything, but I did look in the windows. The car was locked. Nothing indicated she was taken by force.”

Rainey already knew that. She wanted to know more about Crystal. She needed to know why a girl like Crystal would get in a car with this guy. “What did you see in the car?”

Rainey watched as Gillian closed her eyes, trying to recall the scene. This cop has good instincts, Rainey thought to herself. Officer Knox probably would make a good agent, in time.

Gillian began to speak. “I saw Chapstick in the tray on the console, with some change, and a few colored hair ties. One of them was yellow. There was a box, like a Kinko’s box you get copies in, on the passenger seat. A sheet of paper was stuck on the top of the box. I know now the box contained abstinence pledge forms the kids were going to fill out at the lockdown.”

Rainey was intrigued. “Do you have one of those copies here?”

“Yes, there’s a copy of one in the squad room.” Gillian started to stand.

Rainey stopped her. “Wait, we’ll get that in a minute. What else did you see?”

Gillian refocused on her memory of the car. “I remember thinking how clean the car was. She took really good care of it.” The deputy paused to think. “Oh, and there was a dress hung up in the backseat… and a pair of black pumps on the floor. She attended the athletic banquet before she went to work. Her mother said Crystal changed clothes at the high school. The church doors were locked and her keys were missing. I had the preacher open the church and we searched it thoroughly. No sign of her anywhere. It looked like she just evaporated.”

The religious angle of the UNSUB’s signature and the fact that all the victims were extremely active in their churches made Rainey’s skin crawl. When she got that feeling, she knew she had to keep digging. The answer was near, if she could just put the pieces together.

Rainey continued her inquiry. “What do you know about this abstinence pledge and the lock down?”

“I attended a few lockdowns in high school. It’s just what it sounds like. They locked us in the church overnight with a few adults. No one could leave or come in after the doors were closed. We played games and ate food. Some religious stuff went on, but not much. It was basically something we could do to be away from our parents overnight with their approval.”

“And the abstinence pledge?” Rainey asked.

Gillian laughed. “I had to read up on that one. Certainly didn’t take that pledge myself.”

Rainey laughed with her, putting the younger woman more at ease.

Gillian visibly relaxed back against the chair. She went on, “That last time in church, Crystal said she visited a youth council where she’d taken the pledge. After that, she arranged for a representative of the group to come here for the lockdown. She was so excited about signing up more kids in the congregation.”

Rainey could see the sadness begin to creep across the deputy’s face and decided it was time to wrap it up. Although she didn’t know her very well, Crystal’s death had shaken Gillian. Rainey knew the facts would begin to blur when the emotion entered an interview like this, and that’s what it had been, whether Gillian realized it or not. Rainey had one final question.

“Is there anything else that comes to mind? Let your instincts do the work. Close your eyes. What do you see?”

Gillian obeyed and shut her eyes. She squirmed in the seat a little, and then her eyes popped open. “The ring. She wore an abstinence ring. She held up her hand in church to show us. I saw the autopsy report. The ring was not on her hand.”

Rainey jumped up. She shuffled through several folders, scanning the information rapidly. Without looking up, she spoke to Gillian.

“Go get the copy of the pledge and tell Agent McNally I need to see him.” Gillian didn’t move. She seemed stunned at Rainey’s sudden change. Rainey looked up. “Now, Knox. Get moving.”

“Dammit! How did I miss that?” Rainey grumbled aloud. “Dammit!”

She pulled out her cell phone and hit a button, speed dialing the Communication and Information Technology Unit, CITU, in Quantico. She waited for the familiar voice of Melatiah Brooks to pick up on the other end. After four rings, a harried voice answered on the other end.

“Rainey Bell, you hold right there. Don’t hang up, I’ll be right back.”

Rainey waited for the hold message to begin. Melatiah was famous for her messages that changed frequently, as did her mood. Agents either sang her praises or shrank at the mere mention of her name, a name so difficult to say, everyone just called her Brooks. Pronounced Mel-ah-TI-ah, it meant ‘one whom Jesus has set free,’ at least that’s what she told Rainey. As round as she was tall, which wasn’t very tall at all, Brooks certainly felt free to speak her mind. Rainey, at five feet ten inches, towered over her, but that didn’t stop Brooks from intimidating Rainey, at first. They became great friends over the years. Brooks was the daughter of a wealthy African American family from New York. She was educated at the best schools and found her niche in building hacking programs, which got her thrown out of the best schools and into the FBI academy. Brooks was no holds barred with attitude, but she could take it too, which is why she and Rainey got along.

Today the hold message was a rant about the fact that everyone thought that his or her case should be a priority. It was a running monologue on the distinction between wants and needs, and how few of the agents actually understood there was a difference. It was quite hysterical, probably the only reason she had not been forced to remove it. Once instructed to delete the message, she would, but within a few days another would surface. Rainey usually found the messages entertaining, but she was anxious to find the answer to her question. Brooks was fabulously good at her job. If the information Rainey sought were out there, she would find it.

Brooks clicked on just as the message was about to begin again.

“Okay, Rainey Bell, you’re next.” She always called Rainey by both her names. “Where are you and what do you want?” Brooks sounded pleasant, but wasted no time getting to the point of the call.

Rainey knew this tone. It indicated the short round woman was up to her ears in agents’ requests for information, some of which were life and death questions. What she could tell an agent could break a case and save lives. She was under a lot of pressure to get it right.

Rainey answered quickly, “I’m in Botetourt County, Virginia, with Danny. We’re on the Highway 220 cases. I need you to find out what you can about the abstinence pledge people. Specifically, whom do they send out as representatives to local churches? Concentrate on anyone who’s been near the locations connected with these murders.”

“Got it,” Brooks said quickly, and then asked, “How fast do you need it? Of course, I know the answer to that is as soon as possible.”

Rainey smiled into the receiver. “Yes, that would be the answer. Did I tell you how much I appreciate how hard your job is and how much I admire you?”

“Don’t try to schmooze me, Rainey Bell. I know your tactics. I’ll get back to you within the hour. Be safe out there.”

Rainey didn’t get the chance to say goodbye. Danny entered the room in a hurry. His face was a bit flushed with the excitement. Deputy Knox clearly got the message to him that Rainey needed to see him right away.

“What is it, Rainey? What did you find?” He asked, coming around the table to stand next to her.

“This last girl, Crystal, she wore an abstinence pledge ring, a simple gold band. It was not on the body. I remembered reading that at least two other victims were missing a gold band. I think we have the link to all the victims. We need to talk to the families again. Find out if their daughters had any connection with these abstinence pledge people. I have Brooks looking for information on any of them that could have come in contact with the victims.”

Danny looked down at the table strewn with victim files. “What are you thinking here, Rainey?”

“It doesn’t necessarily have to be one of the people associated with the Pledge. It could be someone who goes to these events, trolling for victims. Think about the different bible verses he’s left us.”

Rainey shifted files on the table until she found the one she was looking for. She pulled a sheet of paper out of the file and handed it to Danny. The paper contained the bible verses they were able to recover from some of the bodies, the ones discovered before decomposition destroyed the paper. There were five verses, including the one they found today.

Psalm 45:14 She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework: the virgins her companions that follow her shall be brought unto thee.

Isaiah 47:1 Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.

Jeremiah 14:17 Therefore thou shalt say this word unto them; Let mine eyes run down with tears night and day, and let them not cease: for the virgin daughter of my people is broken with a great breach, with a very grievous blow.

Lamentations 2:21 The young and the old lie on the ground in the streets: my virgins and my young men are fallen by the sword; thou hast slain them in the day of thine anger; thou hast killed, and not pitied.

Ezekiel 23:8 Neither left she her whoredoms brought from Egypt: for in her youth they lay with her, and they bruised the breasts of her virginity, and poured their whoredom upon her.

Rainey pointed out, “We talked about the virgin theme, but this puts it in context. Crystal was planning a big Pledge drive at a lockdown for the youth in her church. We need to know more about that.”

Deputy Knox came in with a copy of the pledge document from Crystal’s car. Rainey took it and read it quickly. There was no official logo from any organization on the paper, just the simple pledge to abstain from sex until marriage. It also had places for the name and address of the pledger, plus a space to write something about themselves. It was a stalker’s dream come true; all the information he would need to find them and wait for his moment to strike. Rainey knew in her gut this pledge had something to do with the case. She handed the paper to Danny. He began to read it.

Rainey turned back to Gillian, reverting to official names in front of Danny. She knew how important it was for a female officer to retain a professional air around other officers. “Deputy Knox, would you find out if anyone from the church is available to meet with us there? Also, ask Detective Martin if he could join us for a moment.”

Knox started moving. She didn’t need reminding to respond to Rainey’s request swiftly. She was almost out the door when Rainey’s words made her pause.

“Hey, clear it with your supervisor so you can go with us to the church.”

Knox almost smiled, but gathered it in quickly. “Yes, ma’am.” She left on a mission.

Danny looked quizzically at Rainey. She answered his unspoken question, “She’s a member of the church. I think she can help us. She’s the one that mentioned the missing ring.”

“I think she’s got a crush on you,” Danny said, chuckling.

“Shut up, asshole.”

Rainey wasn’t really angry. It wasn’t the first case of hero worship she had to deal with, and at least this one was cute. She and Danny teased each other mercilessly. It eased the tensions of the job. To an outsider it may appear callous to stand over a table full of horrible images joking, but it was never disrespectful of the victims. They both needed the coping mechanism.

“Are you sure she has a boyfriend?” Danny wasn’t letting up.

“I don’t have one,” Rainey shot back. “What does that make me?”

Danny patted her on the shoulder, his dimples showing, as he said, “A lonely old woman, ma’am. Maybe you should try the other team. You’re not doing too well with the boys.”

It was too new, too raw. Danny just never knew when to stop. He was older, but he acted more like an annoying little brother sometimes. Rainey stiffened under his hand and turned her green eyes on him with a glare.

“With you as an example of what I have to choose from, it doesn’t sound like such a bad idea.”

Knox entered the room, saving Rainey from Danny’s retort. Sure there was going to be one, Rainey was thankful the young officer had shown up when she did. Rainey wasn’t in the mood to exchange pithy banter with Danny. She wanted to solve this case and take a vacation. North Carolina was calling her home. She had not seen her father in months, or Ernie, the woman who practically raised her and managed her father’s Bail Bond office. Rainey saw her real mother only on holidays when she couldn’t escape without repercussions she’d rather avoid. Her wealthy, pretentious mother had not been a part of her day-to-day life since Rainey was fourteen and deemed uncontrollable. She had been handed over to her Vietnam veteran, real father, whom she had only learned about at age ten. It was the best thing that ever happened to her.

Deputy Knox burst into the room, almost breathless, saying, “The pastor’s at the church. They’re going ahead with the lockdown. The church secretary said they thought it was best to let the kids grieve together. Pastor Morrell is in the education building setting up. Detective Martin is on his…”

Martin entered the room before Knox could finish the sentence. He asked, “What did you find?”

Rainey didn’t want to blow her hunch out of proportion. She said, “We aren’t sure, but there may be a connection to the abstinence pledge found in Crystal’s car and at least two of the other victims. We want to go to the church and speak with the pastor. He may know something and not realize it.”

“Okay, what do you want me to do?” Martin asked.

Danny, who had stacked all but three of the files in a pile, pointed at them. “We need to contact each of these families. Find out if any of the victims took the abstinence pledge, or were involved in a group that may have attended a meeting, a rally, even a church camp where it could have come up. Also, were any of them missing a ring, a gold band?”

Martin looked confused.

Knox explained, “Crystal had a gold band. She got the ring when she took the pledge. It wasn’t on the body.”

Rainey picked up Crystal’s file from the three Danny held back. They already knew the other two victims’ rings were missing. She added a request. “Ask Crystal’s family if they have the ring at home. We’re going to go talk to the pastor.”

Rainey started to leave. She turned back to the young deputy. “Well Knox, are you coming?”

“Yes ma’am.”

Rainey heard Danny chuckle behind her.

#

The Rose of Sharon Church sat just off Highway 220, north of Fincastle, just five miles from where Crystal’s body was found. The soaring steeple of the old white clapboard church reached high into the sky above the blue-gray slate covered roof. Against the deep green forest background, it looked like a Thomas Kincaid painting. Azalea bushes surrounded the church with so many blooms the building glowed pink just above them. Bright yellow tulips lined the walkway in well-attended beds carved out of the carefully manicured lawn. On the other side of the parking lot, out under the big Hickory trees, picnic tables were placed near a large brick barbecue pit. Deputy Knox pulled her cruiser to a stop just beyond the doors of a newer looking, flat-topped annex attached to the back of the church. Rainey and Danny followed in a black SUV.

When they were out of the vehicles, Deputy Knox said, “That’s the education building,” pointing at the modern addition. “That’s where the secretary said the pastor was.”

Rainey surveyed the parking lot. The only vehicle, other than the SUV and the deputy’s cruiser, was a large, four-wheel drive truck, with a snap down cover over the bed. There were no markings at all on the truck. Everything on it was painted shiny black, even the rims. The windows were as dark as legally allowed. The only color on the truck was the Virginia license plate on the back. She couldn’t see it, but there should have been a corresponding plate on the front bumper. It was an impressive ride. Danny stared at it with desire in his eyes. What red-blooded man, who grew up in the country, didn’t want a truck like that? Danny was, after all, raised a farm boy. This particular truck, however, was not a vehicle she would associate with a pastor.

“Is that the pastor’s truck?” She asked Knox.

“No. He lives next door, so he leaves his car there.”

A drooling Danny said, “Well this doesn’t belong to a church secretary.”

Knox laughed. “No, Miss Mary’s husband drops her off and picks her up. She never learned to drive. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this truck before. I’m pretty sure I would have remembered it. That’s a nice truck.”

“Using a word like nice to describe a truck like this is a sin,” Danny quipped.

He reluctantly left his daydream about driving the truck and followed the two women to the door of the building. Rainey let the deputy lead the way. She learned a long time ago that a familiar face helped get locals to open up to them. Besides, she was growing fond of the blond young woman walking in front of her. This would be good experience for Gillian. Rainey remembered her first year as an agent, having to fight for chances to gain field experience. It was better now for women, but young Miss Knox had a long road ahead to gain her colleagues’ respect. Rainey hoped this show of support from the visiting FBI agents would help the novice deputy on her way.

They entered the building and made their way down the hall lined with classrooms on the left and a day care room on the right. At the end of the hallway, they came to a large meeting room that appeared to double as a gym and game area. In the middle of the room, a tall, slender man, with graying temples was setting up a Ping-Pong table. A young man with a head full of blond curls was assisting him. Both men turned as Rainey, Danny, and Deputy Knox came into the room.

The older man spoke first. “Ah Gillian, Mary said you were coming.”

While Rainey and Danny got out their credentials, Deputy Knox took over the introductions. “Good to see you, too, Pastor Morrell. I can see you’re busy, but could you give us a few minutes? This is Agent Bell and Agent McNally from the FBI. They would like to talk to you about Crystal.”

“This has been so devastating to the congregation. Such a tragedy,” the pastor lamented. “I can’t imagine why anyone would hurt such a beautiful child of God.”

Rainey extended her hand and shook the pastor’s. “Yes, it is a tragedy. Thank you for talking with us.”

Danny shook the pastor’s hand, as well, saying, “We’re very sorry for your loss.”

Pastor Morrell repeated, “Such a tragedy.” Then suddenly seeming to remember the young man, he said, “I’m sorry, I forgot my manners. This is Dalton Chambers. He volunteered to help me set up for the kids tomorrow. He drove up here today from Roanoke. Crystal invited Dalton to help her with the abstinence pledge drive she had planned for this lockdown.”

The curly haired blond stepped forward. The hair framed his handsome face. He looked to be in his early twenties, with chiseled good looks and a dimple on his left cheek when he smiled. Rainey figured him to be six-foot-three, at least. He was built like an athlete and appeared to be in terrific shape. He probably lifted weights. His blue eyes were piercing when he made eye contact with Rainey. Immediately the hair stood up on the back of her neck.

Dalton stepped forward and extended his hand to her, which Rainey shook and felt the strength in his hand. A hand she was sure had been around Crystal’s neck five days ago. She watched as Danny shook the young man’s hand to gauge his response. Maybe she was over-reacting, because she wanted her theory to be correct. While Dalton shook the deputy’s hand, Rainey got her answer when Danny gave her a look that said he thought they found the killer, too.

Dalton said to all of them, “It’s a pleasure to meet you. I hope you’re making progress to find this guy. I’m up and down through here all the time, and I tell you the girls on 220 are scared.”

“They have good reason to be,” Rainey said, making eye contact with Dalton again.

This time she saw his right eye twitch when he held her gaze just a second too long. Dalton had a “tell,” a signal to a keen observer that he was under stress. They needed to be careful. Rainey wanted Dalton to talk to them, but she couldn’t let him in on her suspicions. She turned her attention back to the pastor, while at the same time glancing at Knox. Gillian was sizing Dalton up, as well. Rainey hoped the young officer would keep her composure while she and Danny questioned the two men.

“Pastor Morrell,” Rainey began, “we’re trying to locate a ring Crystal may have been wearing. It was not found with her. Do you think she could have lost it or left it here while she was cleaning?”

“Mary would be a better person to ask that question. All the lost and found things get turned in to her.”

Dalton chimed in. “Are you talking about her pledge ring? I know she would never have taken that off voluntarily.”

“Why do you say that?” Danny asked.

“Because it really meant a lot to her. I remember her talking about how the ring made her feel closer to God. It symbolized her promise to him to remain chaste. We talked about it the last time I spoke to her. She said she never took it off.”

Rainey saw an opening. “When did you talk to her last?”

Dalton pretended to be trying to remember. “I think it was the Friday before she went missing. She called me to make sure I was still able to come for her pledge drive.”

Nobody forgets the last time they spoke with someone who died tragically. Dalton was trying too hard to appear uninvolved.

Danny jumped in. “You drove up here from Roanoke. So you’re not from here. How did you meet Crystal?”

Dalton’s eye twitched again. Danny was pressing too hard. Rainey was afraid this guy was going to bolt, or worse, make this his last stand. At that moment, Rainey’s cellphone rang. She pulled it out of her jacket pocket and saw that it was Brooks calling back.

“Excuse me. I need to take this call.”

Rainey stepped back out in the hall away from the others and flipped her phone open.

“Tell me you have some names for me,” she said, without saying hello.

“My, aren’t we a bit tense today,” came the reply.

“Oh God, you have no idea. I need a name and I need it now.”

Brooks laughed. “No honey, you need to get laid. You’re so wound up, you’re liable to just blow a gasket any day.”

“Brooks, I could be standing in the same room with a serial killer, as we speak. Tell me you have this guy’s name.”

Suddenly serious, Brooks began to speak rapidly. “What I found is these pledge folks do not have employees that travel a route like you’re looking for. They train people at retreats around the country, but there are no representatives that actually go from church to church like you said.”

Rainey let out, “Shit,” just a little too loud.

She looked through the doorway to see if anyone was watching her. Dalton was answering Danny’s questions. No one heard her.

Brooks went on, “Now, hold on. I did get a list of churches requesting information and materials to hold their own pledge drives. I pulled the ones in your geographic area. There are quite a few. Don’t these people know sexual experimentation is a healthy part of growing up? Lord honey, I tried out a bunch before I found the one that rocked my world and then I married him. Anyway, each of your victims lived in or near a town where one of these pledge travesties took place.”

Rainey sighed. “But no names.”

“I tried to get a list of trainees, but they don’t keep that information on computer. That ought to tell you how backward these folks are.”

Rainey was suddenly hit with inspiration. She backed slowly out of sight of the others, and then broke into a trot down the hall and out of the building. Once outside, she ran to the front of the truck. Virginia was one of those states requiring tags on the front and back of vehicles.

Breathing faster now, she rushed out her words. “I need you to run a license plate for me.”

“Okay, shoot.”

Rainey read the plate off and then added, “It should come back to a Dalton Chambers. See if he has any traffic violations that correlate with the dates of the murders, credit card receipts too, and run a background check on him. I’m going to stay on the phone with you.”

“You do know I will call you right back, don’t you?” Brooks quipped.

“Well, since we don’t know how he’s going to react, if he knows we suspect him, I’d rather stay on the line.”

Brooks let a whispered, “Shit,” escape into the receiver, before she said, “Okay, you stay with me. Let’s see what one Dalton Chambers has been up to.”

After a few seconds of keys clicking on a keyboard, Brooks began to speak. “Your boy is from Acredale, Virginia. He is twenty-five years old. He drives a Ford F150, black, four by four. He has no criminal convictions other than a few traffic tickets. I’m running his credit card receipts through a program, looking for matching dates. That will take a few minutes. He was charged once in a sexual assault, let’s see, at age seventeen, but those charges were dropped and should have been expunged from his record, but the wheels of justice do turn slowly.”

Rainey needed more than that. She pressed, “Where and when did he get the tickets? Can we tie him to a murder site?”

“No, these tickets were all before the killing started… Wait… There is an article here. Damn, somebody beat the shit out of your boy a few years back.”

“What? What?” Rainey almost shouted.

“It says Dalton Chambers was savagely beaten his senior year, by unknown assailants, so severely that he spent several weeks in the hospital. Evidently, he was a star baseball player and the beating ended his career. The head injuries gave him chronic vertigo, so he couldn’t play anymore… Hang on… It says, ‘he credits God with his recovery and knows that he has a better plan for him…’ This is your guy, Rainey. From what I’ve read of the files, he’s a Jesus freakazoid, or at least pretending to be.”

Rainey had a hunch. “Can you access his medical records?”

“I’m already doing it, but it looks like I need to make a phone call. Do you want to stay on hold, or should I call you back?”

As badly as she wanted to hold on, Rainey knew she couldn’t leave Danny in there alone much longer.

“I’ll hang up. I’m going back in the building. I’m sure Danny is running out of dance moves by now.”

“Okay Rainey Bell, you be safe and Big Momma Brooks will be right back to you.”

The line went dead. Rainey flipped her phone shut and put it back in her pocket. Just before she turned away, she glanced up at the windshield. By law, it could not be as dark as the other windows. Suspended from the rearview mirror, a gold chain glinted in the sunlight. Rainey saw at least a dozen gold bands dangling from the chain. Dalton kept his trophies where he could see and touch them. If she asked him about the rings, he would claim that they were just trinkets to hand out to others. Rainey had a gut feeling DNA testing would prove that to be a lie.

She walked back into the room with the others, forcing herself to remain calm. They were within inches of a serial killer, she was sure, but they had no evidence to take him in. They could ask him to come with them, but he was too smart for that she thought. Of course, he could be one of those killers that liked playing games with the police. Dalton struck Rainey as the type who would disappear, as soon as they lost sight of him. He would reinvent himself somewhere else and start killing again. He was intelligent enough to pull it off. Ted Bundy did it and took his dirty deeds all the way across the country. They could not let Dalton Chambers leave here today, not without some kind of plan to keep track of him.

Rainey rejoined the group. She looked at Danny. “Sorry, that was my mother. I had to answer it or she would just keep calling.”

Danny knew it wasn’t her mother. Rainey avoided answering her mother’s phone calls at every opportunity. He feigned concern. “Is everything all right?”

“It’s my little brother. He’s gotten himself in a bit of trouble.”

Danny also knew Rainey was an only child. “Is there anything you can do?”

Rainey needed him to know Brooks was looking into something and that they had nothing so far, except the rings. She thought the rings were the answer. Now, they just needed enough probable cause to get a search warrant. “I told her to call a lawyer and then call me back. I don’t know what she thinks I can do from here. My hands are tied.”

Pastor Morrell spoke up, “May God be with your family during this trying time. Thank goodness he never gives us more than we can bear.”

Dalton added an, “Amen.”

Rainey wanted to pull her gun and put this guy in cuffs right then, but they could not jeopardize a conviction by moving too quickly. She needed evidence beyond the churning in her gut.

Danny began to fill her in on what she missed. “Dalton has been telling me what a wonderful young woman Crystal was. He met her at a retreat last fall in Roanoke.”

“Oh, is that where you’re from?” She wanted to catch him in a lie.

Dalton was too smart to fib about something she could check so easily. “No, ma’am.” He poured on the charm. “I’m from a little town about a hundred miles south of here called Acredale, but like I said, I travel a lot.”

“All in the service of God,” the pastor chimed in. “Dalton is on a crusade to help our youth make the right decisions, ignore peer pressure, and follow the Lord.”

Rainey looked at the pastor. “So, you know Dalton through his work?”

“No, I just met this fine young man today,” the pastor answered. “He’s been filling me in on his mission. We discovered that he has been to many of the churches of pastors I’m very familiar with. It does my heart good to know the youth have a positive role model to look up to. This young man has traveled from Rockingham, North Carolina to Iron Gate, Virginia and back, all to the Glory of God and…”

Rainey watched Dalton, as he listened to the pastor. His body language suggested he wasn’t comfortable with the preacher continuing to speak. His eye twitched again, just before he interrupted.

“Pastor Morrell, thank you for those kind words, but these folks want to know about Crystal’s mission, not mine.”

“No, I’m very interested in your work,” Rainey said to Dalton. His veneer cracked just a little, so she decided to push him. “I’d love to hear more about this abstinence ministry. I’m also curious as to why you only travel 220 on your quest. Surely there are bigger audiences in larger towns, more souls to save.”

Dalton regained his composure, answering, “There are already abstinence programs set up in most of the big cities. These kids out here need me more than the ones in the city do. This is the kind of place I grew up in and I know we needed it when I was in high school.”

“Since you minister at churches along this road, you may have come in contact with some of the other victims. Do you know if you were in one of the churches they could have attended? We’re researching any tie the victims may have in common. We think they may all have signed an abstinence pledge.”

Rainey wanted to watch Dalton squirm. She just told him they were connecting the dots. He had to be thinking it wouldn’t be long now until they had proof of his involvement in the case.

He answered, “No, I don’t think I met any of the other girls. It’s hard to tell from the pictures in the paper.”

The pastor started to speak and Dalton visibly lost the color in his cheeks.

“Well now, Dalton, you told me you were at Pastor Wells’ church and I think one of those girls went there. Maybe you did meet her. And I know one of them went missing from Pastor Smith’s congregation in Rockingham. You were there last September you told me. That was a while before the girl went missing, but if she signed the pledge, I’m sure you must have met her.”

Dalton tried to recover. “I’m sorry, Pastor Morrell, but I meet so many girls. I’m sorry to say they all start to blend together after a while.”

She knew they had him. She could now tie him to at least three locations where the victims were killed.

Rainey probed even harder. “And yet, Crystal stuck out among all those other girls. You seem to remember quite a lot about her.”

Dalton Chambers stared at her, at a loss for words for the first time.

He was saved by Pastor Morrell’s comment. “Oh, Crystal would be hard to forget. She made an impression on everyone she met.”

Deputy Knox, who had been silent up to now, began to speak. “Yes, Crystal was a special girl. The man who killed her is a coward. He’s not a man at all. He had to use an instrument to do his dirty work, couldn’t get it up probably. Sorry, Pastor.”

Rainey would have hugged Knox, if she could. The young deputy’s understanding of what they were dealing with was uncanny. She obviously paid attention in psychology class. Question this guy’s manhood and he would come unglued.

The pastor went on talking, oblivious to what was happening around him. “It’s okay Sister Knox. Our anger can sometimes make us speak plain. I just pray that the villain is captured soon and brought to justice.”

Danny joined the party. “Which in Virginia means the bastard gets the needle.”

Knox added, “Those creeps always make a deal to save their skins.”

“Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord. God will punish the wicked. It is not man’s place to pass the ultimate judgment,” Pastor Morrell commented.

He was about to get up on his pulpit. Rainey quickly steered him in another direction. “Do you think you could supply us with the phone numbers for these pastors you mentioned, the churches where those two victims went?”

“Sure. I’ll need to go to the office. Would you like to follow me?”

Once again Deputy Knox was right on cue. “I’ll go with you. I need to say hello to Miss Mary anyway. I’ll ask her about Crystal’s ring.”

“Is there anything else I could help you with before I go?” The preacher asked.

Danny answered, “No, I think that just about does it. Thank you for your time Pastor Morrell.”

He shook both Rainey and Danny’s hands and then went off with Deputy Knox, through an archway that led into the church. Just when they were almost out of sight, Dalton surprised Rainey by moving to go after them.

He said, “Hey, wait. I need to make a call. My cell battery is dead. May I use the office phone?”

The pastor turned back and smiled. “Why of course you can. Come on.”

Knox looked stricken. Rainey thought quickly. She and Danny couldn’t stop Dalton from going. They needed a minute alone so Rainey could tell him what she knew. If she tried to hold Dalton without cause, other than a hunch, he could walk away. Knox looked back over her shoulder at Rainey, after letting both Dalton and the pastor go ahead of her. Rainey put her hand on her weapon and nodded at Gillian. She hoped she understood the unspoken message, “Watch your back.”

She called to the deputy, “We’ll be in the parking lot when you’re ready to go.”

As soon as they cleared the doorway into the hall, Rainey and Danny broke into a run toward the exit. They needed backup and they needed to watch Dalton’s only escape route, his truck. He could run into the woods, if he found another way out, but that truck was his lifeline. Rainey suspected he was like many of the sexual sadists who were driven to travel great distances. Jon Barry Simonis, a serial rapist, traveled over eight thousand miles in ten months across twelve states. Jon Barry stated to one of the original Behavioral Analysts, Roy Hazelwood, that it gave him a freedom from responsibility. It was a myth that all serial murderers travel and operate interstate. Most of them had a defined geographic area, but they still may drive endless hours. Rainey believed, as did some psychologists, it was a need for stimulation provided by the constantly changing scenery pushing the sadist to keep moving. Dalton would need his truck.

There was also the possibility the truck contained more evidence, other than the rings, which Dalton could not explain away. He wouldn’t want the cops going over his truck. No, Rainey was sure he was going to come out of the church any minute, hop in, and drive off. They had to stop him. This might be their only chance. If he got out of sight, Rainey was sure he would leave the area, but he wasn’t about to stop killing. Once she and Danny were outside, Rainey pulled out her phone. Danny already had his out.

Danny asked, “Do you think that deputy will be alright?”

Rainey looked at the church. “Yes, I think she can handle herself.”

“You know that’s him, right?” Danny asked

Rainey pointed at the windshield of the truck. “Look what’s hanging on his mirror.”

Danny looked up, saw the rings, and immediately started punching buttons on his phone.

“I’m waiting for Brooks to call back,” Rainey said. “Chambers was arrested at seventeen for sexual assault, but charges were dropped. I’m sure there are probably more things that fit the profile, but guys like that get away with so much by just talking their way out of it. He suffered a severe beating his senior year of high school that ruined his athletic career. He dedicated his life to God after that. I want more details on his injuries.”

Danny held his phone to his ear. “I’m calling Martin for some backup. He can start the search warrant process for the truck.”

“Right now, it’s all circumstantial, but I bet that truck has physical evidence in it, no matter how much he cleaned it,” Rainey said.

Rainey’s phone jangled in her hand. She answered, while Danny waited for the detective to pick up.

Brooks started talking as soon as Rainey said hello. “Okay, baby girl, you got your dirt bag. I got nothing from his credit cards, so I ran his parents’ cards, and bingo! There are records of purchases near each site on or around the dates of the murders and when the bodies were found. Bastard used his mother’s accounts to finance his sicko tour.”

“Hang on,” Rainey said. She filled Danny in on what Brooks just told her. It would help with the search warrant. Then she put the phone back to her ear. “Okay, and what about the medical files?”

“Wow. No, ‘Thank you, Magic Brooks,’ for that case breaking input.”

Rainey answered swiftly, “No time. This asshole is about to walk out of this church and drive away.”

“Oh shit,” was followed rapidly by, “he was a messed up boy. Whoever beat him paid special attention to his genitals. He was effectively castrated. I found the police report. There was some thought that this was retaliation by some brothers of a girl Chambers was suspected of raping. Chambers claimed he didn’t know who did it. No charges were ever filed in either case.”

Rainey saw it all fall into place in her mind. Chambers’ sordid history laid out in front of her like a movie leading to this moment.

“Thank you so much. I owe you dinner,” Rainey said, anxious to hang up and tell Danny. “I have to go.”

Brooks signed off with her usual, “Rainey Bell, you be safe.”

“Always,” came the reply.

Rainey hung up and got Danny’s attention. He was still on the line with the detective, explaining what to put in the warrant request. He told the detective to hold on and listened to Rainey.

“It’s him, Danny. No doubt about it. He was beaten and castrated for raping a girl when he was eighteen. That’s his motive. Revenge on all the virgins. We have receipts placing him at the scenes.”

Danny responded, “More cops are on the way. Watch the doors, I’m going around back.”

Danny returned his phone to his ear and began talking fast, as he moved around the building. Rainey undid the snap on her holster. She walked around the truck so that she was partially hidden from view. She removed the FBI issued, Sig Sauer P220, semi-automatic pistol from her waist, made sure she had a round chambered, and re-holstered it. Rainey hoped she wouldn’t have to use it, but these guys were unpredictable when cornered. Hopefully Chambers would come down for questioning, without any fuss. She highly doubted it.

Rainey heard a door open. Looking up she saw Deputy Knox and the killer coming out of the education building together. She stepped around the truck and back into view.

“I was just admiring your truck. It’s quite impressive. Looks like you keep it spotless,” Rainey said, as nonchalantly as she could muster. She felt the adrenaline beginning to quicken her heart. She hoped it didn’t show in her voice. She needed to buy time.

Dalton smiled his practiced grin. It wasn’t genuine. These guys were consummate actors. “Yep, that’s my baby. I spend a lot of time keeping it detailed.”

Deputy Knox’s eyes were locked on Rainey. She was looking for a sign as to what to do next. Rainey didn’t have a plan. She was hoping a host of police cars would come sliding into the parking lot about now. She needed Dalton Chambers to feel too outnumbered to try anything.

Dalton looked around. “Where’s your partner?”

“He went inside to use the restroom,” Rainey answered.

She could see that Dalton was sizing up his situation. She thought he must know they weren’t going to let him leave. This type of killer would think he was smart enough to wiggle out of anything. He was making a mental plan of action. He turned to look behind him and that’s when Rainey saw it. Chambers was wearing a blue polo shirt. All three of the buttons at the neck were undone. When he turned, the sun caught the gold cross around his neck and Rainey recognized it as the one custom made for Crystal. She wore it in her smiling picture. Rainey’s hand went slowly to her weapon. Knox’s eyes followed Rainey’s hand. The young deputy stopped walking, freezing beside Dalton who saw the movement, too.

Rainey smiled, thinly. “I like that cross, Messiah.” She drew her weapon quickly, shouting, “Freeze!”

The instant Rainey pulled the Sig, Chambers made his move. He grabbed Knox and pulled her tight to his body. Rainey had no shot. She kept her weapon trained on Dalton, but all she could do was watch, as Chambers grappled with the deputy for her gun. In seconds, the stronger man overcame Knox. He held her in a chokehold with one arm and put the barrel of Knox’s nine-millimeter against her temple with the other. Rainey slid behind the truck bed, putting it between her and the serial killer, now brandishing a weapon and threatening to shoot a cop. Not good. The truck wouldn’t stop the bullet, unless she was behind the engine block, but at least it would slow it down.

Rainey had not expected to run into the UNSUB. Unlike on TV, her unit was almost never involved in the actual hands on apprehension of a suspect. Their job was to tell the local investigators where and whom to look for. She had been involved in arrests before, but she always had on protection, and usually followed a SWAT team in. This time she wasn’t wearing a vest. There was no SWAT team in sight, no sirens coming in the distance. She looked into Knox’s terrified eyes and spoke as calmly as she could, even though her heart was about to beat out of her chest.

“Okay, Dalton, you need to just drop the weapon and we’ll talk.”

Dalton glared at her. “You drop your weapon and then we’ll talk.”

“You know I can’t do that. Drop the weapon. You know how this ends, if you don’t.”

Knox struggled to get free, having regained some strength after the initial battle for her gun. The handsome face of Dalton Chambers transformed before Rainey’s eyes. He tightened his grip around Knox’s throat, enjoying the smaller woman’s attempts to pry his arm from her throat. Knox gasped for air. Dalton chuckled and smiled at Rainey. He narrowed his glare and spoke in an almost jovial tone.

“Yes, I do know how this ends. The deputy and I are going for a ride. She’s a little old for my taste, but damn, she’s a fighter. Look at her go.” Knox kicked at his legs. Dalton laughed and then narrowed his eyes at Rainey, his voice now pure evil. “And if you try to stop me, I’ll blow this bitch’s head off.”

Rainey was not only an FBI agent trained in tactical weapons, negotiations, and critical response, she was the daughter of a man who survived several Special Forces tours in Vietnam. He taught her to shoot, but more importantly, he taught her to survive. She knew she had to keep Dalton focused on her. Rainey hoped Knox would understand her next words.

“When she put on that badge this morning, she knew she might not make it home tonight. It’s the nature of the beast. You might shoot her, but then I’m going to drop you like a sack of potatoes. No trial, no publicity, just a dead killer and a hero cop. They’ll write article after article about the deputy and her tragic death. You, you’ll be a footnote in the story.”

Dalton started dragging his captive toward the driver’s door of the truck. Rainey thought fast. She took a step back, dropped her aim, and fired. The right rear tire went flat. That got Dalton’s attention and hopefully Danny’s, too. She quickly reacquired her target, the only part of Dalton that was exposed, his head.

Rainey laughed. She needed Dalton off his game. “Wooo. That’s gonna cost you. Bet those tires run over three-hundred dollars a piece.”

Dalton said, through gritted teeth, “You bitch.” He changed directions and started for the SUV.

Danny had a bad habit of leaving the keys in the ignition. Rainey could not let Dalton get to the vehicle. She dropped her aim again and fired at the back tire of the SUV. Bam, whoosh, the air left the tire.

“Now, that’s gonna cost the government. Guess we’ll put it on your tab.”

Dalton was losing his composure rapidly. “Crazy bitch. I’m gonna drop this cop and then I’m gonna fuck you up.”

Rainey was waiting for him to aim his weapon at her. If he pulled the barrel away from Knox’s head, Rainey would not hesitate to shoot him. Still, Rainey kept the truck bed in front of her, in case he got off the first shot. She doubted he would. Rainey was the best shot in her class and had every confidence that she would drop him where he stood. She would shoot now, but Knox could move the wrong way and catch the bullet, or he could spasm at the time of death and kill Knox. The truck was so tall she couldn’t see in front of it, where Danny should be by now. Rainey had no choice, but to keep talking and hope Danny was creeping up behind Dalton.

“Come on Dalton, drop the weapon. You have no way out of this. My partner heard those shots. He’ll be coming soon. Nobody’s hurt, yet. Let’s just calm down and put the weapons away, before he gets the wrong idea and shoots you in the back.”

Rainey saw the door to the education center begin to open. It creaked just enough to draw Dalton’s attention. He turned quickly and fired, believing it to be Danny coming out of the church. Pastor Morrell hit the ground, crawling for safety. Dalton wheeled his arm back around and fired at Rainey. She hit the ground, too. The round hit the truck bed, where she had been standing. Instantly she sighted her gun on one of Dalton’s legs and fired. At the same time, she heard Danny’s weapon go off in front of the truck. Dalton crumpled, still holding on to Knox, but he lost his grip on her. She elbowed him in the ribs, rolled over, and jumped to her feet.

Knox kicked the pistol from Dalton’s hand, the adrenaline coursing through her veins causing her to scream, “Motherfucker!”

Rainey scrambled to her feet and ran around the truck. Danny appeared from in front of the truck. He had evidently been watching the whole time, waiting for a shot. Neither Dalton nor Rainey knew he was there.

“Everybody okay?” Danny asked.

Rainey kept her weapon on Dalton who was writhing on the ground, moaning in pain. “I’m fine. You okay, Knox?” Rainey asked the freaked out deputy.

“God dammit!” Knox was pissed. “I can’t believe I let him grab me. Fuck!”

Rainey smiled. “You’re all right. Just breathe. Pick up your weapon.”

Dalton moaned louder. Rainey could see he was shot twice. Her bullet shattered his lower leg. Danny got him in the butt. Neither wound was life threatening. Anyone who says they don’t feel fear when confronted with a weapon is a liar. Through training, Rainey learned to channel that primal instinct into hyper alertness in order to reduce or stop the threat. Now that the danger had passed, her fear turned to anger. Rainey went over to Dalton and stepped on his injured leg.

“How’s that feel, asshole? You like pain don’t you? Isn’t that what gets you off?”

“Get off me bitch. I’ll kill you.”

“I doubt it,” Rainey said. “You have a date with a needle Mr. Chambers. Look up at the sky. The next time you see it will be through razor wire.”

Rainey reached down, rolled him on to his stomach, slapping a pair of handcuffs on his wrists. “You’re going to prison Mr. Chambers. You just shot at a federal agent.”

Danny started reciting the Miranda Rights. “To start with, Dalton Chambers, you are under arrest for the attempted murder of a federal officer. You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you in a court of…”

“I know my fucking rights.”

Danny continued the recitation of the rights, ignoring Dalton’s outburst.

Dalton kicked at Rainey with his uninjured leg. “I’m going to kill you, bitch. I’ll hunt you down and kill you.”

Rainey stepped back. She looked over at Knox and smiled mischievously. “Hey, Knox. You want to help me hogtie this uncooperative prisoner?”

Knox finally regained her composure and smiled back. “Yes, ma’am. It would be my pleasure.”