Dead by Midnight - Beverly Barton [88]
As she slumped to her knees, her life’s blood draining from the two gunshot wounds, she prayed for help. Where was Tony? Where were the other people on his security force?
Standing directly over her, her attacker grabbed her hair and yanked, forcing her to stare up at him. While she looked into the eyes of her killer, he pressed his gun to her forehead. She grasped the cuff of his slacks with her bloody fingers.
“Don’t,” she pleaded.
“Dead by midnight,” he told her and then pulled the trigger, sending the bullet straight into Shontee’s brain.
Chapter 18
Mike Birkett dropped his kids off at school and headed in to the office. Halfway between Dunmore Middle School, where M.J. was a sixth grader, and the sheriff’s department, Mike’s phone rang. Using the voice-activated command that responded to his calls, he answered immediately.
“Mike, it’s Jack. Are you where you can turn on a TV?”
“No, I’m in my truck on my way into work,” Mike said. “What’s up?”
“Cathy and I have on the morning news. Special Agent Hicks Wainwright is being interviewed outside an Atlanta nightclub, some place called the Rough Diamond. Isn’t he the FBI agent in charge of the Midnight Killer task force?”
“Yes, he is.” The club’s name sounded familiar. And then it hit him. “That club is owned by Shontee Thomas’s fiancé. She was in Midnight Masquerade and has been getting the same kind of letters that Lorie’s received.”
“Yeah, from what Wainwright is saying, I figured as much.”
“Did he get to her? Is she dead?”
“She’s dead,” Jack replied. “Wainwright is giving out basic facts, but no details. Ms. Thomas’s death is being treated as a homicide. And he’s admitted that they have reason to believe she is the fourth victim in a series of murders.”
“One a month,” Mike said.
“What?”
“So far, since the first of the year, he’s killed one person each month.”
“Does this mean you think Lorie is safe for now, at least until May?”
“Yeah sure, if this guy doesn’t alter his MO, but we have no guarantee of that.”
“You should probably be the one to tell Lorie about Shontee Thomas,” Jack said. “Or if you’d rather, I can do it. Cathy and I are heading out to her place in a few minutes.”
Mike had intended waiting until Jack came in to work today to talk to him about taking over Lorie’s case, but he figured, under the circumstances, now was the ideal time.
“Look, I had planned to discuss this with you later…” Mike paused. “As of today, I’m assigning you to Lorie’s case. You’ll be in charge. I…uh…” He considered lying to his old friend, to use any halfway reasonable excuse, but Jack knew him too well. The simple truth would work best. “I need to put some distance between Lorie and me. Things are getting too complicated.”
“I see,” Jack said. “Sure, I’ll take over. No problem.”
“Thanks. I appreciate your not trying to talk me out of my decision.”
“I figure it wasn’t an easy decision to make. Your gut is telling you to personally protect Lorie, but your head is warning you not to get too close to her or you’ll wind up regretting it.”
“Yeah, something like that.” When Jack didn’t comment, Mike said, “You’ll keep me updated on a regular basis. Just because I won’t be personally involved doesn’t mean I don’t care what happens to her.”
“I get it,” Jack told him. “The problem is that you do care, you care a lot more than you want to.”
Lorie had turned on the small TV in the kitchen and muted the sound as soon as she’d poured her first cup of coffee thirty minutes ago. She liked catching the early morning weather report while she puttered around in the kitchen, drinking coffee and deciding what to eat for breakfast. Except for Sundays when she often cooked, she usually chose from among three menus: cereal and fruit, yogurt and fruit, or a muffin and juice. She liked routines because she found comfort and stability in daily habits that seldom varied. The craving for excitement and adventure had taken her into a world that had nearly destroyed her. Even though her life now was often boring and dull, at least it was safe and secure.