“Clear,” she replied.
She moved on to the bedroom while Marcus checked the garage.
The bedroom was similar to the living room: homely, sparsely decorated, filled with lived-in furniture and the modest trappings of an ordinary middle-class life.It occurred to her for the first time to wonder how Gregory Bennett could afford a boat.Or maybe it was Anne’s boat.Maybe she brought money to the relationship.That could have been part of the allure.
All questions you can answer later.Look for proof of Cox’s involvement.
“Clear!”she called.She wasn’t sure if Marcus could hear her, but a moment later, her radio crackled, and he said, “Copy.Garage is clear too.Shall we begin the search in earnest?”
Kate nodded.She holstered her weapon, then remembered that Marcus couldn’t see her nod.“Yeah, start looking.Be thorough.In fact, call Rivera and tell him to send a team over here.We need to find something tangible that connects her to these murders.”
“Will do,” Marcus said.“I mean, she’s got to be the killer, right?It all points to her.”
That’s what Marcus had said about Maxwell, and that turned out to be a red herring.Kate was beginning to worry—not overmuch but a little—that Caroline Bennett would turn out to be another.
“Our suspicion sure is reasonable,” she replied.“But just in case, try not to break—”
The front door creaked.Kate stiffened.“We have entry,” she said quietly.
“Yeah, I heard it.On my way now.”
Kate closed the connection and drew her weapon.On her way down the hallway to the living room, she called, “FBI!Hands where we can see them now!”
Marcus came in through the garage door on the opposite hallway.They made brief eye contact before Marcus bellowed a repeat of Kate’s command.
“You have no need to fear, agents,” a soft, feminine voice replied.“I have placed my weapons on the coffee table, and I’ll keep my hands in the air.”
Kate exited the hallway and saw a woman standing a generous distance away from the coffee table.The weapons in question—a Ka-Bar combat knife and a thin, ivory-handled stiletto—sat parallel to each other in the center of the coffee table, their blades pointing toward the easy chair, where Kate presumed Mr.Bennett would have sat.
She regarded the woman who had entered.She was beautiful.Breathtaking, even.She was in her early forties with long, flowing copper hair, deep blue eyes, high cheekbones, and full lips that seemed to part sensuously even when they were closed.Her body had the hourglass figure that so many men prized, but there were generous curves on her chest and her hips that hinted strongly at what lay underneath her modest, long-sleeved turtleneck and ankle-length skirt.A pair of polished black pumps covered her feet.Kate’s first thought was to wonder why on Earth Greg Bennett would have ever left this woman.
“Caroline Bennett?”Marcus asked.
Kate glanced at him and saw the same amazement in his eyes.No desire, but a healthy appreciation for what he was seeing.It disturbed her a little that they were both fixating on that, but some people were just that beautiful.
Caroline’s lips turned up in a wry smirk.Clearly, she was used to this reaction.“That’s right.”
“You’re under arrest for the murders of Gregory Bennett, Anne Collins, Richard—”
“Yes, I confess,” Caroline interrupted.“I confess to all of it.”
Kate blinked.“All right.Turn around and place your hands on the top of your head.”
Caroline complied.Kate stepped forward and cuffed her while Marcus kept his weapon trained on their killer, just in case this was some sort of ruse.
Caroline didn’t resist.When the cuffs were cinched, she said, “We can proceed straight to the station if you’d like.My work is complete.”
Kate frowned at Marcus.His eyes were narrowed distrustfully.“To be clear, Miss Bennett, you’re confessing to seven murders.Is that correct?”
“Yes.Seven for violating the Seventh Commandment.That was my task, and I’ve completed it.”
“Who gave you this task?”Kate asked.
“The Lawgiver.”
Kate sucked in breath.She knew from the beginning that Cox was behind this, but it still hit her like a battering ram to hear it said out loud.
“How?”she asked.“When did he contact you?”
