AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He had the ideal outfit arranged on the bed. He'd chosen one of her gray tracksuit bottoms, and a comfortable black knit sweater. For footwear, he'd decided, those well-used trainers were probably going to be her choice for padding around the house.
He had also prepared a small snack, just something light, sandwiches on a plate, with the crusts neatly removed.
It was all waiting up here for her, and he was counting the moments until she arrived and took in the small touches that awaited her. Of course, there wouldn't be much time for her to absorb these little efforts he'd made in her bedroom, but that didn't matter to him, because it was the effort behind it that counted. It was his way of saying thank you for allowing him to live like her for a while, to become her, to step into her skin.
He was holding the knife tightly, gripping the handle, resolve building along with his excitement. In the back, that was where he would need to take her, because once she'd looked at this beautiful arrangement, she would turn and run.
They all did.
Now, her footsteps were coming up the stairs, and the time was shortening. Only a few more seconds, and he would be ready for the big reveal, the pinnacle of the evening's efforts.
And he let out a breath that he hadn't realized he'd been holding.
"Mama Bear," he said softly, to himself. "I'm here."
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
At seven-twenty a.m. exactly, Cami was waiting expectantly outside MIT in the exact spot where Connor had dropped her. She felt sure that the alarm company was a strong lead and that it would lead them to the suspect they needed.
Just a minute after she'd gotten to the pickup point, Connor pulled up, making Cami feel glad that she'd been early. As soon as she climbed inside, she told Connor what she'd discovered the day before.
"About a year ago, Caroline Elder was recommended to use Edge Security for her alarm system," she said. "I found it last night. The conversation was on one of the street’s chat groups."
"That's a strong link."
Connor's voice sounded approving, and Cami felt a flash of satisfaction that she'd been able to come through with the information.
Connor headed onto the main road, which was already clogged with traffic. The day was gray and dull, and rain was threatening. Taillights of cars flashed red in front of them as everyone braked, and then edged sideways to avoid a minor bumper bashing.
Fighting their way through the traffic, they turned off the main road and headed to the industrial area bordering downtown, where Edge Security had their offices.
It was a professional-looking setup, Cami saw, as they arrived at the premises. The building was neat-looking and freshly painted with vivid black and white signage with the company logo above the door. Planters on each side of the entrance gave a welcoming touch. Shiny cars lined the parking area to the building's right.
They parked there and headed inside.
"Can I help you?" A serious-looking receptionist—with short, dark hair and wearing a black jacket—greeted them from behind the desk.
"We're investigating a crime and looking for the company owner or manager. Whoever's the most senior person here right now," Connor said, showing her his FBI badge.
Now, the receptionist gave a worried frown. "The owner is Malcolm Deere, and he is in. He's upstairs. I'll call him for you straight away, if you'd like to wait there."
She indicated a small office to the right of the reception desk, which had two desks and four chairs placed inside. Cami followed Connor in, and they perched on the chairs, watching the door.
It was only a minute before footsteps approached and a tall, fit-looking man with close cropped, gray hair walked in. He had a face that was lined from sun exposure, and his hands were tanned and weathered, too, Cami noticed. He was wearing a black bomber jacket with the company logo and black jeans. She guessed immediately that he was a hands-on owner who'd worked hard to get where he was. He wasn’t in an ivory tower, but on the front lines with his team.
It didn’t mean that he wasn’t a killer in his spare time, though, she warned herself.
He looked at them, his eyes immediately going to the badge clutched in Connor's hand. "How can I help you?" Malcolm asked, his voice deep and brisk.
"We're FBI, investigating two murders that have taken place in suburban Boston, nearby here. We're looking for links between the victims, and it seems that one of the links might be that Edge Security installed both of the alarm systems."
"That's very disturbing," Malcolm Deere said, shaking his head. "I heard about these murders, of course, and we've already had a meeting here to discuss it. There was no alarm activation signal, no panic button pressed, and no alarm failure that we could identify."
Connor folded his arms and looked at Malcolm thoughtfully.
"How about someone disabling the alarms? Someone knowledgeable, who knew how to do it, or was aware of the code?"
Now, Malcolm's eyes widened as he considered that possibility.
