Epilogue

Six Months Later

Shooter opened the door and entered the house without knocking. “Hey, babe,” he called out. “Where are ya?”

“I’m in here.”

He went into the kitchen and immediately embraced TJ and gave her a kiss. “Hey, easy there, big boy. If you start that we’ll never go on our picnic.”

“Speaking of which, I thought you were going to be ready when I got here.” He tried to look angry, but failed and just looked happy.

TJ pointed at the basket on the kitchen table. Sandwiches and utensils were packed around the protruding neck of a wine bottle. “I’ll have you know that I am ready . . . almost.”

“Almost? It looks like enough food for a dozen people already.”

“Look,” she said, pointing to the drain board. “I’ve got to make a few more hamburger patties. You know you and Matt will eat at least two each.” She took a beer out of the refrigerator and pitched it to him. “Here, go read the Sunday paper while I finish. We’ve still got an hour before we’re due to pick up Matt and Sam.”

“Okay . . . okay, I can take a hint.” He picked up the paper off the table and walked into the living room. He popped the top on the can and took a long drink, opening the paper to the first page.

The headlines screamed out at him: SERIAL KILLER SOUGHT IN NEW ORLEANS. He put the beer down with shaking hands and began to read how the New Orleans police were stumped and had no leads to the so-caller Ripper killer. He had killed eight women in the last six months, leaving as his signature torn and slashed throats and bodies drained of blood.

He folded the paper and rushed in to show it to TJ. He stopped abruptly when he found her with a vacant look on her face, slowly putting pieces of raw hamburger meat into her mouth, the blood running down the sides of her face.

She looked over at him and grinned a bloodstained grin, slowly licking the blood off her lips.