Kate, Bobby, and Tony took turns using the water from the jugs to wash their faces and hands. Bobby found some clothes in the bedroom, so the men decided to exchange their mud-soaked clothes for something drier and cleaner. Tony put on some jeans and a long-sleeved dark blue corduroy shirt that fit pretty well, but Bobby was so thin, almost everything hung on him. He donned a long-sleeved black turtleneck shirt fashioned to be snug. Even so it was still a couple of sizes too big for Bobby’s slight frame. There was no way he could change his jeans. Mike’s pants would have fallen down around his ankles.
Tony found some black spandex workout pants that fit Kate loosely but were too long. He used scissors to make them shorter. Bobby was worried about what the cabin’s owner would say, but Tony assured him he’d replace the pants. The only clean shirt that could possibly fit Kate was a T-shirt with an eagle on the front. Kate didn’t care and put it on immediately.
“I feel so much cleaner,” she said. “And I love eagles.”
Unfortunately, there weren’t any shoes that fit her, but Tony found several thick pairs of socks and made her put them on. Then he slid a pair of boots on her feet over the socks. “I know this probably feels bulky, but can you walk in them?” he asked.
Kate slowly stood up and took a few steps. “I feel like I’m walking with my feet encased in concrete, but I have to admit that I don’t hurt as much as I did. The fit may not be perfect, but I think this will work.”
“Good. That’s a relief.”
Kate sat down again, and Tony checked out his leather jacket. It was ruined, but he didn’t care. Clothing could be replaced, but people couldn’t. He cleaned out the pockets and tossed the jacket in the corner of the bedroom.
“I found some food,” Bobby said after rummaging around in the kitchen. He held up a can of tamales, some stew, and some corned beef hash.
“Sounds good, Bobby,” Tony said, “but I don’t know if we should eat them right out of the can.”
“You might not have to. I think Mike’s camping stove is around here somewhere. If we have propane, I can heat this stuff up.”
Bobby held up another large can that was labeled Peanuts on the outside.
“Is there anything in that?” Kate asked.
Bobby shook the can. It sounded full.
“Thank goodness. I’m starving.” She sat down at the small kitchen table, and Bobby pulled the lid off the can. Then he dumped some shelled peanuts into a bowl. Kate attacked them ravenously.
“What?” she said when she saw Tony watching her. “I missed breakfast, you know.”
Tony checked his watch. One-thirty. No wonder they were hungry. They’d been on the mountain a little over six hours.
“You two should eat something, too,” she said, looking miffed. “We all need our strength. Who knows when we’ll get out of here?”
“She’s right,” Bobby agreed. “I’ll get that stove and see if I can rustle up something hot.”
“Good idea,” Tony said. “I don’t think there’ll be enough peanuts left for you and me.”
“You’re very funny,” Kate said, pushing the container toward him. Tony got a bowl out of the cabinet and joined her.
“I . . . I need to tell you something,” he said once he’d downed a few handfuls. “Something happened concerning Alan Gerard. Something you don’t know.”
Kate sighed. “I know he’s out, and I’m pretty sure he’s on this mountain. What else could there possibly be?”
The last thing Tony wanted to do was add to Kate’s stress, but he had to tell her the truth. If she found out later, and he hadn’t been honest with her, she might never forgive him.
“You know there are several deaths attributed to the Blue-Eyed Killer.”
“Sure.”
“The only body recovered belonged to Tammy Rice, considered to be his first victim. There was DNA evidence left with the body, but it didn’t lead investigators anywhere. After Gerard confessed to the crime, they decided it was just accidental transfer.”
Kate frowned at him. “Yeah, I know all of this. Why are you rehashing old information?”
“Just be patient a moment. Please, Kate.” Tony took a deep breath and began again. “Even though Gerard would never give details about the other murders—or where he put the bodies—authorities believed him. I mean, he was caught after he attacked you and Kelly. And he left the song lyrics behind, a fact that had never been released to the public before his capture. Sure, it could have been leaked by a family member or someone working the case, but there’s no proof that happened. Everyone wanted B.E.K. caught, so keeping that secret was important to authorities and victims’ families alike.”
Kate leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms. Tony knew she was growing more and more impatient, but he felt the need to lay the groundwork before simply springing the truth on her.
“A little over a week ago, Ann Barton’s body was found. We believe she’s the second victim. Her body was in Garden City, Kansas. Along with her necklace—something we thought had been taken as a souvenir.”
“But . . . but that’s great,” Kate said. “If they can tie Gerard to Ann, it will mean my testimony isn’t the only thing left that will nail him.”
Tony took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “You’re right, but unfortunately, that didn’t happen. The necklace had a fingerprint, Kate. Even after all these years. It matched another man. A man named Malcolm Bodine. He was fingerprinted and his DNA collected six years ago when he was found dead in St. Louis. Before that, he wasn’t in the system. The fingerprints were kept on file but not entered into any database until recently. Not sure why. Mistake, backlog—I don’t know. When the fingerprint on the necklace matched Bodine, his DNA was compared to the DNA found with Tammy Rice.” Tony reached over and took Kate’s hand. “It matched too, Kate. Malcolm Bodine was tied to Tammy and to Ann. It means he was the actual Blue-Eyed Killer.”
Kate just stared at him without saying anything.
“I’m afraid some people think it means Alan Gerard wasn’t the man who assaulted you. That somehow you got confused and identified Gerard because you’d seen him around the school campus.” He squeezed her hand. “That’s the worst of it. Gerard may not be B.E.K., but I still believe he’s guilty of killing Kelly and hurting you. The truth is, he may only be a copycat. That’s why your attack was so different.”
Kate blinked several times. “He’s going to get away with it, isn’t he?”
“No. We won’t let that happen.”
Even as he said the words, he realized he’d just made a promise he couldn’t keep.
“I . . . I can’t believe this.” She frowned at him. “When did you find this out?”
“Yesterday. I was told to keep it from you, but I decided to tell you this morning. Then I went to find you . . . and you were gone.”
Kate looked away from him, her face tight and her lips thin.
“I’m sorry if you’re angry. My boss didn’t want the information released to you yet—until we had more to go on. But now . . .”
“Now Gerard is after me, trying to kill me, so it seems I should be allowed to know what’s really going on.” Kate got to her feet and began to pace the room. “I don’t like being lied to, Tony.”
“I didn’t lie to you. I just didn’t tell you everything. Until now. It’s only been a few hours since I found out. I’m sorry. I really am.”
“Sounds like it was Tony’s boss who decided you shouldn’t know, Kate,” Bobby said softly.
He’d been so quiet Tony had almost forgotten he was there. Bobby stood next to the table, his face twisted with concern.
“I . . . I know it’s not my business. . . .”
“So you know who I am, Bobby?”
Tony held up his hand. “Yes, I told him. He’s put his life on the line to help us. I thought it was the right thing to do. Sorry.”
Kate leaned against the kitchen cabinets, shaking her head. “Don’t apologize. I don’t like being left out of the loop, but I guess I understand.” She jabbed a finger at him. “But no more lies . . . or omissions, okay? I don’t need to be handled.”
“I know. You’re right.”
Bobby, who’d turned around and started fumbling around in the kitchen, held up an old camp stove. “I . . . I found the stove. And some propane. I can get it going and then we can heat up those cans of food.”
Bobby’s eyes kept jumping back and forth between Tony and Kate. Tony could tell he was nervous, and he knew why. Bobby didn’t like confrontation. Frankly, Tony agreed. He didn’t like it, either. But it happened a lot in his profession.
“Bobby, where do you plan to fire that thing up?”
Bobby cleared his throat. “Well . . . I was thinking about putting it on the kitchen table with some tin foil underneath it. Do you think that would be safe?”
Tony nodded. “Should be okay, but be careful. We don’t need to set the cabin on fire. Before you light it, I’m going to check things outside, make sure we’re secure.”
Tony didn’t look at Kate because he didn’t want to see the same guarded look in her eyes that she’d had when he first arrived in Shelter Cove. Her trust meant a lot to him, and she felt he’d let her down. “I’ll be right back.” He gestured to Bobby. “Lock the door behind me.”
He walked over to the front door, drew his gun, and opened the door slowly. It was still raining. Would it ever stop? He stepped out onto the porch and let the door close behind him. He waited until he heard the click of the lock. Then he swept the area in front of the cabin. After that, he checked both sides and the back. No sign of anyone. Of course, the rain and the trees provided perfect cover. Gerard could be out there right now, watching them. Frankly, he’d rather face Gerard than Kate right now. He still had to tell her about Bella, and it was the last thing he wanted to do. He really thought it would be better if she didn’t know until they were safe, but after what she’d just said, what choice did he have?
He took a deep breath and walked back up onto the porch, determined to make things right with Kate. He knocked on the door and waited for Bobby to open it. When he didn’t, Tony tried the door and discovered it wasn’t locked. He turned the knob and stepped inside. But nothing could have prepared him for what awaited him there.
A man had his arm around Kate’s neck, a gun pointed at her head. Bobby cowered in the corner, his face a mask of terror.
“Hello, Tony,” the man said. “Glad you could join us. Now put the gun down and let’s talk.”