Chapter Nine

Sometime just before dawn, Kara finally slept. And as always, he came to her. His presence in her life had become more frequent and powerful than ever.

But tonight, there were no victims standing between them. Just Kara and the Angel.

She struggled to wake from the dream but couldn’t break his spell. With each kill, he’d grown stronger.

“You see me and yet you don’t know me. I’m close to you and yet you have no idea who I am. Who is the one with the gift now, Kara? I’ve grown stronger while you ignore your talents until they atrophy. You aren’t much of a match for me anymore. You’re not making it a game.”

“What do you want? Why are you doing this?”

“I want to become the greatest of them all. After all, I am superior to all others, including your precious Davis Martin. No one can challenge my power, not even you, Kara. You’ll never stop me. Until I’m ready for this to end, it will keep on going, victim after victim. Rachel, Jessica, Ava, Davis…you.”

“No!”

“Kara?” She could feel Davis trying to shake her from the dream but he wouldn’t let her go.

“He’s your greatest weakness, Kara. And you will be his ultimate downfall. Once you’re both gone, I’ll make sure the girl pays for your crimes. You can rest assured once you’re out of the way, the child—your child—will become mine. I will bring her to death very slowly. And you and he, wherever you are, will experience every single part of her pain.”

“Kara! Kara, wake up!” The authority in Davis’s voice finally freed her from Frankie’s hold. She sat up in bed, shivering from fear and dread.

This dream had been clearer than ever before and far stronger than all the others. It proved there would be no avoiding this final showdown no matter how unprepared she was for it.

“What happened? You were screaming. I couldn’t wake you. God, Kara, I’ve never been so scared.”

She shook her head. She didn’t want to talk.

Davis held her close. She felt safe in his arms. Safe enough to talk about what she had heard. She clung to Davis’s strength and prayed when the time came, she could remain strong for him. For Ava.

“It was him. Davis, he wants Ava.”

“Shh…I’m not going to let that happen. Don’t worry. I won’t let him hurt her or you ever.”

“Davis, how are you going to stop it? Whether Frankie is working alone or with this Alec person, he’s effectively taken you out of the game.”

She knew she’d hurt him. Davis seemed to withdraw further from her. But Ava’s safety must be the most important thing to both of them.

“He knows Ava is your daughter. He told me she would be next.”

“Sweetheart, I promise I’m not going to let anything happen to Ava.”

“We don’t even know where to look for him! Davis, it’s almost time for him to take his next victim.”

“Ava is safe, Kara. There’s only one person at the Bureau who knows where she is. You don’t even know her whereabouts.”

“I think we need to move her and Maggie again. We can’t afford to be too careful now.” She got out of bed and reached for her clothes.

“Stop it,” Davis said calmly. “She’s with my father. Dad will take good care of Ava and Maggie.”

“Don’t tell me any of the details. Just do this for me, okay. Please, Davis. For my peace of mind move her and Maggie now before it’s too late.”

He sat watching her before finally giving in. “All right. I’ll call Dad right now and have him move them both.”

“Thank you.” She came back to bed and sat down next to him while Davis reached for the phone and then stopped suddenly.

“I don’t want to take any chances. This line could be bugged. I’m going to use the payphone down the street. Stay here.”

“Not a chance. I’m coming with you! Ava is my daughter, too. If anything happens to her, it will just be as much my fault as yours.”

****

After he’d showered, Davis dressed in the change of clothing he kept at the apartment then waited while she did the same.

At the corner store, the clerk directed them to the payphone located around the back of the building. Davis stood close to Kara as the clouds that threatened during the day gave way to predicted thunderstorms. He waited for his father to pick up the phone.

“That’s odd. Dad has to be home.”

“Oh God,” Kara closed her eyes and turned away.

“What is it?” he asked frantically.

“He’s close to her. I can feel her fear…”

“Where Kara? Can you see where she is?” Davis tried to keep the panic from his voice.

“There are street vendors everywhere. She’s in an open market. Does that make any sense?”

Davis nodded then dialed the number for the Raleigh Police Department. While Kara listened, he identified himself and asked to speak to a detective he trusted.

“Wait! She’s safe now, Davis. She’s upset but she’s with Maggie and your father. She’s okay!”

Davis brought her close and whispered, “Thank God.” When the detective picked up, Davis quickly explained what had happened and then gave directions to where the patrol car would find them. As soon as he hung up, Davis tried his father’s cell phone once more.

“Dad, what happened?” Davis could hear Ava crying in the background.

“She’s okay, son. They’re both okay.”

“Thank God,” he murmured.

“The police are here, hang on.” Davis listened as his father explained to them what had happened before returning to the phone.

“The officers are talking to witnesses now but”—his father lowered his voice—“no one can identify the man who took her. They want us to go to the station with them. They’re hoping Ava will remember something important.”

“Dad, let me talk to the officer in charge for a second.”

Davis held the phone so that Kara could listen in to the officer’s report.

“According to your father and Ms. Bryant they only took their eyes off the little girl for a second. I guess whoever did this was watching her. She didn’t even have the chance to scream.”

“No one saw anything?” Davis asked in amazement.

The officer sighed. “No. Whoever did this is good. If you like, I’ll have an officer sit at your father’s house and keep an eye on everything. And of course we’ll continue investigating the case but without anything to go on, I don’t have to tell you how impossible this is going to be.”

“Thanks for your help Officer but no, let me handle it from here. If you find anything, you’ll let me know?”

“Of course, Agent Martin.”

“Can I talk to my father for a second?”

Davis waited as the officer handed the phone back to his father.

“I hate that I let you and Kara down.”

“Dad, it’s not your fault. I should have seen this coming. Look, I need you to do something for me but you can’t tell anyone, not even the officers with you. Don’t say anything—just listen for a second.”

“Okay, son.”

“Once you leave the station, get out of there. Don’t go back to the house, not even to pack your clothes. Just leave. Make sure you’re not being followed and get Ava and Maggie someplace protected.”

“Where do you want us to go?”

“Don’t tell me, Dad. I can’t know anything about where you’re taking them. Just use your cop’s instinct and get them somewhere safe. Then stay there, don’t tell anyone where you are and don’t use the phone. I’ll be in touch when things are safe. Do you understand?”

“I do. Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of them for you.”

****

“Thank you, Davis,” Kara said once they’d returned to the apartment.

“Don’t thank me. You were right all along. I should have seen this coming as well.”

“You thought you were doing what was right. We just didn’t have any idea what we were facing.”

“No. And I’m beginning to think we still don’t have a clue. I’m going to check in with Ryan. Maybe he knows something new by now.”

“We should try to eat. I’ll make us something while you talk to him.”

Davis called Ryan’s cell repeatedly but it went straight to voicemail each time. He tried the office number but when the assistant picked up, he hung up without leaving a message.

“He’s not answering,” he told Kara when he joined her in the kitchen. “I’m hoping that’s a good thing. Maybe they’ve tracked the professor down.” He sat down at the table and rubbed his hand across his eyes. “God, I wish I knew what to do next?”

Kara knelt by his side and took his hand in hers.

“I know it’s frustrating.”

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Yes but I’m so glad you’re here with me. I don’t think I could make it through this without you, Kara.”

“Don’t give up. We’re going to find him.”

“I’m trying. I’m really trying.”

Neither of them had much of an appetite but they tried to eat. They’d been working off adrenalin and coffee for so long that it was hard to think clearly anymore.

As much as Davis wanted to forget about the case for a little while, he knew it was impossible. Frankie had been bold enough to try and take Ava as his next victim. While Ava might be safe now, the Angel’s next victim was not.

“It’s time for him to take his next victim, isn’t it?” She read his thoughts clearly. “AM. Do you know anyone with those initials?”

Davis got to his feet and began pacing around the room. Moving around helped him to concentrate.

“I’ve been thinking about that for hours now, Kara but I can’t come up with anyone!”

“What about an acquaintance. Someone from your past. Someone you may not know personally. It could be someone you worked with in the past?”

“Nothing. I’m drawing a blank. I’m going to try Ryan again. Maybe something’s popped there.”

Kara cleared away their plates then joined him in the great room.

“Ryan, thank God, I’ve been trying to reach you for a while.” When Ryan didn’t answer, he asked, “Has something happened?”

Ryan Anderson had never once refused to discuss evidence with him. Davis could tell something was wrong.

“I have to go. I’ll call you later.” Before Davis could ask anything further, Ryan hung up.

“Anything?” Kara asked.

“No, at least nothing he could tell me. But he knows something. I could feel it. He sounded agitated and he never used my name. Something’s up.” He felt so helpless. He didn’t know how to handle being the Bureau’s number one suspect in the very crimes he’d worked so hard to solve.

“Davis, something you mentioned earlier has been bothering me. You said Frankie took the entrance exam to join the Bureau. So what happened when he failed?”

Davis considered this for a moment. “Well, that’s just it. He didn’t fail. He met all the qualifications. In fact, he even attended the academy for a short time. He was there for almost a week and then he just disappeared. This was shortly before we found the first victim’s body.”

“Did anything unusual happen to him while he was there?” she asked.

“Not as far as anyone remembers. In fact, most of his instructors said he showed promise. They all believed he had what it took to make an excellent agent. He was a model student. We’re at a dead end until we find out if Harrison actually instructed there at the same time as Frankie.”

“Did he become friends with anyone in particular? I’m wondering if maybe someone might remember something new about him.”

“We checked out everyone who attended the academy at the same time as Frankie. Just about everyone who came in contact with Frankie’s life during that time was interviewed.”

He stopped for a moment, remembering something he’d almost forgotten.

“What is it?”

“I was just thinking about something Victoria told me. She said the last time she saw Frankie was right around the time he started at the academy.” Davis’s gaze fixed on Kara’s expression. “I think we should talk to her more.”

It was dark when they reached Victoria Blake’s townhouse. She invited them inside and then waited for them to sit.

“Can I get you something? Coffee?”

Davis smiled but shook his head, “No, I think we’ve had way too much of that already. I wanted to talk to you about the time Frankie was at the academy. Do you remember anything in particular about that time?”

“No, not really. Why? Is it important, Agent Martin?”

“I think so,” he told her slowly. “Can you tell me what you and Frankie might have talked about during that time?”

“I only saw him a couple of times while he was there, Agent Martin, so I don’t know how much help I’ll be. I remember how excited he felt about joining the Bureau though. It was his dream to become an agent.”

“Did he mention anyone in particular? I’m wondering if he made a friend there that we don’t know about.”

Victoria shook her head. “He never mentioned anyone.”

Davis tried to keep the helplessness growing inside from showing. He wanted to be strong for Kara but with each passing moment, a little more hope disappeared.

“Oh, wait—there was something strange that happened, I almost forgot. It was right before he dropped out and before he disappeared for a while. I remember he became very withdrawn. You’d have to know Frankie to understand how odd that was. Frankie was always so sweet, always so positive about life. He was a good person.” When she saw his skepticism, she added, “I know you don’t believe that but it’s true. This was completely out of character for Frankie.” She paused for a moment and then added, “There’s something else—”

“Whatever it is, just tell me, Victoria.” Davis tried to remain patient but time was running out for the Angel’s next victim.

“I saw Frankie a few weeks before his death.”

Davis and Kara glanced at each other in surprise.

“You did what?” he asked incredulously. “Why didn’t you mention this before?”

“I told you it didn’t seem important. It wouldn’t have changed anything. And, I guess I thought it might make you think he did those terrible things after all,” she added.

“What happened?”

“Frankie called me out of the blue. I hadn’t spoken to him in a while. I thought he was still at the academy.”

“And?”

“He asked me to meet him at my parents’ place, by the old tree, after dark. I thought that was strange but the person who met me there wasn’t anything like the man I knew. God help me, for a while after the news of Frankie’s suspected involvement in those murders broke, well, for a while I wondered if maybe he really might have been the Death Angel.”

“What made you think that?” Davis asked, trying not to get ahead of her in his thoughts. He needed all the details.

“When I got there, Frankie appeared very agitated. He couldn’t stand still. He kept pacing around the tree and saying, ‘He’s watching me, he’s going to kill me. He knows I’m weak.’ It was creepy.”

“Did he give you any indication what he meant by that?”

“No, he just kept looking around as if he expected someone to have followed him there. I asked what he was talking about, but he simply laughed. I’ve never heard anything like that laugh before and I hope I never do. It sounded…deranged. That’s the only way I can describe it. I thought maybe he was on something.

“It scared the hell out of me and so did Frankie. I tried to talk to him. To reason with him but he wasn’t making any sense. So I left. I ran away from my friend. Frankie needed me and I deserted him.”

Something or someone had pushed Frankie over the edge. Maybe his partner in murder? Could Alec Harrison be the true mastermind behind the Death Angel?

“Anything else stand out in your mind as odd?” Davis hoped she might remember something further. Maybe something that didn’t appear important at the time.

“No, as I’ve said, I left. I was scared out of my mind. I remember the whole way back to my car I kept looking over my shoulder. Frankie’s paranoia really freaked me out. I expected someone to come after me as well.”

“Did you see anything or anyone suspicious?”

“No…Wait. Now that you mention it…I didn’t see anyone on the property but when I left, there was a car parked along the road.”

“Could it have been Frankie’s?” Davis wondered if it belonged to Frankie’s partner.

“No, Frankie walked. I know that sounds strange but Frankie loved to hike and he was very good at it too. He walked to my parents’ place.”

“Do you remember anything in particular about the car?”

“Not really. It was dark, nondescript. Is it important?”

“It may be.”

“I’m sorry, Agent Martin. But I didn’t see anyone in there. When my headlights swept over it there wasn’t anyone inside.”

“It’s okay, Victoria,” Davis told her getting to his feet. “You’ve been a tremendous help. It’s something to consider and I’ll check it out.”

“You’ll let me know, won’t you?”

“Of course. I promise I will.”

“What do you think it means, Davis?” Kara asked once they’d left Victoria’s townhouse and stood outside in the clear fall evening. The storms from earlier in the day were all gone now. But there was still one more storm gathering that threatened to be the most destructive of them all.

“It means Frankie was scared of someone. Probably the real deviant mind behind the Death Angel. If it’s Alec Harrison, then he’s the one calling the shots. We need to find this guy, Kara and soon.”

“Try reaching Ryan again.”

“I was just thinking the same thing.” Davis waited until he’d put the car into motion before dialing his friend.

“You must be reading my mind,” Ryan told him after picking up on the first ring. Davis hit the speaker button so that Kara could listen in. “I couldn’t really talk earlier and I saw that you’d called but I wanted to wait until I had something for you.”

“You’ve found out something about Harrison?”

“Yes, well, sort of… I’m not trying to be evasive. The truth is, I don’t really know much yet, but the details are unfolding even as we speak. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find anything to indicate Harrison taught at the academy around the same time Frankie was there.”

“Dammit. Are you positive, Ryan? I would have bet money he was there.”

“Me too and I’m not ready to rule it out entirely just yet.”

“Why is that?”

“There are a couple of substitute instructors who taught around the time that we can’t locate just yet. One in particular only taught there once. A man by the name of James Young. But oddly enough, no one remembers anything about him.”

“That’s strange.” The academy was extremely strict when it came to selecting its instructors. They only picked the best of the best. And their record-keeping was impeccable. “Something doesn’t add up there, Ryan. You’d better take a closer look.”

“Yep, that’s exactly what I thought as well. I’ll let you know the minute I have anything, oh and Davis, Sean found something interesting after searching Harrison’s parents’ place near Buckner Ridge.”

“Please tell me its good news.”

Ryan laughed shortly. “Not good news but certainly promising. Sean’s team searched the place thoroughly. It was empty but they found evidence that someone had been there recently. Sean believes more than one person might have been hiding out there.”

“Frankie and Harrison. Dammit we just missed them.”

“It appears that way. But they haven’t been gone long. Sean’s combing the area looking for any witnesses. They can’t have gone far. I think this may just be our biggest break yet.”

Davis blew out a long breath. “I hope you’re right, Ryan. We need this. Let me know the minute you hear anything.”

He hung up the phone and turned to Kara. She was smiling.

“This is good news, Davis. Finally, we have something tangible to go on.” She reached for his hand and squeezed it. “Is there anyone at the academy that you trust? I’m thinking maybe we can help speed things up in Ryan’s search for this missing instructor.”

“Not at the academy but there is someone I trust,” Davis told her. He thought about the man who had changed his life all those years ago. “My old instructor. I’d trust him with my life. And you’re right. Ryan needs our help. I think we should talk to Rocky right away.”

****

Rocky St. Clair retired after being the director of the Bureau’s academy in Quantico for more than twenty years. He lived with his wife in a sprawling colonial outside Richmond.

“Davis? Davis Martin—come on in here, man!” Rocky was clearly surprised to have them show up at his doorstep unannounced.

“Rocky how are you? This is Kara Bryant. She’s helping me out with a case.” Rocky took Kara’s hand, then showed them through to the living room.

“Sit. Sit. It’s been years, hasn’t it? I guess the last time I saw you was at my retirement party three years earlier. How’ve you been? The Bureau keeping you busy?”

“Yes…actually Rocky, that’s why I’m here. Bureau business.” Davis hesitated, wondering where exactly to begin.

“I kind of figured as much. I heard about Rachel. What can I do to help?”

“Where’s Louise?” While he trusted both Rocky and Louise empathically, the fewer people involved with the case, the less likely another slip-up would occur which might allow the killers to get away once more.

“She’s visiting her parents in Vermont. Since I retired, she tells me she sees way too much of me.”

Davis’s attempted laughter didn’t fool Rocky.

“What’s wrong, Davis? Is this about the copycat case?”

Davis hesitated. How much of the reality of the case should he reveal to Rocky? “Yes, in a way. We, Kara and I, are investigating the case’s possible connection to Frankie Stephens.”

“Now that’s a name I’d just as soon never hear as long as I live. He sure had us all fooled, didn’t he?”

In the end, Davis decided Rocky needed to know the truth. “There’s some question now as to whether or not Frankie might actually still be alive and if in fact he acted alone on those original murders or in the latest ones.”

Rocky didn’t say a word for a moment. “Damn, Davis. If you didn’t get him, then where’s he been?” Davis wished he could answer that question. He felt inept in simply shaking his head.

“You know, I never did quite believe that kid could be responsible for those killings.”

“What do you mean?” Davis watched as Rocky considered the question for a moment.

“Well, I know you had the evidence and all but the kid just didn’t seem capable of such violence. In fact, I often wondered if maybe he’d had some medical problem or something that no one knew about. Because the kid I spoke with, well, he was a good kid, Davis.”

“Everyone who knew Frankie felt the same way. They’ve insisted upon his innocence from the beginning. But we have evidence now to believe that maybe Frankie wasn’t the mastermind.”

“Which means, we’ve ten Angel victims now?”

“Yes and they’re probably targeting their next one even as we speak. So time is of the essence here, Rocky.”

“I see.” Rocky looked intently at him before adding, “What can I do to help? What do you need me to do, Davis?”

“I appreciate your offer but I think you need to know, I’ve been removed from the case. Kara and I are conducting our own investigation and right now I could really use your help.”

“If Ed Zamora is foolish enough to think you’d be involved in anything like this then he’s not the man I believed him to be. Tell me what you need. Anything. You name it.”

“I need you to do some checking on the instructors that worked under you at the time Frankie was there.”

“What are you thinking here, Davis?”

“We’ve got a suspect that we think may be connected to Frankie’s time there. A man who teaches at UV by the name of Alec Harrison. He’s been a guest lecturer at the academy recently. Ever heard of him?”

“Alec Harrison,” Rocky repeated the name but Davis could tell it didn’t sound familiar. “Do you have a photo of the guy?”

“No but I can get one sent over. Ryan’s been checking the connection and so far, he hasn’t found any record of an Alec Harrison working at the academy until recently. But, here’s the catch. There are a couple of instructors that filled in around the same time Frankie was there. Ryan can’t locate one in particular by the name of James Young and no one he’s interviewed remembers the man.”

“I see. So you’re thinking this could be Harrison using an assumed name?”

“Maybe. I know it’s a long shot but it’s all we’ve got. I’ll have a photo of Harrison sent over along with all the information we have on the instructor in question.”

Seconds passed by before Rocky answered. “You know, something about the way Ed rushed to close that case always bothered me. I mean, why not be certain. After all, this was the biggest case in the unit’s history and you aren’t going to wait for the killer’s body to show up before closing it?”

Davis couldn’t help but agree with Rocky. After the third victim’s death someone leaked detailed pieces of the crime scene—pieces that could have helped solve the murders sooner—to every paper around town as well as the national media. Before long, the Bureau drew fire from all around and pressure to solve the murders became overwhelming to those in charge.

DC was a community paralyzed by fear. After Frankie’s assumed death, an outcry from various government leaders forced an investigation of the unit. Ed ordered Davis to get his personal life in order and go back to his wife until the pressure was off.

Ed had been thrilled when Kara left DC, because it took away any hint of their affair from the public’s eye.

Unfortunately, even after a thorough investigation, the name of the person responsible for leaking the information went unknown.

At the time, the Bureau assumed it had been a subordinate looking for publicity or possibly a plush book deal. There certainly were enough of those to follow. Now, in light of the new information about Harrison’s possible connection to Frankie, it seemed like too much of a coincidence.

“Rocky, if there is anything you can come up with that might help us, even if it doesn’t seem important, I’d appreciate it.”

“Can you give me a little time?” he said thoughtfully. “I’d like to ask some questions but obviously, I’ll need to do it quietly. I don’t want to draw attention to myself and you certainly don’t need any more.”

“Sure but I don’t have much time to give you, pal. Any idea how long it will take?”

“I still have friends there. People I can trust. Let me check it out today—in the morning, that is,” he said when he spotted the time. “I’ll give you a call as soon as I know anything.”

“Thank you. I hate getting you involved in this but right now, I’m desperate and I don’t know where else to turn.”

“Davis, you were the best cadet I ever had. You turned out to be a great leader. You deserve better. It pisses me off to think Ed and the Bureau aren’t backing you up on this. I want to help.” He patted Davis on the back before adding, “Why don’t you try to get some sleep, pal. You and your lady friend here look exhausted.”