I STILL WOKE up at 6:00 on Saturday even though I had the day off work. We were all on call over the weekend, however, and I’d be working on my notes too. I’m sure the rest of the team would be doing the same.

Before it warmed up more, I put on a T-shirt and shorts and took Duke for an early morning jog around the neighborhood. Actually, he took me for a jog since the massive dog pulled on the leash in his excitement to be out running. I knew Dave used to go running with him, but he didn’t keep him on the leash. I was just afraid Duke would take off to go look for his former daddy. After a quarter-mile, however, I gave up and unclasped him. He surprised me when he stayed faithfully by my side.

We were on the last stretch toward home when a car heading toward us slowed down. We were at least a half-mile from the house yet, and of course, I didn’t have my gun. I wouldn’t have cared, but the men inside the car looked like they were up to no good. The car came to a stop, and the passengers began making lude catcalls while the driver opened his door. Before he could climb out, though, Duke charged the car and jumped on the hood to stare him down with a ferocious growl. The driver closed the door and honked the car horn, but Duke held his stance.

“Damn bitch, call off your dog!” one of the passengers yelled out the window.

With a smile, I approached the car on the driver’s side. “It’s awfully early for you boys to be stinking up the neighborhood, don’t you think?”

The driver looked down, and I prepared myself in case he drew a gun. “Get your dog, lady, and we’ll be on our way,” he grumbled.

“Be sure that you are,” I told him, and then I whistled for Duke to follow me.

I made sure they were no longer around before I went home. I certainly didn’t need the thugs to know where I reside. After a quick shower, I fixed sausage and eggs for breakfast and fed half to Duke.

“Who’s Momma’s tough and protective boy?” I cooed while scratching his head. “You did a great job, but I think I’ll carry my Glock next time too.” I laughed to myself. Were you packing heat? No, I was packing fur.

After I cleaned up the breakfast mess, I kept going and cleaned the whole house. Soon, it was early afternoon, and I was left with nothing else to do, so I tackled the files on my coffee table while I had the movie Copycat on in the background for inspiration.

“Is that what you’re after too, dickhead? Are you seeking fame in the media?” I questioned aloud.

I went over everything, trying to find a common denominator, but I came up empty. Not even the hair or eye color of the victims matched, so he clearly didn’t have a type he was looking for, which struck me as unusual. If he was committing these heinous murders strictly at random, he had to have a lot of rage bottled up, and I wondered why. Normally, the victims had common traits because they served as surrogates for the real target of the killer’s rage, but this man seemed to hate everyone. I considered the possibility that he was a former soldier who had been at war and suffered from PTSD. It seemed likely that he’d witnessed torture firsthand. Given the lack of evidence at the crime scenes, I also considered the possibility that he currently was or had been a member of law enforcement. I jotted my thoughts down into lists of why each scenario made sense, and both options churned my stomach. I certainly didn’t want to find out that a former hero had become a villain.

I was ready to take a break for a while when my cell phone rang. I grimaced before peeking at the display, expecting it to be the station, but it was my younger sister Denise. She was going into the criminal justice field too. She was studying law.

“Well, I’ve not heard from you in forever,” I greeted her.

“You know the phone works both ways, right?” she teased. “Actually, I wanted to give you time to settle into your new position, but I see the ride has been bumpy.”

I nodded on my end. “Yeah, it sure has been,” I sighed. “How’s school going?”

“It’s fine, but I’m taking the summer off for a change,” she informed me. “What can you tell me about this case you’re on?”

I rolled my eyes. She was always inquisitive, which made her a strong student. “You know I can’t discuss the particulars of an ongoing investigation,” I groaned.

“I know, but I’m going to be a prosecutor someday,” she reminded me.

“Well, when that day arrives, then we’ll talk.” I laughed because I could picture her pouting.

We discussed how our parents were doing, the guy she was involved with, and I told her about Duke. She asked me if I was still seeing Justin, and I almost disclosed that we’d had dinner together the other night, but I couldn’t handle her reaction. She’d always told me I sold him short and should’ve tried harder to make it work. I, in turn, accused her of being prejudiced since he’s the ADA. We chatted until her call waiting beeped.

“It’s Marcus calling, so I need to go, but let’s get together soon,” she suggested, and I agreed.

I went into the kitchen to make a pitcher of iced tea. It was going to be in the upper nineties today, and I was already feeling it. I turned the thermostat down to seventy-three and sat back on the sofa with my tea and my dog to finish watching the movie.

“You know, Duke, if my life were like TV, I would’ve already caught the guy,” I mumbled before curling up into a ball and falling asleep.

I was running through darkened alleys in the city in pursuit of a suspect. I didn’t get a good look at his face, but I knew it was him. I was close and getting closer when I tripped over something and fell to the ground. I looked at the obstacle, and it was a dead body with multiple slash wounds. I felt for a pulse, but there wasn’t even a faint heartbeat. I heard laughter in the distance, so I picked myself up and took off again.

As I neared the end of the alley, my view of cars zooming by was quickly blocked by the outline of several individuals, and I recognized the colors they wore—it was the Bloods gang. They drew their weapons, so I drew mine, but when I fired a warning shot, the gun jammed. I was as defenseless as a cat toy.

I turned back, but the dead woman had risen and was heading toward me.

“Why can’t you catch him? I wouldn’t have died if only you’d caught him,” she moaned and had her arms out to strangle me.

Duke barked and made me jump upright on the couch. My heart was pounding in my ears, and I was glad he woke me up from the nightmare. I supposed, doing what I do, I could expect many more bad dreams to come—especially during this case. I took several deep breaths until my pulse returned to normal. Then I got up and got ready to go do my grocery shopping. I needed to take advantage of my time off while I still had it.