Ian grabbed Caitlyn in midstep. “Don’t. Stay here in the doorway. Let me check it out.” Donning latex gloves, he withdrew his gun and slipped past her into the office.
Eyes wide, she nodded once.
Ian picked his way through all the trash, ripped-up papers and books, and smashed objects to the first of three other doors. The first one led to the private entrance for Caitlyn that opened onto another hallway. He peeked out into the empty short corridor. Next, he checked a closet, with a coat and sweater flung on the floor and items from storage boxes scattered a foot deep on them. The last door led into a small bathroom, surprisingly left untouched—except for Stop me! on the mirror over the sink, written in black. A capped marker lay in the basin. He picked it up and carefully dropped it into an evidence bag. Then he called both the sheriff and police chief about the break-in, since one body had been discovered outside Longhorn’s town limits and the other within.
When he returned to the main office, he focused on Caitlyn rather than the destruction between them. She wasn’t even aware he was looking at her. Her attention was fixed on her desk and the empty file cabinets behind it, with all the files strewn everywhere. She shook her head as though in shock and not believing what she was seeing.
“Caitlyn?”
Finally, their gazes embraced across the turmoil, tears pooling in her eyes. He quickly made his way across the room, cautious of where he stepped. When he stopped in front of her, she plastered herself against him, her whole body shaking. He embraced her, wishing he could take all this away.
“Why would someone do this?”
“It’s the work of the killer. He left his message on the mirror in the bathroom.”
A shudder rippled down her. “You’re right he doesn’t want me to stop him—he wants to scare me and kill me.”
“I’m not going to let him do that. You’ll be guarded at all times.”
She leaned back, her arms loosely locked around his. “I’m canceling my appointments until this is resolved. I can’t put my patients in any more danger than they already are just because I’m their therapist. I went into this field to help others, and instead I’m hurting people.”
He laid his fingers over her mouth. “Don’t say that, and don’t think it. He’s the only one responsible for what’s happening.” A tear ran down her cheek, and he swept it away. “I’ve called the sheriff and police chief, and they are on their way. I want this place processed.”
“What if he stole some of my files? He broke into my locked cabinets, possibly looking for certain people. I’ll have to go through all of this too.”
“I agree. We need to know what was stolen, if anything.” He stepped back and clasped both of her hands. “After Officer Collins arrives, is there a place you can go, until we’re finished going through your office? Collins will be with you.”
“There’s a break room down the hall at the end.” She pointed to the right, then patted the strap of the bag she had her laptop in. “I’m glad he didn’t get my computer.”
When Blake Collins came around the corner, Ian motioned him to join them. The policeman slowed as he passed the open doorway into the office. “I need you to sit with Caitlyn while we go through the crime scene.”
“Chief Franklin called me and filled me in.”
“We’re going to camp out in the break room, Officer Collins.” Caitlyn started down the corridor.
Ian watched until she and the policeman disappeared inside the room before he moved to the entrance of the office, scanning the disarray. This would take hours to go through. He entered and began taking pictures on his right side, homing in on certain areas, especially the ones involving the files. Maybe in all this mess there would be a piece of evidence to help him narrow down who the murderer was. The more he photographed different sections, the more he realized the anger behind this destruction, the power behind tearing some files in half. Were those people significant in some way to the killer? He hoped Caitlyn could answer that.
* * *
After lunch, Caitlyn sat on the floor in her office with stacks of papers surrounding her as she tried to put her files back together. She felt as if she were in the middle of a sea with no sight of land anywhere on the horizon.
“This is the last of your papers.” Ian placed them on the smallest pile. “Are you sure I can’t help you?”
“No. I’m the only one who can do this. The records are confidential.”
“I won’t read anything beyond the name.”
She smiled up at him. “I know, but even that I need to keep private. My patients’ privacy has already been compromised with this break-in. But thanks for all the work you’ve done so far on this room.” She glanced around, the left side of the office beginning to look normal. “I’m using this time to jot down notes from different files that I want to study and go over in-depth later concerning your case. This actually isn’t a total loss of time.”
Ian knelt next to her and placed his hands on her shoulders. “When you’re through I’ll massage your shoulders again.”
“I imagine my muscles have hardened into rocks.”
“Yep, definitely stiff.” His gaze met hers. “Officer Collins will be back shortly. I won’t be gone long, but I have to interview a couple of people.”
“Who?”
“Employees at the grocery store where Kelli Williams worked. And Sean about Jane.”
“Do you want me to come with you to talk to Sean?”
“No.” He gestured to the stacks around her. “This is more important. With this break-in, I’m even more convinced you’re the key to solving the case.”
“That’s what has me worried because I have no idea why.”
He rubbed two fingers across her forehead as though he could wipe away her worry. “I know, and I wish I could take that away from you.”
“And I’m the one who tells her patients not to worry unless you can do something about it. That it’s a wasted activity that hurts your body.” She leaned toward him and whispered, “Don’t tell any of them that I’m worried. There’s only so much I can do. The rest is out of my control, and even with all my training, I can’t stop the fear wanting to take over.”
His solemn expression underscored his similar feelings. “It’s not easy to do. Pray. The Lord will help you.”
“Thanks. I needed that reminder.”
Ian rose. “Officer Collins is here. I’m only a phone call away.”
The moment Ian left, an emptiness filled Caitlyn. When he was around she felt safe, just as she used to before she was raped by a guy she’d dated off and on in high school. Byron Woods had shattered her trust in people, and it took her years to piece it back together. And now this. Deep down she knew the killer was someone in her life.
After Ian left, Officer Collins said from the doorway, “Do you want me to help with the cleanup?”
“No, but thanks for asking. Most of this I have to see to.”
Ian helping was one thing but anyone else, even a police officer, was an invasion of privacy. She spent more time here than she did at her town house. Her work was important to her. When this case was solved, she hoped she’d have a practice left. All she ever wanted to do was help others who were in pain, like she had been at eighteen. She should have brought charges against Byron, but she’d been so broken and afraid that all she’d wanted to do was hide. Now she didn’t know where Byron was. Had he ever raped another woman? That question still haunted her, especially whenever she counseled a rape victim.
“Ma’am, there’s someone in the hallway who wants to talk to you.” Officer Collins stood at the threshold, blocking Rob Owens, the nurse.
“Is there something wrong, Rob?”
When the policeman moved to the side, Rob came a few feet into the room. “Claire thought if any of us had some downtime with patients, we should see if you needed help.”
“Thanks for volunteering, but I’m fine. Tell Claire this is something I have to do.” Caitlyn started to look away, but Rob didn’t move to leave. “Is there something else?”
“As you know, I’m always one of the first ones here in the morning. This morning I came in even earlier because I had some chart work to finish. When I slowed to turn into the parking lot, a black truck sped out of it, almost hitting me. It doesn’t belong to anyone on staff.”
“Did you see who was driving it?”
“The windows were so dark I couldn’t see the driver. It happened fast. I didn’t even think to get a license plate number until it was too late.”
“Let the officer know all the details you can remember.”
“I will.”
Once the nurse stepped out into the corridor, Caitlyn went back to work. The people she worked with were supportive. All morning they had stopped by the break room to tell her how sorry they were about the robbery. Since she’d been sitting here and reassembling the files, so far she hadn’t found anything stolen. Most of the files had some of their contents already back in them. A couple were completed. Once she had all her notes in the right places, she would take the folders to Emma’s, read through them and put all the pages back in order.
She checked her watch and wondered if Ian was at the Pierce ranch yet. Would Sean be there? Would he talk to Ian?
* * *
Alice opened the door to Ian. “Sean’s in his office. He’s been there all day. He even ate his lunch at his desk.”
“How is he?”
“Quiet. Solemn.”
“Did he know about Kelli’s car being found on the lake side of our property?”
“Yes. The sheriff stopped by and talked to him yesterday evening. He came back this morning and was with Sean in his office for half an hour.”
He did? Tom hadn’t said anything to him about it. Of course, this was the sheriff’s investigation, and he was only assisting him. He understood why Tom needed to deal with Sean, but did the sheriff think Sean was connected? In his gut, he didn’t think his older brother would have killed Jane and Kelli.
“Thanks, Alice.” Ian headed for the back of the house.
At the door to the office, he thought about knocking but, for some reason, he decided not to. He gripped the knob, turned it and swung the door open.
To find his brother with a handgun pointed at his temple.
Sean’s eyes fixed on him. “Leave me alone.”
“I’m not going to. Put the gun down, Sean. Killing yourself isn’t the answer to any problem.”
The hand holding the weapon shook as though he was battling within himself to pull the trigger or put the gun down. “Please, Sean. I love you. I don’t want to lose you too.” With each word he spoke, he took a step closer to his sibling.
“If you don’t stop, I’ll shoot myself, and it’ll be your fault.”
“No, it won’t.” He wouldn’t let his brother blame him for what was happening to him. “You are in control.”
“Control? No, I’m not. People I care about are dying.” His eyes shone. “First Mom, then Dad and now Jane. At least I didn’t find Jane—” tears streamed down his face “—dead.”
“You didn’t find Dad dead. He died in the hospital.”
“But I found him passed out in his office. He never woke up. He died three hours later. I couldn’t save Mom or Dad. Jane and I had been together the night before. We had a great time.”
“Why did you keep your relationship a secret?” Ian wanted to move even closer, but getting Sean to open up might help talk himself out of pulling the trigger.
“Because our fathers didn’t get along, especially for the past ten years when you were rarely here to see. As you know, we’ve a long-standing issue over the property line on the western side that involves the creek that feeds into the lake. When Dad died, I tried to settle the dispute, but Jack Shephard never had the time to sit down and discuss it.” Sean lowered the gun from his head, but he still held it. “Jane didn’t want her father to ruin what we were starting to feel for each other. But I hated the secrecy. I haven’t been handling it well.”
“When did you start drinking?”
“After Dad died. I miss him so much. I don’t know...” Sean dropped his head and stared at his hand holding the gun. “I’m all alone now.”
Ian had learned how to be alone—Sean hadn’t. His back tensed, Ian sidled toward the chair in front of the desk and eased down onto it. “No, you aren’t. You have me and Nana. She’s worried about you. Also Alice. What you want to do isn’t the answer.”
Sean released a long breath. “Jane had been seeing Caitlyn. She was helping her deal with her domineering father and the pressure she felt.”
Ian didn’t smell any alcohol, but he risked asking anyway. “When was the last time you had a drink?”
“I haven’t taken a drink in thirty-six hours. I don’t like what it does to me.”
“Caitlyn would help you. She was really worried about you the other night.” Ian leaned forward, laying his palm out flat. “Give me the gun. I’m not leaving until you do.”
Lifting his head, Sean released his grip on the weapon and pushed it toward Ian.
“I’ll call Caitlyn. Do you want to see her today?” Ian asked.
Sean nodded.
“I’d like to suggest you come to Nana’s house. She and Sally could use you during the day to help them and make sure nothing happens to them.”
“Why are they in danger?” Confusion clouded his brother’s dark eyes.
“Have you been following the news the past several days?”
“No. I couldn’t deal with hearing about Jane’s death. It was bad enough when I saw her car on fire yesterday.”
Sean had never been a good actor, able to hide his true feelings from others for long. Ian didn’t think his brother had anything to do with the deaths of Jane or Kelli. He gave Sean a rundown on what had happened.
“Kelli Williams from church?”
“Yes. Her car was found on our property near the lake, not far from where Jane’s car was set on fire.”
His eyes round, Sean straightened. “I’ve really not been paying attention to what’s been going on. There were days after Dad died, I didn’t want to get out of bed. Jane changed that, at least. She became my reason to leave my bedroom, the ranch. She used to ride along the lake as I did. We started meeting each other to ride together.” As his brother talked about Jane, his voice softened.
He couldn’t leave Sean alone at the ranch. He didn’t want to make his brother go to a hospital because that would only create a worse situation. “Caitlyn and her grandmother are staying with Nana and me because the killer has been contacting Caitlyn. He says he wants her to stop him, but I don’t think that’s really what it is. Her house and office have been broken into.”
“You think she’s in danger.”
Although not a question, Ian said, “Yes. Somehow she is tied to him, but so far we haven’t been able to connect who it is or the reason behind the murders.”
“I can’t leave Alice here alone. Do you think Nana would mind if she came?”
“She wouldn’t. Alice and Nana are good friends. You and I can camp out in the den, and Alice can have my bedroom.” This way Sean would have support and help nearby. “Let’s get what you want to take with you and then speak with Alice. After you’re settled, I need to pick Caitlyn up at her office.”
Still grasping the gun, Ian followed Sean to his room but stayed in the hallway while he withdrew his cell phone to let his grandmother and Caitlyn know what was going on. He’d known Sean was in a dark place, but he hadn’t realized how bad it was. In the middle of this investigation, he had to keep his brother safe and alive too.
* * *
Caitlyn finished boxing up her files, labeling the outside of the carton with the year the patient had started with her. She was eager to return to Emma’s house. Sean needed help and had finally agreed to talk with her. She told Ian that if she felt his brother needed more intense assistance, she would recommend a treatment center not far from Longhorn. It wasn’t technically a hospital, but she worried Sean might look at it as if it were. Besides going through her patient folders, she would have something to do while she took the next week off. Most of her clients had been informed. Several patients were relieved she wouldn’t be in the office next week because of what was going on with the double murders that had rocked Longhorn. But a few were very upset with her, especially Charles Thorne and Paul Nichols.
She agreed to meet with both men at their houses to have their sessions. She still needed to tell Ian that, and she hoped he wouldn’t disapprove. Maybe it wouldn’t be an issue if the killer was arrested by then. Each of the men’s appointments was toward the end of the following week.
Ian appeared in the doorway of her office. “Are you ready?”
She glanced around to make sure she had everything she would need at Emma’s. “Yes. I asked Rob Owens and Blake to help us take the boxes to your SUV. With them helping, we’ll only need to make two trips.” She covered the space between them. “Where did Blake go?”
“He didn’t leave. He’ll be back soon.”
“I’ll let Rob know I’m ready to leave.” She made a quick call to the nurse. “How’s Sean doing at your grandmother’s?”
Ian chuckled. “The second we arrived, he had three ladies doting on him. With Alice, Sally and Nana, my brother won’t get much alone time.”
“Poor guy, but he needs to know there are a lot of people who care about him.”
Rob poked his head in. “I’m ready. I was getting ready to leave, so perfect timing. Where are the boxes I need to help you with?”
Caitlyn pointed to the three stacks.
“Are you moving out?” Rob headed in the direction she’d indicated.
“No, but I’m going to work from home next week.”
He squatted and lifted two cartons. “You aren’t meeting patients here?”
“No. I need some time away. This break-in was a good excuse to do that,” she said, while Blake returned and grabbed a load too.
With their help, the back of Ian’s SUV was filled up with evidence of her seven years of practice.
“Thanks, Blake and Rob, for helping me.”
“Anytime.” Rob dug his keys out of his pocket and walked to his car.
Exhaustion wove through her. She shouldn’t have stopped. Now all she wanted to do was sleep. Caitlyn climbed into Ian’s vehicle while he shook hands with Blake, who then also left. She leaned against the headrest and closed her eyes.
When the driver’s-side door opened and closed, she rolled her head focus to on Ian. “You look as tired as I am. I don’t know how sharp I’m going to be checking these files tonight. Over the years, I’ve had some patients with problems that break my heart. I have to be objective, but there were times that was hard. I’ve had a few I couldn’t help. One moved away. Another stopped coming, even when I told him I would adjust the cost of a session to fit his budget. The worst was six months ago. I had a young man who committed suicide. It devastated me. He’d been making progress, then he missed a session. He’d called the receptionist to cancel. When I called him to see if everything was okay, he didn’t answer.” Her throat tightened at the memory.
“How did you find out he committed suicide?”
“Later he called me back. He told me he couldn’t live any longer. I stayed on the phone with him while I drove to his apartment. But by the time I arrived at his place, the medication he had used to overdose on had killed him. He left a note, saying he couldn’t handle life anymore.” Why didn’t I see it? “During his last session with me, there were no signs he was thinking about suicide.” But still, she had questioned herself concerning her plan of treatment for him.
“We both have difficult jobs. I try to remain objective in a case, but sometimes it isn’t easy, especially when there’s a child involved.”
“For a while I contemplated working with children but, in the end, I knew I couldn’t do it for that very reason. I’d never be able to stay detached.”
“You were always so good with kids. Didn’t you take care of the nursery at church every Sunday as a teenager?”
“I still do, once a month. I love holding the babies.” When she’d learned she was pregnant from the rape, she’d decided to keep the child. She’d begun to think being a mother was the blessing from the life-changing ordeal. But she’d miscarried when she was six months along, and that devastated her life all over again. She knew she was going to have a girl and had already named her Kathleen. Byron might have taken her innocence from her, but her baby was hers to love as though nothing tragic had caused her conception.
“Then why aren’t you married with several of your own babies? You would be a great mother.”
She’d visualized that herself with Kathleen. Byron had robbed her of a sense of self-assurance, and even now she grappled with being confident in certain situations with men. And for that reason, she’d rarely dated and instead threw her life into her studies and later her career. “I never found the right man. How about you?”
When Ian didn’t say anything for a moment, she glanced at his profile, the line of his jaw hard, as if he were gritting his teeth. Had she touched on a forbidden subject? “You don’t have to answer that.”
Ian pulled into his grandmother’s driveway and switched off the engine. “I was engaged once.”
His statement surprised her. “Emma never told me that.”
“It’s because I wasn’t engaged for very long. I hadn’t told my family yet.”
“What happened?” she asked, knowing from his stiff posture and tight hold on the steering wheel that she was treading into a subject he didn’t like to discuss.
“Are you asking as a therapist or friend?”
“Which one do you need?”
He released his grip on the wheel and opened his door. “We’d better get inside before the grandmothers get overly curious. Nana is getting quite good at interrogating me.”
In other words, he didn’t want to share why he’d never got married. She understood. She had her own secrets, which were best left in the past.
As she strolled to the porch, the front door swung open, and Granny filled the entrance with her lips pinched together. “Are we late for dinner?” Caitlyn whispered to Ian next to her.
“I don’t think so, but then I don’t know when dinner is supposed to be. Nana hasn’t had the evening meal at the same time the whole week I’ve been here.”
“What’s wrong, Granny?”
“I just got a call from the killer.”