A Killer Among Us

by Lynette Eason

Joy ruptured in her mother’s eyes and Kit leaned forward to press a kiss to the woman’s forehead. “Get better fast, all right?”

  The door whooshed open and a young man entered, followed by a nurse with medicine for the IV. “Hello, Mrs. Kenyon. This handsome man is your ride to surgery. Are you ready to go get a couple of arteries unclogged?”

  Kit looked up. “It’s time already?”

  “Got to do the prep stuff and then get in line.”

  The nurse smiled and Kit found herself smiling back. Looking back down at her mother, she said, “I’ll be here when you get out.”

  Kit stood by as an orderly wheeled her now groggy mom out of the room and regret filled her. Was she wrong to have reacted the way she did? But how else was she supposed to feel? Her emotions twisted inside her, and she desperately wished she could talk to her dad.

  “Are you okay?”

  She’d forgotten all about Brig. Kit nodded. “Yes, or I will be. I need to run an errand, though. Will you call me the minute she comes out of surgery?”

  “Of course.”

  Kit gave the woman her cell phone number.

  “But where are you going?”

  “I need to go see my dad.”

  Sympathy and understanding flashed, and Brig simply nodded.

  One minute later, Kit was hurrying down the hall to catch the elevator. At the lobby, she turned left and exited the hospital. Several taxis waited in their area and she waved one over.

  Climbing in, she said, “Wilmington Street. Montlawn Memorial Park.”

  Twenty-three minutes later, she stood at the foot of her father’s grave. She’d asked the cabbie to wait, as she didn’t plan on staying long. Just long enough.

  Her father had been buried toward the back of the cemetery. As she walked the winding path, the trees shielded her from the light, misty rain that had started to fall.

  Finally, she arrived at the grave. PAUL ALAN KENYON. 1950–2009. LOVING FATHER TAKEN TOO SOON.

  Kneeling, she pulled a few weeds and tossed them aside. Other than those, the grave had been well-tended. Fresh flowers had been placed in the weatherproof vase.

  Her mother? Brig? Or her dad’s brother?

  It didn’t matter.

  Kit felt the tears well up and choked them back. “I miss you, Dad.” And she did. Part of her was glad he’d told her the truth about her birth. And part of her wished he’d just kept his mouth shut.

  Then again, she loved the memories she had with her adoptive parents.

  And wondered what kind of memories she’d have if she’d been raised in the Cash family.

  Did it matter? Why did you let this happen, God?

  A rustle of leaves was the only answer she heard. The snap of a twig. Her nerves jumped and she spun, eyes darting from one area of the cemetery to the next.

  Chills broke out on her arms.

  Was someone there?

  Watching her?

  Nothing moved.

  Silence reigned.

  She looked around and realized she was pretty isolated. A tall headstone loomed to her left. Her father’s was simply a rectangle with a curved upper edge that had been set into the ground.

  All different sizes and shapes, the headstones lay in a scattered pattern, and she noticed for the first time that she really couldn’t see the area around her very well.

  That made her nervous. Frustrated with herself for being spooked, she nevertheless decided to hurry up and get out of here.

  “I wish you were here to give me some advice—and help me get over this anger I feel toward you and Mom. And, of course, because I’m angry at you, I feel guilt too. Like it’s really stupid being mad at a dead person. But I can’t seem to help it and don’t know what to do with it.”

  For some reason Noah’s voice sounded loud in her mind. Try praying, he’d probably say.

  God?

  Nothing.

  She sighed again.

  Then something hard jammed itself into the back of her head. She jerked, then froze as a voice said, “You’re very hard to find alone.”

  23

  “What do you want?” The adrenaline surge made her lightheaded, then she pushed past her shocked surprise, mentally slapping herself for letting her guard down, ignoring her instincts, and focused on the person behind her.

  “To warn you.”

  “About what?” she gritted.

  “In order to fulfill your true purpose, you must not engage in any more flirtation with the good detective.” Sarcasm dripped when he referred to Noah. “Should you continue to do so, you will find yourself judged guilty.”

  “Guilty of what?” Flirtation? With Noah?

  A chill shuddered through her.

  Who was this guy?

  Her mind clicked with escape ideas.

  None of them would enable her to outrun a bullet.

  “Guilty of adultery should you continue the path you’re on.” He gave a low laugh, and Kit heard the evil lurking beneath it. She felt him reach out and stroke her hair, the soft caress causing her stomach to lurch.

  “Who are you?”

  “Just call me the Judge. But one day soon, you’ll be my wife. The perfect wife. The perfect mother to our child. So no more flirting with that cop. You understand?”

  “You’re crazy,” she muttered in a low voice. Then wanted to kick herself. You’re trained to talk to the crazies, remember? Use your skills and save yourself.

  The gun jammed harder.

  She winced as her fear level tripled.

  “The Judge has determined that should you choose to ignore this warning, you will die.”

  “You killed Walter and Heather and Susan, didn’t you?”

  Another low laugh. “Yes, I did. The series of three. They were executed for their sins.”

  “What kind of sins?”

  “Sins against me.”

  “What does that have to do with me?”

  “Nothing. But in the process of your investigation, I’ve watched you. And you’re exactly the kind of woman I’ve been looking for. You show respect to those around you. You defend the defenseless, you stand up for what you believe in, and I believe you would die for those you loved. You would never . . .” He cleared his throat and she flinched. “Just know that you were chosen.” From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of a black mask.

  Heart thudding, pulse racing, she demanded through her fear, “Chosen? You chose me? But I didn’t choose you. How can you possibly believe I would choose someone like you?”

  “Is that disrespect I hear in your tone?” His voice hardened, chilled her to the bone.

  Easy, Kit. Tell him what he wants to hear. “All right. I’m chosen. Why did you decide to confront me this way?”

  “Because you needed to be warned and I couldn’t get you alone. Finally, here—paying respect to the dead like the good daughter you are—I can see that you know your place, your duty to your father. You would do the same for a husband, wouldn’t you? And a child?”

  Stumped, Kit winced as the gun pressed harder.

  “Wouldn’t you?” he yelled in her ear.

  “Yes! Yes!”

  “That’s what I thought.” Satisfaction resonated. “We shall one day be one, Kit. The two shall be one. Then we will be three. You’ve been warned.”

  She opened her mouth to respond, but didn’t get the chance.

  “Hey! Hey, what are you doing?” The voice came from behind her. She felt her attacker shift to see who’d yelled and she grabbed the moment to swing an elbow back as hard as she could. But he’d moved again and her aim was off. She caught him in the knee. He hollered and swore.

  Running footsteps sounded in her ears, and she knew this guy wouldn’t hesitate to kill whoever was coming to her rescue.

  “Stay away from him,” she yelled to the good Samaritan. “He’ll kill you!”

  “What’s going on over there?” another voice called out. “Kit?”

  Noah?

  Then the gun cracked an
d Kit waited to feel the bite of the bullet, had a mere second to wonder where she would spend eternity, then pain exploded behind her left ear as the butt of the gun connected with the side of her head. She landed on the ground with a thud, her head spinning. Where had the bullet gone? It took a full second to realize her attacker had been shooting at Noah, not her.

  She rolled to her left, caught his leg with a foot and knocked him off balance. Kit heard the pop of the gun again, and a bullet landed on the ground beside her. Great, her maneuver almost got her killed. She rolled and from the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the man scrambling to his feet.

  With one last glare in her direction, he said, “This isn’t over.”

  And he took off firing his weapon in Noah’s direction.

  Noah returned fire once more. She rolled again, scrabbling behind the nearest tombstone that would shelter her.

  Her fingers shook as she grabbed for the weapon under her left arm. Palming the gun, she felt a surge of weakness shudder through her as her head protested her movements. Shoving it off, she peered around the stone to see her attacker running in a zigzag pattern toward the woods.

  Sirens sounded along with the squeal of tires on asphalt.

  She gave chase, heard Noah yell at her, but couldn’t process what he said. How did he know where to find her? How had the killer known where to find her?

  The questions flittered through her brain even as her feet stumbled after—what had he said to call him? The Judge?

  More yelling from behind her.

  She tripped, swayed, and sank to her knees, her head spinning. She saw Noah dart toward the trees, aiming to cut off her assailant.

  Officers descended on the area and Kit forced her throbbing head to think.

  “Put the gun down, ma’am,” she heard behind her.

  Kit whipped around to see an officer holding a gun on her. She immediately put her hands in the air. “I’m a cop.”

  “I need to see some ID, but please just put the gun on the ground, first.”

  Slowly, she lowered the weapon to the ground and kicked it over to the officer. He kept his gun trained on her. “Okay, show me your badge.”

  “It’s in my pocket. I’m going to reach for it, all right?”

  “Just move slow.”

  She did and pulled out her badge. Flipping the cover back, she held it so he could see it.

  With a sigh, he lowered the gun, picked hers up, and handed it over to her. “Sorry about that.”

  “You didn’t know. You did the right thing.” Kit looked toward the woods and felt a growl of frustration form in her throat. She should have had him. He’d been right there and she’d let him get away.

  “I’m going after him,” he said, “if you’re all right.”

  “Yeah.” She waved in the direction the man had escaped. “Go, go. But be careful, he’s already killed three people.” She got to her feet and started to go with him, but the throbbing in her head made her nauseous. She bent over and grasped her knees, waiting for the wave to pass. Dropping to her knees, she ground her teeth in frustration.

  The officer paused. “Stay put. Help’s on the way.” Then he took off.

  Watching him go, a thought chilled her. She was in North Carolina. This shouldn’t have happened here.

  This guy had followed her and found her. He’d also made his purpose clear. He was determined to make her one of his victims.

  Noah raced back to find Kit, who still knelt, head lowered. “Kit, are you all right?”

  She looked up and winced. “Yeah, he hit me with his gun, I think. Who was he shooting at?”

  “The person who probably saved your life. Fortunately, the guy ducked. Who was the shooter?”

  She stared at Noah. “The Judge.”

  “Huh?”

  “You remember when I said we were being followed?”

  “Yeah. The black Mustang.”

  “I was right. He admitted to killing our three victims back in Spartanburg. Said to call him the Judge.”

  Noah blew out a sigh. “The Judge? What? As in judge and jury?”

  “Yes. That’s kind of what he sounded like.” She swallowed and shook her head. Wincing, she held a hand to it. “That was so weird.”

  “Weird how?”

  Kit looked at Noah. “He said to stop the flirtation with you because I was chosen by him to be his wife. The perfect wife, no less.”

  He blinked. “Huh?”

  “Exactly.”

  “That’s not good, Kit.” Noah breathed a worried sigh. “He’s definitely targeted you.”

  “You want to hear something even more weird?”

  “No, but lay it on me.”

  She shuddered. “He quoted the Bible and said, ‘the two shall be one, then we will be three.’ Or something like that.”

  Noah’s nostrils flared and he drew in a deep breath. “I really don’t like the sound of that. We need to get this information to Olivia. I want to hear what she has to say about all of this.”

  “I agree.” She rubbed her head. “At least we know who those bullets at my house and the college were meant for now.” She looked at him, her face reflecting her fear. “He means to get you out of the way to get to me.”

  Noah’s lips thinned. “I can take care of myself.” A sigh. “Come on. We need to get back and meet with the task force. I’ll call in a BOLO for a black Mustang traveling back toward Spartanburg on I-85 and all of the back roads. Surely someone will spot him.” He placed the call, then with a hand under her arm, Noah helped her to her feet. She swayed, then got her balance. Reaching up, he felt the back of her head, just under her ear, and felt anger eat at him. “That’s quite a goose egg you’ve got there.”

  “It’ll heal.”

  “Hey, are you guys okay?”

  Her good Samaritan. Noah turned and held out a hand. “Thanks so much for calling out like that. You saved her life.”

  A flush covered the man’s cheeks. “I couldn’t believe my eyes. I turned around and there was this guy with a mask holding a gun on her head.” He swallowed hard. “I wasn’t sure what to do so I just yelled.”

  Kit grasped the man’s hand and squeezed. “Thank you. I know the police will want a statement from you.”

  “I already gave it but wanted to make sure you were all right before I left.”

  “I’ll be fine. Thanks.”

  Her rescuer gave them a two-fingered salute and took off.

  Noah looked at her. “Between your arm and your head, I’d say you’re having a bad week.”

  She gave a small smile. “I’m alive. I’d say that makes it a pretty good one.”

  He barked out a short laugh. “Yeah, I guess that’s one way of looking at it.”

  “So, what are you doing here?”

  Sobering, he said, “I called Lee Travers’s home before I left the hospital parking lot. He’s taken a weekend trip to Florida with his niece and nephew. Apparently they go quite often.”

  Kit nodded. “It’s just an hour by plane. What a fun weekend.”

  “Guess that’s why he didn’t answer. I managed to scrounge up his grandmother’s number and she gave me the information.”

  “Sorry you wasted your time.”

  “Definitely not a waste of time.” He gave her a slow smile. “I’d hitch a ride with you anytime.”

  Pink suffused her cheeks. “You didn’t hitch, you drove, remember?”

  “Right. I kidnapped you. Anyway, I felt bad about just dumping you at the hospital. Since you weren’t answering your phone again, I went back to find you and ran into your mother’s friend. She told me where to find you and how to get here.”

  With a wry shake of her head, she looked at him. “In detail, no doubt.” She pulled out her phone.

  “In detail. Even drew me a little map on how to find the grave.” He paused. “So, are you done here?”

  Kit heaved a sigh. “I guess.” She shook her phone. “My battery’s dead. I forgot to grab my car charger.”


  “We’ve got the same phone. Mine’s in the car.” A pause. “Did it help coming here?” He sure hoped so. She needed to find some peace with everything going on in her life.

  And you don’t? his inner voice snickered.

  Yes, he did too. But at least he knew where to find it and was working on it. So far Kit was relying on herself. And that would get her nowhere fast.

  “A little. Maybe.”

  “Then what is it? You have this weird look on your face.”

  She gave him a little glare. “I think I’m entitled. I was almost killed, remember?”

  “Yeah, but this look doesn’t have anything to do with that. It’s more like—” he shrugged, “—I don’t know. Sorry.”

  A sigh slipped from her and she looked at the sky. “Do you know what I was thinking when I thought he was going to kill me?”

  “What?”

  “I wondered where I’d spend eternity.”

  Hope leapt inside him. “And?”

  “I wasn’t sure. And that scared me. More than the guy standing behind me holding a gun to the back of my head.”

  Noah went silent, then said, “Huh. Something to think about then.”

  “I prayed too,” she went on as though he hadn’t spoken.

  “You did?”

  “Yeah. It was like I could hear you whispering in my ear that’s what I needed to do.”

  Noah wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a very un-partnerlike embrace. “Sounds to me like God’s given you another chance to start talking to him.”

  With her nose buried in his chest, he could smell the fresh scent of vanilla shampoo mingled with the odor of sweat from her ordeal.

  Concerned the killer might be hidden somewhere in the shadows, watching, waiting, laughing as they searched without finding anything, Noah pulled her to the safety of the car. Right now, he needed her to be away from the commotion of the crime scene team and any other prying eyes.

  Once inside the relative privacy of the car, she leaned her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes.

  His heart clenched at her drawn features. The need to comfort her gripped him. And the need to kiss her nearly overwhelmed him. Definitely not something two partners should do.

  Should they?

  In one sudden, smooth move, she turned, maneuvered around the gear shift, and slid her arms around his neck, tucking her head under his chin. Feeling her warm breath fan across his throat made him cave.