Picture Perfect Murder

by Rachel Dylan

  “Then, how does it work?”

  Before he could respond she kept on going.

  “If you want to know what I’m feeling about faith, then I will tell you. I’m angry with God. Furious about the ordeal I went through with James. What I had to do. That I had to take a life after being horribly betrayed. And I’ve probably failed to mention in the midst of all of this that James actually professed to be a Christian.”

  “You surely can’t paint all people of faith with one brush because of one bad man.”

  “I think he actually just lied about his religious beliefs to get closer to me. He knew that faith was something I cared about and so he played the part. Not a very hard thing to do for an elite-trained spy. It was as if he tore a page right out of the tradecraft playbook. And I fell for it all—hook, line and sinker.”

  “All of that is on James. It’s not on God. The specific choices that James made and how he acted were a result of his individual free will. God didn’t make him become a traitor. God didn’t make him betray you. James did all of that on his own.”

  “That may be true, but frankly sometimes I wonder if God even exists. Things would make a lot more sense if He didn’t. That would explain how messed up this world is.”

  He realized she wasn’t holding back anymore. It was good to hear her getting out her emotions instead of leaving them bottled up.

  “It’s natural to be angry,” he said.

  “I’m more than angry. I’m livid. And I don’t know how to really move on from what I’ve gone through. Especially if you expect me to be able to somehow reconcile with God.”

  “He’s waiting for you, Lily. He hasn’t gone anywhere.”

  “Assuming He was there to begin with.”

  He was going to take a chance and push her a little on this because he could see in her eyes where her heart lay. “Lily, I can tell you don’t really mean what you say about God not existing.”

  She raised a curious eyebrow. “How in the world can you tell that?”

  “Because we’ve been spending a great deal of time together, and, believe it or not, I’ve gotten to know a lot about you. You aren’t making those statements with any level of conviction. You were just throwing it out there because you’re hurting. Pain does that to people. Believe me, I know. I’ve been there.”

  “That doesn’t change my anger, though, Rex. I’m still furious. And even though it’s been nine months, the pain feels almost as raw as if it had happened yesterday.” Her voice started to crack. “And now, on top of that, look at what has happened. If there is a God, then I’m really on His bad side, because I can’t imagine He’d act like this to someone He really cared about.”

  Rex struggled to make sure he was going to say the right words. The last thing he wanted to do was shut down this conversation, but he felt Lily might have an incorrect perception of God’s grace and love.

  “Lily, God doesn’t promise us that our lives following Him will be easy. If anything, we know that there will be many trials and tribulations along the way. The assurances made by Him aren’t about our lives on earth.”

  “Yes, but that doesn’t make it any easier to cope, does it?”

  “What was your relationship with God like before everything happened with James?”

  “I thought it was solid, but maybe I was wrong about that, too. I’m questioning everything these days.”

  “Were you going to church? Did you have a good support group of believers around you?”

  She shook her head. “After college, I didn’t go to church regularly. I traveled so much while I was in the CIA that it was hard to put down any roots. I was more of a ‘do religion on my own’ type of person. Kind of ironic that I was so successful as a CIA agent, because my natural inclination is to be introverted and keep only a very tight circle of friends around me.”

  “Maybe that’s part of the problem, Lily. It’s hard to go it alone. We need the help and support of others. Derrick has been a huge source of support and friendship for me. We both go to the same church. Judging by her comments, Alison is a believer. Can you lean on her?”

  “Her faith is very strong. She grew up going to church, but I didn’t. I didn’t really get exposed to faith in any meaningful way until college. And I just never really talk about religion with anyone. The conversations I’ve had with you are more extensive than anything I’ve ever had.”

  “If you want to talk more, I’m here for whatever you need. But I don’t want you to question God’s love for you.”

  Grace barked loudly, providing a natural segue out of this conversation.

  “We need to walk her,” Lily said.

  “Why don’t you let me do it and you stay here.”

  “No, I’d like to get out, too.”

  “All right. I’ll have another officer join us. Just to be on the safe side.” As he said the words, he wondered if there was such a thing as a safe side anymore.

  * * *

  Lily was awakened from a deep sleep by the sound of Grace barking loudly. Immediately, she knew something was terribly wrong.

  She took in a deep breath and realized her bedroom was full of smoke.

  Was she in a dream? As she fought to take another breath, she realized this was real. Her house was literally on fire. She didn’t know how much time they had to escape the blaze—if any at all. Hopefully, it wouldn’t be too late. How long had the flames been burning?

  “Grace,” she yelled. Her first priority was to try to grab Grace and get out of there. Right now! Every second that went by meant they were closer to being consumed by the deadly inferno.

  And where was Rex? He would be downstairs sleeping in the guest room or keeping watch. There were no sounds of human voices in her room. Only loud, persistent barks from Grace and the crackling of wood that sounded like a fireplace on a cold winter’s night.

  As smoke continued to fill up her lungs, sending a burning sensation throughout her body, she crouched down on the ground and pulled Grace toward her. She crawled to the door and felt it. Hot. That meant the fire was coming from outside her room.

  She was on the second floor of the house. Would jumping out of the window be possible? Maybe for her, but not for Grace. It was too far a drop. What was she going to do?

  She found it harder and harder to breathe. But she had to get to the bedroom window and open it. Give them a fighting chance to survive this awful fire. A fire that had been no doubt set by the serial killer. There was no way this was random. Lily didn’t believe in those types of coincidences.

  Gathering every bit of strength she could, she pushed open the window and took in a deep breath of spring air. The fresh oxygen would also feed the flames if they reached her bedroom, but she had no choice. She and Grace had to take in some air or they would both pass out and be left for dead in the bedroom. Would help come? Would it be too late even if it arrived?

  Grace kept barking, and in that moment she found herself doing something she told herself she wouldn’t ever do again. Lord, I know I just said I didn’t need You. I also said I questioned Your existence. And if I die right now, I can deal with that. But please, God, save my dog, Grace. She’s innocent in all of this. Don’t punish her because of my flaws.

  Lily felt the temperature continue to rise in the room as tears fell down her face. She couldn’t let Grace down. There had to be a way out.

  That was when she heard Rex’s voice coming from outside. A loud banging sound followed. A ladder.

  She led Grace toward the window and saw Rex down below outside on a ladder.

  “Lily, come on quickly,” he yelled. “I’ll get Grace after you get down.”

  “No way, Rex. Take her first. Then I’ll come out.”

  He must have realized that she was serious because he didn’t try to argue with her. Lily lifted Grace up a
nd Rex grabbed her and handed her down to another man, who had just climbed up the ladder behind him.

  Then Lily quickly stepped through the window and into Rex’s arms before he placed her gently down on the rung of the ladder.

  Not wasting any time, they both descended the ladder. Lily took each step focusing on holding on. Knowing that Grace was out of there safely made all the difference in the world.

  Once her feet hit the ground, she was whisked away by Rex, but she looked over her shoulder and saw her house burning. A big Atlanta Fire Rescue Department truck had just arrived and firefighters were moving toward the house with large hoses. Huge plumes of smoke filled the air as the bright orange flames whipped back and forth in the wind.

  She couldn’t believe that this killer had tried to burn her house down. With her in it. Yes, her belongings could be replaced, although the home was her last tie to her family. But she and Grace were alive. Rex was alive. So for now all she could do was be thankful that no one had been killed. And that the Lord had answered her prayer.

  * * *

  Rex sat in the back of the ambulance, receiving oxygen for the smoke inhalation. He didn’t even attempt to refuse the treatment because he knew for a fact that he needed it. This wasn’t the time to play tough guy.

  The firefighters now had the fire under control. It had all happened so fast. One minute he’d been asleep in the downstairs guest room, and the next he’d heard Grace barking. That was when he’d realized the house was on fire. He’d have to wait for the arson guys from the Atlanta Fire Rescue Department to tell him where the point of origin was. But wherever it was, it had been totally impossible for him to get up the steps. His path had been blocked by a huge wall of impenetrable flames. That moment of fear and total incapacity to help would be etched forever in his memory.

  The only other way to get Lily and Grace to safety had been by going out the bedroom window. But for a moment there, it had been touch and go. So much for the killer having a cooling-off period.

  What would the madman do when he found out Lily had survived? Certainly come after her again. He wouldn’t give up his pursuit until he reached his ultimate objective.

  He looked over at Lily. She was sitting in the back of the other ambulance with Grace right beside her. He noticed that she hadn’t let go of Grace since they had gotten off that ladder.

  She was talking to the paramedic about Grace’s smoke inhalation. Rex knew it would be useless to tell her how she shouldn’t have put Grace’s well-being ahead of her own. That was just the type of person Lily was. Selfless. It was refreshing to be around someone like Lily. Rex had dealt with many people in his life who were just the opposite. It was all about them all the time. But not so with Lily.

  Derrick walked over to him. “This was way too close a call.”

  “What is the fire department saying about the house?”

  “I just spoke with one of the firefighters I know. He said there’s a lot of damage. Because the call came in quick since there was security on the ground, it’s not a total loss, but it will probably require a large renovation. I’m sure Lily has home insurance, but regardless, it’s bad. There’s no other way to sum it up.”

  “And it brings up the issue of where she’s going to go now,” Rex said.

  “Even if the damage hadn’t been this severe, I would’ve advocated moving her ASAP. I know that’s ultimately your call since you’re running point, but this guy has moved past the game phase to the actually-trying-to-kill-her phase.” Derrick shook his head. “This guy is deadly. Calculating and brutal.”

  “Although you could say that if he was really paying attention, which I’m sure he is, then he would’ve thought that there was at least a decent chance that Lily would survive. He knows we have security in and around her house. Maybe this was a power play. Get her out of her home. Show her who’s boss. Maybe he’s annoyed that she hasn’t shown any fear, and this was his attempt at trying to terrify her.”

  “Good observation, Rex.”

  He looked up and saw Eliza standing in front of him. “I just heard the last thing you said.”

  “Good, I’m glad you’re here,” Rex said. “What are your thoughts on what happened?”

  “The first and most obvious question is how did it happen?” Eliza threw her hands up in the air. “How did this guy get past the security detail? Isn’t that why the team is here, to protect Lily? This is unacceptable.”

  He’d never seen Eliza so animated.

  “We’re trying to run that down,” Derrick said. “But at first glance, it appears it was a combination of technological manipulation and his ability to detain a couple of our guys through some type of diversion.”

  Eliza stood, all five feet of her, tapping her foot.

  “What’re you thinking?” Rex asked.

  “Is there any way that our guy could have a connection to law enforcement?”

  “Whoa,” Derrick said. He put his hand up. “You can’t step in here and start accusing my guys of murder just because there was a security breakdown tonight. There’s a big difference between a mistake and cold-blooded murder. None of them is capable of this type of thing. Believe me, I know these guys. They would never kill innocent women.”

  “Just calm down, Derrick,” she responded. “I realize that you are loyal to your officers, but you need to be more impartial about this.”

  “She’s right,” Rex said. “We have six innocent victims. Who knows when he’s going to kill again? Plus, we can’t forget he set fire to Lily’s house while he knew good and well she was in there. We have to consider every possible scenario here. Even if it’s one that makes you and me very uncomfortable.”

  “And you left the part out where he tried to kill you, too,” Eliza said to Rex.

  Derrick took a step closer to him. “If we’re going to look at law enforcement, then we need to look at FBI, too.”

  Eliza nodded. “I wasn’t insinuating otherwise. All of our people need to be checked out. But this conversation doesn’t go any further than the three of us. No one on our teams needs to hear about this yet. Because if I’m right, the likelihood that the person is here right now is high. We need to do an initial assessment first.”

  Rex nodded. “Agreed.”

  “All right. I can deal with that,” Derrick said. “Although I’m not jumping to any conclusions about my officers. I need to see solid evidence.”

  “Understood,” Eliza said. “None of us wants this to be the case. It’s just a possibility that I can’t turn a blind eye to.”

  “Back to what we do from here and your thoughts on what this guy’s overall plan is,” Derrick said.

  “I think this was an act to terrorize Lily,” she said. “Our killer is on point. He’s methodical in his approach. He had to have known that it would be likely she’d get out alive, given the police presence.”

  “So he’s trying to make a point?” Derrick asked.

  “He wants to strip Lily of everything and everyone she cares about. This was a direct personal hit. What’s more personal than your home? Nothing.”

  “And he succeeded. The house is severely damaged,” Rex said. “He’s trying to show her that she may have gotten away from him the first time, but now he has the power to wreak havoc on her life.”

  “I have to bring this up, as I’m looking over at Lily now,” Eliza said. “It’s evident me that her dog is special to her. Our killer knows that, too. I wouldn’t put it past him to go after the dog.”

  “It seems to me that it’s time to take Lily to an FBI safe house,” Derrick said. “I know she won’t leave Grace behind, so the dog will come, as well.”

  “How do you think she’ll take the news?” Eliza asked.

  “Well, given the circumstances with her house, she probably will realize that there isn’t much of an alterative,”
Rex said. “And, like you said, Derrick, as long as she isn’t separated from Grace, I think she will be fine.”

  “I can start working on that from our side at the Bureau,” Eliza said. “What else can I do?”

  “Figure out a way to crack this case,” Rex said. “Before anyone else dies.”

  * * *

  Lily had insisted on checking into a dog-friendly hotel while the FBI sorted out the best safe house for her and Grace to be moved to. There was no way she was going to part from her dog, especially given all that Grace had been subjected to.

  The night before, Eliza had shared her opinion with Lily about what the killer was trying to accomplish with the fire. After thinking about it until the early-morning hours, she tended to agree. Everything this guy was doing was to get at her. Physically and mentally. Eliza had also shared with Lily her concern that the killer would come after Grace.

  That thought made Lily sick. Lily promised to herself that she would fight to the death to protect that animal. Because Grace was so much more than just a dog to her. Grace was her loyal companion.

  Lily had closed her eyes a few times, but basically no more sleep had come. Now the sun shone brightly through the hotel window. Rex was next door in the adjoining room. And Grace had just been walked by two police officers, who had assured Lily that they would keep Grace safe. They wouldn’t allow Lily out of the hotel, as they said the FBI had deemed it too dangerous.

  She jumped at the sound of the knock at the door joining her room with Rex’s. This killer had her on edge, and it wasn’t a place she was accustomed to being.

  Taking a deep breath, she walked over and opened the door, letting Rex in. Grace welcomed him with tail wags and a hearty bark.

  “How you doing, girl?” he asked Grace.

  He knelt down and gave her some rubs as Grace licked his face. Lily couldn’t help but smile. If she had to be in this position, at least it was with someone who shared her love for dogs.

  “And how are you doing?” Rex asked her. His brown eyes showed his concern, but the dark circles under his eyes also let her know that they’d had a very similar night.