Malice

by Anne Patrick

  As with most serial killers, the longer they were at large, the worse their crimes became, and judging by the latest victim, Briggs was no exception. The fact that he had mutilated fifteen-year-old Sonja O'Dell had come as a shock to most of those on the taskforce-- everyone except him and Agent Ryan.

  Glancing at crime scene photographs taken the night before, he fought the threatening nausea that had been with him since the gruesome discovery. The once beautiful track star had been tortured and beaten so badly it took a dental x-ray just to identify the corpse. The gross senselessness of it all bearing down on him like a sledgehammer, Isaac stood and walked to the window of his motel room and stared at the sun rising over the South Dakota horizon.

  A knock at the door caused him to jump, and he immediately shifted his gaze to see Agent Molly Ryan balancing two Styrofoam cups in her hands. "Thought you could use a dose of caffeine," the young profiler said as he let her into the room.

  "Thanks. What are you doing up so early?"

  "Are you kidding, who could sleep? Instead I've spent the last four hours watching old reruns of Laurel and Hardy."

  "You don't strike me as a Laurel and Hardy fan," he commented as he shut the door and watched her take a seat at the table.

  "I'm not; it was the only thing on. The cable advertised on the sign out front must have been in reference to their telephone service, which is almost antique. I couldn't even get through to my parents and they only live a state below."

  "You're from Nebraska?" He joined her at the table.

  "Born and raised. The proud daughter of Jackson County's finest corn grower."

  "You don't strike me as a Midwestern farmer's daughter either."

  "Don't let the accent fool you. It took me months to outlive the stigma associated with my accent so I made it a point to forgo it once I graduated the academy. It's hard enough being a woman in a male dominated career, never mind being a farmer's daughter."

  He merely nodded in agreement, knowing too well of what she talked about from watching Jo's struggle through the years. "Would you like to use my cellphone to call your folks?"

  "That'd be great, thanks. I forgot to charge mine."

  He grabbed his suit jacket from the back of her chair, retrieved his phone, and gave it to her.

  She dialed the number and after several minutes, she hung up.

  "No answer?"

  "They're probably out doing chores." She laid the phone on the table. "What are you working on?"

  He followed her gaze to the map spread out above the files he'd been going over. "I was tracing his movements, hoping for some sort of clue as to where he'd strike next. So far I'm not having much luck."

  "Do you mind?" She reached for the map.

  "Be my guest."

  He was only mildly surprised by the young profiler's sudden shift of interest, and watching her scrutinize the markings he'd made on the map brought back memories of when Jo had first joined his unit eight years ago. Already an agent of three years and an up and coming star with the Behavioral Analysis Unit, she'd been relentless in her pursuit to come to work with him in Violent Crimes, informing him she needed to be more involved in the field.

  "Until Minnesota he had stuck close to Interstate 80," she commented. "But the pattern I see is that he's sticking closer to Interstate 90."

  "The two merge through Ohio and Indiana," he quickly pointed out.

  "True, but the robberies in Joliet, Illinois and Elmwood, Iowa were closer to I-90." She picked up the felt marker and connected the two. "Either way, they both lead to the west coast...And doesn't Agent McDaniels live in Oregon?"

  "Let me see that."

  She pushed the map towards him. His eyes widened in alarm. "I hope you're wrong, Agent Ryan." He pushed the map back, the events of the past three weeks replaying in his mind. Concentrating on the profiles both women had offered, his gut began to twist as if caught in a vise.

  "She isn't just an adversary. She's a target…the one he's seeking revenge upon."

  He glanced down at the photo of the latest victim given to them by her parents. Like many of the others, she was tall and had blonde hair. "It's not Jo he's looking to kill, it's her stepdaughter. He wants to destroy Jo's life the way her profile destroyed his. Killing a member of her family would likely do just that."

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  Jo headed downstairs to start breakfast. The long awaited prom was only hours away and she wanted to start the day with a special meal. She went to the refrigerator and removed the various fruits she needed. After mixing the fruit salad, she took out the ingredients for the omelets and placed the already prepared french toast in the oven to broil.

  "Have I ever told you how beautiful you look in an apron?"

  She turned to find her husband leaning against the doorframe dressed in his uniform, an amusing smile plastered on his face. "I doubt it, since this is probably only the second or third time you've seen me wearing one."

  He chuckled and then joining her at the stove, snatched a kiss. "What's the special occasion?"

  "Don't tell me you've forgotten what today is?"

  "Did you have to remind me this early?"

  "Sorry." She slipped from his arms and checked on the french toast.

  "You think it's funny now, just wait till you're pulling surveillance with me tonight, then let's see how amusing you find it."

  "I'm not spying on our daughter and neither are you."

  "Watch me."

  "You're being ridiculous, Austin. She's going to be fine. Why don't you set the table? It'll help keep your mind off it."

  "Not likely. I don't know why I'm even bothering to go in today. I doubt I'll be able to concentrate on anything. She's fifteen years old, Jo. I don't need to remind you of all the trouble a fifteen year old girl can get into."

  Quenching the urge to laugh, she reached out and took his hand. "Listen to me, Austin, Bailey is the smartest and most level headed teenager I've ever met, and I guarantee you no one is going to make her do anything she doesn't want to do."

  "Is that supposed to make me feel better?"

  "You know what I mean. You've been a good father; she knows what's right and what's wrong. She isn't likely to be persuaded by peer pressure."

  "I'm still not letting her out of my sight tonight."

  Realizing she wasn't getting anywhere with her approach, Jo decided on a more drastic one. "You know, it’s behavior like yours that caused me to rebel against my father. He thought all teenagers were pot-smoking school-ditching delinquents, so he'd have one of his deputies keep an eye on Billy and me whenever we went out on the weekends, fearing one of his kids might screw up and make him look bad."

  "You're not serious?"

  "Oh, yes I am. It was his behavior that drove me to make his life miserable right up till my senior year when it finally dawned on me I was only hurting myself."

  "I'm not your father, Jo. I'd never turn my back on my kid."

  "I know you wouldn't, and I understand she's your baby girl. All I'm saying is as hard as it may be, you need to trust her judgment. You raised a very intelligent daughter, and tonight is the first of many dates she will be going on. Don't make it a miserable night for the both of you."

  He gave a heavy sigh and collapsed in the chair.

  His pathetic frown prompted a supportive smile. She turned off the oven then went over and sat on his lap, folding her arms across his shoulders. "She's going to be fine, babe."

  "I hope your premonition was right," he said placing his hand on her stomach. "I don't think I can raise another girl."

  She laughed. Then lowering her lips onto his, she kissed him.

  "Must you two make out in the kitchen?"

  They both looked up to see Bailey standing in the doorway still dressed in her pajamas. "Morning, sleepy head." Jo walked back to the stove to start the omelets. "Hope you're hungry, I'm making you a special breakfast."

  "You didn't have to do that."

  "It's a big day. You
need to eat a good breakfast."

  "Thank you, Jo." Bailey came over and hugged her.

  Jo smiled. Aside from the hug she'd received for buying her the prom dress, it was the first time the teenager had showed her any affection in months, and though it was a small gesture, it meant the world to her. Maybe she wasn't such a terrible mother after all.

  "What's wrong with you?" Bailey asked as she sat across the table from Austin.

  "Nothing."

  The smile he offered, Jo knew had taken great effort. This undoubtedly was going to be the worst day of his life.

  Bailey, unaware of her father's misery, only made matters worse as she talked nonstop throughout breakfast about the evening ahead. First they were going to dinner, then to the prom, and afterwards if it wasn't too late, an after prom party, which of course was being chaperoned by some of the parents.

  Twice, when Austin was on the verge of putting a damper on his daughter's excitement, Jo had nudged him underneath the table to keep him from spoiling her happiness.

  Austin finally shoved his half-empty plate back and stood. "I need to get to work. I'll see you all later." Then with barely a peck to their cheeks, he was gone.

  "Is Dad still uptight about tonight?" Bailey asked as Jo cleared the table.

  "You could say that."

  "He isn't planning on doing anything that's going to embarrass me, is he?"

  "Not if I can help it," she assured.

  As prevention, Jo secretly invited Slim and his wife over for dinner and planned on picking up a couple of Austin's favorite westerns to help keep him entertained.

  "Do you think it'll be safe to have Tommy come in and meet him?"

  Jo laughed. "Your father is going to be on his best behavior tonight. Now go get ready for school or you'll be late."

  *****

  Austin continued to stare at the photograph on his desk. It was taken a month after their honeymoon. The three of them had taken a trip into the mountains for a day of skiing. Bundled up in parkas, they huddled together with reddened faces, their smiles revealing the fun they'd had. He smiled at the memories of that day. He'd felt on top of the world. He couldn't remember ever being that happy before, not even with his first wife.

  Turning away from the photograph, he glanced up at the clock. It was almost three. Bailey would be getting home from school soon then Jo would help her get ready for her big night. It had taken him most of the day, but he'd finally come to terms with his anxiety. It wasn't until he recalled the conversation he had with Jo and her fears about motherhood that he realized how silly he was behaving. Jo was right, Bailey was a smart girl, and he trusted her.

  Exiting his office, he saw Slim coming out of the storeroom. "Did you get hold of the extra reserves for tonight?" he asked. They always brought in extra help on prom night. One officer would be assigned to the prom with two others available for patrol.

  "Got it covered. You heading home?"

  "Yeah, I think I will."

  "Okay. See ya in a little bit."

  "You will?" Austin stopped in his tracks and looked at the deputy.

  "Uh…I meant Monday."

  "Have a good weekend, Slim."

  The moment Austin saw the rental car in his driveway, he knew it meant trouble, but it wasn't until he saw Jo's expression when he walked in the door that his stomach did a nosedive. He'd seen that expression before, in a motel room in Minnesota. It was the look of raw terror.

  Both anger and fear rose in him as he glanced past her to see Agent Washington and the young female agent he met briefly in Minnesota. "What's going on?"

  "We need to talk." Jo came forward, slipped her arm through his, and led him from the room.

  "What are they doing here? You said you weren't going back till Monday."

  She didn't answer.

  "Don't do this to me, Jo. Not tonight," he said as they entered the kitchen. She took his hands and as she did, he noticed they were trembling. "What's happened, Jo?"

  "It's Briggs. They think he's headed here. They think he's going to try and get to Bailey."

  "What? Why?"

  "He's seeking revenge, Austin. He wants me to pay for destroying his life. He's going to go for Bailey."

  "Over my dead body."

  "Please don't say that," she said as tears welled in her eyes.

  Her grip tightened and he raised her hands to his chest. "Where is she? Is she in her room?"

  "She went over to Jesse's after school. I just got off the phone with Jesse's mother and she's fine. Isaac sent an agent to pick her up."

  Austin's mind raced, torn between his duty to the community and keeping his family safe. "I'll call Slim. He can cover for me for a few days. As soon as she gets here, we'll pack some bags and head up into the mountains. That place where we went skiing."

  "That's good, you'll be safe there, and I'll see that a couple of agents are assigned to the lodge."

  "You're coming with us."

  "I can't, Austin. I have to stay here, they…"

  "They can catch him without you. You're coming with us."

  "Jo, Bailey's here," Isaac called out from the other room.

  Before he could stop her, she bolted from the room. He followed.

  "We'll wait outside and give you guys some privacy," Isaac said as he led the younger agent from the room.

  "Dad…Jo," Bailey called out as she entered the front door.

  "We're here, sweetheart."

  "What's happened? He said he was with the FBI but he wouldn't tell me anything else. I was afraid something had happened to one of you."

  "We're fine, baby, and we're going to stay that way." His eyes leveled on Jo. If she thought for one minute he was going to let her out of his sight, she was nuts. He lowered his gaze to Bailey. "I need you to go up and pack a few things. We're gonna have to leave town for a few days."

  "I don't understand, why? What about tonight?"

  "Honey I'm afraid you're not going to be able to go to the prom. Something's come up and you and your dad are going to have to--"

  "You're coming too, Jo."

  Had the look she tossed him been a dagger, he'd been dead where he stood. Momentarily stunned, he watched as Jo walked with Bailey to the base of the staircase, and after a brief hug, his daughter disappeared up the stairs.

  "I'm not going to argue with you about this, Austin. This is my job. I've no choice in the matter."

  "That's not true and you know it. You shouldn't even be working, Jo."

  "The doctor said I was fine. Besides, he has to be stopped, Austin, and I'm the only one who can make that happen."

  As much as he hated to admit it, he knew deep down she was right. He'd seen the desperation in the other agents' faces when he'd walked into the room. They hadn't only come to warn her of the danger but to plead with her to help them catch him. The thought of one man instilling that much fear seemed almost ridiculous, yet he'd seen it with his own eyes. He'd seen the terror in Jo's eyes back in Minnesota, and had sensed the agony she'd gone through at this man's hands during her visions.

  "I can't just go off and leave you, Jo."

  "You have to, Austin. You and Bailey have to stay safe. Briggs has caused enough pain in my life. He's not getting my family."

  CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

  Jo stood at her bedroom window and stared down at the two dark sedans parked at the curb with agents sitting inside. She guessed another was parked in the alley at the back of the house. There goes the neighborhood.

  Turning away from the window, she thought of Bailey and her reaction to the news she wasn't going to be able to go to the prom. Her tears had broken Jo's heart, and she couldn't help but blame herself. Had she just stayed in Minnesota, she may have had him by now. Had she not had a nervous breakdown in Maine, his three-year killing spree wouldn't have taken place.

  She thought of how smug Harland Briggs must feel right about now. She spent the past three years trying to forget the pain he brought into her life, fighting the memorie
s of a four week stay on a psychiatric ward, where she'd been forced to confront the demons in her head. Demons he had put there. It was her strength, and Isaac's support, that had brought her through that darkness. The time had come to face those memories, to draw strength from them. It was the only way to stop him. You wanted my attention Briggs; you've got it. You want to make it personal, fine, let's do it.

  With that thought in mind, she headed for her stepdaughter's bedroom.

  Jo could hear Bailey crying from outside her door, prompting yet more guilt.

  The teenager glanced up as she entered the bedroom and quickly raised her hand to swipe at the remaining tears. "I'm almost ready. I just need to grab my toothbrush and stuff from the bathroom."

  "How badly do you want to go to this prom?" Jo asked as she sat down on the bed next to Bailey's open suitcase.

  Bailey shrugged. "I just wish you guys would tell me what's going on. Why there are FBI agents outside our house."

  Jo patted the bed beside her and waited for the teenager to sit down. "You know the case I've been working on. Well, it's one involving a very evil man."

  "I know which one you're talking about. I saw the news. It's the guy who killed those teenagers."

  "His name is Harland Briggs, and we don't know for sure how many children he has killed. What we do know, or suspect, is that he's on his way here. He wants to hurt me and in doing so, he's going to try and get to you, because he knows taking you would hurt me worse than any physical pain he could inflict upon me."

  "Why does he want to hurt you?"

  "Because it was my profile that identified him. He feels I destroyed his life so he wants to destroy mine."

  "Dad will protect us though. He won't let him get us."

  "That's right. And the agents outside, they're all friends of mine, so nothing is going to happen to any of us."

  "Does that mean we're staying?"

  "No, it only means you might still get to go to the prom. That is, if you still want to."