Read Online Dead Wrong by Mariah Stewart - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mariah Stewart
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at a national chain store.”
“Available anywhere in the country.”
“Yes. As were the rope and the duct tape. All so generic and commonly available, they could have been purchased in Maine or here in Lyndon.” Annie was watching Aidan’s face. There’d been a shadow of . . . something. . . . “Ring any bells?” she asked.
“There was a case a couple of years ago where the killer used a scarf that belonged to the victim to cover her face. Not really the same, though, as bringing something with you, something purchased for just that purpose.” Aidan rubbed his chin and appeared thoughtful. “And here we have someone who breaks into his victims’ homes, ties them up, blindfolds them so that they can’t see what he’s going to do to them, rapes them, then makes sure that their clothing is back on neatly before he goes wild with the knife.”
“Almost, but not quite,” Annie corrected him. “I think he goes a little wild with the knife while he’s in the process of raping them, then when he’s finished, he redresses them. And I don’t think he blindfolds his victims to keep them from seeing what he’s going to do to them. I think he doesn’t want them to see him. I think he knows he turns into a monster and I don’t think he wants anyone to witness that transformation, however fleeting it may be. I think the only time he comes close to losing control is when he’s stabbing them, and even then he controls the number of times he stabs them and the exact location where he puts the knife.”
“And this is the man you think is after me?” Mara’s face had drained of color.
Annie nodded.
“Okay, if I wasn’t convinced before, I’m convinced now.” Mara took a deep breath. “Aidan stays till this is over.”
“I was hoping you’d come around.” Annie’s smile was grim.
“You’ve made a pretty compelling case.”
“I just wish I could get a handle on motive.” The set of Annie’s jaw clearly conveyed her frustration. “No one kills without a reason, and to plot out these detailed murders, all so carefully staged, someone must have a pretty definite motive. But I just can’t seem to get a focus on it. I’m missing something, and I just can’t . . .”
“And you’ve looked carefully at the victims?” Aidan prompted.
“Of course. Know the victims, know the killer. But I can’t find any connection between these women except that they shared the same name. That’s the only common thread. That, and the manner in which they were killed, of course. Significant similarities, to be sure, but neither is bringing us closer to finding our killer.”
“And none of the victims was an obvious target?”
“Not that we can see. These aren’t high-profile women with backgrounds that would seemingly put them at risk.” She shook her head slowly. “These are just . . . well, for want of a better term, average women with average lives. No domestic problems, no neighborhood feuds, no money to be fought over. The police believed that the best bet was the husband of the last victim, who was having an affair. The theory had been that he’d killed the first two to make the police think that some crazy was killing women named Mary Douglas.” She wrinkled her nose. “Not a great theory, but it was the only thing they could come up with.”
“And then the husband was found dead, and the mistress had been out of town when the killings took place,” Mara recalled.
“And that theory—flimsy though it might have been—went out the window, leaving us with nothing.” Annie stared out the window. “Except three identical crime scenes.”
“Maybe there is someone killing Mary Douglases to deliberately throw off the police,” Mara said. “Why would that be so crazy?”
“It’s not logical to me. Not that there’s always logic in murder, but most of the time things are pretty clear, once you get the focus.” She shook her head. “This time, I just can’t get the focus.”
“Who’s
“Available anywhere in the country.”
“Yes. As were the rope and the duct tape. All so generic and commonly available, they could have been purchased in Maine or here in Lyndon.” Annie was watching Aidan’s face. There’d been a shadow of . . . something. . . . “Ring any bells?” she asked.
“There was a case a couple of years ago where the killer used a scarf that belonged to the victim to cover her face. Not really the same, though, as bringing something with you, something purchased for just that purpose.” Aidan rubbed his chin and appeared thoughtful. “And here we have someone who breaks into his victims’ homes, ties them up, blindfolds them so that they can’t see what he’s going to do to them, rapes them, then makes sure that their clothing is back on neatly before he goes wild with the knife.”
“Almost, but not quite,” Annie corrected him. “I think he goes a little wild with the knife while he’s in the process of raping them, then when he’s finished, he redresses them. And I don’t think he blindfolds his victims to keep them from seeing what he’s going to do to them. I think he doesn’t want them to see him. I think he knows he turns into a monster and I don’t think he wants anyone to witness that transformation, however fleeting it may be. I think the only time he comes close to losing control is when he’s stabbing them, and even then he controls the number of times he stabs them and the exact location where he puts the knife.”
“And this is the man you think is after me?” Mara’s face had drained of color.
Annie nodded.
“Okay, if I wasn’t convinced before, I’m convinced now.” Mara took a deep breath. “Aidan stays till this is over.”
“I was hoping you’d come around.” Annie’s smile was grim.
“You’ve made a pretty compelling case.”
“I just wish I could get a handle on motive.” The set of Annie’s jaw clearly conveyed her frustration. “No one kills without a reason, and to plot out these detailed murders, all so carefully staged, someone must have a pretty definite motive. But I just can’t seem to get a focus on it. I’m missing something, and I just can’t . . .”
“And you’ve looked carefully at the victims?” Aidan prompted.
“Of course. Know the victims, know the killer. But I can’t find any connection between these women except that they shared the same name. That’s the only common thread. That, and the manner in which they were killed, of course. Significant similarities, to be sure, but neither is bringing us closer to finding our killer.”
“And none of the victims was an obvious target?”
“Not that we can see. These aren’t high-profile women with backgrounds that would seemingly put them at risk.” She shook her head slowly. “These are just . . . well, for want of a better term, average women with average lives. No domestic problems, no neighborhood feuds, no money to be fought over. The police believed that the best bet was the husband of the last victim, who was having an affair. The theory had been that he’d killed the first two to make the police think that some crazy was killing women named Mary Douglas.” She wrinkled her nose. “Not a great theory, but it was the only thing they could come up with.”
“And then the husband was found dead, and the mistress had been out of town when the killings took place,” Mara recalled.
“And that theory—flimsy though it might have been—went out the window, leaving us with nothing.” Annie stared out the window. “Except three identical crime scenes.”
“Maybe there is someone killing Mary Douglases to deliberately throw off the police,” Mara said. “Why would that be so crazy?”
“It’s not logical to me. Not that there’s always logic in murder, but most of the time things are pretty clear, once you get the focus.” She shook her head. “This time, I just can’t get the focus.”
“Who’s
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