Chapter 17

Val Vuittron could not make the bank shot. Frustration made her hands shake as she tried again and missed.

"It's okay." Her pal Lonni slapped her on the back. "Take a deep breath. This is just open gym, dude."

Val looked at her friend. "Did you just call me dude?"

Lonni grinned, showing new blue rubber bands in her braces. She had curly black hair and sparkling brown eyes. Her skin was a deep brown with peach highlights, and she was an excellent point guard. "Yes. Relax. We're just goofing off. We have a lot of time until the spring tournaments."

"Yeah, but I want to win this year." They played three-on-three in the street, and last year she'd nearly broken her ankle. Her mom had freaked and made her wear a brace for the rest of the tournament. Sometimes it seemed like her mom working with Laurel and the FBI calmed her, and other times, Kate had to triple-check the locks on the doors before going to sleep.

Lonni tossed the ball and hit the backboard, making a basket. "We will, but part of this game is having fun."

"Are you a philosopher now?" Val snorted. "I need some water. I'll be right back."

"I'll just keep hitting threes," Lonni said cheerfully.

Val chuckled and wove through the other girls practicing. They'd set up a game, four against four, later, but right now they were just goofing off. She enjoyed open gym, and she liked having found a game that neither her older nor younger sister played.

Plus, she loved postponing homework. Anything that would put off studying for the physics test she had on Monday, which she'd have to do the second she got home. At least she had all day tomorrow to figure out how to solve projectile motion problems.

She moved out of the gym to the darkened hallway and reached the water fountain, taking several big drinks, careful not to put her mouth on the metal. She'd forgotten her water bottle again, probably in the back of her mom's car.

"Hey there, can you help me? I've lost my dog," a man said.

She yelped and turned to look at him. "Excuse me?"

Empty and chilly, the hallway felt dark, although the gym was close by. She glanced toward the brighter lights and measured the distance.

"Yeah." He shook his head. "I'm so sorry, but I saw some girls leave the door open a few minutes ago. My dog ran inside the school. I have no idea where I am. I've never been in here."

"Oh," she said. Lost dog. It could happen. She squinted to see him in the barely there light. The guy was good looking. He was about six feet tall, cleanly shaven, and had sparkling eyes. A battered ball cap covered shorter dark hair. In his hands, he held a leash. But it was a little after dinnertime on a Saturday night, so was it odd that he was out with his dog? She wasn't sure.

"I just let him off leash for a minute," the guy said. "I'm sorry to bug you." He looked toward the gym. "I know you're busy. Just point me toward the best place to look."

She glanced down the hallway. "I'd look in the cafeteria. If you go down and take a right, you should be able to reach it." Dogs could probably smell old chicken casserole and burgers, which had been the offerings that week.

"Thanks."

She frowned. Weren't most of the outdoor doors locked? It was possible somebody had left the door a little bit ajar. She'd seen it happen before. But she also imagined most of her friends would stop a dog or at least chase him if they saw him enter. She edged toward the gym.

"I'm sorry." The guy held both hands up and backed away. "I didn't mean to scare you. This is weird."

"No, it's not weird." She felt stupid. "Not if you're really looking for your dog."

He was hot, his tight body dressed in a light black coat and jeans. He had to be in his, what, early twenties? She might only be fourteen, but she recognized a hottie when she saw one.

He pushed the cap further up his head. "I'll let you get back to it," he said. "I'm sorry about this."

"No, really. I didn't mean to . . ."

"Be smart?" he asked, chuckling. "You are. I'm a strange man in a hallway. You should be on alert. And the whole dog thing, isn't that something serial killers use?"

She giggled. That trick was exactly something serial killers used.

The guy was charming and seriously cute with a dimple. "Do you want to help me look for the dog?" he asked.

The hair on her back rose again. "No, I don't think so, but I'm happy to call the janitor or even the principal." Her phone was in the gym. Damn it.

He moved toward her then.

Heat flashed through her ears, making them ring. She backed away.

"Now, Val, you've finally grown a brain, huh?"

He knew her name. Chills went through her, and her stomach dropped. Her knees trembled. She could kick him and she could run. He had that leash in his hands, but no weapon. What was that old saying? You charge the guy with the gun, and you run from the guy with a knife? She could get to the gym and safety.

He leaned in. "I know who you are."

She swallowed. "Yeah, I figured that out when you said my name."

He edged slightly between her and the gym.

She could hear the basketballs bouncing and girls laughing. "What do you want?" Her voice trembled.

He reached out and ran a finger down her face. "Don't you worry. You're too young and unaccomplished for me. For now, anyway."

She reacted as she'd been taught, trying to knee him in the nuts. He slapped her knee down and pushed her against the fountain, hard. She cried out as her hip hit the metal.

"Then again, you are awfully pretty."

Lonni moved through the doorway. "Come on. We're going to play—" She stopped.

Val's stomach clenched, and she pushed the man, running toward Lonni and screaming for help.

"Say hi to your mom and Laurel for me, will you?" he yelled, running away.

Val reached Lonni and shoved her back into the gym. "We need to call the police."

* * *

Laurel handed Val a warm cup of tea from the microwave.

The girl huddled beneath a blanket on her sofa with her mom's arm around her. "Yeah, that's definitely him," she said, looking at the picture of Jason Abbott on the sofa table in front of her. "But he shaved his beard. I didn't recognize him. I never really looked at his pictures in the paper, to be honest. He's really good looking." She sounded lost.

Stark pale, Kate sat next to her while Val's sisters sat on the floor near the sofa. Kate looked up, her pupils wide. "I can't believe he got that close to her. Laurel, what are we going to do?"

Laurel shook her head. She knew Jason Abbott wanted to play games, but she'd never thought he'd go after one of the girls.

Val gulped. "He said I was too young and unaccomplished for him. What does that mean?"

Laurel shook her head and looked at Kate, who was not too young or unaccomplished. She was actually a professional woman and exactly the kind of victim for Jason. "How do you four feel about taking a vacation?"

Kate blinked. "Laurel, I can't leave you."

"The whole team is gone, so maybe we all need a break," Laurel said. "I'll request temporary workers. Kate, until I catch him, until I find him, none of you are safe."

Val sniffed. "I don't feel safe."

Laurel truly hadn't thought he would do something like this. "I don't think I'm underestimating him," she said absently. "He's obviously had time in jail to build new fantasies."

The drowning did make sense to her. The victim was truly helpless with her head held beneath the water, and he'd always liked frozen bodies.

She had the local police trying to track down where he'd acquired the dahlias that he'd placed around Huck's cabin. This cat-and-mouse game he was playing had to end, but first, she needed to make sure that Kate and her girls found safety.

The sheriff had just left after taking Val's statement, and the entire school had been alerted by the principal.

"Do we know how he got into the building?" Kate asked.

Laurel shook her head. "Not yet. The police are looking into it. They haven't seen any evidence of broken windows or locks, so it's entirely possible someone just left the door ajar."

"It happens a lot," Val said. "We feel pretty safe, and no one was really worried. To be honest, I wasn't that scared when he first started talking to me."

Laurel took a deep breath as Kate visibly shuddered, holding her daughter closer.

"It's all right," Laurel said. "This weather isn't good for any of us. Walter's in the Caribbean. Nester's stuck in Seattle, but I'm sure he'll be returning any day. So it's on me. I want to send you all to this wonderful resort in North Carolina. I visited there during a case once, and I don't know if you know this, but the weather in North Carolina is perfect this time of year."

Val perked up, her face still pale and her eyes red from crying. "Did you say perfect . . . as in sunny?"

"Yes. The resort where I'm sending you is in an area where it's in the midseventies right now on the ocean. You are going to love it." Laurel forced a smile.

Kate gulped. "I can't let you spend money like that."

Laurel waved a hand in the air. "Kate, please. I've invested well through the years, and I haven't had anything to spend money on. This is important. Abbott is after me and is going to target anybody close to me. I can't let anything happen to you and the girls."

"I don't know," Kate murmured.

The idea of being without Kate left Laurel with a sense of isolation she hadn't experienced in a long time, but she hid that feeling from her only friend. "Really, you need to go."

"What about school?" Val asked.

Laurel looked at her. "I'll go speak to each one of your teachers and flash my badge if need be."

Viv snorted, watching her younger sister. "I think that's okay. A note from mom should do it. But I wouldn't worry about it, considering a serial killer just talked to Val in the hallway tonight. I'm sure we could pretty much do anything we want for the next couple of weeks."

"Good." Laurel reached for her phone. "I have a travel agent I work with out of DC. I'm texting her now, and she will make the arrangements for you to leave first thing tomorrow morning."

"It's three hours later in DC right now." Kate's chin lowered.

Laurel immediately received a text back. "That's okay. Janice never sleeps. She said she'll have excellent arrangements to us within the hour."

"Okay," Kate said, relief crossing her face. "I guess we need to pack." She looked around. "Laurel, thank you for coming over so quickly."

Laurel studied the smooth leather sofa. "Happy to help. I'm staying the night."

"Oh," Kate said. "You don't need to do that."

"Yes, I do," Laurel said grimly, her weapon at the ready in her purse. She didn't believe Jason Abbott would make a move on Kate or the girls tonight, but she would never underestimate him again.

A knock sounded on the door, and they all jolted.

Laurel swung to her feet, grabbing her purse.

"Hey, it's me," Huck called out.

"Thank goodness." Vida, the youngest, jumped up.

Laurel walked toward the door and opened it so Huck could come inside, several pizzas in hand.

"I brought pizza," he said, his gaze dark but his smile wide. He shut the door.

Vida went to help him. "I'll get sodas out of the fridge. I think we have paper plates as well."

"That's good." Huck looked around. "I take it we're staying here tonight?"

* * *

Laurel took all day Sunday off with Huck after seeing Kate and the girls off at the airport. They watched old movies, played gin rummy, and hung out with Aeneas. She missed her cat but wasn't comfortable bringing him over to Huck's yet. Plus, Deidre loved spending time with Fred. The downtime was good for Laurel's mental health to allow her subconscious to work on the myriad of problems in her cases.

Plus, Fish and Wildlife officers were keeping watch over Deidre all weekend, which relaxed Laurel even more.

However, Monday morning her frontal lobe was back to being fully engaged. She worked the morning away, making phone calls, arranging her schedule, and seeking a connection between Delta Rivers and Teri Bearing. When she failed utterly at that, she turned to the Jason Abbott case and reviewed his files again, trying to find any sort of clue as to where he might be. She also finally tracked down Uma Carrington, Zeke Caine's alibi for Teri Bearing's murder, and arranged to speak to the woman in person the following afternoon.

Agent Norrs had assigned his executive assistant to cover for Kate at the front reception desk. Her name was Sherry Layton, and Laurel had met her during a previous case. The white-haired woman seemed both professional and efficient.

Laurel missed Kate already. The office even felt colder somehow. Laurel's cell phone buzzed, and she pressed the speaker. "Agent Snow."

"Agent Snow, you absolutely must leave my girlfriend alone," Zeke Caine said, his voice rough.

Laurel's stomach dropped, and she sat back in her chair, looking at the phone on the desk. "Uma Carrington is your alibi for the killing of a woman right outside your church. I have no choice but to speak with her."

Zeke sighed heavily through the phone. "I'd think you would trust me. I am your father."

"You raped my mother," Laurel retorted instantly and then took a deep breath to calm herself. Emotions would just get in the way of dealing with this narcissistic jackass.

"I am sorry to snap at you," Zeke said. "I've been trying to get ahold of your mother, but she won't return my calls. I think we need to have a family meeting."

Laurel stiffened to the point that her neck popped. "You will, under no circumstances, try to contact my mother again. Do you understand me?" Why hadn't Deidre told Laurel of these attempts? If her mother had some outlandish notion that Laurel needed to be protected because she was pregnant, Laurel needed to disabuse her of that idea right now. Clearly, Laurel needed to find a way to get Deidre out of Genesis Valley for a short time.

"Come on, Laurel, you're back in town. I'm back in town. It's time we cleared the air. Your mom needs to tell the truth."

"You will not contact her again. I will obtain a restraining order if necessary, and I have no doubt that would greatly hinder your attempts to preach to the world via television. Do you understand me?"

Silence ticked over the line for several moments. "I'm not somebody you want to threaten, daughter," he said.

A chill slicked through her. "That declaration did not constitute a threat. That was an unequivocal assurance. My mother shall remain entirely beyond your reach."

"Ah, Laurel," he said. "This is not the route you want to take with me."

She crossed her arms and forced herself to remain calm. "I have no idea where you've been on your little walkabout, but I will trace your path. I know that you left victims in your wake, and Zeke, I'm going to find them."

Now a hiss came over the line. "I am always two steps ahead of everybody, daughter. So you go ahead and ignore my warnings. But when your world starts crumbling, remember that you had a choice. Remember this moment."

"Are you threatening an FBI agent?" she asked calmly.

His chuckle was dark. "Absolutely not. I'm just talking to the daughter I didn't know existed for most of her life. If this had gone differently, I would've protected you from Abigail. Now you are on your own, and believe me, you have no idea what lies in the heart of the woman who shares your DNA."

Laurel looked out her window at the chilly day. "I can read Abigail just fine. In fact, I believe the two of you, at your cores, are the same."

He laughed this time, somehow making even that sound threatening. "Not even close, Laurel. Oh, Abigail's dangerous, but she's a puppy playing in a dog's world."

"I take it you're the dog?" Laurel asked instantly.

"We'll see when I have my teeth around your neck." He chuckled again. "Figuratively, of course. I would never hurt anybody in this world, but daughter, you should have chosen the path of being my ally. Now you'll learn more about me than you ever wanted to know." He clicked off.

Laurel sat back and looked at her phone before turning and vomiting violently into her waste basket.