they had fun. Katie came home last week to find them all, Rainey included, covered in finger-paint, when an afternoon at home with mom number two turned into a free-for-all of wrestling rainbow-colored children. Rainey had no hope of ever controlling them like their mother. When Katie entered a room, all three of their heads would turn toward her. They seemed to think Katie was some kind of Goddess to be worshipped and obeyed. Katie said it was not her presence to which they were responding, but the appearance of a major food source.
The food source stuck her head in the doorway of the office, yawning loudly. “Okay, everything is ready for the morning. I’m going to sleep for a bit. You should come too. We’ll be up soon enough as it is.”
Rainey stood and walked to the door. She gave Katie a hug and a kiss, and then said, “I’ll come up in a bit. I have one more email to send.”
“Okay, don’t stay up all night. You need some sleep.” Katie yawned again, before saying, “Goodnight, I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Katie went off to bed. It was now after two a.m. They had talked for the better part of an hour, after Rainey returned from a quick shower and a change of clothes. Rainey outlined everything she knew, from the writer preparing her character assassination, Mackie’s condition, the risky surgery, hearing her father’s voice, Ernie’s warning, and the feeling she was being watched and not by the stalker. Rainey restated her belief that Cookie Kutter was involved in the blog, and how she hoped to catch her, or someone who worked for her, on the security cameras at the hospital. She told of Danny’s forced betrayal and the leaked Grand Jury testimony. Rainey admitted she felt evil lurking, more malignant than a photographer posting pictures or a writer telling tales. Katie listened, promised to be more aware than usual of her interactions outside the home, and then told Rainey what she needed to hear.
“If you think someone is out there plotting your demise, then I believe you. Do what you have to do to keep us safe. I’ll do as you ask.”
That was hard for a strong-willed, free-spirited woman like Katie. They had survived two serial killers together, but it was a struggle to get Katie to listen in the beginning. Katie Meyers was determined not to let what happened to her affect the way she lived her life. She would not raise children in a house filled with paranoia and fear. Rainey had to explain it really had nothing to do with living a fearless life and was more about surviving to live it. After their last brush with death, Katie tended to follow the security procedures Rainey set out for them without fail. She still thought Rainey was paranoid, but not nearly as much as she did before.
Rainey sat down to write her final email. She already sent one to her stepfather about Mackie’s protection detail, and one to the security company office alerting them to a possible threat. She could not describe the threat to either John or the security company. Unsure of what or whom she was up against, she kept her concerns vague. She also sent a message asking Brooks to tweak the software she designed, which searched twenty-four hours a day for any mention of Rainey on the Web. Her former job as a criminal mind-hunter made Rainey a target for twisted individuals out there fixated on the Behavioral Analysis Unit members. It was common to find reams of information about the unit and their work in a serial offender’s home. Rainey needed to know if one of them was focused on her.
Now, the last message had to be written. She held off on this one until the end, not wanting to write it, but knowing she had to. She opened the encrypted email program to insure privacy. This message was for Danny McNally’s eyes only, and only he would have the key to open it.
“Danny,” she began. “I’ve thought long about how to broach this subject, but I find no way other than directly. Your Grand Jury
The food source stuck her head in the doorway of the office, yawning loudly. “Okay, everything is ready for the morning. I’m going to sleep for a bit. You should come too. We’ll be up soon enough as it is.”
Rainey stood and walked to the door. She gave Katie a hug and a kiss, and then said, “I’ll come up in a bit. I have one more email to send.”
“Okay, don’t stay up all night. You need some sleep.” Katie yawned again, before saying, “Goodnight, I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
Katie went off to bed. It was now after two a.m. They had talked for the better part of an hour, after Rainey returned from a quick shower and a change of clothes. Rainey outlined everything she knew, from the writer preparing her character assassination, Mackie’s condition, the risky surgery, hearing her father’s voice, Ernie’s warning, and the feeling she was being watched and not by the stalker. Rainey restated her belief that Cookie Kutter was involved in the blog, and how she hoped to catch her, or someone who worked for her, on the security cameras at the hospital. She told of Danny’s forced betrayal and the leaked Grand Jury testimony. Rainey admitted she felt evil lurking, more malignant than a photographer posting pictures or a writer telling tales. Katie listened, promised to be more aware than usual of her interactions outside the home, and then told Rainey what she needed to hear.
“If you think someone is out there plotting your demise, then I believe you. Do what you have to do to keep us safe. I’ll do as you ask.”
That was hard for a strong-willed, free-spirited woman like Katie. They had survived two serial killers together, but it was a struggle to get Katie to listen in the beginning. Katie Meyers was determined not to let what happened to her affect the way she lived her life. She would not raise children in a house filled with paranoia and fear. Rainey had to explain it really had nothing to do with living a fearless life and was more about surviving to live it. After their last brush with death, Katie tended to follow the security procedures Rainey set out for them without fail. She still thought Rainey was paranoid, but not nearly as much as she did before.
Rainey sat down to write her final email. She already sent one to her stepfather about Mackie’s protection detail, and one to the security company office alerting them to a possible threat. She could not describe the threat to either John or the security company. Unsure of what or whom she was up against, she kept her concerns vague. She also sent a message asking Brooks to tweak the software she designed, which searched twenty-four hours a day for any mention of Rainey on the Web. Her former job as a criminal mind-hunter made Rainey a target for twisted individuals out there fixated on the Behavioral Analysis Unit members. It was common to find reams of information about the unit and their work in a serial offender’s home. Rainey needed to know if one of them was focused on her.
Now, the last message had to be written. She held off on this one until the end, not wanting to write it, but knowing she had to. She opened the encrypted email program to insure privacy. This message was for Danny McNally’s eyes only, and only he would have the key to open it.
“Danny,” she began. “I’ve thought long about how to broach this subject, but I find no way other than directly. Your Grand Jury
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