Loose Ends by Terri Reid

to prey on his victims. Could be that he moved away.”
    Then again,” she continued. “It could be that the last one scared him and he got more careful. He’s probably still finding ways to feed his hunger – maybe pornography or abusive sex with an adult partner or he might have gotten better at hiding his crimes – but he’s still out there. Sugar, be careful, from what you’ve said, this predator is smart and skillful. And even twenty-four years later, he’s paranoid and is looking over his shoulder. If you trap that cougar, you make sure you got the means to put him down.”
    Mary shivered. Her gut told her that he was still out there.
    “Thanks, Gracie, this helps a lot,” Mary said.
    “Oh, anytime,” Gracie replied. “If you send me those cases, I’ll see if I just can’t put together a more detailed report for you – on my break time.”
    Mary chuckled, “Thanks, I owe you.”
    “Honey, I’ll remember that and when I need a ghostbuster, you’d best be on my doorstep in record time.”
    Mary laughed. “I’ll break all kinds of speeding records.”
    “Just don’t get caught!”
     
     

Chapter Sixteen
    Mary zipped off an email to Gracie with the case files attached and then reviewed her notes from her interview with Lisa. She meeting with the Ryersons in an hour and she wanted to be sure she had her facts straight.
    She was packing her information into her briefcase when Rosie burst into her office.
    “What did you do to your face?” Rosie asked.
    Mary’s hand went up to her cheek. “I thought I had covered it up pretty well,” Mary replied. “You still think it looks bad?”
    Rosie stopped in front of Mary and peered closely at her face. “Well, if someone didn’t know you...” she began.
    “So, if they thought I was born this way, they wouldn’t notice,” Mary said, “Thanks.”
    “Well, the idea behind make-up is to blend, not scoop it on like frosting,” Rosie replied. “What happened?”
    Mary shrugged. “No, big deal, I ran into the fort at Apple River.”
    “Well, of course you did,” she said, examining Mary’s face again. “Go to the bathroom and wash your face.”
    “But...”
    “No arguments,” she said, “Wash.”
    When Mary returned, Rosie was just re-entering the office with a large box in her hands.
    “What’s that?” Mary asked.
    “My emergency kit,” Rosie said.
    She placed the box on the desk and lifted the lid. Inside were smaller boxes of assorted make-up, hairspray, nail polish, some cartons of nylons and a collection of scarves.
    “What kind of emergencies?” Mary asked.
    “Fashion emergencies,” Rosie responded. “You should always be prepared.”
    In the bottom of the box Mary saw what she thought was a flesh-colored beach ball. She pulled it out and realized that it was a life-sized blow-up woman.
    “What in the world?” Mary asked.
    “My third husband bought that,” Rosie said.
    “Not for that!” she exclaimed at Mary’s shocked face. “We used it for the boutique I owned. It was a portable mannequin. Now I find that it’s handy for seeing if outfits work.”
    “You try your clothes on a dress up doll?” Mary teased.
    Rosie didn’t seem embarrassed at all.
    “One can never be lax in preparing one’s outward appearance,” Rosie admonished. “You are judged by how you present yourself. Now sit.”
    Mary obediently sat at her desk while Rosie applied makeup using a little white piece of foam to the tender area around Mary’s eye. “Ouch,” Mary said.
    “Don’t whine,” Rosie said, “Beauty hurts.”
    The door opened again and Stanley joined them. He walked over to Mary and winked.
    “So, Mary, the word on the street is that the Police Chief’s car was parked in front of your house all night,” Stanley teased, and then he really looked at her. “What did you do to your face, girlie?”
    “That’s right,” Rosie added. “I heard that too, that’s why I came over in the first place.
    “She ran into a fort,