Jessica joined her at the vehicle.Faith drove off, but instead of leaving, she just circled the block and parked kady-corner to the house, keeping it in view but hopefully without Meadows realizing it.
“Stakeout?”Jessica guessed.
“Yep.Call the district court and ask for a warrant.I’ll bet you anything this bastard’s hiding something.He was acting real squirrelly when I was talking to him.”
“And if he has something to hide, he is actively hiding it as we speak,” Jessica replied.
“He won’t be able to hide that gun,” Faith said.“Even if he buries it under the floorboards, Turk’s nose will pick it up.We’re going to stay right here, and if he leaves, we’ll follow him.He claims he didn’t kill Mark Patterson and Iris Caldwell?We’re going to see if he’s telling the truth.”
As she watched, the upper window opened, and the binoculars peeked out again.They scanned the street on which Meadows lived but didn’t check the street where the agents were now parked.Faith smirked as she watched Meadows check to make sure the coast was clear.
Come on out,she coaxed silently.Don’t be afraid.Show us who you really are.
It had been a long time since Faith’s first suspect turned out to be the killer, but if anyone could be that killer, it was Brian Meadows.Maybe there was a chance to find justice for the victims now.
Or maybe she was letting her emotions cloud her judgment.Meadows was an angry, bitter, selfish man.Hecouldbe the killer.
Or the killer could be lurking harmlessly, unnoticed by the innocents he stalked, waiting for his next opportunity to take his prey.
CHAPTER NINE
The killer sat on a bench and watched people play with their dogs.The dogs were barking exuberantly, running, jumping and playing, pausing every so often to regard their owners with unadulterated affection and love.The owners laughed and jumped and played with their dogs, running around like kids, faces flushed, lips spread in ear-splitting grins.Other owners, too old or relaxed to run around, sat on benches like this one, basking in the sunshine, beaming at the others and watching the dogs play.
It was sickening.All this joy.All this vapid contentment.At any moment, this happiness could be stripped from them, yet they all acted like they were guaranteed a lifetime of everything they ever wanted.
And so many of them would achieve that.That was the real kicker.Most of these people actuallywouldget the lives they wanted, mostly anyway.They’d float around in a perfect world, playing with their dogs, enjoying quality time with their friends and family, getting pats on the back at work, guffawing at their stupid tv shows, never having a real care in the world.Even if they had a care, they’d just post some bullshit sob story on Instagram or Facebook, and a bunch of other vapid losers would flock to tell them how pretty they were, how strong they were, how they should just hang in there and everything would be all right.
Bullshit.Here was death sitting right in front of them, and they didn’t even see him.
As though to emphasize his point, Rebecca paused in front of him, literally right across the path from him, and stopped, watching the dogs.She grinned, smiling like an idiot as she watched a pair of Labrador’s take turns chasing a rope bone tossed by a pathetically handsome young man.Or maybe it was the man she was watching.She was young and attractive herself, not a supermodel but pretty enough that the killer was sure the young man would find her enjoyable.
Well, he’d have to act fast.Rebecca wasn’t going to live to see another morning.She would return to this park later that evening when it was far less crowded.She would run until the little watch she wore told her she had burned five hundred calories.The killer would stop her and ensure she never had to worry about calories again.If the young man wanted to know how attractive she was underneath her yoga pants and sports bra, he had maybe ten hours to do so.
The killer got to his feet and left.He passed within two feet of Rebecca.She never even glanced his way.
That was his fate.To be unseen.Unheard.Uncared for.
So be it.He would still have his way.He would find his own joy quenching theirs.
CHAPTER TEN
Jessica squirmed and groaned in her seat.Faith felt a flash of irritation so powerful that she had to force herself to look straight through the window lest she snap at Jessica.
It wasn’t Jessica’s fault that it was taking the warrant so long to go through.The judge had called them twice during the night for clarification, and both times, the conversation had ended with a reluctant, “I’ll think about it.”
Now, as morning rapidly progressed to late morning, Faith was beginning to fear it wasn’t coming.They just didn’t have enough evidence.Meadows was a well-documented nosy neighbor, lodging complaints no fewer than fourteen times in the past five weeks and too many times to count over the past year.
That actually worked against Faith’s assertion that he was a suspect.He wasn’t picking on the victims specifically.He wasn’t singling them out.He didn’t have any special animosity toward them.He was just an equal opportunity prick who happened to come across the two of them in relatively close proximity to their murders.
“Anything?”Jessica asked.
“No.Nothing.”
Jessica released an exasperated sigh.“Look, I don’t mean to be a brat, but—”
“We’re not leaving.Not until we get that warrant.”
“Faith, we’ve been here all night.He hasn’t left his house.He hasn’t even poked his binoculars out since we got here.He hasn’t stepped into his backyard or front yard.He hasn’t used his fireplace because we didn’t see smoke, so he’s not trying to burn evidence.Look, he was an asshole, but he didn’t really do anything that screams he was a suspect, did he?”
