Rainey Nights Page 7

  “Yes, the blood on my skin felt empowering. It did the first time I saw myself in the mirror after we killed some cows. I didn’t want to wash it off, but they made me. It looked like war paint, you know.”

  “Did you smear your first victim’s blood on you? Was it more powerful than the cows blood?”

  With his guard down, he answered her question. “Yes,” he said enthusiastically. Caught up in the rush of just thinking about the blood, Dalton wanted to talk about it now. “You have no idea how it feels to let someone’s blood pump out onto you. It was like electricity, cranking me up to a high I could not have imagined.”

  “Is that when you got your sexual release, when their blood spurted on you from the neck?”

  Dalton showed just a touch of his true sadistic self. His eyebrows lowered, he stared into Rainey’s face. His right eye twitched. “Yes,” he said, and that was all.

  Characteristically, when they got to his activities after the beheading he grew cautious, evasive even. Rainey suspected he did things to the bodies after the girls were dead, but they couldn’t prove it.

  She asked, “Then why did you gut them, as you call it? If you had your release, why do that?”

  Dalton’s voice was cold, when he answered, “That’s what you do to cows.”

  Rainey felt the color in her cheeks begin to rise. She couldn’t let him focus on her steadily growing anger and disgust. She said quickly, “And you were completely naked, as I recall from your previous statements. You then took the head to the river and went ‘swimming with it,’ you said.”

  “Yes, but you don’t actually swim in rapids. I tied a rope to a tree and around my waist. I waded out to let the water wash the blood off, then threw the head in.”

  “Why did you throw the head in the water? Was it to make the ID more difficult?”

  The darkness crept across Dalton’s face. “Yes.”

  Rainey pressed. “You knew there were other ways to identify them easily. So, there had to be another reason.”

  Dalton just stared back. His eye twitched again.

  Rainey didn’t press. The way he looked at her, she knew he threw the head in the water to get rid of the evidence of what he did with it after he killed the women. She wanted to crawl across the table and rip off what was left of his sexual organs. Instead, she changed the subject. Dalton was more likely to give her something else, just to keep her from bringing up his necrophilia. These guys would admit to revolting crimes, but most didn’t want anyone to know about what they did to the bodies after death. Even a psychopath knows those acts are unspeakable.

  “Okay, I won’t ask you about that. Let’s go back to when you began to use the sword and the bible verses. You didn’t do that with the first girl.”

  Dalton, so distracted by her interest in his post murder activities, slipped up. “I just lost it with her. I didn’t intend to kill her, but she pulled my mask off and recognized me. Then she started saying how she knew me from being her church camp counselor and she knew about my…my not having any balls and I just lost it.”

  “So, are you now admitting to killing Janelle White?”

  Dalton realized an instant too late what he had done. His face flushed red. He glared at Rainey. His eye began to twitch. He glanced over at the guard with the black box. Rainey got Dalton’s attention.

  “Are you also admitting to being the masked rapist for the two years after that?”

  Dalton continued to grow angrier. Rainey knew it was time to pull back.

  “Okay, you don’t have to answer that, but I have to tell you, if you talk about the rapes and how you went from sexual assault to serial killing, people will want to listen. It’ll buy you more visits from the BAU.” Silence. “Well, what about the bible verses? Will you talk about that?”

  The Dalton that spoke next was the scary Dalton, the pretty boy turned evil killer. In a flat tone, he said, “They claimed to be virgins. Virgins don’t get in a truck with a stranger and go necking in the woods. They were sluts. I gave them a chance to ask for forgiveness and then ended their lives before they could sin again. Isn’t that what you want to hear?”

  “No, that’s what you want me to think. What I think is you specifically hunted virgins in retribution for those brothers who beat you half to death for raping their sister. Was she a virgin, Dalton?”

  Dalton shouted, “I didn’t rape that cunt. She wanted it. They all wanted it.”

  The guard in the corner took a step forward. Rainey put her hand up to stop him and kept at Dalton.

  “Okay, we won’t talk about that girl either. Calm down so the guard won’t have a reason to push the button on his little box.” She waited a second then continued, “After Janelle, you went two years without killing. Why? What made you change your methods?”

  Dalton breathed heavily, his eye steadily twitching; he was close to losing control. He didn’t answer her.

  “Was it the blood, Dalton? Did the blood from Janelle excite you? Did it scare you for two years, that you liked the blood, and then you couldn’t resist the need anymore? The rapes weren’t enough. You needed the blood for the sexual release, didn’t you?”

  Rainey didn’t care about the rapport she spent six months building with this creep. She hoped he rotted in hell. She was on a roll and couldn’t stop herself.

  “Or was it screwing her dead head that did it for you? Or maybe it was because she was the same age as your little sister. Did you fantasize about your little sister, too?”

  Dalton leaned forward. “I think about your blood on me when I masturbate, now. It’s the only way I can cum.”

  Rainey didn’t flinch. Instead, she laughed. “I assure you I’m not a virgin. Probably wouldn’t do a thing for you.”

  With a spine-chilling smile, Dalton spewed out, “I fantasize about taking your head over and over. The look on your face…what I’d do to that pretty mouth… It’s what gets me through my days.”

  Rainey knew they had reached the end of their conversation. Dalton was beyond answering questions, now. Something snapped inside Rainey, and with the knowledge that she would never have to see him again, she stood up. Her supervisor would reprimand her for jeopardizing any further communication with Dalton, but it did not stop her from telling him just what she thought. This was going to cost her a week’s suspension and a trip to the Bureau psychiatrist, but it was worth the price.

  “Dalton, before I leave there is something I’ve always wanted to say to you. I hope North Carolina gives you the needle. I know what you did to those women. I know why you did it. You are not special. You are a run of the mill sadistic psychopath and I will make sure that everything you’ve said will be evidence enough to put you to death. I especially will derive pleasure from telling the jury about your taste for dead body parts. Everyone is going to know exactly what kind of miscreant you are, Dalton Chambers.”

  Rainey gathered up the folders on the table. Dalton’s expression changed to pure hatred. He screamed after her, as she began to leave, “If they take me there, I’ll find you. I already know where your father lives. That’s a nice little place there on Jordan Lake.”

  Rainey stopped and turned around.

  Dalton continued his rant, “Yes, that’s right. I have fans and they tell me things. I know all about you Rainey Bell. I’ll get to you, one way or another.”

  Rainey gave Dalton her best smile. “The next time I see you will be at your trial, followed by your execution, at which I will most definitely be in attendance.”

  “They can’t prosecute me there. My deal covered all my Virginia murders and the ones in North Carolina, too.”

  Rainey laughed. “Ah, therein lies the rub. You just told me you killed Janelle White. You took her from just across the North Carolina line. You may have killed her in Virginia, but the kidnapping occurred in North Carolina. You never admitted anything about the murder until today. It wasn’t covered in your deal. North Carolina can indict you for felony kidnapping that resulted in rape and murder
.”

  Dalton yanked at the chain around his belt. Rainey didn’t flinch.

  “Why wouldn’t you admit to that one killing? We all knew you did it. Was it because she was so young? You knew your supporters would dump you if you admitted to killing a child. She was a young innocent girl, just barely thirteen, who did nothing but cross your path. If the guys in here know you killed a child, the target already on your back is going to grow exponentially. Dahmer lasted, what, nineteen months? You’re going to die Dalton, one way or another. Too bad they don’t use the guillotine anymore, it would be so fitting.”

  Dalton lost all semblance of control. “I told you I was going to kill you the day you shot me. You thought I forgot about that. I keep my promises. One day when you least expect it, I’m going to send someone after you. You’re going to be looking over your shoulder for the rest of your life. When you close your eyes at night you’ll see me. I’m going to haunt your dreams…”

  Rainey signaled the guard on the other side of the door that she was ready to be let out. He spoke into his radio and the door began to slide open.

  Dalton continued to scream behind her, “You’ll never forget me. I’ll get you one way or another, you can bet on that, bitch. I have fans right now that want you dead. You’re going to die just like those other whores.”

  Just before the door closed behind her Rainey looked at the guard in the corner. She nodded. The guard smiled. Rainey walked down the hall with Dalton’s screams echoing off the walls, his body writhing in pain, as 50,000 volts jolted him from his chair.

  Under her breath, she said, “Give it your best shot, asshole.”

  PART II

  “When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”

  ~Lao Tzu

  Chapter four

  Monday, April 4, present day.

  Raleigh, North Carolina

  “Cease fire! Cease fire!”

  Rainey shouted, but to no avail. The two women in front of her continued to pull the triggers of their respective weapons. The rounds came fast, one behind the other, disappearing toward the black silhouettes in their sights.

  She tried again, louder this time. “Cease fire!”

  The blonde stopped firing first. She turned her eyes back to Rainey just as the other woman fired her last round.

  “That’s it!” Rainey continued to shout, because she hadn’t yet taken out her ear protection. “You two will not be shooting semi-automatic weapons. You are staying with the revolvers I gave you to begin with.”

  Katie pointed to Rainey’s ears and then removed her own earplugs. She grinned like a kid at Rainey. “Oh, but that was so much fun.”

  Ernie laughed. “You could blow a hole in a bus with that thing, before you knew what was happening.”

  “Exactly my point,” Rainey said, letting the earplugs drop to dangle around her neck. “Now, take out the clips like I showed you and clear the chamber.” Rainey was all business until the weapons were safely out of Ernie and Katie’s hands.

  Katie prattled on while she did as she was told, still giggling from the thrill. “That was amazing. I wonder if I hit the target? After that first pull, it just got easier, but you’re right. I think I need to be able to actually control the damn thing, if I’m going to shoot it.”

  “I tried to tell you both that I had given you the weapon most suited for you, but no, what does a trained FBI agent know about shooting?”

  Rainey’s sarcasm was not lost on Ernie, who practically raised her, and didn’t take the smart remark without a comeback. She placed her hands on her hips, her gray head bobbing, as she said emphatically, “Former FBI agent.”

  “And you’re making me miss it more and more every minute,” Rainey shot back.

  Katie came up behind her and wrapped her arms around Rainey’s waist. “Don’t lose your patience. That was fun. Finish up with Ernie and I’ll go out and talk to Gary at the front. Take your time.” A quick peck on the cheek and Katie walked off the firing range.

  Rainey watched the petite blonde, still mesmerized by the sheer energy Katie cast out around her. She had taken Rainey’s breath the first time she saw her, standing at the gate of her old home in Chapel Hill. Now, nine months later, she took it no less frequently.

  “Ain’t love grand,” Ernie said snidely, drawing out the syllables in each word.

  Rainey’s face broke into a grin. “Yes, yes it is.”

  “All right, lovey-dovey, let’s wrap this up. I got shows to watch.”

  Rainey removed her father’s Smith and Wesson .45 semi-auto from the shelf in front of Ernie. She double-checked that it was unloaded and placed it on the table behind them. She talked while she did this, returning with a smaller .380 revolver, and placed it, cylinder opened, in front of Ernie.

  “Now, when we get here tomorrow, what are you going to do? Go through it step by step.”

  Ernestine Womble, the sixty-seven year old office manager of Bell’s Bail and Bait, wanted to qualify to carry a concealed weapon. With their clientele and what happened last summer, Rainey didn’t really blame her. The nature of the bond business was bad enough. In addition, through her time as a behavioral analyst, Rainey was involved in some of the worst serial murder cases in the last decade. The fact that some of those cases remained unsolved kept Rainey’s Glock tight to her side. Knowing there were so many more out there, roaming undetected, kept Rainey in a constant state of vigilance. She paid dearly the one time her guard was down. That was never going to happen to Rainey Bell again.

  Chapter five

  “Rainey, did you see this article about the missing woman from Durham?”

  At 7:45 a.m., Tuesday morning, Rainey stepped out of the bathroom wearing nothing but a towel wrapped around her waist. She was using another towel to dry her thick hair as she walked bare-chested into the room. Last April, Rainey wouldn’t have been caught dead without a shirt on, but that was before Katie Meyers took over her life. Rainey no longer felt self-conscious about the scar slashed across her chest and torso by a madman. None of that mattered anymore.

  Rainey smiled at the sight of Katie seated at the computer wearing a terry cloth robe. She still had a hard time believing this was her life, now. Rainey had never been in love with a woman before, but then she never met a woman like Katie. During the previous July, Katie’s marriage ended abruptly, and the “Y-man Killer” that scarred them both met his maker. Katie moved in with Rainey immediately. Since then, life continued to get better every day.

  Rainey, towel draped over her shoulders, stepped up beside Katie who was intently reading from the computer screen. Rainey put her hand on Katie’s shoulder and leaned down to kiss her on the top of her head.

  “What did you say?” Rainey asked.

  Katie slid her arm around Rainey’s toweled waist without looking away from the computer screen. “This woman from Durham is still missing. Today’s the fifth isn’t it?”

  “Yep, it says so right there on the screen.”

  “Don’t be a smartass,” Katie said, popping Rainey on the butt. “That means she’s been missing for a week.”

  “Really? Who is she?” Rainey peered at the monitor. A picture accompanied the article Katie was reading. It showed a smiling woman with short dark hair. She was attractive, but in a rugged, outdoorsy way.

  Katie turned to look at Rainey. A smile spread across her face. “I didn’t realize there was a naked woman standing beside me.”

  Katie stood and stretched her five feet-six inch frame, reaching up to wrap her arms around Rainey’s neck. The four-inch difference in their heights forced Katie to stand on her tiptoes, until she could reach Rainey’s lips with her own. Katie melted into Rainey’s arms, kissing her slow and long. She could kiss Katie all day, every day, but alas her job beckoned and it was getting late. She pulled back from Katie’s lips and whispered against them, “Don’t start this now, or Ernie will be over here knocking on the door, wondering where I am.”

  “You started it, walking in here
naked,” Katie said, kissing Rainey again.

  As hard as it was to tear away, Rainey really did need to hurry. She tried a different tactic when Katie let her up for air. “Don’t you have a doctor’s appointment this morning?”

  Katie released Rainey from her grasp. She looked down at the clock on the computer screen and flew into action. “Oh God, I need to hurry. I was so lost in that story, time got away from me.” She playfully pushed Rainey away. “Go away, you. I need to get dressed.”

  Katie took off toward the master bedroom with Rainey hot on her tail. Katie giggled in front of her, skipping out of Rainey’s grasp. She caught up and tackled Katie onto the new king sized bed. Katie giggled louder. She brought out the playful, carefree side of Rainey, the part of her that slowly faded into the background during her years with the BAU. She smothered Katie with kisses, while Katie lost control of her laughter. Then just as quickly as she had thrown her onto the bed, Rainey released the squirming Katie and stood up.

  “Okay, that should hold you for a bit.” Rainey said, while grinning down at the love of her life.

  Katie smiled, raising a hand for Rainey to help her stand. “Have I told you I love you today?”

  Rainey grinned and winked. “No, I don’t think you did.”

  Katie winked, accompanied by a sexy smile. “I love you, Rainey Blue Bell.”

  One more kiss on the cheek, before they began to dress. Rainey chose her standard black jeans, black shirt, and gun holster. Katie assumed her classic Chapel Hill, thirty-something, wealthy housewife persona in navy blue slacks and a white Peter Pan collared, short-sleeved, cotton shirt. Rainey dressed quickly, then stopped to watch with fascination as Katie stood in front of the mirror putting on makeup. Katie was beautiful without it, and she didn’t wear much, but she was gorgeous when she did. Rainey only wore makeup when she was forced to and that was a very rare occasion. Katie winked at her, knowing Rainey was still captivated by the sight of her. She checked her hair in the mirror one more time.