When Nancy walked into the River Heights Police Department, it was bustling with activity. It was very rare for the station to be buzzing like this, since the biggest crime around here was usually robberies. The murder was big news, especially since Ann was a prominent figure here in River Heights. The police station was small with a squad of only twenty men and women. Everyone there knew Nancy and if they didn't, it usually didn't take long before they did.
"Hey, Sandy," Nancy said to the petite redhead desk sergeant. "Is B.D. in?"
Sandy smiled at Nancy. "He actually just walked in. Go on back."
"Thanks," Nancy said with a smile. She walked on back until she was standing in front of B.D.'s office.
Nancy knocked on the door and didn't wait for him to answer. She stuck her head in the door and asked, "Can I come in?"
B.D. looked up from what he was doing and waved Nancy in. "Would it make any difference if I said no?"
Nancy shook his head. "I'm sure I would have hesitated for a least five seconds before I came in anyway."
B.D. smiled at her as she shut the door. "So, what can I do for you, Miss Drew?"
"Don't act like you don't know, B.D.," Nancy said. "We can beat around the bush all we want, but you know why I'm here."
"So, I take it you talked to Jimmy," B.D. said, leaning back in his chair. He put his feet on his desk and looked at Nancy as she sat down.
"You knew I would," Nancy said.
"I knew he would have called you eventually," B.D. said. "You sure have a way to make people do things for you. If only I could have that power."
"I never called Jimmy. He did it on his own free will," Nancy said. "Besides, you're not so bad yourself."
"Thanks," B.D. said, giving her a rueful grin.
"So, what do you think?" Nancy asked.
"You need to stay out of it," B.D. said.
"And here we are about to have the same argument again," Nancy said. "You know this would work a lot faster if we didn't do this every time."
"I know," B.D. said. "But I'm hoping one day that you'll actually listen to me."
"Don't hold your breath," Nancy said.
"To answer your question, I'm not really sure what the missing hair means," B.D. said, ignoring Nancy's last remark.
"Do you think's it's like a trophy for him or something?" Nancy asked.
"I think it's very possible. But we've never had to deal with something like this, so I couldn't tell you why the killer would do this," B.D. said. He rubbed a tired hand over his face.
"You haven't slept, have you?" Nancy asked.
"I took a cat nap, but other than that, I've been at Ann's house gathering evidence," he said.
"Have you found anything yet?" Nancy asked.
He shook his head. "Whoever did this knew what he was doing."
"Any suspects?" Nancy asked.
"We talked to the husband and her agent since they were the last to speak to her, but we haven't found anyone else," B.D. said.
He looked at Nancy and studied her. "I'm begging you not to get involved in this, Nancy."
"I'm not even involved in it, so all of this worrying is for nothing," Nancy said.
"But I know you, Nancy. You won't be able to let this go especially since Ann was your friend. You'll work that much harder and not care what happens unless you get the killer in the end," B.D. said. He continued before Nancy could say anything. "And how do you know you'll get him in the end. What's to stop him from getting you, Nancy?"
Nancy didn't know how to answer him. He was right–there was nothing she could argue with him about.
"So, that's it?" Nancy asked.
"Of course, I want your help, Nancy," B.D. said. "But you have to do it my way and not run off and land yourself in some serious trouble. One woman is already dead–I don't want you to be next. I don't know if I could take that."
Nancy looked up at B.D. and saw that he was staring right at her. Nancy didn't say anything but stood up and walked out of the office. B.D. sure had a way of making her feel bad. But he had done it for her own good, she knew that.
She looked at her watch and saw that it was now noon. She pulled out her cell phone and dialed Thomas's number. It rang four times before he answered.
"Thomas, it's Nancy," she said when he answered the phone.
"Nancy, hi," Thomas said.
"I was just calling to see about arrangements and what-not," she said.
"I still haven't made any. Could you come and help me, Nancy?" Thomas asked. "I don't think I can do it alone."
"Sure," Nancy said. "I'll be right there."
She got in her car and took off towards Thomas's house.
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Dom was feeling pretty good about himself right now. He had the desired effect that he had wanted. The murder had caused an uproar in the small town of River Heights. He had even heard that it was very rare for a murder to happen here. And the wonderful thing...he wasn't even done yet.
He would bring the town of River Heights to their knees.
He looked at the computer screen and smiled. It was amazing the information you could find out about a person on the Internet. All he had to do was type in a name and he knew that person even better than they knew themselves. And he had to admit, he was very impressed with all of the information he was finding out about his Katie.
Apparently, she had a few fans around the world. Every single one of her cases was documented, so he could find out how she worked. He knew almost every single one of her weaknesses. But, of course, that was obvious last night. To get to her, you took away someone that she loved.
But, then again, wasn't that every human's weakness?
He was gathering quite a collection on her. In fact, his walls were covered with papers and pictures of her from the Internet. But he still wanted more. He needed to feel as if he was closer to her; he needed to feel as if she was in the room with him.
He needed her to know that she was with him.
And he had a general idea about how to do that. He took out the lock of hair that was in the plastic baggie and sniffed it. Of course, it didn't compare to Katie's hair. He couldn't wait until he held her beautiful life in his hands. He wanted her to beg; he wanted her to scream.
He grabbed a pair of gloves and slipped them on. Then, he picked up a standard white envelope and slipped the hair inside. There was no point in leaving a note. He has sure that he had made his point last night. Besides, he would be in contact with her soon enough.
Dom sealed the envelope, being careful to use a towel soaked with water and not his own saliva. Technology was wonderful today and he didn't want to be caught because of carelessness. It wasn't like that in the book and he had to follow the book. He was the book.
Well, time to make a delivery, he thought, smiling to himself.
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When Nancy got back to her house that evening, she was exhausted and emotionally drained. She had spent the entire afternoon with Thomas, making funeral arrangements for Ann. It had been difficult for both of them, but especially Thomas. And to make matters worse, they had been followed by nosy reporters all day.
The funeral was to be held in a couple of days and Nancy dreaded the day. She knew it would be nothing but a media circus. She had just found out that the sales had skyrocketed for Never Again. She thought it ironic how it took the death of the author to make her dream come true.
Nancy went up to her room and saw the book lying on the desk in her room. She really should finish it, if nothing but for Ann's memory. It had been something that she had been proud of and Nancy didn't want to ruin that for her.
She slipped into her pajamas and grabbed the book. She went downstairs, into the living room, and settled in the huge, soft recliner. Her father had to go to Chicago for the night and Hannah was out of town, visiting family. So that just left Nancy alone in the peace and quiet of her home.
She opened the book and began to read where she had left off. Ann surely knew how to deliver, Nancy thought to herself. The book had barely started and she was already getting you into the killer's mind.
Definitely chilling, Nancy thought.
She continued to read a bit more when she thought she heard a noise coming from outside. She marked her place and set the book down and listened. She thought her mind was playing tricks in her when she heard the faint shuffle of a foot.
Nancy got up from the chair and grabbed a poker that was standing beside the fireplace. She raised it up above her head and quietly made her way to the front door. If there was someone out there, she didn't want to be vulnerable to them. She didn't hear anything for a couple of minutes so she opened the door and saw a white envelope lying on the "Welcome" mat in front of the door.
Stepping out the door, Nancy looked up and down the street with the poker raised high, but didn't see anyone. Whoever it was, they were long gone by now.
Nancy picked up the envelope and walked back into her house. She made sure she locked the door and then tore open the envelope. ON the outside of the envelope was the name "Katie". That's weird, she thought. Inside she found a single lock of hair–Ann's hair, she immediately thought. She felt a chill go through her body and tried to shake away the uneasy feeling that was coming over her.
She didn't have proof that this was Ann's hair. But it was the same color and size of the chunk that had been cut from her hair.
Still...
Nancy shook her head and put the lock of hair back in the envelope. She would just take it to B.D. the next morning and he would be able to tell her if it was Ann's or not.
Nancy turned out the downstairs lights and went up to her room. It was a good hour before she could calm her nerves and finally go to sleep.
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When Nancy woke the next morning, she was feeling even more uneasy than the night before. Wile she did get some sleep, the rest was fraught with nightmares. She didn't like the hair in the envelope and the more that she thought about it, the more she couldn't shake the feeling that it belonged to Ann. It coincided perfectly with what Jimmy had told her and she knew it wouldn't be too hard to prove that it was hers.
But if it turned out to be Ann's, then that proved two things: 1) The killer was getting her involved whether she wanted to be or not and 2) he knew where she lived–and that freaked her out more than anything.
Well, she couldn't stay in bed all day and try to figure it out. She would only drive herself crazy doing that. She quickly slipped on some clothes and grabbed the envelope. It was then that she spotted the name on the front again. Katie? Why would the killer write that name on the front of the envelope? Katie was the heroine from Ann's book...did that have anything to do with her murder?
Nancy grabbed her keys and fifteen minutes later she was knocking on the door of B.D.'s office. She didn't wait for him to answer.
"Either, you're really missing me lately or you're into something that you shouldn't be," B.D. said when she walked in.
"A little bit of both, actually," Nancy said.
"The first I would have been very happy with, but the second one worries me," he said, frowning.
"Believe me, I had every intention of not being involved in this," Nancy said. She handed him the envelope. "Looks like I don't have much of a choice, though."
B.D. looked at the name that had been written on the front of the envelope. "Katie? Why does it have that name on it if it's for you?"
"Well, I'll tell you what," Nancy said. "Whenever I see our killer, I'll be sure to ask him that for you."
B.D. narrowed his eyes at her. "You didn't have to answer like that."
Nancy smiled sweetly at him. "You ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer."
B.D. ignored her and looked inside the envelope. "Is this some kind of joke?" he asked.
"I really hope that it is," Nancy said, honestly.
"But we both know it isn't," B.D. said. "The media has no idea about the missing hair. We've managed to keep that under wraps." He picked up his phone and dialed an extension. "Get someone in here, immediately."
Ten seconds later, a nervous-looking deputy walked into B.D's office. "Get this over to Jimmy at the morgue. I want to know if this belongs to Ann Granger."
The deputy nodded and took the envelope from him. B.D. looked at Nancy and sighed. "He wants himself to be known. And he's chosen you as his message board."
"I know," Nancy said.
"When did you find the envelope?" B.D. asked.
"Last night. I was reading and I heard something outside. I waited until I didn't hear the noise anymore and then I went outside. I found it in front of my door," Nancy explained.
"What if he wasn't gone? What if he knew you would come outside and see what was going on?" B.D. asked.
"I didn't even think about that," Nancy admitted.
"You have to be more cautious about these things, Nancy. Especially since he knows where you live," B.D. said.
"Well, so does everyone in River Heights. Does that mean I can't go out my door and talk to any of my neighbors?" Nancy asked.
He ignored her. "I want a guard put on you."
Nancy shook her head. "Not gonna happen. He hasn't even done anything to me. All he did was send me some hair."
"But he knows where you live, Nancy," B.D. said, solemnly. "I don't want to give him the chance to try to do anything to you."
"I'll be careful," Nancy said. "You know I can handle myself."
"Against a killer?" he asked.
Nancy was about to say something else, but there was a knock on the office door. Nancy and B.D. looked up just as Jimmy stuck his head in.
"Am I interrupting anything?" Jimmy asked.
"No, Jimmy. Come on in," B.D. said. "What have you got?"
Jimmy looked at Nancy and then looked at B.D., guiltily.
"Whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of Nancy. You'd tell her anyway," B.D. said.
Jimmy let out a sigh of relief and handed a sheet of paper to him. "That hair sample you sent over–it's a definite match for Ann Granger."
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Author's Note: The end of another chapter...I admit the whole hair thing is really creepy, but it's a part of who Dom is. And a lot of you are worried that I am going to be killing off core characters. I have to assure you right now, that I can't do that. It would devastate me since I am really devoted to these characters. When I said that the murders wouldn't make you happy, I was mostly talking about the violence factor. I am not giving anything away because my ideas change. Again, let me know what you think!