knew there was a cooperative investigative unit that drew on some of the other surrounding jurisdiction.
Heâd seen them find Lynn Vaughnâs I.D., so they knew who she was, but they didnât know why she was here. And, of course, heâd worn rain gear that wouldnât leave any fibers on the body. Heâd also moved the woman from his property to this location, so they werenât going to find any clues to his identity.
But he wanted them to understand that something serious was going on in their little town, with its speed traps and cops who were so quick to do their duty.
He would have liked to keep enjoying the show, but he had work to do. He took a last bite of the candy bar and crumpled the wrapper, but he wasnât dumb enough to drop the trash where someone could find it and maybe get a line on his DNA. Instead he put the crumpled paper into his pocket and started down the other side of the hill to where heâd left his car. Things were moving faster now. He had to set up the funhouse again to get ready for the next victim.
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âN OW WHAT ?â M ACK CLIPPED out as he continued down the blacktop.
âKeep going,â she directed, hardly able to speak around the tight feeling in her throat. Pictures were forming in her mind, but she thrust them away. She could be making them up. She hoped she was making them up.
He drove past a couple of farms and a country store.
âYou know this area?â
âOf course. When I was in high school, my friends and I would come out here to drive around.â
They didnât speak again until she saw a crossroads with a restaurant, bar and gas station.
âTurn left here.â
He slowed the car and made the turn. From the small commercial area, they drove into the mountains, where they passed widely spaced farms and houses. When they rounded a steep curve, they were stopped by a police car with flashing lights blocking the road.
A few cars were pulled up along the shoulder, and several spectators were standing along the blacktop, craning their necks toward the center of the activity, where two more patrol cars were pulled up, along with an ambulance.
Mack rolled down the window and pulled up beside a man in jeans and a plaid shirt who was standing on the shoulder and staring toward the cop cars. âWhatâs going on?â
âGuy found a womanâs body.â
Jamie had been hoping against hope not to hear that news. Now she dragged in a sharp breath as the words slammed into her.
âA local resident?â Mack asked.
âDonât know. The cops have been asking if we know a Lynn Vaughn. That must be her name.â
Jamie felt a shiver go over her skin as her worst fears were confirmed. Sheâd been with Lynn Vaughn in her dream. Sheâd been afraid someone had killed the woman, and now she knew for certain it was true.
âYou know her?â the guy asked, looking from Mack to Jamie and back again.
âNo. We just happened down this road. I guess weâd better go back the other way,â Mack answered easily,giving nothing away before he rolled up the window, made a U-turn and got them out of the vicinity. He kept going toward the road where theyâd exited the highway, then turned into the parking lot of the country store theyâd passed earlier. After finding a parking space, he cut the engine and turned to Jamie.
His face looked grim. âI thought maybe the dream came from your imagination,â he said.
She lifted one shoulder. âEven after I gave you a name, and you confirmed that she was a real person?â
âYeah.â
âMaybe thatâs what you wanted to think, but I knew something had happened.â
âYou dreamed about a murder that turned out to be trueâ¦.â
Somehow she managed to keep her voice even as she said, âI was hoping it didnât end that way.â
His eyes boring into her, he said, âPeople donât dream