Killing Ways Read online

  ‘Duke Rawlins …’

  Gary nodded. ‘He showed me where to go, pointed me in the right direction. He was real nice, real personable. When I got back to the car, the agent I was with was lying there on the ground, naked from the waist down. It was bad. Rawlins had raped him, done so much damage, he wound up needing surgery. He was never the same after that. He lasted another five months, then he killed himself.’

  ‘Jesus Christ.’

  ‘I couldn’t help thinking of the last thing Rawlins said to me as I walked away …’

  A cell phone started to ring. Gary stood up. ‘Sorry – I need to take this.’

  Ren stood up. ‘What was the last thing he said to you?’

  ‘Boo-hoo.’

  Ren left Gary’s office and went into the bullpen. Joe was sitting on her desk, talking to the group.

  Rebel briefing. Not arrogant at all.

  Joe looked up. ‘Ren, maybe you could listen to this too …’

  Breathe deeply.

  ‘You saw Rawlins’ photo,’ said Joe. ‘He was once a handsome man, he possibly still is, but what you don’t see in the old mug shots is that he now has a scar that might make a woman think twice about helping him or accompanying him somewhere. This scar comes from the corner of his mouth and stretches upwards, like it’s the continuation of his smile.’

  Oh. Oh. Oh. FUCK.

  Ren could feel something plunge down through her chest.

  Scar. Texas. Shaven-headed. Now I know why he was familiar. He’s the guy from the bipolar support group.

  Oh. My. God. I have already engaged with Duke Rawlins.

  39

  In a flawlessly casual move, Ren raised a finger. ‘Could you please excuse me for one moment? Thank you.’

  She moved quickly to the ladies’ room, retching as she pushed through the outer door, making it into a stall just before she threw up.

  Oh dear God. He knows who I am. I had no clue. He didn’t seem that fucked up to me. Why not? I have a good radar. What’s going on? Jesus Christ.

  She gathered herself, went over to the sink, washed her face, washed her hands, over and over. She brushed her teeth, reapplied foundation.

  Duke Rawlins. I met Duke Rawlins. I can’t tell anyone this. They don’t know about bipolar support. Oh, I could tell Janine now. But she would worry. Gary … is never going to hear this. “The rule is you walk in there alone, you walk out alone.”

  Oh, God. I am on Duke Rawlins’ radar.

  Ren took a deep breath and walked back into the room where Joe Lucchesi was plotting Rawlins’ downfall. He frowned, went back to talking.

  ‘If Duke Rawlins is the killer,’ said Joe, ‘then it’s likely the woman he’s been killing over and over is his mama: skinny, blonde Wanda Rawlins, a former prostitute and junkie.’

  ‘Well, that’s not going to fuck him up one bit,’ said Ren. ‘And where’s Wanda Rawlins now? Why doesn’t he just go and kill her?’

  ‘He may already have,’ said Joe. ‘Wanda Rawlins disappeared six years ago. Her husband, Vincent Farraday – who married her after she became a born-again Christian – was hauled in about the disappearance, questioned relentlessly, but nothing came of it. It caused quite a stir at the time – he was a pretty famous local country singer.’

  ‘Do you think Farraday was guilty?’ said Ren.

  ‘No,’ said Joe. ‘He loved that woman for God-knows-what reason. He was a broken man after that, his whole family came apart. I wouldn’t be surprised if Rawlins framed him. Years back, the DA in Stinger’s Creek reckoned that Rawlins framed his own uncle Bill for one of the murders. So I can’t see him having a problem framing his mama’s husband who he despised.’

  ‘You say “family” – does Wanda have any more children?’

  ‘Twin girls,’ said Joe. ‘Robin and Chloe Farraday. They would be about twenty-six years old now.’

  ‘Do you know where they live?’ said Ren.

  ‘Denison, Texas, last I heard,’ said Joe.

  ‘Do they have any relationship with Duke Rawlins?’ said Ren.

  ‘Highly unlikely,’ said Joe.

  Disdain! I love it!

  ‘And he had a wife, I read,’ said Ren. ‘Samantha “Sammi” Rawlins.’

  ‘Nah – he’s done with her,’ said Joe.

  Disdain again! I love it even more!

  He paused. ‘Right, well, I’m sure I’ve talked enough. I’d like to see what you’ve got, if that’s OK with you.’

  Greaaaat.

  Ren’s cell phone started to ring.

  She looked at the screen.

  Annie Lowell.

  Why am I sensing bad news?

  ‘Excuse me for one second,’ said Ren. ‘I better take this.’

  She picked up.

  ‘Oh, Ren, sweetheart – Devin’s been hurt. She got hit by a car. She was taking Misty for a walk … the driver didn’t stop.’

  ‘Oh my God – is she all right?’

  ‘She’s conscious, she’s talking, she’s got a broken leg,’ said Annie. ‘It happened just this afternoon. I’ve been on the phone with her mother, the whole family is at the hospital.’

  ‘I don’t believe it,’ said Ren. ‘And the driver didn’t stop?’

  ‘No!’ said Annie.

  ‘And is Misty all right?’ said Ren.

  ‘I’ve got Misty, don’t worry – not a scratch on her. She ran to the nearest house, barked her heart out. And the driver just drove away! Can you imagine?’

  ‘That’s terrible!’ said Ren. ‘How are you doing?’

  ‘Well, I’m very upset,’ said Annie. ‘Devin’s like a granddaughter to me.’

  ‘Oh, Annie. What can I do to help? Should I go to the hospital?’

  ‘No, no – not today. They know you’re busy, Ren. I think they’d prefer if you were working on that terrible case of yours, to be honest. They’re very selfless people. They knew you’d be worried – they said wait until you have an hour off some evening, then maybe stop by if she’s still at the hospital, or stop by the house. I’m OK to look after Misty here, but I can’t walk her for any length, obviously.’

  ‘No, no – don’t worry about that,’ said Ren. ‘Janine or I will swing by to do that. Thank you so much, Annie. That’s such awful news. I’ll make sure I talk to Denver PD about what we can do to find out who did this.’

  ‘You take care of yourself, sweetheart, and I’ll see you soon.’

  ‘You too, Annie. I’ll text Devin, but send my love if you’re talking to her.’

  Ren went into the bullpen and let Janine know about the accident. ‘We’ll stop by after work.’

  ‘Might be a bit soon,’ said Janine.

  ‘No,’ said Ren. ‘She’ll be happy to have visitors.’

  ‘She could be in pain.’

  ‘We’ll cheer her up!’

  ‘OK,’ said Janine. ‘You go ahead and see Joe Lucchesi – he’s in the kitchen – I think he’s getting antsy. I can call Glenn Buddy about Devin.’

  ‘Thank you.’

  40

  Ren found Joe Lucchesi in the kitchen with Everett.

  ‘OK,’ said Ren. ‘Are you ready?’

  Joe nodded. ‘Sure. I’ll take this with me.’

  That’s my coffee mug.

  ‘But, I don’t really need you to go through everything with me,’ said Joe.

  Of course not. Why would you? ‘If you’re sure …’ said Ren.

  ‘Why don’t you leave everything with me, I can go through it at my own pace, take a look around the conference room at what you’ve got up there on the walls.’

  ‘Well, how about you start off in the interview room for round one? Would that be weird? We’re tight on space. The only other option is one of two cells.’ She smiled. He didn’t. ‘Anyway, when you’re done, do join me in the conference room.’

  ‘OK.’

  Ren left Joe in the interview room with a stack of files.

  She bumped into Everett in the hallway on her way back.

 
; ‘I had to put him in one of the interview rooms,’ said Ren. ‘He probably thinks it’s some kind of FBI mind-fuck.’

  ‘I would too,’ said Everett.

  ‘It’s a desk, a chair, four walls,’ said Ren. ‘Yes, teeny window, but teeny windows are better than none. I want the conference room. Or at least the freedom to wander freely in and out of it.’ She leaned in. ‘He’s very intense. I need some space.’

  ‘I like him,’ said Everett.

  ‘Hey, I’m not saying I don’t.’ She paused. ‘As an aside, Gary could be losing it. We’re in his office, this cell phone rings, and he says, totally spaced out, “I need to take this.” His phone was on the desk. The phone ringing was clearly next door or somewhere. Could he have Alzheimer’s, do you think?’

  ‘No. Goodbye.’

  Ren went to her desk and looked at her notebook where she’d been taking notes when Joe was talking. She Googled Wanda Rawlins’ disappearance. She saw photos of her husband, Vincent Farraday. He had once been a very handsome, plump, well-groomed man. He had warm blue eyes, a thick head of gray hair, and a thick moustache.

  Ren called the agent who had interviewed Farraday at the time of his wife’s disappearance. She got him to email the video, and went into the A/V room to watch it.

  Sorry, Joe – you could have had the conference room after all …

  Ren hit Play, and got the inside of an interview room in an FBI field office in Sherman, Texas. The camera was clearly mounted in the corner of the ceiling, giving an aerial view of Vincent Farraday, who looked like he had all but disintegrated since his wife’s disappearance … or maybe since he had the misfortune of marrying her.

  ‘These things happen,’ Agent Richmond was saying. ‘You marry one woman, she turns into a whole ’nother one. You married a reformed woman, Mr Farraday. Wanda Rawlins had cleaned up her act – for you. You had sixteen good years with her, she gave you two beautiful daughters. So when she was back using, you must have figured “She doesn’t care any more, she mustn’t love us any more if she can start shooting up again”?’

  ‘No, sir,’ said Vincent. ‘I understand that addiction can take a powerful hold on a person. Doesn’t make them weak, and it doesn’t make me weak to get frustrated by that, or the girls for getting hurt and angry about it.’

  ‘What about your daughters?’ said Richmond. ‘Should we be worried about them?’

  Vincent Farraday shifted forward in his seat, created a forty-five-degree angle between himself and Richmond. ‘Now, what do you mean by that, Agent?’

  ‘Your daughter, Chloe …’ said Richmond. ‘She’s been in some trouble.’

  ‘That’s a low blow,’ said Vincent. ‘She was just sixteen years old.’

  ‘We’ve spoken with the school, and with some of the parents … she does appear to have anger-management problems.’

  ‘That was a whole lot of nothing,’ said Vincent.

  ‘That’s not the conclusion Denison PD came to,’ said Richmond.

  ‘Well, with respect, that’s their business,’ said Vincent. ‘I believe Chloe and my other daughter, Robin.’

  ‘Were you involved in the disappearance of your wife?’ said Richmond.

  ‘No, sir, no I was not,’ said Vincent.

  ‘Do you have any knowledge of your wife’s whereabouts?’ said Richmond.

  ‘No, sir, no I do not,’ said Vincent.

  ‘We have a statement here from one of your neighbors who said that you told him, quote, “I’m about at breaking point. We’re living in a kind of hell. I think we’d all be better off if Wanda was gone. There’s nothing more I can do for her.”’

  Vincent nodded. ‘And that’s the God’s honest truth. I said exactly those words, and I understand that they don’t sound too good. I’d tell the police the same thing, if it was my neighbor said them. There wasn’t a word of a lie in what I said. Didn’t mean I thought that killing her was an option. Hell, I can’t even kill a spider. My daughters will tell you that.’ His eyes welled up. ‘I understand you have to do this, but can you please consider what it’s doing to my girls? Their mother’s gone. She’s been gone years. Please don’t take their father away from them too.’

  ‘Isn’t it true that you haven’t spoken to either of your daughters in six years?’ said Richmond.

  Low blow again.

  Farraday nodded, wiped away tears. ‘They blamed me for their mama going off the rails, and they blamed me for falling apart afterwards, for abandoning them. But I know one thing – they know I would never have hurt a hair on that woman’s head. We can’t choose who we love. I’ve written enough songs about it to know that.’

  Songs? Songs!

  Holy shit.

  41

  Ren Googled Vincent Farraday’s songs, looking for tiny needles and sharps disposal.

  Nothing.

  Children, though. Children. It could be one of his daughters, Robin or Chloe.

  Ren called Richmond from the Sherman field office.

  ‘Richmond, it’s Ren Bryce here from Safe Streets in Denver. I watched the tapes – thank you. What can you tell me about Robin and Chloe Farraday?’

  ‘Robin Farraday emigrated to London four years ago, got married over there, has a three-year-old daughter. She calls me up every now and then to see if I have any update on her mother. She seems like a real honorable young lady. She was heartbroken about what happened to her mother, even though she was treated badly by her, but she’s still her mother – that’s the way she looks at it.’

  ‘And Chloe Farraday?’ said Ren. ‘I saw in the video that she was the wild one.’

  ‘She was,’ said Richmond, ‘and that’s pretty much my last update on her. I’ve no idea. She was back in Denison last year, put a call into Denison PD about some stolen property she wanted to get back from her father. A whole lot of nothing. I don’t know where she came from or where she went back to. Let me put a call in to my buddy in Denison PD. I’ll get back to you.’

  ‘Thanks,’ said Ren. ‘I appreciate it.’

  Ren stuck her head back into the interview room to Joe two hours later.

  ‘Do you want to come into the conference room?’ she said.

  ‘Sure,’ he said, standing up, stretching his legs.

  ‘It’s not very comfortable, I know,’ said Ren. ‘I’m really sorry about that. It’s not normally like this.’

  ‘Nah, I get it,’ said Joe.

  Hmm.

  They sat at the conference-room table. Joe Lucchesi seemed to fill every space he entered.

  He put down the photo of Kurt Vine. ‘I’m not buying this loser as Rawlins’ accomplice, first of all.’

  ‘Why not?’ said Ren.

  ‘Are you?’ said Joe.

  Not so much. ‘I’m keeping an open mind on it for now.’

  ‘I can’t see how a fat gamer sitting on his fat ass half the time could be of any use to a guy like Rawlins.’

  ‘You mentioned a girl he used in Ireland – she was heavy-set, vulnerable, insecure,’ said Ren. ‘Is this just more of the same?’

  Joe paused. ‘Well … she was willing to go out, be active on his behalf …’

  ‘Kurt Vine went out too – he brought that lady to the hospital—’

  ‘But he stumbled across that scene,’ said Joe. ‘And what was in it for him? Nothing.’

  ‘We don’t know that.’

  ‘Then he was just doing a kindness, meaning he’s hardly the type to be out raping and murdering women.’

  ‘Maybe he was targeting Amanda Petrie. And remember, Rawlins has been changing his approach here to fuck with us.’

  Joe’s face was set.

  ‘Did you read about the ten thousand dollars wired into Vine’s account?’ said Ren.

  Joe nodded. ‘Yeah … I can’t make a call on that until I know more.’

  ‘I understand that.’ She paused. ‘I’m not saying Vine was his accomplice for the commission of the rapes and murders, but for another reason. And not just as a fall-guy. See, I don
’t think Duke Rawlins thought he would need a fall guy when he started out. I think that was part of an evolving plan. I think it goes beyond Vine having that remote property. There are other remote properties in Colorado. Rawlins could have broken into one, he could have rented one anonymously or gotten his accomplice – if he has one – to rent one. Kurt Vine’s photographs are about abandonment. Duke Rawlins’ life is about abandonment. It could just be that. Or something else that made Kurt Vine his target?’

  ‘Well, even if this loser, Vine, was his accomplice, he’s dead now, and he will be replaced. I don’t think it makes much of a difference. Duke Rawlins will always have an accomplice.’

  Pcccchhhhh! Shot down.

  Joe checked the time. ‘I’m running late,’ he said.

  ‘I’ll take you where you need to be,’ said Ren. ‘That’s not a problem.’

  ‘Really? That would be great. Would you mind swinging by the hotel? My kids will be waiting. The nanny has the night off – Shaun is taking care of Grace.’

  He wouldn’t call her the nanny if he was sleeping with her.

  ‘Sure,’ said Ren.

  Why am I thinking about who he’s sleeping with?

  They drove through the evening traffic.

  ‘Duke Rawlins saw it as a mistake not to have killed Anna when he had the chance,’ said Joe.

  Whoa – what have you been thinking?

  ‘He wanted me to feel the pain of being responsible for her death. She didn’t die, but she was attacked, she was traumatized. I’m still responsible. I didn’t protect her from him.’

  ‘That’s not true,’ said Ren. ‘From what I read, it was complicated.’ She turned to him. ‘Why did you think that he was able to … leave that behind, leave things unfinished … that he didn’t come back after Ireland?’