The Third Victim Part 13

four-inch heels, clutching her bottle of Jim Beam. Told you she'd take the booze with her to the grave. Chortle, chortle, chortle.

Young Rainie came home from school and found the mess. Least that's what she told the cops. Came inside to find the body, walked back outside to see a squad car pulling up to the drive. That young deputy you know, Shep, before he became the sheriff he was the first at the scene. Reported Rainie had brains dripping down her hair, all over her back. Handcuffed her right away and took her in.

Later they dismissed the charges. Experts claimed the fact the brains were dripping down proved they'd fallen from the ceiling, that she walked in when the scene was still fresh, not that she'd pulled the trigger, which would have caused the gore to blow back onto her body in horizontal streaks. Or some such nonsense.

Let me tell you, no one can get convicted in this d.a.m.n state. I mean, the girl's covered in fresh guts and somehow that ain't enough?

Lawyers. That's the problem. Lawyers.

"Course, Rainie turned out all right in the end. Sure as h.e.l.l a d.a.m.n sight better woman than her mom. She's not even that bad a cop.

The man agreed with them there. A few taps on the keyboard and he'd learned quite a bit about Rainie Conner. Had received a bachelor's in psychology from Portland State University. Upon returning to Bakersville, she'd become the first female officer in the sheriffs department. She'd pa.s.sed her academy courses the first time around.

She had a file of excellent reviews. She stayed fit by jogging three to four times a week, and she always read the current issue of the FBI Law-Enforcement Bulletin the minute it arrived. She was dedicated, thorough, and, according to various drunken rednecks, she moved fast for a girl.

The man had also learned things about Rainie's intensely private personal life. She did date men (which was subject to some debate within town) but always from an outside community. She didn't go out often, nor did she keep any one man around for long. She never let her dates pick her up or bring her home. Instead, she would meet them at the chosen restaurant, possibly return to their house, and rise and depart long before they even woke up in the morning.

She seemed to have some basic need for s.e.x but never for sharing. That fascinated the man.

She also had another quirk. Every day when she came home from work, she opened a bottle of Bud Light. And every evening before she went to bed, she emptied the full bottle of beer off the back of her deck. An ode to her dead drunken mother, the man figured. Did she picture Molly Conner dead then? Remember the headless torso and gray matter on the ceiling?

It was one of the reasons he'd bought the binoculars. Because sometimes her lips moved as she poured out the booze, and he was beyond general interest now, beyond objective reconnaissance. He desperately, desperately needed to know what she said.

Up yours, Mom?

f.u.c.k you?

The man was enamored with Rainie Conner. She had become his personal hero. And she had added something to his particular venture. She was the police officer destined to find him out, he'd decided. She alone could recognize his genius, his mastery. Finally, ten years later, here was an adversary worthy of his talents.

In the beginning, his plans for Bakersville had been modest. They had changed since then.

Now the man carefully retreated into the cover of low-growing shrubs.

He put away his binoculars. He took one last, admiring look at his gun and allowed himself the luxury of remembering how good it had felt..

Then he moved on. He still had many more things to do before the long drive back to his hotel. Wednesday, May 16, 8:00 a.m.

INTERVIEW OF DANIEL JEFFERSON O'grady MAY 15, 2000 This is Officer Lorraine Conner, conducting an interview of Daniel Jefferson O'grady, who is suspected of murdering three people at the Bakersville kindergarten-through-eight school, on Tuesday, May 15, 2000. a.s.sisting me is Officer Luke Hayes. Also present is District Attorney Charles Rodriguez. O'grady has been advised of his rights and has refused counsel. The time is 4:47 p.m. conner: Danny, can you tell us what happened today at your school?

Silence.

CONNER: Danny, are you listening? Do you understand my question?

Silence.

conner: What day is it today, Danny?

Pause. O'grady: Tuesday.

conner: Very good. Is Tuesday a school day? O'grady: Yes.

conner: Did you go to school today? O'grady: Yes.

conner: When did you go to school, Danny? O'grady: This morning.

conner: With your sister? With Becky? O'grady: Yeah. My mom drops us off. Becky doesn't like the bus. It ran over a cat.

conner: That's sad. Becky likes animals, doesn't she? O'grady : Yes.

She's freaky.

conner: Are these the clothes you wore to school today? The black jeans, black T-shirt? O'grady : Yes.

conner: Do you wear a lot of black clothes? O'grady : I don't know.

conner: Is there a special reason you wore all black today?

Silence.

conner: Did you go to cla.s.s this morning, Danny? O'grady : Yes.

conner: You're in seventh grade, aren't you? Who's your teacher?

O'grady : Mr. Watson.

conner: Is he a good teacher? Do you like him? O'grady : He's all right, I guess.

conner: What did you study this morning? O'grady : We have English in the morning, then math. Then we were going to have a geography game this afternoon. Map games, the capital cities .. .

conner: The game didn't happen this afternoon, did it, Danny?

Silence.

conner: Do you bring a backpack to school? O'grady : I have a backpack.

conner: What did you have in the backpack today?

Silence.

conner: Danny, did you have two guns in your backpack? Did you bring guns to school?

Pause. O'grady : I guess so.

conner: Where did you get these guns? Are they yours? O'grady : No.

(pause) My father's.

conner: Did you take them out of a drawer? O'grady : The gun safe.

conner: The safe? It wasn't locked? O'grady : The safe was locked. My father always locks the safe. conner: Then how did you get the guns out? O'grady: I'm smart, all right? I'm very smart.

Pause.

conner: All right, Danny. You're smart enough to open the safe, get two guns, and bring them to school. Then what were you smart enough to do, Danny?