Page 21 of For Rage

The thought filled her stomach with dread, and Morgan hurried through the house and back to her car, where Skunk was waiting for her.

If she was right, and the killer did do this, then there was no way Jim Alba was their killer.

They might have the wrong guy.

Which meant another woman's life could still be in danger.

CHAPTER NINE

He pressed his finger to the doorbell, and moments later, a lovely young woman answered the door. She was short—no taller than five feet—and curvy, with long, red hair and freckles splattered all over her cheeks.

She looked even better up close than she did from far away.

With his overalls on, his tools in his hands, he offered her a friendly smile. She looked up at him, confused, as she said, "Can I help you?"

"Yes," he said, "I'm here to make some adjustments to your garden."

"Oh?" Her brows pinched, confused. "I didn't ask for that ... we normally have Jerry come, and I think our next appointment is tomorrow."

"Jerry sent me," he clarified. "He's off this week, so I'm covering his clients. Guess I'm a bit ahead of schedule." He smiled wider, hoping she would accept it and invite him in.

She would, of course. He'd been watching her for weeks. He knew when she was home, when she was alone, and he knew how friendly she could be to her neighbors and people passing by. She was trusting, foolishly so.

As she stepped aside to let him in, he couldn't help but notice the way her hips swayed as she walked. He followed her into the living room, admiring the decor and the way the sunlight streamed through the windows, illuminating her curves.

As they passed by the kitchen, a voice on the radio flowed into the room:

"In other news, the Maze Killer is still at large, and police are not reporting that the FBI has taken over the case ..."

He smiled to himself. The FBI. They couldn't outsmart him, but they were worthy adversaries. He'd enjoy evading them, tricking them, over and over again.

"Isn't it just awful?" the girl said, looking back at him with those big eyes. "That Maze Killer, I mean ..."

"Oh, yes," he said. "Just terrible."

He suppressed a chuckle as she walked ahead, leading him to the back yard. She had no idea that the Maze Killer was standing right in front of her. She had no idea that he was the one responsible for the disappearances, for the fear that gripped the city. But she would soon learn, and she would learn the hard way.

He set down his tools and got to work, pretending to prune the flowers and trim the hedges. But his mind was far from the task at hand. He was already planning his next move, his next victim. He couldn't wait to see the fear in their eyes, the panic in their voices as they realized that they were trapped in his maze.

As the girl watched him work, he couldn't help but admire her beauty. He wondered what it would feel like to touch her, to taste her, to hear her scream his name. But he knew that he had to be patient. He couldn't risk getting caught, not now, not when he was so close to achieving his goal.

He trimmed the hedges as he was supposed to do. In truth, he liked this part of the façade, so sometimes he'd milk it, let it go on for longer than it needed to. Let the girl truly feel comfortable before she'd know the truth.

"Well, I'll let you finish up," she said, turning toward the back door.

In the morning light, her red hair was aflame. The sight of it, glimmering like fire, made his skin suddenly burn. Not with desire—with anger.

That hair. It was so bold. So vulgar. It had no business being natural, a color that vibrant.

Maybe it was time for her to learn already.

He slowly stood up, pulling a heavy tool from his belt, as she walked in the house through the back door, safely away from any chance of the neighbors seeing her.

He followed her, the tool heavy in his hand. He was careful to keep his footsteps silen as he crept behind her. He watched her walk toward the kitchen, humming to herself, not bothering to check behind her.

He raised the tool above his head, ready to strike. And then she turned around, and her eyes widened in terror when she saw him.

Before she could scream, he brought the tool down hard on her skull. There was a sickening thud as it made contact and then she crumpled to the ground, her red hair now matted with blood.

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