No Escape by Mary Burton Read Free Book Online Page A

bodies. I was content to take it to my grave. I didn’t need the world or the media to know. Most people don’t have the brains or the patience to sit still for an entire news broadcast so why do I care what they think of me?’
    His soft voice had sharpened with rarely exhibited emotion. Despite his words, he clearly cared about what people thought.
    ‘But you do care now.’ She leaned closer to the glass, studying his drawn features. For the first time she sensed a crack in his glib armor. ‘Why now?’
    For a long moment he stared at his hands and then slowly he raised his gaze. ‘Because, Dr. Granger, it is no longer just about me.’
    ‘Is this about the victims’ families?’
    ‘About them, I could care less.’
    ‘Who is this about?’
    ‘Another killer.’
    ‘I don’t understand.’
    ‘There is another killer out there.’



Chapter Three
     
    Saturday, April 6, 4:15 P.M.
    Jo sat silently for a moment, then lifted her gaze to catch Brody’s reflection in the glass. The easy manner gone, a new tension rippled through his body.
    She released a breath and focused on Smith. ‘Another killer? Is he a copycat?’
    ‘No, no.’ His tone was serious with no hint of manipulation or gamesmanship. But then the best manipulators did it effortlessly.
    ‘He was my apprentice. I took him into my home when he was twelve. I raised him like a son, trained him to be a killer.’
    Jo’s mind ticked through all the background information that had been gathered about Smith. How could they not know about a foster son? ‘The Rangers never mentioned an apprentice or a child.’
    ‘By the time I was arrested he wasn’t a child. He was bordering thirty, and we hadn’t spoken in years.’
    A dozen questions crowded to the front of her mind. But as tempted as she was to rattle them off, she steadied herself. She could never be certain when a man like Smith would stop answering questions, so it was important to lead with the most important. ‘What’s his name?’
    ‘Robbie Bradford. Or at least that was the name he used.’
    ‘What is his name now?’
    A hint of sadness clouded his gaze. ‘I don’t know. I’ve not seen him in ten years.’
    Robbie had been nearly thirty when Smith had been arrested. That would put him in his early thirties.
    ‘What does he look like?’
    ‘Medium height. Slender. Light brown hair.’
    ‘That’s not very specific.’
    ‘I trained him not to stand out just like I never stood out. The best hunters blend into the landscape. He was clever at assuming roles.’
    ‘How do you know Robbie is killing?’
    ‘He’s communicated with me.’
    She heard Brody shift his stance. ‘The prison screens your communications.’
    ‘He is clever and careful. Like you, Robbie is intelligent, Dr. Granger, which is why I took him on as my apprentice. Fools have their place in the world and they are fun to play with from time to time, but when it comes to serious matters, they are a time waster.’
    ‘How did he get messages to you?’
    ‘Newspaper want ads. The guards will tell you I read the paper daily. There are so few of us that actually read the paper these days.’
    ‘When was the ad?’
    ‘Last week. Maybe the week before. I’m not as certain of time now. I suppose that’s what dying does – makes the memory weak.’
    ‘What paper?’
    ‘The
Austin Chronicle
.’
    ‘And what did Robbie tell you in this ad?’
    ‘That he had passed the test. Crossed the line. Become a man who was ready to really play the game of life.’
    ‘Game? Life is a game?’
    Smith smiled. ‘Of course it is. Some of us are smart enough to realize that and the rest stumble through life lost, confused and joyless.’
    ‘Killing women gave you joy?’
    ‘Well, I do understand that what I did does not meet with your approval, Dr. Granger. And I am sorry.’
    Jo wondered if he’d ever experienced a true emotion.
    As if he sensed her anger, he said, ‘Could we put our differences aside for the sake of this