"I had a hamburger around midnight," Rainey answered, as if a child caught with a hand in the cookie jar.

"Okay, I'll make you some toast, but you're getting some fruit, too. I don't want you crashing on me." Katie paused, and then added quietly, "I might need you."

Rainey felt an unfamiliar tightening in her chest. She looked Katie directly in the eyes. She said, "I promise, I will not let anything happen to you."

Katie leaned across the counter. She reached for Rainey's hand and surrounded it with both of hers. She looked deep into Rainey's eyes. She said softly, "Promise me you won't let anything happen to you, either."

Rainey swallowed hard and felt her vocal chords tighten. She had never dealt with a woman who touched her so much. In a hushed whisper, she said, "I promise."

Katie held on to Rainey's hand. Rainey felt her head spinning again. She felt the heat from the flush of her face. Katie smiled, still holding Rainey's gaze with her own crystal blue eyes. Rainey thought to herself, that those eyes could make her promise anything.

Their moment was fractured by the sound of JW bounding down the stairs. Katie released Rainey's hand and turned back to her cooking. She did not acknowledge JW entering the kitchen.

"That smells delicious," he said, moving over to Rainey. "I'll take an omelet with everything," he called to Katie.

Katie did not react to his request. She kept her back turned and continued to cook, dropping slices of bread into the toaster. Rainey watched Katie, even as JW began speaking to her. Katie's body language had completely changed since JW walked in. Whatever had happened to their marriage, Rainey could see Katie could not stand being in the same room with JW.

"Two of my favorite women in the same room before breakfast, life is good," JW said, sitting on the stool next to Rainey.

JW was in his good ol' boy persona, the backslapping politician, "just glad to be here folks" guy that everyone loved so much. Rainey had witnessed JW slip in and out of characters as long as she had known him. When they got in trouble, he could "ah, shucks" them out of it, most of the time. She remembered the smooth talker, the one the girls melted for, the tough guy protecting his turf, and so many more. He was a marvel. He should have been an actor. Maybe that was what Mackie picked up on, JW's ability to hide, from the people around him, the reality of his situation. Two of his favorite women, as he put it, were in mortal danger and he was smiling, as if it was just another morning.

"Why are you dressed like that?" Rainey was referring to the designer shirt and tie he was wearing.

"I have to go into the office for a few hours. I have some things I have to deal with, this morning."

Rainey looked at him in disbelief. "You can't do that. The BAU guys will be here soon, and they are going to want to talk to you. Not to mention there is a maniac out there who might be trying to kill you."

"You say it's this Y-Man character. He doesn't kill men, so I should be okay, don't you think?" JW asked her, taking a sip from the coffee cup Katie had set down for Rainey earlier.

"He didn't stalk his previous victims, either," Rainey, countered. "He's changed his method of operating. We don't know what he's planning."

JW sounded like a lawyer giving a summation to the jury, "Well, this guy is a sexually motivated serial murderer. He has already killed six women that you know about. They don't usually change their victim choice. I don't think I really have any reason to worry."

Rainey was floored by his thought process. He had completely ignored the most important thing. She could not stop herself from sounding disturbed, by his disregard for the reality of the situation. Katie slid a plate of toast and fruit in front of Rainey, and put a fresh cup of coffee down for her.

"What about your wife?"

"I know you won't let anything happen to her. The house is surrounded and the FBI will be arriving soon. I'll have to explain this to my father, and tell him I'll be away from the office a few days."

Katie interjected, "And he has to figure out how he can spin this in his favor, to the media."

JW smiled at Katie, "Now there's a thought."

"Oh, for God's sake, just let him go," Katie snapped.

Katie turned away disgusted. Rainey had to think. She could not let herself get drawn into the tension between the two people she was trying to protect.

"Okay, but you can't go alone. Take Mackie with you," Rainey finally said.

"Are you kidding me? He'd scare the daylights out of everybody," JW said.

"That's the point," Rainey said.

"I'd rather him be here to protect Katie, she's the one in danger, and you for that matter. Shouldn't he be here watching your back?"

"I think my back is pretty well covered, and as you say the FBI will be here soon," Rainey said.

JW had lost the argument and he could see no way around it. He finally conceded, after Rainey watched his brain trying to figure a way out of her proposition.

"Okay, I'll take Mackie."

Rainey pulled out her cell phone, "I'll call him and get him in here. Then we can go over a plan for this morning. I want to know where you are at all times. We make a plan and you don't deviate from it, got it."

"Why don't you put one of those chips in my phone, like you were talking about for Katie?"

Katie arrived with JW's omelet. "What chip?" she asked.

"She has a chip for your phone, so she can track your every movement," JW said, just before taking in a mouthful of egg, dripping with cheese.

"You didn't put a tracker on me, did you?" Katie asked.

"No, I didn't. I didn't get the chance," Rainey said.

"Well, don't give him any device to track me. I don't want him spying on my every move," Katie said, emphatically, "Why, do have you have something to hide?" JW said, still chewing.

"I don't want you to know which divorce lawyer I'm going to contact, when this little campaign is finally over," Katie quipped, going back to her pans on the stove.

JW swallowed. His mood darkened. His voice was much less congenial when he said, "Katie, that's a private matter. I would appreciate it, if you would leave it that way."

Katie turned quickly and charged at him, "Don't you get it? There isn't going to be any more privacy. These people are going to come in here and tear our lives apart. They'll question everything. There won't be any skeletons left, in the closet."

JW glowered at Katie. He gripped the fork in his hand tightly, frozen between the plate and his mouth. Suddenly, there was a loud banging on the front door. Everyone jumped. Rainey could hear Mackie's voice, on the other side of the door, calling her name. She realized at that moment, that she was still holding her opened phone in her hand. She had dialed Mackie's number, but when the fighting escalated between Katie and JW, she had forgotten to say anything. He must have thought something was wrong. She jumped up quickly.

"JW, disarm the alarm. I'll get the door," she said, sprinting toward the front of the house.

She threw open the door to find Mackie, breathless, and scared.

"I'm so sorry," she offered.

"Goddamnit, Rainey. I thought he was in the house," he shouted at her.

"I'm sorry, those two started going at it again and I got distracted," Rainey explained.

Pushing passed her, Mackie said, "That distraction is going to get you killed."

Rainey did not argue. There was no point. He was right. The Wilsons were a huge distraction, especially Katie. Rainey needed to distance herself from the two of them. She was too close and being drawn steadily deeper, into their dysfunctional personal drama.

She tried to smooth things over. She tried the one thing she thought would brighten his mood, "Katie's got food for you, in the kitchen."

She followed the big man, as they made their way back to the kitchen. Katie was at the stove again, silently cooking. JW had finished eating and was standing by the French doors, drinking coffee. The tension in the air was palatable. Katie turned, as they came in.

"Hello, Mackie. What would you like in your omelet?"

"Anything you can throw in it, will work for me," Mackie said, a big smile on his face.

"Just sit down at the table and I'll bring you some coffee," Katie said, going to work on the omelet.

"I'll get the coffee," Rainey said, retrieving her cup from earlier and grabbing one for Mackie, from the cup tree on the counter.

Rainey poured the coffee, taking it to the table, where Mackie was standing behind a chair. He was looking down at the spindly legs of the colonial reproduction and, Rainey assumed, trying to gauge if the chair would hold his massive frame.

"Go ahead, I don't think it's an antique," Rainey teased.

"Just for that, you're paying for it, if it breaks," he said.

The wooden chair creaked, as he lowered himself onto the seat. JW joined them and they discussed the plan for Mackie to go with him, to his office for a few hours. Mackie raised his brow, questioning Rainey with his eyes, but remained silent on the subject, of how odd it was that JW was leaving the house. He listened intently as JW outlined his morning and agreed to ride along. Katie came to the table with Mackie's plate, piled high with glistening fluffy eggs folded over, cheese oozing from the ends. She also brought Rainey's untouched plate from before, raising one eyebrow at Rainey, which said, "Eat your food."

Rainey did as she was told, eating everything on her plate. The room grew silent, except for the appreciative moans from Mackie, after he took every bite. Katie smiled and patted his huge shoulder.

"Send the rest of the boys in, before you leave. I'm sure they are hungry by now," Katie said.

Mackie nodded, but did not stop eating. When his fork finally clinked on to his plate, he thanked Katie and complimented her ability to fluff the eggs just right. It was high praise from a food aficionado, such as Mackie. He and JW left together and the boys trailed in, two at a time, to be fed and fussed over by Katie. Rainey stayed busy, checking doors and window locks a second and third time. She got a feel for the layout of the house, admiring the antiques and decorative choices Katie had made. It was a showcase of good taste, done well enough for a display in a design magazine.

The third story was merely an attic storage space. An artificial Christmas tree stood at one end surrounded by boxes of ornaments and decorations. Several boxes, labeled baby things, were stacked inside a crib at the other end. A teddy bear slept in a stroller nearby. Rainey's heart broke for the woman, who had packed her dreams away in those boxes, with hopes of needing them again. Rainey had never wanted children, never had the time really, but she could certainly understand the pain of loss.

In the basement, she found the washing machine and dryer, a treadmill and weights and not much else. A wooden door, with paned windows, was the only exit to outside. She checked the bolt was securely in place and went back upstairs. She found Katie alone, loading the dishwasher. She saw a list on the counter with a stack of twenty-dollar bills.

"What's this?" Rainey asked, pointing at the paper and money.

"One of the boys volunteered to do some shopping for me. They were all so nice. I hope JW is paying you enough to take care of them, too."

"Oh, yeah," Rainey answered, "He's paying enough."

"There isn't enough money to pay you for what you are doing. Thank you again for all of this," Katie said.

Rainey refilled her coffee, turning back to Katie, "We're in this together. I want this guy caught so we can all go on with our lives."

"Amen to that sister," Katie said, wrapping her arms around Rainey, pulling her in for an embrace.

Katie was a hugger. Rainey was not used to being hugged by a woman other than Ernie. Rainey's heart thumped against her chest. She returned the hug and was met by a tighter squeeze. They both jumped when they heard the French doors open. They released each other and turned to see Junior poking his head in the door.

"Rainey, the FBI is here."

"Thanks, Junior," she said, and then looked at Katie. "Well, the cavalry has arrived."

CHAPTER TWELVE.

The suspect had made one mistake, as far as Rainey could tell. He had attacked an FBI Agent, making this a federal case. The BAU did not have to be invited to participate. Their jurisdiction superseded that of local law enforcement. The killer had brought the full force of federal law enforcement and all the tools at their disposal, down on his head. Three big black SUVs pulled into the driveway and a small army of agents descended on the house.

"Let the games begin," Rainey whispered under her breath.

She opened the French doors, stepping out on the patio. She waved at Danny when he exited the first vehicle. Danny McNally looked just like his name made him sound. He was tall and broad, with red wavy hair and freckles to match. His childlike face and cherub cheeks made him look younger than his forty-two years. He looked out of place, in the blue suit he was wearing. He preferred jeans and tennis shoes, although he could be persuaded to wear a tie and jacket with them. The suit had come with a promotion. He was now a lead investigator and he was heading the team on this investigation. Danny saw Rainey and walked quickly to her.

"You look great Rainey," he said, squeezing her into a bear hug. "It's good to see you. I wish I were here under different circumstances."

"Me too, Danny, me too," Rainey said.

"I've got a call in to that detective we worked with last year. He's going to liaison for us with all the local jurisdictions," Danny said, looking back over his shoulder. "Do you think we could work here until they clear a space for us downtown?"

Katie, who had been standing in the doorway answered, before Rainey had a chance, "Yes, of course. Make yourselves at home. There is coffee in the kitchen and I can make you something to eat."

"Special Agent Danny McNally, this is Katie Wilson," Rainey introduced them.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Wilson," Danny said, shaking Katie's outstretched hand.

"Please, call me Katie," she said. "Come on in, you can put your things on the kitchen table."

Katie turned, going back through the open doorway. She had charmed him, like the pied piper, with Danny and his fellow mice streaming into the house, right behind her. Rainey smiled, watching Katie through the panes of glass in the doors. Katie flitted here and there making room for laptops and pouring coffee. Rainey shook hands with the other agents. She knew most of them, but had only worked personally with James the tech guru and Roger the strong and quiet one, standing guard behind the last SUV. They waved and smiled at each other, and then Rainey followed the last agent in and closed the door behind her.

The agents went about setting up, while Katie bustled about making muffins in the kitchen. Danny called Rainey to the side. He wanted to talk somewhere more private, so Rainey took him out to the living room, at the front of the house. They sat down in matching wing back chairs, across from each other.

Danny spoke first, "Where is Mr. Wilson, may I ask?"

"He went to his office. Mackie is with him." Rainey replied.

"When will he be back?" Danny asked.

"He said he only needed a few hours. I can call Mackie and see how much longer they'll be."

"That's okay. We can interview him when he gets back." Danny looked around the room. "These people are loaded," he said, followed by a whistle. He looked at Rainey for a second, then added, "How are you, Rainey?"

"I'm alright, considering," Rainey said.

"Are you sleeping? What about the dreams?" He knew her too well.

"They have been better, since I moved down here," she lied.

Danny had slept near her for two months, after the attack. He slept on the floor, by her bed, in her hospital room, until a nurse saw him and brought a cot. He slept on her couch when she went home to her apartment. He was the calming voice she awoke to, when the terror filled her dreams. He was always there, holding her, soothing her until she could regain control.

"Don't lie to me, Rainey. You are an important witness in this investigation. I need to know where your head is," Danny said, locking her eyes with his.