Private Affair(77)
And if it did that for him, what about the people from the reunion class who could be a threat? Like Angela Dawson.
She’d kept quiet about the rapes up at the cabin. And so had Olivia and Claire. But what if they got together at the reunion , compared notes, and decided to talk?
His hands were damp now, and he wiped them on his pants legs.
“That’s not gonna happen now,” he muttered. “You’ve already stopped the bitches from talking to each other.”
Doggedly, he focused on his biggest success again. Not money. Murder. If you had an issue with someone, there was an easy way to settle the beef. There were subtle ways to eliminate people who were in the way, but he’d strangled Angela because it was like a repetition of his first success. And he’d figured it was safe to do it that way because what did it matter—nobody was going to suspect him. After that, he’d started having some fun with Claire. Like why not drive her crazy before he killed her?
Then he’d realized she was the perfect tool to use when he needed to get to Olivia after she’d hired that bastard detective to solve the murders.
There was no chance of that, of course. The guy was too stupid to finger the Masked Avenger. Look how easy it had been to lure Lyon away from the Winters’ farm. And it was probably dumb luck that he’d figured out the ploy and come racing back.
His mind was spinning with plans now. It would be safer to kill Lyon, too. Either before or after he did Olivia. However it worked out.
And then there was the Avenger’s friend. The guy who’d gone to Baltimore with him. Maybe Angela’s murder and the incident at the Winters’ farm had made him nervous. Maybe he could guess who had done those bitches. And maybe he had to be eliminated, too. Just in case.
A lot of dead people were piling up. That might have worried the Avenger. But now he knew he was invincible. He’d gotten away every time—even from the farmhouse. And he was going to keep getting away.
Except that suddenly he felt the edge of panic creeping in on him. Gritting his teeth, he pushed it away. He would stay calm. And focused. And he would win—because he always had.
***
Olivia heard Max swear.
“What?” she asked.
“The DNA,” Max answered, then turned on the speaker so she could hear better.
“Who is it?”
“Either of you know someone named Damon Davidson?”
Confused, Olivia shook her head.
“Oh Christ,” Max swore, and she knew from his reaction that the name meant something to him—something bad.
“Who is he?” she and Shane both said at the same time.
“He’s a drug dealer I put away six years ago. He swore he was going to get even with me. He must have been released from Jessup, and I didn’t even know it.” He glanced at Olivia, his expression grim. “He must have started checking up on me, found out I’d be at your house, and booby-trapped the woods. “
“So it wasn’t connected with the murders,” Olivia breathed.
“Right. And before anything else happens, I’m taking you to…”
“The Rockfort Security safe house,” Shane finished. “Do you want me to come down there and pick Olivia up?”
“That would just take more time,” Max answered. “I want her out of Baltimore right now. We’ll meet you at the safe house. But if he’s following me, it may take some time to lose him.”
“Okay,” Shane answered and clicked off.
Max paused in the living room, looking to the front of the house, then the rear, and back again.
“I said it looked like whoever was at the farm the night of the reunion meeting was after me, but I thought it was connected with the case. I didn’t think I was actually the target.”
“You couldn’t know.”
“Maybe I should have kept tabs on Davidson.”
“Oh come on. How many guys who said they were going to get you followed through?”
“None until now,” he bit out. “Just your luck it had to be this guy.”
He cursed under his breath as he looked toward the front door, then the back. “And for all we know, he could have followed us here.”
Marge came back from the kitchen, taking in the tension crackling between them. “Trouble?” she asked.
“Sorry,” Max said. “A guy I put away when I was with the Baltimore PD is after me. And he could show up here.” He looked at the older woman. “Do you have a gun?”
“Yes.”
She walked to an end table, pulled out a revolver, and gave it to Max.
He checked to see that the weapon was loaded, then gave it to Olivia. “I’m going to get the car. You wait here. I’ll go out the front and come back to the rear.”